《Great Tang Idyll》 Book 1: Prologue Book 1: Prologue Year 20XX, afternoon, a group of people sat in a hidden room located somewhere in the Chinese capital, looking at pictures that periodically shed by on the screen in front of them. This person, Zhang[1]Xiaobao,[2] male, currently 35 years old, lived in an orphanage as a child in H City, T Province.[3] At the age of 6, because the orphanage was washed away in a flood andhe was pulled out of the water ontond by the efforts of the orphanage director who was surnamed Zhang and unfortunately died in sacrifice, afterwards, the person who those in the orphanage called Xiaobao took on the surname of Zhang and then disappeared. A 40-something year old man pointed at a timid looking child in the group picture of the orphanage children being disyed onscreen, introducing him to the others. Following a screen transition, another picture appeared. It was still that of a child, only the face was much more mature, appearing to be around 10 years or so without the shyness seen in the previous picture. The middle-aged mans voice sounded again: This picture was taken of Zhang Xiaobao while he was in the juvenile detention center. That year, he was 9. He was detained as the scale of his theft was too great. A monthter, he led a team of over 10 people that were gathered from the juvenile detention center in a sessful escape. He then once again disappeared off the records. When another picture appeared, the middle-aged man continued lecturing: This is a photo of a 17 year old Zhang Xiaobao while in prison. Because he regrly trained his body, he appeared to be in his twenties. ording to further investigation on our part, this was his 3rd time entering the prisons. We onlyter realized that he was entering prison for the sake of entering the prisons. Every time hemitted a crime, it was always just enough to sentence him to half a year of detention. Due to the falsification of his age, no one knew he was still a minor. Everyone, please look at this next picture. This is a photo of him at 24 on his 9th prison entry. Each time he went in, the names he used would all be fake and his appearance would beslightly altered. After analysis, his goal for his imprisonment was to learn the skills of the inmateswith special abilities. Each time after he was released, he wouldmit only one crime, stealing the fortune of a government official numbering in the tens of thousands as thepensation for training his skills. Thest time he entered prison was the year he was 26. Due to an inability to locate his previous records, it was only for 3 months and was specifically for the sake of bidding farewell to a Master of his. After this, the crimes hemitted increased with the local police unable to capture him in spite of the outstanding arrest warrant on him. After research by the relevant departments, the skills he learned from his many years in prison include pickpocketing, hard qi gong,[4] lock-picking, driving techniques, financial fraud, physical disguise, vocal alteration, counterfeiting, surveince and counter-surveince, wilderness survival, and specialbat skills. Of course, there is also the most important one of escape technique. During the course of several arrest attempts, our local police discovered that he can jump straight down from a height of 15 meters unharmed and can climb up 9 meter high walls bare-handed. He is also adept in criminal psychology, behavioral psychology, social psychology, and other various disciplines. He has been designated as an extremely dangerous criminal. Having said this, the middle-aged man sighed lightly. Everyone else also sighed at the same time. Whether it was sighing at Xiaobaos criminal records or his ability and tenacity was unknown. After this exhtion, everyone seemed to be rx a bit.The middle-aged man continued lecturing: After Zhang Xiaobao turned 28, our relevant departments could not find any more information on him untilst year. Only when the data on case after case of international fraud was consolidated did we regain news of him. After turning 28, Zhang Xiaobao bid farewell tohis usualmodus operandiof theft and ckmail of government officials to start using the other skills he had learned to carry out financial fraud on a massive scale. In our country, he primarily defrauded high officials byusing various pretexts to get the high officials to spend their own money or provide the money by taking ourge bank loans. Overseas, he mainly swindled several financial institutions. Foreach scam, his identity would change. After being calcted by the relevant departments, the total amount defrauded has already reached the scary sum of 160 billion U.S. dors. But we are unable to ascertainthe location of where this money actually is. When everyone heard this number, they all deeply inhaled.Rather than beingfilled with hatred for criminals, their eyes werefilled with a type of admiration they could not give voice to. The middle-aged presenter, who was also reeling from the shock brought by thisfigure, only resumed speaking after some time: This time, we finally know of Zhang Xiaobaos whereabouts. This morning, we received a report that Zhang Xiaobao is already on the ne flying in this afternoon from America to H City, T Province. This time, the name he used is the one he registered with the Civil Affairs department after the flood back when he was 6 years old, Zhang Xiaobao. Also, he is even using the identification papers that he applied for under the name he registered back then. Thus, we were able to gain a handle on his identityonly were not clear on hismotivefor doing so.Our mission is to arrest him and get the location of that money. ording to our people who have been tailing him this entire time, after disembarking the ne, he went directly to the orphanages old address, which is now the site of a supermarket. To prevent him from using other destructive measures, this time, we decided on a n to first approach, then observe, and finally capture. Speaking until now, the middle-aged man fell silent, his gaze sweeping across the people in front of him to finally rest on a woman who was in her thirties. Nodding at her, he said: Wang Juan,[5] this time, themission of approach and observe will be given to you. Are you confident aboutpleting the mission? Definitely willplete the mission! The woman called Wang Juan stood up as she solemnly answered. However, after everyone had left, a hint of doubt shed through Wang Juans eyes. In the past, she had also taken on many cases and she hadalways been brimming over with confidence. But this time, she wavered. Or rather, it could be said she was apprehensive. She, who had earned a masters degree inw at 16 to directly enroll into military school and, at the age of 20, finished her studies of the tacticalmand disciplines to then enter the Womens Special Ops Unit to learnbat and surveince techniques. After joining the police department, she specialized in the investigation and solving of major cases, not ever failing a single time. Every single criminal she had arrested deserved what their fate. But this time, she felt uneasy inside. She also had a copy of Zhang Xiaobaos records and they were more detailed than the Commissioners presentation. Zhang Xiaobao was definitely a criminal. However, the ones he stole from back then were government officials. Every time, he would be able to steal a lot of money. This only proved that these officials had a lot of money. Theterscams mainlydefrauded those officials looking for political achievements. The amount of money swindledfrom them added up to a total of around 30 billion U.S. dors. The rest of the money was from his scams abroad. This time, it appeared the intentions of the higher-ups was to get their hands on the moneythis was the most important thing. Other than theft and fraud, Zhang Xiaobao didnt seem to have any robbery cases on his recordand whats more, no rape cases, either. Based on his abilities, he definitely had the capabilities to do both. What was he actually thinking inside? Sucking in a deep breath, Wang Juan tried to not think about those things she shouldnt think about. The orders she received were to approach, observe, and when appropriate, capture. Other considerations were useless. It was best to just get the arrest.
In H City, T Province, a casually dressed man stood in the entrance of arge supermarket. He appeared to be in his thirties. His face was a bit sickly pale. He was motionless as his eyes stared at the entire supermarket while he took a phone call. Big Brother[6] Zhang, the police there have already deployed. You really dont want to try somewhere else? Maybe, theres still a chance. If you want to leave, we can immediately arrange for someone to escort you back. A womans voice could be heard on the phone. No need. Any hospitals I could find, I already did. I still have half a month of life left, I wish to die in my hometown. The matters I ordered have been arranged for? The man calmly replied. Big Brother Zhang, rest assured. The 4 funds have already been set up. Whether youre here or not, they will continue running based on your ideas. We dont need to swindle anymore. Those industries we invested in will double in assets after a few years. ording to your wishes, it will beguaranteed that within 20 years, every single child of the homnd will be able to sit in well-lit ssrooms to study and none of the orphanages will be destroyed by the floodwaters. Big Brother Zhang, you really dont want to reconsider? Theres another area you havent tried. Folk remedies can be very effective. The womans voice rose again in persuasion. Its toote. I know my own illness. After Im gone, do a good job. Also, its not my wish, but my Grandpa Directors[7] wish. All right, let me indulge my sentimentalities about this ce for a moment in the end. The man was still that calm in demeanor, his face devoid of any expression after he ended the call as if his surroundings were at a distance very, very far removed from him. Ten minutes passed, half an hour passed, an hour passed as the mass of people in front of the supermarket never stopped changing. The only thing unchanging was the mans posture as he stood there, the pupils that had already lost focus flickering with something unknown within. Ever since this supermarket was built 4 years ago, its been constantly busy, servicing many customers each day. At the same time, its also generated a lot of local tax revenue. After an unknown amount of time had passed, a womans voice sounded by the mans side. Upon hearing her voice, the man slowly turned his head to see the delicately pretty face of a woman in her thirties. He said with a slight nod of his head: Yeah, the supermarket appeared and the previous orphanage then moved to an even more remote ce. Wonder how much of the tax revenue has flowed into the pockets of those it shouldnt flow into? Wonder how much of this money will be spent on these orphans? Who is sipping wine inughter? Who is crying tears in silence? For a moment, the woman didnt know how to answer. After a while, she finally spoke as if unloading a great burden: You are rather full of worries and pessimism. There are some things that you shouldnt be thinking about. Three years ago, that orphanage relocated. The children live pretty well. There are still good people in this world. Of course, I know this. 6,257,900[8] was invested in there with a maintenance fund of 150,000 every year. Six people who thought to get their hands on this money died. How could the little brothers and sisters not live well? The money for Grandpa Directors Orphanage Home, anyone who touches it, dies. The man said with a smile full of disdain. Oh? You actually know of it in such detail? The woman asked withastonishment. The money I invested, the people I killedhow could I not know of it? Isnt that right, Ms. Wang Juan? The mans tone of voice was as calm as ever. Wang Juan didnt think that her cover would be blown the moment she appeared and furthermore, that she would be greeted by name. Deciding to forego any further probing, she immediately reached inside her bosom. But before she could take out her gun, a powerful hand had already mped down on her shoulder. At the same time, the mans voice sounded: No need for such trouble. It wouldnt do to frighten others by pulling a gun out in public. When I used my real name to return this time, I didn''t think to escape. Ill go with you and let you sessfullypletely your mission. What do you say, legendary graduate of the Womens Special Ops Unit, Ms. Tyrant Flower?[9] Wang Juan struggled twice before discovering there was no way to get free. She could only nod as she said: All right, I hope what you''ve said is true, International Criminal Swindler, Comrade Zhang Xiaobao. Otherwise, dont assume that having restrained me that the snipers will let you off easy. Rx. If I had wanted to run, I would have already run. In this kind of busy ce, what use are snipers? But you guys might be disappointed. The 160 billion is gone but I left behind 5 million for you guys as payment. 160 billion is the amount you have proof of but the actual sum is far greater. I hope that before Im executed by the firing squad that youll be the one to apany me andIll give you guys the 5 million. As a man, I believe the greatest joy is to have a beautiful girl at my side before dying. Zhang Xiaobaoughingly said as he stared at Wang Juans icy face. The money? Wang Juan reflexively asked, freezing upon hearing that the money was gone. You guys will never know. I hear there are many drugs that stimte the mind. You guys can test them on me and see if I spill this secret or not. Remember to use arger dosage. I normally take too much of this type of drug so smaller doses wont work. Zhang Xiaobao retracted his hand. You do drugs? More or less. Not too much of a difference. When Im in pain, I keep worrying that an overlooked w wille up during a swindle or investment so Id take some drugs to feel better. Lets go. Id like to go be with my Grandpa Director as soon as possible. If youre not in a hurry, you cane with me to the liangfen[10] shop at the end of this street for a bowl of liangfen. My treat. That year I was 5, I ate it once. Grandpa Director took me there. That was the most delicious thing I have ever eaten in my life. Ever since then, I havent been able to eat it, no matter how much money I have. Today, I can finally eat it. Ive fulfilled Grandpasst wish. I feel like Im once again worthy of a bowl. I sent people over to check. Its still the same uncle from that year. Back then, it was 2 a bowl. Now, its 5 a bowl. I hope the taste hasnt changed. As Zhang Xiaobao spoke, he didn''t appear to act as if he had been captured as he looked in the direction of the street, his gaze full of nostalgia. She didnt know why but after hearing these words, Wang Juan felt as if the innermost part of her had been touched. In a daze, the desire toplete her mission finally suppressed any other thoughts that shouldnt have appeared. Seeing that this supermarket entrance had too much foot traffic and considering that there should be fewer people at the liangfenshop, so any possible injuries would be reduced in the case of a conflict, she nodded. Wrapping her arm around one of Zhang Xiaobaos arms, she walked towards the street. Dont move! None of you are allowed to move! Donte near! Whoeveres near me, Ill blow them all up with me! After Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan both had taken only a few steps, they suddenly heard a voice. The both of them simultaneously looked back, only to see a man dressed in puffy clothing who had one hand tightly holding a small child who was less than 2 years old and another hand pressing on something as he vigorously yelled. Wang Juans first thought was that Zhang Xiaobao wanted to escape and had deliberately arranged for a person to create a distraction. When she turned to look over at him, Zhang Xiaobaos eyes was flicking back and forth between the child and the mans other arm. His previously calm expression had unexpectedly changed into one ofsurprising fury in that instant as he forced the words out of his mouth: Not my arrangement. I, Zhang Xiaobao, would not deign to use this type of method. Use your identity to get the surrounding people to leave. Ill think of a way to save the child. Thats no good. I cant trust you. My mission is to take you back with me. There are other people to take care of anything else. Wang Juan hesitated for a bit before she rejected Zhang Xiaobaos suggestion. If I wanted to run, you wouldnt even be able to stop me. Save that child, Ill give you another 150,000 more. You know that child? No, I dont know him. I seethe helplessness in his eyes. Theyre just like the eyes of the younger brothers and sisters from the orphanage that I saw drowning in the water back then. Only, I survived and they died. Its still not okay. I cant care aboutanything outside of the mission. I must make sure thatyoure sessfully brought back. Wang Juan struggled internally for a moment before refusing again. Just as the two of them were trying to persuade the other, arge amount of police officers had already arrived. Their quick arrival was undoubtedly because this supermarket was a foreign investment. Release the hostage in your hands. If youre seeking clemency, you can make your requests. Among the police officers that had arrived, one must have been a member of the leadership as he took cover behind a police car and used a bullhorn held in his hand to yell out at the bandit standing in front of the supermarket entrance. Fuck your mothering leniency! Go hide further away! Whoever darese here, Ill die together with this child! Money! I want money! And a ne toget me out of here! I want to go to the Vatican! Still hugging the child, the bandit loudly shouted back at the police. See, the robbers nowadays are all smarter than you cops. They know that what you say are all lies and even know to run to those ces that dont have a very good rtionship with our country.[11] Now, you should step forward. Whether I can believe it or not, this idiot of a chief actually has dared to arrange for a sniper. Zhang Xiaobao tried his best not to be agitated as he spoke to Wang Juan. Wang Juan nced at the loose wire style of the mans explosive device. Pulling along Zhang Xiaobao, she walked in front of the police chief and took out her ID as she ordered: No matter what the circumstances, the snipers are not allowed to shoot. Ensure the hostages safety. Get the negotiators to start talks and stabilize the criminals mood. At this time, the police chief also reacted to what that explosive device was. While on the one hand, he made the arrangements for the aftermath, on the other, he sent people over tofort the childs parents as they were currently sobbing uncontrobly while they pled to be the one exchanged with the hostage. Wang Juan, ~ah Maybe I should go. This person, ~ah Let me give him a chance. Zhang Xiaobao really didnt wish to wait. He didnt even care about Wang Juan as he spoke, immediately walking forward. Wang Juan couldnt pull him back in time and Zhang Xiaobao had already approached the wary looking bandit as he said: Brother,[12] I thought you were a smart person but I didnt think youd be this dumb. How much money can you swindle from grabbing a kid? From your mention of the country you want to run to, you should have some knowledge. Why not grab me? I''ll switch with the kid. See what this is? Swiss banknotes, Citibank promissory notes, HSBC promissory notes, and a whole mess of other things. Know Bros[13] identity now? Do the exchange or notif you do, Ill fulfill your request. If not, even if you escape today, Ill take out a 10 million reward just for your life, even if you have the whole run of the world. While Zhang Xiaobao spoke, he constantly pulled out items from his person to throw at the bandits feet. The bandit couldnt help following each item with his gaze before looking up to observe what the person in front of him was wearing, the watch on his wrist, that aura of his, and then looking at the child in his arms. Finally, he hesitantly nodded. No, you cant go over there. You muste back with me. Upon seeing that Zhang Xiaobao really was going to go over there to do the exchange, Wang Juan immediately pulled on Zhang Xiaobaos arm. It was too bad that she was a woman whose strength couldntpare with Zhang Xiaobaos no matter what. So she was dragged along by Zhang Xiaobao to arrive in front of the bandit. The bandit could care less who came as long as the persons status was higher. He released the child, grabbing Zhang Xiaobaos other arm in one go, his face revealing a triumphant grin. Naturally, there were people who rushed over to hide the child away in a safe ce. The bandit himself, feeling that he was the luckiest person, repeated the words he had previously yelled to the police outside before telling Zhang Xiaobao: You have to give me money, too. Otherwise, I wont let you go. Ill give your mothering tool![14] Zhang Xiaobao used the moment in which the bandits attention had rxed to pull his arm out of Wang Juans grasp and instantly press down on the thumb that the bandit was resting on the explosive device. His mouth full of curses, he used his other arm to forcefully wrench the bandits arm until it broke with akacha sound. Just as Zhang Xiaobao was about to take further measures, arge wave of pain suddenly spread through his head as his vision darkened and the hand pressing down on the explosive device couldnt help but cken. As a boom sounded, Zhang Xiaobaosst thought was that he hadnt eaten that bowl ofliangfenwhile Wang Juans was wondering if these two were a team after all.
  1. All names will be romanized in the Chinese way with the surname first followed by the given name.
  2. Xiaobao () literally meanslittle treasure and is usuallyan endearing petname forchildren. Its normally not used for a legal given name. Theres an extra connotation of baby with this name since the modern ng word for baby is made by repeating the character bao () twice to make bao-bao (). It can also be rted to the Chinese phicization of baby, bao bei (), which can not only be used to refer to a literal baby but can also be used in the intimate sense (such as calling a lover baby). This situation would be akin to an adult man whose legal name is Baby or Babe. Thus, it is a rather embarrassing name for an adult man to have and hints at Xiaobao''s shamelessness and psychologicalplex(es).
  3. The author literally did not specify what city and just used the English capital letters H and T for the city and province. This is likely to avoid any legal or censorship issues in case it appeared to be a criticism of the government or location. The letters are likely derived from the pinyin of the actual city the author is thinking of. However, I am unable to determine which city or province of China H City and T province might be referring to.
  4. Hard qi gong ("ying qi gong" ) is a form of martial arts that focuses on hardening the body, such as by beating on the skin and muscles until they are strengthened and the sensation of pain is deadened. This would be the opposite of "nei gong" () or "internal skill," a fictional version of which normallyes up in a lot of wuxia and martial arts stories and is the deus ex machina responsible for a lot of the wire fu that shows up in martial arts dramas and movies. Note that this is different from the general term of qigong or qi, which doesn''t necessarily have martial arts applications.
  5. The Juan in Wang Juan () is a character that is used in the names for several species of cuckoos and road runners. If the author intended any significance with the name choice, he likely was referencing the road runner for Wang Juan.
  6. Da Ge () is being used as a title of respect and showspersonal loyalty on the speakers part in this case so I am tranting it with some formality, simr to how the term ofAniki isused inJapanese or Orabuni isused in Korean. Note that this term of address can be used by minions to address their leaders as well as used for addressing the leader of a group of dered brothersmonly seen in wuxia and in the ultimate Chinese fictionalized example, Liu Bei () of the Three Kingdoms period. When used literally, it can also refer to a brother older than the speaker. Thus, it can create an awkward andedic situation when Da Ge () is being used for its connotations of leadership (especially since Confucian-based hierarchy emphasizes age and seniority) if the speaker/minion is actually older than the leader.
  7. Xiaobao is literally calling the orphanage director Grandpa with the title of his job attached likely to acknowledge the fact how he became Xiaobaos grandpa, which emphasizes the magnitude of his benevolence toward Xiaobao.
  8. is the symbol used for Chinas currency, the Chinese yuan (/), which is also abbreviated RMB for renmenbi () meaning the peoples currency. Note that yuan/ tends to be tranted into the generic meaning of dor in Chinese since the U.S. dor is referred to as mei yuan () and the Euro is the ou yuan () in Chinese.
  9. The pinyin of Wang Juans nickname isBa Wang Hua () and the phrase itself is a ng nickname for female police officers like Wang Juan that describes the toughness of their nature. This term shows up as the title of a Hong Kong movie on female supercops, the title of which has been tranted into English as The Inspector Wears Skirts. Because of the mixed feelings such women that dont fit the traditional feminine stereotype can elicit in Chinese culture, this nickname could be interpreted as either a dig at or apliment to Wang Juan depending on the context. The nickname itself could also be a pun since the bawang/ part, meaning tyrant or hegemon, could allude to Wang Juans surname, which means king, while hua/ means flower and refers to her gender. The Ba Wang () part of bawanghua/ is also the epithet traditionally assigned to the King of Chu, Xiang Yu (), who is generally consideredone of the greatest warriors in Chinese history. He was infamously hard to take down and when he finally died, it was by his own hand out of shame for his army''s defeat though he was undefeated in singlebat. The river he died by has been immortalized in poetry and fiction as having been dyed red by his blood and that of his enemies. This warrior king ultimately lost out to his more cunning rival, Liu Bang, whoter went on tofound the Han dynasty. Ba Wang Hua () can also refer to carrion or corpse flowers, which emits a rotting flesh odor in order to attract scavenger insects for the purposes of food and pollination. Examples of such flowers include the Rafflesia arnoldii or the Dracunculus vulgaris, which can both be known as stink lilies. Because of all of the above reasons, I am tranting this term as Tyrant Flower.
  10. Liangfen () is a Chinese dish that is served cold, whose name literally means cooled (rice) noodles. However, because of the different types of noodles that can be used in Chinese cuisine as well asthe various terms and characters used to differentiate themfor one thing, there is more than one cold noodle dish in Chinese cuisine that exists whose name might or might not have a simr literal meaningI decided not to go with a literal trantion and tranted it using the pinyin.
  11. Zhang Xiaobao is referring to theck of official diplomatic ties betweenChinaand the Holy See of Vatican City, the breakdown of which you can read more about here.
  12. The exact term Xiaobao uses here is xiong di (), which is literally thebination of the characters used for older and younger brother and just means brothers or male siblings. When used as a way to address someone, its meaning is simr to how the words man, buddy, dude, and of course brother can be used colloquially in the English vernacr.
  13. Xiaobao is usingGe (), whichmeans Older Brother, to refer to himself in the third person. I tranted it as Bro here since it is an abbreviated form of the whole word of Ge-Ge () or brother. Xiaobao likely is trying to emphasize his expertise and knowledge as well as to convey a casual familiarity with the bandit in his choice of words here, hinting that he is there to help the bandit out as an Older Brother.
  14. Cursing with aeback reply in Chinese can be pretty nonsensical even for native speakers since an insulting retort mostly involves repeating part of the phrase and then adding ayour ma oryour dad oryour little sister in there. Actually, if you mention any of the other persons rtives in a disrespectful tone, its pretty much an insult. But speaking ill of peoples mothers is a universal favorite. The other tendency is to add a bi () in these insults, a tendency that is derivedfrom censorship of the character referring to female genital parts. Bi/, literally meaning force,became amon recement character in these cases as it is a homophone until it itself became an insult when used in such a manner (though it is still less offensive than outright calling someone a c**t). This resulted in bi/ being inserted in ways that wouldn''t make sense, even if you considered what offensive character it was being used as a ceholder for as people forgot what its original reference was to. Because tool can be a phallic reference but also can be used for its literal meaning, I tranted bi/ as tool to get that same feeling across.
Book 1: Chapter 1 Book 1: Chapter 1 Cop & Robber in the Previous Life, Family in the Present Life It was a midsummer afternoon.The people who had just eaten and a brief rest were once again resuming the days work. The birds as well as the dog and chickens in the courtyard had all either found ces from which to enjoy the warm sunlight or had hidden in the cool areas. In the stream by the entrance of Tuqiao[1] Viges Zhang Manor,[2] a group of boys were sshing around. After ying for a while or perhaps because the noise of their shouts was too loud, a man walked out of the manors courtyard house door. ring at this gang of kids, he unhappily reprimanded them: All of you scram further away! If my Little Mister[3] is woken up, youll all be getting a beating! The kids immediately fell silent, carefully looking toward the open door in the corner of the courtyard house before they sank into the water to maketheir way upstream. It was only after the man returned back inside the courtyard house that all of the kids exhaled, puckeringtheir faces up into various grimaces at the closed courtyard house door. Scared me to death! So harsh! The old patriarch of the Zhang Family isnt like him at all. A kid around 7 years old quietly said this as he used his hands to dig out yellow mud from the river bed. Isnt it always like that? The people of the master family[4] are easygoing while the steward is stern. But no matter how stern the steward is, he still has to obey the master family. I heard that the little master can drink porridge now. Lets catch some toads to send over in a bit. Porridge made with the oil taken from the toad innards is good for the body. Thats how my mom[5] eats after she had my little sister. Another one of the slightly older kids, who was more considerate than the previous kid, stared at the toads that asionally swam by in the water while he spoke to the others. The kids, knowing that ingratiating themselves to the master familys Little Mister at this time would get them an unexpected windfall, all nodded as well. One of the kids who had already caught a toad added: Then lets catch two more. The Wang Manors little girl is also at the Zhangs. Erzi,[6] how good would it be if your little sister was together with the Zhang Familys Little Mister nowyour family would no longer need to worry about food and clothing. The one called Erzi was the considerate kid from before. Upon hearing these words, he shook his head slightly: Thats simply impossible. The vige only has these two manors. Theyre the example of a perfect match.[7] Besides, they were born well. It was originally a proposed baby engagement[8] and they were actually born on the same day with a difference of less than a quarter-hour.[9] Thats right. Thats right. The kid who had first spoken was nodding to the side as he said: Not only that, I heard that since they met on their full moon,[10] the two babies stuck close together and would cry whenever they were separated.Thats why the both of them were ced together. Counting the days, there''s only a few days before their first full year. Stop talking, stop talking. Lets quickly catch some toads. As long as the master family is pleased, they might reward us a few chicken eggs. My moms milk is low so they can be given to my little sister to eat as a steamed cake. Upon thinking of his little sister who was just 4months old, Erzi didnt wish to waste any more time so after a quick greeting, he left to find a fork.
In one of the rooms within that courtyard house of the Zhang Manor, two babies currentlyy side by side, with a thin nket lightly covering them, both of their small faces peaceful as their bellies evenly rose and fell. Seated on a small stool by the doorway of this room was a young maiden[11] of around 13 or 14 years. After taking a few looks at the sleeping children, she then leaned against the door frame to nod off, going into a light doze after a short while. Shortly after, the little boy lying on the right side slowly opened his eyes. At first, he froze before he became confused. Raising his hands and moving his feet, a trace of panic suddenly appeared in his eyes. Then, turning his head to look around him, he muttered: Where is this? How did I turn into a child? Wheres the bandit? What about that Wang Juan? When he turned his gaze to the other child by his side, it was only then that he discovered that it was a little girl. An idea he couldnt ignore the possibility of rose in his mind then. But before he could further his conjectures, the little girls eyshes twitched twice. Still holding onto the idea he didnt dare believe in his heart, the boy shut his eyes once again, feigning sleep. At this time, the little girl also opened her eyes. Like him, she was also confused as she surveyed her surroundings and just like him, she muttered: Where is this? How did I turn into a child? Wheres that swindler, Zhang Xiaobao? My mission hasnt beenpleted yet. Her muttered words were heard by that little boy to the side. The previously even breathing of the little boy suddenly stopped only to immediately resume. But it was this instant that was noticed by the girl who had been staring at him the entire time. Keeping her suspicions to herself, the little girl estimated the position of the person sitting by the doorway before reaching out with a plump little hand to touch the little boys face to ask: Zhang Xiaobao? Is that you? The little boy didnt react, his breathing still as even as before. The little girl gritted her teeth and pinched the little boys nose. This time, the little boy woke up. Turning his head to look at the little girl, that pair of eyes blinked and blinked. However much innocence was needed, they were innocence itself. Zhang Xiaobao, hurry up and answer me. The little girl spoke once again using that voice that slurred her words. The little boy was still the same, blinking his eyes as he made several toneless ah-ah sounds with his mouth, just like any normal child of this age. Could it be that youre not Zhang Xiaobao? The little girl really didnt know how to judge. Ha~! Ha~! Ah~! Ah~! The little boys toneless voice sounded. At the same time, he reached out a plump little hand to touch the little girls face. The little girl stared into the little boys eyes to see if there was any expression in there that shouldnt appear. But she didnt get even a little bit of result. Just when the little girl was about to give up, she suddenly thought of the Commissioners words: He can jump straight down from a height of 15 meters unharmed and can climb up 9 meter high walls bare-handed. He is also adept in criminal psychology, behavioral psychology, social psychology, and other various disciplines. He has been designated as an extremely dangerous criminal. Ill have you pretend! Ill pinch you to death! The little girl also raised her hand to directly pinch the little boys arm. With just one pinch, the little boy immediately started crying with a wah~wah! Before the little girl could have any other reactions, the young maiden that was sitting by the doorway had already rushed over. Upon seeing someone arrive, the little girl pretended to be just as innocent as the little boy, batting her eyes. The little boy stared back at her with a face full of terror as he kept crying. All right, all right. Bang,[12] dont cry. Theres no urine, either, ~ah. Bang, dont look at the Wang Familys LittleMiss[13] with that kind of look. This is your future wife. Youve always been together since your full moon, how can you be scared like that? Following the young maidens voice and soothing, the little boy finally stopped crying. When this maiden returned once again to her seat on her stool, the little boy fell back to sleep again while the little girl had a face full of dismay. After thinking for a bit as she looked at the little boy, she finally gritted her teeth and reached out againthis time, for the little boys lower bodyas she whispered: You know to call for help? Feel you have backup? Not afraid of a pinch? Ill squeeze you till youre sick! Wah~! Wah~! Without waiting for the little girls hand to touch him there, the little boy started crying again. The little girl promptly retractedher hand. The young maiden came over once again but when she saw that there still was no problem, she returned to her seat. Let me see how long you can cry for. Im going to squeeze again. The little girl reached out with her hand again. Wah~! The little boy cried. The little girl withdrew her hand. The little boy stopped. The little girl stretched her hand out. The little boy cried. The two of them kept repeating this cycle. After a few times, the little girl didnt reach out with her hand this time, only saying: Im going to squeeze. Wah~! The little boy cried. Im not squeezing. The little girl said. The little boy stopped. He had stopped but the little boys expression had changed now. It was no longer as innocent and pure as before. Act, act, ~ah, keep on acting, ~ya! You regret it, right? Did you forget to study child psychology back then, my International Swindler, Comrade Zhang Xiaobao? The little girlughed this time as she jokingly spoke into the little boys ear. The little boy could no longer keep up the pretense either. Reaching up with a fat little hand to smack his forehead, he sighed as he said: It wasnt me who was careless. Its men who treat this thingwith too much care. He inwardly understood that just now, it had already be a reflex. But for children, it basically shouldnt even be possible to have this kind of reflex. Faced with this type of situation, a child essentially only has two reactions. One, keep crying and wait for someone toefort them. But heter stopped by himself. Two, switch from cries toughter, thinking that something amusing had been discovered. But he himself had been affected by his adult mindset. Comrade Wang Juan, I feel that a police officer shouldnt do this kind of indecent thing. Especially for a policewoman, it really is too hical for you to be this way. Zhang Xiaobao finally admitted to his own identity. Criminal Swindler, Comrade Zhang Xiaobao, you must remember that there are only badintentions and that theres no such thing as unreasonable measures. Tell me, where did you put the money? Wang Juan did not feel the slightest embarrassment. The training she received was like this. Zhang Xiaobao nced over at the young maiden who had returned to her seat by the doorway to idle about again before turning his head to say to Wang Juan: If you must add a description in front of my name, please say Suspect. Right now, I feel that what we need to consider shouldnt be the issue of the money. Remember, to me, money is never an issue. What Im thinking of right now is if I can still eat that bowl of liangfen? You really can find topics for idle chitchat. Wheres the money? Wang Juan continued asking after the money. Have you been a cop until youve be foolish? What money? Look at our current situation. Look at our surroundings. ording to amonyet unbelievable logic, weve already left our original world and been reborn into another world. My dying regret is not having been able to eat that bowl of liangfen. Zhang Xiaobao turned over to look up at the ceiling. Wang Juan looked at their surroundings again and also discovered that it wasnt her time period. Or rather, the things in this world such as the appearance of the young maiden sitting by the doorway when she came over and the clothes she wore proved this point. Its all you, its all you! You had to go do some hostage exchange. This is just great. I cant ever see my family again. Pay me back! Pay back my parents! Pay back my brothers and sisters! Pay back my job! While doing her best to keep her voice low, Wang Juan pinched Zhang Xiaobaos shoulder as sheined. You regret it? Would it be better that I didnt go over back then to let that child continue to live under the constant threat of death then? Zhang Xiaobao turned his head around again to ask. Regret? No, I have no regret. Who am I? Im the Tyrant Flower of China. Please dont use those kind of eyes to look at me. I will not allow my honor to be smeared. Wang Juan froze for a bit before solemnly speaking to Zhang Xiaobao. Zhang Xiaobao nodded his head in agreement with Wang Juans words. He thought for a bit before suddenly saying: Do you think that in this life Ill be able to see my parents? Looking at how the surroundings are arranged and that persons words just now, this should be an affluent household. Ai~![14] Wang Juan sighed as she spoke in a logical manner: Lets first not think of those. Think about what kind of ce were in? What should we do from now on? Who cares what ce this is? Ive decided. I can finally see my parents for this lifetime so Ill work hard to earn money and let them live well. Then, Ill find a wife and let her live well. Although hearing that womans words from before, you seem to be my wife. Ive decided Ive decided not to recognize this matter. I will not live together with a Suspected International Criminal Swindler. Not waiting for Zhang Xiaobao to finish speaking, Wang Juan directly denied it. Forget it. Lets first not discuss these kinds of matters. Im going to sleep. In a while, there might be some other things to do so I wont keep youpany, ~ah. Zhang Xiaobaoid back down again. He shut his eyes, the expression on his face one of anticipation.
  1. I am using the pinyin for the vige''s name () as many real life and historical ces will be mentioned in this novel. Since most of the official names of real life locations in China use pinyin, a tranted name would not match in tone. The name of the vige where the two manors are located literally trantes to dirt/earthen bridge vige.
  2. Zhuangzi () usually describes a farming estate with a mansion-like residentialplex attached to it that is simr to a castle overlooking its surrounding domain. I chose to trante it as manor because it is simr in setup to an English country estate. However, a zhuangzi () also entails all of thend being farmed by tenant farmers or serfs, making it more of a miniature vige that can be self-contained, giving its owner a certain amount of status as a form ofnded gentry. If you consider how some towns or cities are initially incorporated, manors can be seen as a Chinese prototype of this type of setup. For the Western counterpart, look at manorialism and the open-field system, which were the basicponents that allowed European feudalism to work.
  3. Xiao Gongzi () is the Chinese used here. Gongzi/ has its etymological origins as a manner of address for the son of a duke (Gong/), which then broadened in usage to apply to any young man of noble or elite status with the evolution of Chinese proto-feudalism into the Imperial system. I am using Mister to trante Gongzi since the use of Mister was simrly only applicable to gentlemen in Europe before it became a polite title of address for any man. Note though that this is different in connotation from the Mister that Xiansheng () is usually tranted as. Xiansheng/ reced gongzi/ as the universal appetion for men in modern polite speech but in ancient China, it was the way to address teachers and schrs (hence, why it was imported into Japanese as sensei and became a title of respect to address teachers and experts by). Because it is different from the other terms that could possibly be used in this context such as young master (shaoye/) or little master (xiao zhuzi/) and is being used asatitle, I am trantingxiao gongzi as Little Mister.
  4. Zhu Jia () literally means master family and can be used byservants to refer to their boss. There isa connotation of ownership, emphasizing their status asndlord or superiority in status over the households attachedto them as tenant farmers or serfs.
  5. Niang () is an informal way to address mothers in ancient China. Thus, in consider of the historical setting of this novel, I am tranting it as Mom. Niang/ can also be used just for its feminine properties in Chinese and mean female, woman, or daughter in general (which is reflected in how its Kanji form is used in Japanese). So in Chinese, some women will have given names thatbine a descriptive character with Niang/ as thest character. The modern Chinese term for Mom or Mama, Mama (), existed as a term back then but it was primarily used to address older (usually young to middle-aged) marriedfemale servants and hadnt broadened in its usage to be a casual form of mother yet. So whenever something is tranted as Ma, itll be because the speaker literally made the sound, Ma. On a slightly disturbing note, using Mama as a form of maternal address probably started a lot earlier with prostitutes addressing their procuressesas Mamas.
  6. Erzi () literallybines the characters for two and child/son so it can be inferred that he is the second child or son of his household depending on whether the family separates the birth order of the children by gender or counts them all together regardless of sex.
  7. The idiom men dang hu dui () has the literal meaning of matching doors, paired households. Social status was so regted in ancient China that there were even strictws governing how residences were built, including their doors and how high or wide they could be based on the status of the household. This was because the Chinese greatly believed in the symbolism found in architecture such as with fengshui () so the thought was that the doors or gates were the face of the house. Thus, like the Western nouveau riche, ancient Chinese merchants who gained enough wealth could and did build grandiose mansions or estates but they could not get above themselves by erecting a simrly grand gate for fear of punishment. The only way to be allowed to have that face was to raise their households status altogether by having a man of the master household pass the civil exams to gain a schrly title and/or governmental position. In some eras, if buying a title was possible, that would be an option as a loophole to gain that face. Since marriage in those days was considered to be more of a political alliance between ns/families (even among the peasantry since it added to their existing socialwork), a marriage partner from a household that was equal in status was a very important consideration before an engagement was even considered.
  8. The thinking that an ideal marriage partner was chosen from a household that was a peer made it logical for the custom of engagement from birth or childhood to arise. Households whose members got along well with each other would oftentimes promise their children to each other. Some took it as far as to promise their children to each other while still in the womb as husband and wife, making the provision that if they turned out to be the same genders, then they would be like brothers or sisters to each other instead.
  9. Time in ancient China could be divided decimally with the traditional time units for divisions of the day being shichen/ (2 hours), fen/ (minute), and miao/ or hao/ (second). The exact amount of the time unit of ke/ varied wildly over history but since it had been time to be roughly around 15 minutes before finally being modernized to equal exactly 15 minutes, I have opted to trante 1 ke/ as a quarter-hour or 15 minutes.
  10. One of the significant baby milestones in China is the full moon or month. Since infant mortality was so high back then, celebrating the babys birth after it had survived a significant milestone like a month was the custom. Some regions celebrated 100 days instead. The Chinese used the lunar calendar so a full moon was actually also a full month.
  11. Gu Niang () is the Chinese equivalent of the French mademoiselle although it is a rather dated term so Im tranting xiao gu niang as young maiden. Depending on the era, gu niang was used as a descriptor rather than a polite title. Some regions andter eras used this as a form of address for the youngdy of a rich household leading to a modified form of address for her once she wed such as Gu Nai Nai () and a title that only her household would use to address her husband by, Gu Ye (). In cases where Gu Niang () is used as a title, I will trante it as Miss.
  12. Bang () is a nickname formed by taking the bao () from Zhang Xiaobaos name andbining it withng (), which just means boy or young man (It can also be used to mean husband but this particr usage is obviously not applicable to this case). It is simr to when a man named Thomas is called Tommy Boy as a nickname. On an interesting side note, the character ofng forms the basis of themon Japanese male name suffix Taro () and is why a lot of old school Japanese names for men had -taro at the end like the -son suffix for some English surnames. Since age hierarchy is very important in Chinese families and nicknames are used more often than given names in Chinese culture, it is alsomon to refer to the sons of a family by their numerical order withng () appended. This type of naming sequence was verymon inrge families, especially agrarian ones. As a specific example, a family of Song Dynasty generals, made famous by their historical deeds as well as their fictional ounts in folklore, ys, and opera, are known moremonly by such monikers than their given names. To summarize in brief, the generals of the Yang family () were several generations of men famous for their bravery and loyalty, particrly for being role models of the perfect generals who protected the homnd. Their im to fame in Chinese culture are through the fictionalized ounts of 3 generations consisting of a father, 7 sons, and a grandson who all fought and died in battle protecting the borders of the beleaguered Song Dynasty. The 7 sons are moremonly known by the nicknames derived from their birth order: Dng () or Big Boy as the eldest son, Eng () or Second Boy (which is incidentally the name of a Chinese god who was also a second son), Sang () or Third Boy, Sng () or Fourth Boy, Wng () or Fifth Boy, Ling () or Sixth Boy, and Qng () or Seventh Boy. In Chinese fiction, it is sometimesmon to see characters surnamed Yang iming descent from the Yang family generals. This is the case with a trio of characters from the wuxia ssic, the Condor Trilogy () by Louis Cha (), who is better known by his pen name of Jin Yong ().
  13. Xiao Niangzi () is the respectful way this novel and time period addresses youngdies from affluent households. Later on in history, it broadened in usage to be a polite and generic way to address any young woman. However, ithas now be dated in modern times although simr terms rted to it are still in use. This is likely because niangzi () can also mean bride or wife.
  14. "Ai" () is the sound representing a sigh in Chinese.
Book 1: Chapter 2 Book 1: Chapter 2 Not Alone As A Solitary Person Idlers Note: Again, pleasement below and let me know if you notice an error or just want to leave feedback! Thanks!
Speaking of sleep, Zhang Xiaobao really did go to sleep. Tothe side though, Wang Juan was not in the mood as she thought of her home,thought of her parents and her family. She suddenly felt a little lonely as if the entire world had left her, leaving only her by herself. Only when she vividly felt that there was a person beside her did she feel as if there was still just a little bit of warmth left. If I was given another chance to choose, would I choose to go with him to trade for that hostage? No, I must take responsibility for my personal honor. Even if I had to choose again, Id still have no regret, noints. Its just as well that its not just me here. Theres still a swindler with me. Damned swindler, didnt dig even one single cent out. Wang Juan slowly thought as she gazed at the little gray canopy hanging as it swayed in the gentle breeze. Are you still thinking about the matter of the money? At this time, Zhang Xiaobao who was supposed to be asleep suddenly turned his head to quietly ask. How did you know? Wang Juan was surprised. Your type of people Ive seen a lot ofif the mission isntpleted, youd feel there was something missing. Rx. When I returned back to China, I already thought it through. On my person, I carried an item. Inside, theres an ount number. In it is 10 million U.S. dors that I left for you guys as a fee. Yourmissioner is not bad as a person. His only shoring is that he has little money and his equipment is a lot worse than others. Hes like this and he still wants to break cases? Dont worry that the explosion will st the thing apart. I think that even if it was sted into smithereens, there still would be a rted department that can extract what was inside. As for the rest of the money, itll be invested into the homndter, too. Dont think about all of that. Its no use. Since were living another life, then let us live a little better. Zhang Xiaobao continued in his persuasion as well as exined the matter of the money. Wang Juan naturally wouldnt be so silly as to not understand these words. Disying her little arms on the outside of the nket, she slowly nodded her head as she asked: Could it be that you have nothing that you regret? I do. That in the end, I wasnt able to eat that bowl of liangfen. Zhang Xiaobaos mouth split into a grin. Dont say that to me. You know what Im asking. Wang Juan put on a frosty look. Only, no matter what facial expression she made, her childish face made it cute. Zhang Xiaobao smiled again: Dont use that look for criminal interrogations with me. Here, Im agoodcitizen. In the past, if someone asked me in this manner, I definitely would not show thema good attitude. Today, Ill make an exception and I will never mention it ever again. Actually, my biggest regret is that Ive never seen my parents. After that flood, I left that ce of sad trauma, stealing on theroadwhile I rummaged through the trash for food that others didnt want to eat. I generally came out at night and found a corner to nestle in during the day. It wasnt that the night was good, it was that I was scared of the daylight. Before, I still hadGrandpa Director. But after Grandpa Director died, I was alone. I only then realized that I wasan orphan. During the day, I would always see a few adults holding the hands of children as they went to y and to eat. My only feeling would be envy. When those children that were just as old as me made a fusswith their parents, I would want to hit them. If it were me, I would definitely obediently listen to them. But I knew if I did actually run over to hit them, their parents would beat me to death and yet I had no parents toe and protect me. Later, I saw them go to school and I wanted to go, too. You shouldknow,that basically was impossible. Not unless I returned once again to that icy cold orphanage. Then? Wang Juan asked immediately after. She really didnt know that the most vulnerable spot in Zhang Xiaobaos heart was this. As she listened, she couldnt help feeling a bit sad. Then? Then, you all know about it. To learn stuff, I entered prison, stole, trained, and went back in again. Here, Id like to thank our police system. As long as youre willing to spend money, you can create identity cards and records just like the real deal. So I dont have a criminal record and could even buy a gun. Too bad I only ever used it once. It was a robbery where I robbed an official of his money. Its funny speaking of it. That official just got 300,000from another person and hadnt even gotten it warmed up before I robbed it. It shouldnt be on your records. I already knew that he wouldnt dare call the police. Later on, I went back to his house and stole quite a bit of money. He still didnt report it to the police. Because I saw in his notebook that he killed someone before. By the time we came here, he should have arrived at the main headquarters. If the one we encountered being held hostage before we arrived was him, I think you wouldnt have needed to get dragged into this. I would have provoked that bandit into releasing his grip. You, that is breaking thew. Your thinking itself is wrong. Hearing that Zhang Xiaobao actually had this type of criminal tendency, Wang Juan immediately corrected him. Give me a break. Breaking thew? You dont think these words are hypocritical? Were all not little children anymore. Are you not clear on what the world is like? Could it be that you studiedmand until you went silly? Zhang Xiaobao stared at Wang Juan with a look in his eyes that made her very ufortable. All right, lets not talk about this. I want to know why you know so many details about me. Wang Juan didnt refute him and only asked the question she had in her mind. You came over to capture me. Of course, Id want to know you a bit better. This has nothing to do with me. If you need to ask, ask your own people. A fly cant attack an uncrackedegg.[1] All right, lets not talk about this, either. I find that you have a kind of radical rebellious feeling against our nations society. Wang Juan felt that she had no way of gaining the upper hand in this debate so she wanted to change the topic. Zhang Xiaobao didnt agree though and continued speaking: I have never rebelled. Im justining. Ive never hated. Even when I found out in myter investigations that my biological parents were crushed under a coal mine and because I was only an infant, thepensation money was embezzled, I didnt hate then, either. Because I had Grandpa Director. He also held my hand to go eat liangfen. He even left behind for me the hope tokeep on living. From then on, I knew that this world didnt just have darkness and hatred but also warmth and love. You, what kind of person are you? Wang Juan had no way of reasonably pinpointing Zhang Xiaobao at this time. The same as you, someone who has resolve in their heart that is also full of contradiction. This is ideals versus life. No more talking. I hear the sound of footsteps outside. I hope that arriving will be my family. Zhang Xiaobao suddenly turned his head as he spoke to look toward the doorway and at that young maiden who was still nodding off. Howe I dont hear it? Wang Juan asked with even greater doubt. Thats why you guys couldnt even catch me. After answering with a sentence, Zhang Xiaobao stared without blinking at the door site. Yingtao,[2] youre cking off again. I see that your skin is itching.[3] After Wang Juan heard the footsteps, a voice rose in rebuke. No, no, Mistress. I didnt ck off. Little Mister and Little Miss are sleeping. The maiden fearfully stood up with a lowered head as she exined. At this time, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan both saw a woman under the age of 20 wearing a pink-dyed sash and green clothing standing in the doorway. Perhaps this woman really didnt want to punish the maiden or maybe she saw that the two children were looking over with wide eyes but she changed in expression from before. Smiling, she briskly walked over in front of the couch as she fondly gazed at Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao. That smile had no hint of pretense. Mom? Zhang Xiaobao reacted first as he tentatively asked. There was mayhemnow. The woman grabbedZhang Xiaobao into a hug at once, excitedly asking the maiden behind her: My Bang can say Mom. Yingtao, did you hear? I heard, I heard. Congrattions, Mistress. Little Mister can say Mom. Yingtao busied herself in agreement. She could finally not need to worry about being punished. This one word of Mom from Little Mister could pardon even a capital crime, not to mention the one ofdozing off. Mom! Seeing that it really washis biological mother he had encountered, Zhang Xiaobao excitedly used his fat little hands to touch the womans face before kissing her as he yelled out Mom again. Ai~! Xiaobao, its Mom. My Xiaobao is so thoughtful. Yingtao, go to the ounting room to get your reward. Seeing her son like this, any anger the woman hadpletely disappeared. To let others be happy along with her, Yingtao who had just been reprimanded could now be rewarded. As she spoke, she took out a stringof items from inside her sleeve and detached a small wooden piecefrom it to throw towards Yingtao. Yingtao hastily caught it and upon looking at the wooden piece, was even happier. This wooden piececould be used to exchange for a knife[4] of pork meat that was enough for her family to eat well for several days. Carefully hiding it away in her chest, she did not leave but stood to the side, waiting for any other orders. Mom~! Zhang Xiaobao energetically kissed the woman again. He originally wanted to say even more words to make his mother happy but he remembered his own age so he could only keep repeating the word Mom. Seeing such a scene, Wang Juan didnt know why but the big eyes under those long eyshes were suddenly brimming full with tears. And not knowing if it was out of pity for the experience of Zhang Xiaobaos previous life or if she had been touched, she couldnt help calling out: Mom [inw].[5] After speaking the two words witha bit of distortion because of the air whistling through her teeth, Wang Juan finally came to her senses. How could she let herself be affected? At this moment, her mental defenses were actually not up. Seeing how cooperative Wang Juan was being, Zhang Xiaobao wanted to follow upwith a Wife~ to amuse his mother. But upon seeing the obvious look of regret on Wang Juans face, he could only keephis own mouth shut. He was afraid that once he finished speaking, Wang Juan would reply to himwith a Scram. There would be trouble then. The woman had no presence of mind to see the exchange of looksbetween the two children at this time. Her son could say Mom and her future daughter-inw could call Mom[inw]now, too. Two children who originally couldnt talk and in the blink of an eye were actually so smartit excited her to the point where she didnt know what was better to do. So taking out another wooden pieceon which sheep was written, she readily threw it to Yingtao. Take this to trade for a sheep leg. Go to the ounting room yourself to get it. What did you hear just then? In reply to Mistress, I heard it. Congrattions, Mistress. Felicitations, Mistress. Little Mister can say Mom. The Wang Familys Little Miss can even say Mom [inw]. With Mistress arrival, the two children have grown smarter. Yingtao knewthat she was a special attendant to the two children. The more the children pleasedthe adults, the greaterher reward would be. She didnt think that the two babies who had never spoken before would suddenly be so intelligent. Trembling as she took the wooden piece, she thought of using the sheep leg to trade for somecloth that could be used to make new clothing for her parents and younger brother. Come. Mom will take you out to y. Let them see our familys Bang and Juan-Juan.[6] Nofamilys children are as good as my familys. Today, that group of mischievous children even sent over some toads. Mom already had them use what was inside to be simmered in aporridge to let you two little guys have a taste. Mom awarded everyone 20 chicken eggs. The woman used one hand to hold Zhang Xiaobao and the other to scoop up Wang Juan, smiling while she spoke as she walked outside. Seeing how this lifetimes mother had consecutively awarded the maid servant twice and even used arge amount of chicken eggs as a reward, Zhang Xiaobao could finally experience the statusthat a child had in a mothers heart at this moment. He nestled closely into his mothers embrace, forgetting about his own mental age as he reached out with his little hand to dab Wang Juans delicate nose. He didnt even feel any pain when he got bitten. There wasbasically no strength withsuch few amount of teeth. TOP
  1. The idiom cangying bu ding wu feng de dan () illustrates how if an egg didnt have a crack or vulnerability in its otherwise impervious shell, the fly wouldnt be able to get at the insides. The metaphor is simr to the one used for the English adage, where theres smoke, theres a fire. They both suggest that a symptom such as a fly or smoke wouldnt be present if there wasnt a cause such as a crack in the eggshell or a fire.
  2. Yingtao () means cherry.
  3. The original text literally said her skin is tight, which is just a colloquialism to say that her skin is itchy and asking for a beating.
  4. The measurement used here is literally one knife () for one slice. Its exact amount can vary as it was never a standardized unit of measurement. Since its mentioned in a traditional saying that states that upon reaching the age of 66, one should eat a gift of a knife of meat () from ones daughters as a sign of good health and a long life, one knife is mostly likely6.6 catty in order to match the auspiciousness of the number 6.
  5. Po Po () is the informal title of address for a mother-inw. The formal one is yue mu (). As there isnt an English equivalent for a casual form of mother-inw other than just Mom, which would only make it confusing as to why Wang Juan saying this is significant, I addedinw inan aside todifferentiate from when Zhang Xiaobao is calling his mother Mom.
  6. Because Chinese is anguage that tends to repeat sybles in order to make them sound cute or casual, Wang Juans pet name is naturally Juan-Juan in a process simr to how adding a -y or -ie at the end of names in English can create nicknames such as Johnny, Timmy, Tommy, Kimmy, Kitty, etc. It can also be likened to the process in which a syble in some names can be taken out and repeated such as with names like Lulu, Cee-cee, Kiki, Vivi, Gigi, etc.
Book 1: Chapter 3 Book 1: Chapter 3 The Tang Dynasty Era Is Kaiyuan Idlers Note: Posting this today because I feel like it. ?
The woman hugged her own son and future daughter-inw, almost floating as she walked out. This time, Zhang Xiaobao didnt continue wallowing in the warmth of having a mother in this lifetime. He keptmunicating through trading looks with Wang Juan and the asional use of lip speech.[1] His meaning was to have Wang Juan coordinate with him to figure out as quickly as possible what their current location was like. Wang Juan still had some internal conflict and temporarily could not adapt to her new identity. She was even more unused to being carried around the ce by a young woman. Seeing the message that Zhang Xiaobao transmitted, she suppressed all of her inner emotions to start observing the surrounding scenery including the apparel that people were wearing and how the rooms were decorated. The two of them could be said to be of the elite in their previous lifetime. In this moment, they unleashed all of the expertise, knowledge, and experience that they had umted. Ancient time? While being carried in his mothers arms outside, Zhang Xiaobao mouthed the words to Wang Juan. Wang Juan nodded slightly. Her eyes sweeping the table, she discovered two coins on top. She squinted her eyes as she took a closer look before replying: If my guess is not wrong, it should be Tang dynasty. I saw some moneyKaiyuan Tongbao.[2] Dont know which reign it is. At this time, the woman had already exited the door. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan started sizing up the outside circumstances too and discovered that they actually werent directly looking outside but that there was a courtyard entrance quad[3] in front of them. A wealthy family? Manor lord? Officials family? Merchant? Upon seeing this situation, Wang Juan immediately gave her spection. Not the family of an official. My mamy mom[4] doesnt have that sort of air around her. Listening to what my mom just said, my initial conclusion isndlord ss with peasants.[5] Zhang Xiaobao answered after some analysis. Mistress, how could a single you[honorific][6] carry two? Quickly, let me carry one of them. Just as Wang Juan was about to reply, a mans voice sounded. She had assumed it was this womans husband. But then she saw that it was a 40-something year old uncle wearing silk clothing. Although calcting based on her current age, she should perhaps call this person a grandpa. As he walked over, she immediately shut her mouth, resuming the semnce of an innocent child. Here, Zhang Xiaobao was also the same as he used a curious gaze to look at this person, focusing especially on their eyes, intent to see if there was any deception or anything else suppressed within toward his mother. The position he assigned this person was a steward. ording to his temperament, if he saw any hint of disrespect toward his mother in this possible stewards eyes, then he was going to kill someone. No harm. The two children arent heavy. Carrying them is pleasant, even. Steward Zhang should go busy yourself. Oh, and reward all of the people in the courtyard house today with an extra helping of meat at dinner time tonight. Upon mentioning the children, the woman could not stop smiling and naturally wanted all of the people inside the courtyard house to be happy with her as well. Yes, Mistress. You must be busy. Ill go fetch someone to look after you. The weathers hot so they can hold up an umbre for Little Mister and Little Miss. Steward Zhang respectfully replied before quietly walking away with his head bowed not revealing a hint of disrespect, not even knowing that this attitude saved him from the cmity of a death by murder. The woman continued walking ahead while carrying the two children. Before even reaching the courtyard house in front, another maiden of a simrly young age came over to hold up an umbre to block that scorching sunlight. At this time, Yingtao also presented a moistened silk handkerchief for Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to use to lightly wipe their faces with. Shiliu,[7] do you know where the Master is? The woman kissed Zhang Xiaobaos face as she asked the maiden holding up the umbre. In reply to Mistress words, Master is currently in the study reviewing the books. Around this time, Old Madam[8] and Old Master should be under the shade of the tree in the forecourt. Shiliu cleverly replied. With her service experience, she naturally understood the Mistress intentions and that was to let the family members see the children. The woman nodded her head: Unh, then lets go to the forecourt. Yingtao, after a bit, tell the people renovating the courtyard house in the back not to ck off. After the repairs areplete, let Old Madam and Old Master return to living there. It gives off a bad appearance for ones of their status to keep living up in front. After turning her head to once again look at the two children in her embrace, her face immediately transformed into a smiling one. Slightly leaning to the side, she said: Xiaobao, Juan-Juan, the one from just before was the steward of our manor. This maid servant is called Yingtao. The other one is called Shiliu. In a bit, well have you see your Grandpa and Grandma. Then, without minding if the children could understand, she continued talking while walking in order to teach the two children how to speak. This is called a house and the center area of the house is the door and windows and so on and so forth. Up until reaching the forecourt where they saw two elderly people that werent even 50 yet who were sitting at the stone table under therge pagoda tree[9] did she stop speaking and quickly took two steps forward. Qiao-er[10] came by? Quick, let me, this olddy, see our good grandson and granddaughter-inw. The olddy being waited upon as she sat there drinking tea immediately stood up in wee once she saw the woman. Speaking while reaching out a hand to take over Zhang Xiaobao, she even griped: Qiao-er, carrying two children in such hot weather, what if you get exhausted? Let the servants do it next time. Though she said this, she herself didnt even show any intention of letting the servants help her carry the children. Holding onto Zhang Xiaobao with two hands in front of her to stare at him, however much she looked, she couldnt lookenough. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes crinkled together as the smile on her face wouldnt diminish. Im not tired. How could I get tired from carrying my own child? Oh, right. Dad [inw],[11] Mom [inw], Bang is able to call Mom. He said it just now in the room. Also, Juan-Juan, she called me Mom [inw], too. Come, Bang, call me again. Mother Zhang[12] recalled this as she spoke and wanting to let her mother-inw and father-inw to be happy together, she reached out to stroke her sons plump fat face as she badehimtotalk. Mom. Of course, Zhang Xiaobao wouldnt refuse. He could finally enjoy having parents in this lifetime, prepared to say all of the words that he previously couldnt say. Not waiting for praise from the others, he said to the olddy hugging him: Grandma. Then turning his head toward the old man who was sitting there and looking over here, he continued to call: Grandpa. At this moment, the old man could no longer sit still, either. In one bounce, he stood up to quickly walk in front of his grandson: Aiyou,[13] my good grandson! Let Grandpa see you. Good, better than the grandsons of others. No other family canpare to our family. Call me again for Grandpa[14] to hear. Grandpa. Zhang Xiaobao closelyscrutinized his grandfather and thought to himself that if he encountered aflood that he was washed away by again, this grandfather would probably be able to pull him up ontond, too. Grandpa, Grandma. Wang Juan followed in greetingat this time too. When meetingthe elderly, there should be fundamental respect. This speech from the both of them at once caused everybody to be happy. The olddy took Wang Juan while the old man hugged Zhang Xiaobao as they sat together. The praises being spouted from their mouths were never-ending as they praised their son, praised their daughter-inw, praised their future granddaughter-inw, and even all of the servants waiting on them were praised too as if everything was wonderfully good. The weather no longer felt hot and they no longer felt so bogged down. Even the guard dog that was normally not allowed toe near was able to lie down under the tree with them to be praised, too. At this time, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan enjoyedthe tender atmosphere on the one hand while listening closely to their conversation and observing the surroundings on the other so they could evaluate what theirter living conditions would be like. It was especially after hearing his grandfather, grandmother, and mother discuss some trivial family matters that the two of them listened with even closer care while not stopping with their lip speech. Who said your familysnot officials? Dont you have a fief? Theres even 100 heads of shiyi.[15] Wang Juan said this to Zhang Xiaobao upon hearing Zhang Xiaobaos Grandpa speak of his worry that the awarded grant ond that his forefather riskedtheir life to earn would be confiscated. Zhang Xiaobao listened along, too. His own forefather went to war, had military exploits, andwas granted an honorary title as well as gaining several hundred mu [acre][16] ofnd. Later on, that forefatherdied and the honorary title was lost but thend and the 100 heads didnt get taken back. Now that the regnal era[17] had changedthat is, the emperor had changedthere was the fear that thend would be taken back. Theres been so many years between now and Forefathers time, the family hasnt been officials for ages. Besides, it was only honorary before. This isnt important though. Whats important is that we know the time periodthe 2nd year of Kaiyuan.[18] Looks like we can bestable for severaldecades. Li Longji[19] just took care of his aunt[20] and is currently in the rapid development stage. Zhang Xiaobao learned of this most important piece of information from the mouth of his Grandpa. Things are easier to handle with intelligence. People dont fear facing danger or difficulty but they fear facing the unknown. Being blindin the dark was the most ufortable. Good, whats good? Why not a bit earlier like the Zhenguan[21] era? At least we wouldnt need to worry about the Anshi Rebellion.[22] I reckon that your familysnd cant be saved. It should have been taken back ages ago. Its not like its hereditary. Dont even know what kind of methods were used to hide it for so many years. Though Wang Juans mouth was full of sarcasm, in her heart, she was worried, too. If Zhang Xiaobaos familysnd was lost, then their revenue would decrease. If something like a disaster happened, withoutenough food, life would not be good. However, Zhang Xiaobao was not anxious about this. Big deal whether it was taken back or nothe could just make money and buy morend. It wasnt like making money was hard. Even if he didnt run scams and so couldnt make arge fortune, he could still easily make a small fortune. The only worry of hiswas the Anshi Rebellion that Wang Juan mentioned. Thinking for a bit, he said to Wang Juan: No fear. Saving a person isnt easy but isnt doing away with a person even easier? Kill An Lushan? Wang Juan asked. Unh, thats one of them. Right now, its not urgent. Wait until weve grown up a bit, then well do away with An Lushan, kill off Shi Siming,[23] waste Li Linfu,[24] and exterminate Yang Guozhong.[25] Zhang Xiaobao said with certainty. Keep blowing.[26] Even if you really kill An Lushan, there would still be a Li Lushan, Wang Lushan. Wang Juan didnt give Zhang Xiaobao any face whatsoever. Zhang Xiaobao carelessly rolled his eyes as he said: Theoretically, there would be this type of situation but those who actually change history are people. One of the deciding factors in history is an important persons character. Theres only one Napoleon. Lets not debate this question for now. Lets see when the timees and then, well know. Wang Juan also knew about these matters that touched upon philosophy and didnt have any conclusions at this time. So deciding to prioritize being realistic, she asked: Then, what do we do? Just wait until we grow up bit by bit? Of course not. Our primary mission is to make money and then buy morend. The golden age of Kaiyuan is an economic boomthough no matter how prosperous it is, it still cantpare to our time. Food supply has an indispensablestatusin our time then, not to mention here. Zhang Xiaobao gave his thinking. How do we do it? Just basedon us two little brats?[27] Will anyone listen to us? Foolish people consider difficulty. Smart people consider opportunities. Wait until we can get a grasp of the circumstances for 2 days and then Ill tell you how. Zhang Xiaobao took on an appearance like he had it in the bag. TOP
  1. The author uses chun yu () to describe what Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan are doing, which literally trantes to lip speech. It implies that they are speaking by mouthing the words silently to each other and then reading each others lips to understand what they are saying.
  2. A coin that was so named because of the phrase Kaiyuan Tongbao () that was inscribed on it that literally meant inaugural treasure pass to show that it was universal currency issued in the inaugural year. This was coinage that was issued when an emperor first took the throne and a tradition that started during the Tang dynasty, after which various editions were releasedter on under the reigns of different emperors. Read more here.
  3. Whats used here is yi jing yuan zi () which literally means one entry courtyard. It refers to the basicponent of Chinese architecture, which is a quad, the most well known example of which is the siheyuan () or more literally, the four union courtyard. These residences wereposed of multiple rooms or buildings enclosing a courtyard quad and were categorized by how many courtyards they were made up of simr to how apartment and house listings will sort by how many bedrooms they have. The simplestyout was a single entry courtyard which looked like a rectangle or the character for mouth (). A double entry courtyard looked like the character for day () while a triple entry one resembled the character for eye (). Each entry point also served to act as a checkpoint, symbolizing that the greater the house, the more gates you had to pass through to get at the innermost part of the house. Also, the higher in status and more respected a person was, the better the location of their rooms or buildingplex was with the eldest and most senior members of the household usually living in the north and thus the best rooms in the back.
  4. Zhang Xiaobao uses the modern word for mom, ma (), before catching it and correcting himself by using the ancient word for mom, niang ().
  5. I use peasants as the trantion for zhuang hu () as they are tenant farmers attached to the manor but the type of contracts that they would have with thendlord varied so calling them serfs or ves would not be inclusive of the free households that were not in such a situation.
  6. The you (nin/) that is used here is an honorific and respectful in tone so its usage is noted in an in-text aside.
  7. Shiliu () means pomegranate.
  8. I tranted Lao Tai Tai () as Old Madam since I used Mistress as the trantion for fu ren (). It can also be used as a generic description for an elderly woman in which case, I tranted it as olddy.
  9. The scientific name for the huai shu () is the Styphnolobium japonicum or Sophora japonica, which is otherwise known as the Japanese pagoda tree or Chinese schr tree and is a species native to China.
  10. Qiao-er () means clever child.
  11. Gong Gong () is the casual way for a married woman to address her father-inw. The formal title is yue fu (). Because this Dad is not the term used by children when addressing their biological fathers and only used by daughter-inws, I note it in a text aside to point out the difference.
  12. Zhang Mu () is just a descriptor and not actually a title. The author uses it to serve as an abbreviated way to say Zhang Xiaobaos mother so please dont get confused by it.
  13. Aiyou () is amon exmatory sound made in Chinese, usually to show surprise or pain. You will see this quite often.
  14. Anothermon trait in Chinese (and other Asiannguages) is the tendency to use the third person to refer to oneself by addressing oneself by a title others would use. In this case, Zhang Xiaobaos grandfather is using Grandpa in ce of I. Because this can inject nuance and information into a conversation, I ended up tranting it as is despite the possible awkwardness it can have for a native English reader. Its a behavior known as illeism.
  15. Shiyi (), which literally means food territory, granted the revenue tax of a set number of households or heads as a form of sry. It could be considered a tax break or a mary grant for the one being awarded the shiyi without the emperor needing to dispense money out of the treasury. It normally came attached with and grant as well for the number of households in question.
  16. The equivalent of the Chinese acre, the measurement of a mu () varied depending on the time period and historically ranged anywhere from ~615 to over 700 square meters or from over 725 to a little under 800 square yards. By contrast, an acre is roughly ~4046 square meters. Though it is not not even close to equivalent to an acre, acre will be noted next to it as a reminder to readers of the role it ys innd area measurement.
  17. Official calendars in ancient China were divided based on the reign of the individual emperors as well as the political dynasty simrly to how decades can be referred to as divisions of the current century in the Western calendar like with the seventies, eighties, nies, etc. or by the different presidencies and their administrations with American history. Changing the name of the regnal era was one of the first symbolic decisions a new emperor could make. Some emperors changed the regnal era name more than once to show a significant change or milestone.
  18. Kaiyuan () is the name of the second regnal era name of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (), the meaning of which is inaugural.
  19. Li Longji () is the personal name of Emperor Xuanzong. It is extremely heretical of Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao to just state the emperors name like this so this action betrays their modern sensibilities. They luckily have enough sense to only do this while using lip speech with each other.
  20. Zhang Xiaobao is making an offhand reference to Xuanzongs disposal of his paternal aunt, Princess Taiping (), who was exceedingly influential as a consequence of the rule of Wu Zetian (), Taipings mother and Xuanzongs paternal grandmother, the only Empress Regnant in all of Chinese history.
  21. Zhenguan () is the regnal era name for the rule of Emperor Taizong of Tang () whose rule was so well-regarded as a golden age that it was considered the subject of necessary study for future crown princes.
  22. The Anshi Rebellion () is a rebellion started by Xuanzongs favored general, An Lushan (), which was significant for the chaos it caused as a consequence of it that spanned the reigns of three Tang emperors before it was finally suppressed. Its eruption greatly weakened the power of the Tang dynasty leading to its ultimate downfall.
  23. Shi Siming () was An Lushans friend from childhood who aided him in the Anshi Rebellion.
  24. Li Linfu () served as chancellor during Xuanzongs reign and was better skilled at ttery to keep himself in Xuanzongs favor and political games to do away with his rivals than the actual administration involved with his job, creating a situation where the Tang dynasty ended up having too few skilled officials to deal with crises like the Anshi Rebellion.
  25. Yang Guozhong () was the cousin of Xuanzongs favored concubine, Consort Yang, she whose beauty shamed flowers as a member of the Four Beauties of ancient China. He became chancellor for Xuanzong through nepotism and was very trusted by him for the same reasons but he was also very ipetent as chancellor, making worse the situation with the Anshi Rebellion.
  26. The blowing () that Wang Juan uses here is a shorthand for the Chinese idiom, chui niu () which means to brag or to boast and literally trantes to blow bull.
  27. Wang Juan self-deprecatingly refers to themselves as xiao pi hai (), which literally means little butt child. The way children were reared in ancient China, kids could go around naked (and did, especially in the rural viges) without the same repercussions as adults though the nudity obviously still made them not fit forpany. So kids who were prone to leaving their butts hanging out usually evoke a mischievous or naive image so I have tranted the term as brats.
Book 1: Chapter 4 Book 1: Chapter 4 Strengthening And Building the Body As One Idlers Note: Do people prefer brackets or parentheses for my editorial asides in the text?
It was another noon day. The great big sun up in the sky baked the tree leaves until they were slightly curled. The originally rambunctious dog had long moved to the shade under the tree as he hung out his tongue while looking at the chicken digging at the ground in front of him. The children of the manor got a taste of the sweet rewards yesterday so they impaled the toads with even more vigor today. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan who had just had milk also couldnt bear the fatigue of a young body andy down to sleep side by side. Yingtao was, as usual, seated on her stool by the doorway nodding off. Mrs. Zhang-Wang[1]or rather Qiao-er, Zhang Xiaobaos motherbusied herself with the matters of the manor. The steward strolled about, taking a moment to look in the front to see if there was anything that could affect the Little Misters sleep and in another moment going to the back again to where they were renovating the courtyard house to tell them to hurry while at the same time not to make too much noise. After sleeping for 2 hours, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan nearly simultaneously woke up. They opened their eyes to look around and after some discussion, prepared to exercise their bodies by first learning how to walk. Maybe it was due to them always being carried by people but they still hadnt learned how to walk yet. I cant believe that your dad [modern][2] is actuallya bookworm. Wang Juan jokingly said as she prodded Zhang Xiaobao. A bookworm is good, too. As long as I can see him and know that thats my dad [modern] is fine. Yesterday, he actually spoke of the Analects[3] to me. How would I know all that? Zhang Xiaobao recollected the appearance of his father that he saw yesterday. It wasnt false that his father was a bookworm but upon hearing his son say Dad, he still became happy like any other ordinary person and at once hugged him while reciting the Analects. The civil exams[4] of the Tang dynasty arent easy to pass. I dont know if your dad [modern] can seed. Wang Juan was a bit envious of Zhang Xiaobao. Mainly because up until now, she still had not seen her parents of this lifetime. They actually didnt care after they had dropped her off with another family. She drank her milk together with Zhang Xiaobao from Mrs. Zhang-Wangs milk. It wasnt as good as she imagined. But who let her own mother not have any breast milk? They mentioned that while she was listening to them talk yesterday. Wrong. The Tang dynastys civilexams are the easiest to pass. As long as your reputation gets out there and you find the right people, theres no problem at all. To me, this point is not an obstacle, either. Even if I were to use money to smash it, Im going to smash out a great golden road for my dad [modern]. Hearing them talk yesterday, your parents wille here today. At that time, dont be shy. When you should call Mom, say Mom; when you should call Dad, say Dad. Zhang Xiaobao was confident that he had a few tricks up his sleeve when it came to promotion. My own Dad [modern] and Mom [modern] are still living and Im now going to have to call somebody else Dad and Momits all your fault. Wang Juanined out of habit. Are you Xianglin Sister-inw?[5][6] Justmenting isnt okay? Dont assume that by lying together with you that Ill marry you in the future. Maybe Ill find someone even better! Humph! Wang Juan started retaliating. Zhang Xiaobao gave Wang Juan a once over and sighed: You old maid, 30 years old and you still never even had a boyfriend. Youre childishly acting out with me now but how old are you? Find someone else? Find someone else who can treat you like I do? This is the Tang dynasty. No matter how open and free it is, its still a misogynist patriarchy.[7] Ill take a bit of a loss herewho let me cause you to arrive here? Shut up. Go down faster! Wang Juan obviously didnt want to hear Zhang Xiaobao speak like this and urged him to get down. Zhang Xiaobao poked his head to look down from the couch to estimate the height. He said with a bit of uncertainty: So high. If I go down, I might fall. Also, Ill ept it if I fall going down but what about you? Werent we going to practice walking together? You stupid? You go down and then catch me from below. Ill jump on top of your body. Theoretically, you wont break from the fall. Youre fat and plump so be a meat cushion. Go down quickly. Dont give me any excuses. You can jump 15 meters straight down unharmed and climbup9 meter high walls bare-handedhow can you be afraid of such a height? Wang Juan vigorously pushed Zhang Xiaobao toward the edge of the couch. Zhang Xiaobao constantly took deep breaths as he adjusted his own condition. Seeing that he was nearly at the edge, he looked back and said: How about we practice a bit on the bed right now? All right, all right. Well practice on the ground. Dont push. Ill go myself. So then, Ill turn around and slide down. Youll try your best to pull me from up top. Calm down. Even if you let me die from the fall, you still wont be able to go back. As Zhang Xiaobao spoke, he first let his two little legs dangle down from the couch as he grabbed Wang Juans little hand with his own. While he slowly scooched down bit by bit, he grumbled: What is this? Yingtao should consider that no matter how big the couch is, children still have to turn their bodies. What to do if we fall? Doesnt she know to get something to block it? Whose child have you seen that can flip their bodies over at this age? When they wake up and see no ones around, the first thing they would do is to cry. Wouldnt Yingtao know with one cry? You wait first. Were both being foolish. Get up. Help me throw this nket down. It can buffer us a bit. Wang Juan tightly grabbed Zhang Xiaobaos hand as she suddenly thought of an even better way. Zhang Xiaobao climbed back up again and threw things down together with Wang Juan. The nket was directly flung while the two of them kicked at the matting until there was finally ayer of padding below. With a flip of his body, Zhang Xiaobao went down first. Looking up to gaze at Wang Juan who was watching from the sidelines, he lip-spoke: Its a bit jarring but its still fine. You,e down. Wang Juan verified that Zhang Xiaobao really had no problems and then followed with a twist of her body to get down. Her mouth split in a grin when shended on top of the matting. When she wanted to get up, Zhang Xiaobao held her down: Dont move. First, let the internal organs settle a bit and after a while, lean on the couch to circle around. Wang Juan obediently waited for a moment before then slowly mbering up and holding hands together with Zhang Xiaobao, they both circled around the couch. If they found any instability beneath their feet, they would lean on couch for support. They had an awareness of bnce but it was a strain for their leg muscles to support them. Fortunately, the both of them were the type who had endured hardship before. Yesterday, you said there was a way to let other people trust us and do things ording to our wishes. How do we proceed? Having already walked around the couch 3 times, Wang Juan asked Zhang Xiaobao as she moved her little legs in steps. Simple. As long as we can talk, well have a reason. Find 2 people to take care of just us. Then, I can trickno, guide them into feeling that they should do what we say. On this point, I feel that there are no problems. You have to trust me. Zhang Xiaobao was also striding forth with effort while he spoke. The both of them were like they were on a stroll, chatting about what would happen afterwards as they circled the couch again and again. It wasnt until they were a bit dizzy that Wang Juan suggested: Lets go outside to walk. Its good for children to get some sun. Otherwise, well have a calcium deficiency if were always indoors. All right. Used to walking now so we can change ces. Lets first wake Yingtao up. Zhang Xiaobao agreed. Why call her? What if they wont let us go out? Wang Juan wanted to sneak outside. If you want her to die in front of us, Ill sneak outside with you. If my mom [modern] discovers we rolled off the couch and then, even went outside by ourselves without Yingtaos knowledge, do you think shed get beaten to death? Unh, the possibility of that is bigespecially in this kind of time period. If a capitalist will go ahead even though theyre risking the gallows when there is 300% profit, then they would at least do their best to minimize the danger and hide. But if a mother discovers their child was in danger, then she wouldnt even think of hiding in the end. Lets go wake her up. Wang Juan thought for a bit before approving of Zhang Xiaobaos proposal. Once the two of them reached an agreement, they held hands while walking toward the side of Yingtao who was still nodding off. Zhang Xiaobao reached out to gently push Yingtao. When Yingtao abruptly opened her eyes in shock, he said: [Older] Sister[8] Yingtao, take us out to walk. Zhang Xiaobao had already done his best to use a moderate tone of voice when speaking but it didnt change the result one bit. Upon hearing these words, Yingtao immediately jumped up in fright. When she saw Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan again, she trembled as she asked: Youhow did you get down? After saying this, Yingtao couldnt care about anything else and directly ran over to where the couch was. With one look, she understood that the two children had actually pushed the mat down. How was this possible? Little Mister, Little Miss, how did you run down here? Deftly recing the matting, Yingtao didnt even know what to say as she knelt down in front of the two children, wrinkling her brow as she spoke. Go out to walk. Zhang Xiaobao really didnt wish to speak any more. Pointing outside with his little finger and heedless of Yingtaos expression of surprise, he held Wang Juans hand as they leisurely wobbled out. This scared Yingtao into holding the two children close. She was about to send them back but Wang Juan was angry now. She said to Yingtao: Go out. Go out. She actually wanted to say even more but she was also afraid of causing unnecessary trouble so she could only express her thoughts with such brevity. Seeing the furious eyes of the two children, Yingtao was finally scared. She feared the two children saying even more things, especially if they spoke of them to the Mistress. Thinking for a while, shepromised and walked outside while carrying the two children. Once outside, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan struggled to get down on the ground. Under Yingtaos nervous gaze, they held hands while slowly sauntering under the sunlight. Yingtao, why did you lead Bang and Juan-Juan out here? Just when Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were enjoying the sunlight, a voice suddenly appeared. Startling Yingtao with a jolt, she looked at the two children walking there, not knowing what she should say. Walking into the courtyard, Mrs. Zhang-Wang had just finished telling off Yingtao when suddenly as if discovering a miracle, she pointed at Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan and said to a man and woman at her side: Inws, look quickly! Bang and Juan-Juan can actually walk! There was no need for her to say so as the two people were also watching the two children with hand in hand walk back and forth there. [Older] Sister, reallythey really can walk! Yesterday, I heard the people that [Older] Sister sent say that they could speak. I cant believe that today they can actually walk. Look, even though theyre so small, they know to hold hands as they walk. That woman also excitedly spoke, wanting to get closer but also afraid of disturbing the two childrens walk. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan naturally heard these voices. They nced down at their upraised hands wanting to exin that they were only holding hands to maintain each others bnce but they basically didnt know what to say. While Yingtao didnt know what she should do, Mrs. Zhang-Wang finally spoke: Yingtao, not bad. You were able to lead Bang and Juan-Juan to learn to walk. A reward. After saying this, she once again took out a wooden pieceto throw toward Yingtao. Once she caught it in her hands and saw the words on it, Yingtao ended up in a faint. Written on it was 20 wen [cash].[9] TOP
  1. Zhang Wang Shi ()pounds the maiden surname of Zhang Xiaobaos mother with her married surname to form the equivalent of Zhang ne Wang. It literally trantes to Zhang Wang n/surname. Since women were only recorded by their surnames in ancient China if they wedded in the genealogy books of their husbands n (dooming them to obscurity and no ritual offerings in the afterlife if they died young, unwed, or had no male offspring), they were referred to by their husbands surname preceding their maiden surname like how some modern women in the West will append their married surname after their maiden surname (i.e. Mrs. Jill Smith-Jones) instead of going with the traditional practice of recing their original surname with their husbands name (i.e. Mrs. John Smith). Their given names were considered maiden names and rarely used in public, much less after marriage so referring to a woman as someone who was surnamed So-and-so is the equivalent as calling her a woman born of So-and-so n. In ancient China, the husbands surname is deliberately ced first, capping the maiden surname as a symbol of how the husbands n supersedes the womans birth n in priority. To create a simr effect, I am tranting it as Mrs. Zhang-Wang.
  2. The word Wang Juan uses here is Ba (), the modern way of saying Dad. The ancient way of saying Dad is Die (). Because they will mostly be using the ancient term, I will only be noting when they use the modern-day terminology.
  3. The Analects or Lun Yu () are aption of ideas and sayings attributed to the Chinese philosopher, Confucius (), and is one of the Four Books that are considered the ssic examples of Confucian texts. This book is simr to tosption of his dialogues with Socrates in that it was not actually written by Confucius butpiled by his students and schrs after the fact. This book wasmonly used as a basic text to study and learn their characters in ancient China due to its moralistic adages.
  4. The civil examinations or keju () was an examination system in Imperial China that tested the candidates knowledge on the ssics and literature for the purpose of choosing officials with each sessive round, culling more and more people while granting educational credentials that were the equivalent of diplomas that orded certain privileges to those that passed. It was the ticket to sess in ancient China, creating a rtively meritocratic ss of schr-officials and literati to counter the aristocracy that gained their titles through military exploits (usually granted as rewards for helping found the dynasty or through wars). The historical influence of this system is likely why Asia still emphasizes universal standardized testing on a national levelplete withdder systems for schools with the most nerve-wracking exam being the one high school students take since it decides what colleges they can get into.
  5. Xianglin Sao () is the main character in the 1924 short story, The New Year Sacrifice or Zhu Fu (), by Lu Xun (), which is part of aption called Na Han () or Call to Arms. The story illustrates the various tragedies that are forced upon Xianglin Sao that she endures as amentary on how inhumane the traditional Chinese customs and its corresponding mindset could be. Because at one point, she gains the habit ofmenting her lot in life to anyone who would listen, Zhang Xiaobao is likely referencing this character to mock Wang Juan regarding her constantints.
  6. Sao () is the term used to address the wife of an older brother, regardless of her actual age in rtion to the speaker. In the case of Xianglin Sao, it is being used as a polite way of addressing an older woman who is married and was a subtle way for Lu Xun to call attention to her marital status since it is a significant plot point and emphasizes how male-dependent her status was in that society.
  7. The phrase used here () is literally male authority, female servility which is an encapstion of how in ancient China, the status of men was to be respected while the status of women was to be lowly and humble. So I tranted it as misogynistic patriarchy.
  8. Jie-Jie () means older sister. In this case, Zhang Xiaobao is using this term to be respectful. Technically, he doesnt have to address her like this and can just call her by name as an equal or subordinate due to his higher status.
  9. Wen () or cash was the basic currency unit of ancient China with one copper coin ying the equivalent role of a dor. Im tranting it with the pinyin because the value of the wen was so variable over the ages and using the trantion of cash might sound too generic as a word for use as a specific unit and add to reader confusion.
Book 1: Chapter 5 Book 1: Chapter 5 The Swindler Turns Around Intent To Scheme Idlers Note: This novel builds up gradually, even in the original Chinese, since there is a lot of setup before the payoff is apparent. You could argue that it is building up the world with small details. It is definitely different from a lot of the action-oriented xianxia novels out there that are popr right now. Hopefully, my tranting pace will keep the anticipation up I will certainly do my best to keep the release rate steady.
Mrs. Zhang-Wang and Wang Juans parents had no time to pay attention to Yingtaos agitation. They were excited, too. Watching their children from their birth to learning how to talk and walk was a process that was the happiest matter for those who are parents. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan became like treasures that were surrounded and watched over as well as periodically called upon to say something nice. Thismotion was nothing to Zhang Xiaobao as he was willing to enjoy this sort of coziness. But Wang Juan couldnt take it. She just couldnt understand why, as mature as Zhang Xiaobao was, he liked being infantile.[1] It looked like the team sending her to get the money was a wrong decision. They should have found a mother with child in tow. She trusted they would have gotten even more money. To avoid this kind of helplessness, Wang Juan had to resort to feigning sleepiness as she gave Zhang Xiaobao a secret signal with the thinking that they could still continue their interactionster. Zhang Xiaobao also yed along with Wang Juan as they yawned in unison and they began to be unable to keep their eyes open. Waiting until the adults found another ce to discuss todays happy business, Wang Juan who had been repositioned back onto the couch finally sighed as she patted Zhang Xiaobao beside her and said: Can you not be so juvenile in the future? How old are you? Without never having lost, you will never understand what it is to have. This kind of happiness, how many times can a person enjoy it in a lifetime? Not to mention Ive never enjoyed it before. Im not prepared to leave behind any regrets. You go be your grownup and Ill be my child. Lets see who first runs into trouble? Zhang Xiaobao was still reminiscing about that kind of sensation with closed eyes as he conversely gave advice to Wang Juan. Keep pretending. This one day, ~ah When can we have a clear space to better n out our own matters? You even said to help pave the way for your dad [modern]. Based on how it looks here, dont expect too much. Wang Juan muttered, wanting to turn over but instead discovered that her body still couldnt do this. The only posture was lying prone. One week. Give me another weeks time and Ill be able to let us have an excuse to use our talents. For this week, you and I will keep talking and add a bit of content to our speech each day so people will believe that were child prodigies. Thats the deal. Zhang Xiaobao made the final decision.
The summer weather changed as it pleased. The previous few days were bright with sunlight but today was overcast in gloom as if the sky would fall down at any time. The wind swept across the ground in swirls and even the dirt that was whipped up looked dark. The majority of people were all either hiding indoors or under the canopy of outdoor tea vendors. Only a minority of people were especially spirited upon seeing that it was about to rain as with an umbre in tow, they deliberately walked to the site of a bridge or outside of the tea vendors awnings to wait for the arrival of the rain. Through the past 7 days of pretending to be child prodigies which caused the adults to puff up with pride, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan finally got a special privilege. That was that the both of them were able to each order around a maid servant or manservantor footmento do some things such as letting the maids and footmen carry them to go outside to look at the scenery or to take them to the garden in back to look at the flowers and grass. The both of them extremely cherished this limited freedom. Seeing that today would rain, they hid inside their room. Bidding people to open the window, they looked at the view outside. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan both liked this type of weather, especially with the dark clouds up in the sky that gave people a feeling of pressure. The both of them were willing to face the pressure so they looked on with exuberant interest. But this was hard on the maid Yingtao and the other manservant, Erniu,[2] who feared that the two little ancestors[3] would be blown at by the wind and also worried that they would be drizzled on by the rain in a bit. Thus, they were on tenterhooks[4] as they waited to the side, not stopping in their persuasion. Mister Bao,[5] why dont we step back and then look? Itd still be able to see clearly what the rain is like. Add on another piece of clothing and then that would be even morefortable. Near Zhang Xiaobao, Erniu was rtively clever in his suggestion. Zhang Xiaobao appeared to not have heard. After quite a while and the rain looked like it was about to fall did he suddenly say: Erniu, what do you say if in a while the rainy wind blows in and gets me and Juan-Juan drenching wet, we both cry together, and we say that it was you who pushed us toward the windowsill when my momes? Do you think that my mom would trust your exnation or would trust the two of us? Zhang Xiaobaos talk was only thattalk. But the words he said gave Erniu and Yingtao a frightening shock as their mouths gaped wide open, momentarily not knowing how to answer. Yeah, at that time, me and Xiaobao will say to my Mom [inw] that the two of you didnt wish to take care of us so you did something like that in preparation for transferring to a position somece else. What consequence would that have? Next to him, Wang Juan backed him up. Right now, Erniu was already not considering why the two children could speak so many words that should not being out of childrens mouths. With a thump, he kneeled down on the ground with his face all scrunched up as he begged Zhang Xiaobao: Little ancestor, I, Ernius entire family have dedicated all our hearts and effort to working at the Manor. I havent offended you [honorific]! You [honorific] cant be like this! Even if I werent beaten to death, I would be driven away. My entire family would be finished. I beg of you [honorific]! Ill kowtow[6] to you. Please let me off. Yingtao also reacted and kneeled down, too. This gave Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan a frightful shock. They didnt think that they would get such a result with just a single breezy sentence. Get up. Get up. Dont kneel. Dont kowtow, either. We were just asking casually to see if my Mom would trust you guys or trust us. Zhang Xiaobao wanted to help the two people up but after reaching out with a hand, he discovered that he only just touched the two peoples chest and fearing he had no way to help them up, could only use persuasion. Little Mister, this even requires asking? What adult would even believe their own child of only 1 year of age was able to lie? The more I and Yingtao exin ourselves, the greater the trouble. Moreover, its even the both of you [honorific] saying this. Even if Mistress knew you were lying, she would wonder why you were doing this. With that, shed definitely find me and Yingtao an eyesore, thinking we didnt do a good job looking after you. Erniu didnt dare get up as he remained there and replied honestly. Oh~! So thats how it is. Thats good, then. We wanted to discuss something with you two a bit. What do you think? What Zhang Xiaobao wanted was this answer. Whatever you [honorific] say, Yingtao and I will definitely obey. Theres no need for discussion. Whatever you [honorific] say is, is. Erniu only now realized that Little Mister and Little Miss Juan-Juans speech was not childish at all. To the side, Yingtao vigorously nodded as well. It was easy now. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan gave a few requests to Erniu and Yingtao. That was, one, no matter how out of the ordinary the things that the both of them did were, they could not tell anyone else and that included Mistress, Master, Old Madam, and Old Master. Two, no matter what things the both of them didter on, they could not ask the reason why and couldnt not do them, either. At the same time, they couldnt let anyone else be aware of this. Otherwise, they could imagine the consequences. Erniu and Yingtao dared not say even a word of refusal. Whatever Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan proposed was promised to. Offending the two children was certainly more severe than offending Mistress. Displeasing Mistress led to nothing more than a sry fine or a beating. Displeasing the children? Even if they didnt die, they would lose ayer of skin. Besides, even if they made a mistake, the two children would then naturally carry the brunt of the burden. This was only what Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had pledged them. The rain finally fell with a pitter-patter on the open window. The wind blew the window till it creaked. Yet, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juans mood kept improving. Looking outside at that torrential downpour, they gazed at each other and smile. Everything was left unspoken in the silence. It rained for an entire day and only gradually lessened when it was nighttime. After having milk, the two who had just woken up called over Erniu and Yingtao. They first told Yingtao to keep watch by the doorway outside and to give a warning if she discovered someoneing. Then, Zhang Xiaobao said to Erniu: Erniu, who do you have in your family? Have you taken a wife yet? I havent. Im only 17. Dont see how hearty I look, Im really not that big so Im not in a hurry to take a wife. Ill see once my older brother weds. Oh, of my family, my parents are still present. Above me, I have an older brother. Below me, I have a 9 year old younger sister. My mom said to save another year of money and we can find a wife for my older brother and Ill have an [older] sister-inw. Erniu respectfully replied. Oh, good. Your parents being still present is good. Having an older brother and younger sister is even better. Thats more like a family. I also want to have a younger sister or older brother but its too bad as Im the eldest. Dont know if my mom will give birth to more younger brothers and sisterster on. What does your [older] brother do? Zhang Xiaobao continued asking. Erniu didnt think he would hear such words. Thinking of his own family, they really were not bad. So smiling happily, he replied: In answer to Little Misters words, my [Older] Brother Daniu[7] works thend during the busy farming season and does some odd jobs during the idle times. He can even earn some extra rice and salt. [Younger] Sister helps gather some firewood. My parents also work thend during the busy season and does some work for others when idle. It doesnt seem to be the farming season right now? Zhang Xiaobao directed this at Wang Juan. Wang Juan thought for a bit and nodded. Not busy. Its busy after 2 more months. Were all idle. Erniu answered upon hearing the question. Its good that its not busy. We can find something to do. Especially for your [Older] Brother Daniu. What to do? Zhang Xiaobao got lost in thought. Wang Juan knew that this international great scammer was starting to plot against people. She was prepared as well. If Zhang Xiaobao still wished to continue running cons, then no matter what, she would prevent it. Seeing Zhang Xiaobaos brow wrinkle, Wang Juan worried in private. With such a troubled face on such a huge swindler, the matter he was thinking of absolutely was not as simple as a minor hassle. There was no doubt about the scammers capabilities. I have it. Zhang Xiaobaos brow suddenly cleared as he yelled excitedly. Have what? You cant swindle people. Wang Juan trembled in fright. Her first thought was: was this criminal swindler getting ready to go scam a regions highest official? Like a prefectural governor,[8] a chief of the Three Departments and Six Ministries,[9] etc. These were all a possibility. Back then, he sure cheated quite a few of the Level 1 provinces.[10] Zhang Xiaobao gave Wang Juan a slightly discontent look as he said: Do I need to swindle just to earn a bit of money? Could it be that in your heart, Ive always been a swindler? I can turn around,[11] too. A swindler saying theyre turning aroundwho can guarantee that its not another trick? Wang Juan did not show one bit of mercy to Zhang Xiaobao. Never mind. Lets not speak of this. Look, Erniu is all muddled. Lets talk about the main issue. This matter needs Ernius [Older] Brother Daniu to go do it. Erniu, listen well. Now, Im assigning you a glorious yet grave mission. Do you have the confidence toplete it? Zhang Xiaobao gave a look as he solemnly spoke to Erniu. TOP
  1. The phrase Wang Juan uses to describe what Xiaobao is doing here is zhuang nen (), which literally trantes to pretend tender. Its usually an expression applied to older women who act much younger than their actual ages because theyre pretending to still be tender young things. This is because a womans beauty is usuallypared a flower whose time of blooming is so short and the character for tender, nen (), is also often the adjective applied to young shoots or sprouts. Because of this, young girls and women tend to be described as tender in Chinese as apliment. In this case though, Wang Juan is mocking Xiaobao as a man who is mentally in his thirties but is literally acting like a baby.
  2. Erniu () means two ox/bull. The rustic nature of his name suggests that it is a birth name given by his parents (and that he was not renamed when entering the service of the Zhang family as is the custom with such servant-master arrangements since the renaming is a symbolic cutting of ties with the previous identity of a free man), possibly because he was the second child and wished for him to be healthy and strong as an ox. Coincidentally, this kind of naming sensibility not only gives off a folksy feeling in Chinese, it is also a disy of the superstition thates into y wherein parents will give their kids names that are either terms formon objects or have derogatory meanings in order to confuse any devils or spirits that might kidnap them.
  3. The Chinese believe in ancestor worship so referring to someone as a zu zong (), which means ancestor, suggests that the person being so described is being likened to as being waited upon and treated as if they were. It usuallyes up as a term of ttery when the speaker is either groveling or as hyperbole when joking.
  4. The idiom used here is ti xin diao dan (), which literally means raised heart, hanging galldder. Its a metaphor for a state of extreme worry like being on pins and needles so I tranted it as being on tenterhooks as it was the best English expression that I could think of with the closest equivalent imagery and meaning.
  5. Simr to Zhang Xiaobaos nickname, Bang (), Erniu is referring to him as Bao Gongzi () which isbining the Bao () element of his name with the title that Ive tranted as Mister. Note that it wouldnt be the same in meaning as another title that would also be tranted as Mr. Bao, Bao Xiansheng (), where it is literally a man being referred to as Mister attached to a surname, Bao (), which is a homophone for the Bao () in Xiaobaos name.
  6. Kowtow is an English loan word for the act of prostrating oneself on ones knees and bowing down ones head until the forehead touches the ground. It is derived from kou tou () or ke tou (), which means to knock head or touch head to the floor respectively. The original spelling of kowtow is derived from the romanization of the Cantonese pronunciation, which is kau tau, reflecting the origin of how it was adopted into English. This act showed reverence and/or submission, being far moremon of a sight in ancient China than in modern times. Nowadays, a deep bow has reced it in usage. Forparison, a simr stance would be the Japanese dogeza.
  7. Daniu () means big ox, suggesting that he is the first son, which fits the same naming theme as Ernius as well as matches their respective birth order in their family.
  8. Zhi Fu () is the head magistrate or governor of a prefecture, which is an administrative or geographic region that is the equivalent of a state or province.
  9. The Three Departments and Six Ministries or Sansheng Liubu () is the name for the administrative structure of the Tang Chinese government with each department and ministry being responsible for a specific area of function for the government. There were other divisions and ranking systems that were historically used, too.
  10. Wang Juan is referring to the governors of the highest level of modern-day Chinas administrative divisions, the provinces. Modern China divides its geography into varying levels and sublevels in an administrative structure that can get quiteplex, especially because of the territories that are treated as special cases. The provinces are ranked in the 1st level and are in the top tier of the administrative pyramid.
  11. The act of turning around, hui tou (), or more literally, turning ones head around, references two sayings. One is the Chinese trantion of the Biblical phrase, the return of the prodigal son, wherengzi hui tou () literally means the (roaming) wastrel turns their head around. Another is a Buddhist aphorism, hui tou shi an (), that advises that if you turn your head and look back, the shore is still there. The literal trantion means turning the head is the shore. These two adages both speak of repentance and turning over a new leaf. Thus, the chapter title and how Xiaobao is using this phrase has a dual meaning of the literal action as well as a metaphor.
Book 1: Chapter 6 Book 1: Chapter 6 Who Is Facing Heaven Raising Up A Storm Idlers Note: Just as an interesting note, the Facing Heaven[1] used in the title is likely a y on words that will make more sense once youve read the footnote along with this chapter. If possible, can people vote on the poll I posted ? I need some feedback. Thanks!
Erniu still had no way of appreciating the profound implications of this sort of bluff by Zhang Xiaobao. So his answer was not the three words of I have confidence and not even I guarantee missionpletion. Instead, he vigorously nodded his head as he said: Little Mister, please say so. Whatever you [honorific] say, I, Erniu will do it. Letting my [Older] Bro do it is fine, too. What are you having Daniu do? Wang Juan nervously asked. Dont worry. Keep listening. I wouldnt actually let himmit murder or arson. Zhang Xiaobao turned his head to continue talking to Erniu: Over the next few days, have your [Older] Bro and [Younger] Sister go up the mountain to find some mountain chili sprouts. After gathering them, then Little Mister, what kind of thing is this mountain chili sprout that you [honorific] speak of? Erniu didnt wait for Zhang Xiaobao to finish talking before he interrupted with a question. Oh, its like this. See my hand? Its a nt thats this big. Green like grass. Basically, the mountains here should all have them. When you chew it in your mouth, its spicy. If you soak it in water and then eat it, its not as spicy. Seen it before? Zhang Xiaobao gestured as he spoke. Erniu watched for a while and nodded: In reply to Little Mister, Ive seen it beforeeven eaten it before. Thats good, then. Pick this thingpick lots of it. Have your parents go buy some fish for me. Try to get fish with as few bones as possible and buy lots of them. Ill get some money for you and give it to you tomorrow. Anything else? Yes, there is. Go and find a cksmith from our manor and have them make stuff for me. Like this. Ill draw it for you. You, look. Zhang Xiaobao couldnt exin it well at the moment so he tightly gripped a little wooden stick in his hand to draw on the ground. Only now did he discover how inconvenient it was to do anything when so small. He clearly knew how it should be drawn in his mind. It was actually an iron case, the sort with a p, that could be used to grill or bake things. After drawing for a while, he finally finished. But upon seeing it, Erniu wrinkled his brow as he quietly said in a low voice: Little Mister, this thing you [honorific] want is entirely iron? This wont be so easy to do. So much iron It cant be kept hidden from people. I No matter what method you use, do this job for me. If you do it well, therell be a reward. After money is made, your family can split it. If you do it poorly, Ill find someone else and you wont need to follow us anymore. Zhang Xiaobao didnt listen to this kind of rationale at all. He didnt believe that such a clever person as Erniu could do poorly. There was some difficulty but that didnt mean that it couldnt be solved. Little Mister, Ill go do it. I dare not split the money. Working for the master-family is what I should do. Just when the timees, calcting my wages as rice grains will do. Erniu still agreed. He wasnt prepared to ask for that rice at first. But he discovered that all of the people in his family had to work, meaning that they couldnt do any other jobs and that would lead to a huge difference. So he worked up the guts to say this. I said for your family to get a cut so your family should get a cut. Refuting our words is not allowed. Understand? Wang Juan, seeing that Zhang Xiaobao seemed to not be scamming for money and was expanding into business, spoke up as well. Dont just look at how small they were, they were naturally notcking in airs. Erniu nodded and, not caring that it was still drizzling outside, immediately ran out to go home to set this up. Wang Juan now had the time to interrogate Zhang Xiaobao. What are your arrangements today for? What else is it for? To make money, ~bei.[2] In this world, the most fundamental is military power. Other than military power, its money. Right now, military power is not doable. So lets get money. Seeing that Erniu had left to do the job, Zhang Xiaobao also loosened up as he leisurely replied. Order after ordere out after just a brow wrinkle and an eye blink? The International Criminal Swindler definitely doesnt have an unearned reputation. Tell me, what kind of profit? Looking at that cute face of Zhang Xiaobaos right now, Wang Juan felt that this person was all right as she asked, smiling. Insulting people, ~ne?[3] Dont keep saying swindler, Comrade Wang Juan. Right now, I must solemnly request of you to please respect me. At this moment, I am a good citizen, a good person. Zhang Xiaobao looked at Wang Juan who was just as cute. But who let the two of them both be children? They were children of affluent families as well with nock in their diet and were well-dressed so that they were white and plump. Seeing the face full of disapproval on Wang Juan, he continued speaking: Buying fish is for the sake of making grilled fish strips to sell to other people. No, to exchange with others. Things arent easy to sell but bartering is simpler. That case is going to be used to dry the fish strips. It can be used as an oventer on, tooto bake breads, cakes, whatever. It can also be used to exchange for things. Dont grilled fish strips use filefish?[4] You had them go buy it but where can they get that type of fish? Isnt that a marine fish? Then, what did you get the chili sprouts for? To rub on the fish strips? Wang Juan still had this little bit ofmon sense as she knew the fish that grilled fish strips used. Who am I? ording to you, a big swindler. How can the idea I thought up be that simple? Even if other people dont know grilled fish strips are dried using an iron case, there are other methods to dry it with. As long as they find it good, theyll study it. Theres no patent protection, either. The fish over here is cheap. We can buy quite a few with only a little money. But food grain[5] is expensive. I can ask my mom [modern] for a little bit of money to use to buy fish but I have no way of using it to buy enough food grain. Actually, any fish is fine. Exchange the grilled fish strips for soybeans.[6] The real money-maker is in making soybean paste sauce.[7] Specifically, in making spicy soybean paste sauce. Add in douban[8] and diced meat. Well sell the soybean paste sauce. This soybean paste sauce wont be used for bartering but sold for money. Or for silk textileswho let it be so that this stuff could be used just like money?[9] After we have enough money, we can go forward with the next step. The more capital there is, the better deals I can make. First, clear up the matter of thend. Then, buynd, nt stuff, buy more things, make some more deals. Of course, if you dont object to my using a few little tricks, I can directly make currency exchange deals using money and silk textiles. You should get my meaning. Zhang Xiaobao exined with the same slow leisure as before. What do you mean, currency exchange deals? You want to swindle again? No, when you make currency exchanges, theres no resource generation. Its nothing more than to get your hands on money and it needs to be done with speed. I wont allow it. What if you get caught? Arresting you wont even need any legality. Theres too much abuse of power in this time period. You cant even run to escape. Wang Juan firmly opposed it. Zhang Xiaobao thought Wang Juan didnt wish for him to run scams. Only now did he understand that Wang Juan was afraid he would get in trouble. His mood naturally not the same, he thought for a bit before speaking again: Then, I wont do anything like that. In regards to the actual capital, Ill take care of it. Dont worry. I wont do anything that would harm others. When forbidden to umte capital through pure robbery, I, as an International Criminal Swindler, can think of a lot of ways to slowly earn it. This slowness is rtive. I will work through the production and processing method. In listening to Zhang Xiaobaos words, Wang Juan suddenly discovered that the attitude of this swindler who had violence and caring, brain and brawn that everything was all in his hands at this very moment was such a dazzling sight. How could Zhang Xiaobao know Wang Juan what was thinking? Even if he had studied so much psychology, he had nevere in contact with the field of female psychology. He was currently pondering how to ask for money from his mother as the funds were all controlled by Mrs. Zhang-Wang. He atst decided to bite the bullet[10] and just ask. The next day, the sky was clear. Erniu had already told everything to his family members and even stayed overnight at his house. Knowing that Little Mister was in a hurry over this matter, he rushed back. At this time, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan usually got ready to go to sleep after having finished their milk. Today, Zhang Xiaobao who normally readily went to sleep suddenly said to Mrs. Zhang-Wang: Mom, Juan-Juan and I want to buy some things. We need 1 guan [string] of cash[11] prepared to let Yingtao go buy it. So much? Tell Mom, what does my Bang want to buy? Mom will go buy it for you. Upon hearing it was 1 guan [string] of cash, Mrs. Zhang-Wang was also a bit hesitant. Thinking that the children didnt know what to buy so they had just casually said 1 guan [string], she wanted to rify so she could purchase it or maybe trade for it as there was basically no need to spend too much money. Zhang Xiaobao certainly did not agree. He hoped to use this money to buy fish. One guan [string] of cash or 1,000 wen [cash] could buy several hundred fish. Southern fish, Northern sheep;[12] the fish here had always been very cheap. He said: Mom, we need to buy lots and lots of things. I cant think of it all for now. Give money for Yingtao to buy it. Hearing this, Mrs. Zhang-Wang looked at Wang Juan as well. Wang Juan felt unable to ask for this. After all, this money wasnt being taken from her family. So she could only nod. All right. Mom will give it. If Bang wants to buy it, Mom will give it. Mom wille along and see thenthe things my Bang buys will definitely be better than anyone elses. Seeing her son speak like this, Mrs. Zhang-Wang didnt reject it, either. One guan [string] of cash was a bit much but who else had children that knew how to spend money when they were so small? So just let him spend it. Whatever things he bought back would be fine. It wasnt like that 1 guan [string] of cash would suddenly disappear. Giving permission to her son on the one hand, she then called over Yingtao on the other hand. Removing a wooden piece that had 1 guan [string] written on it, she ced it in Yingtaos hand as she said: Yingtao, take this money. Whatever you buy, remember to ount for it. Remember, prices that should be bargained over still need to be negotiated. I understand, Mistress. Yingtao epted the wooden piece. After ncing over at Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan and seeing the two of them nod slightly, she respectfully answered. Having settled their concerns, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan naturally wanted to sleep. Waiting until his mother had left, Zhang Xiaobao sighed as he said: I keep feeling like I deceived my Mom. No, its not even deception. You really do need to use this money to buy things. Youre not squandering it and you can even make moneyter on. Wang Juanforted him. The deception Im talking about isnt this. Its that I didnt tell my Mom the things that I want to do. You stupid? If you really told your mom [modern], would she agree? You must know that deception can be divided into good and bad intentions. Your deception is for the sake of making money for the family to spend. This is a good intention. Its at least much better than how you were before. Over 30 billion, ~ah! And its even U.S. dors. All just stolen by you. Those officials all deserve to die. Wang Juan continued reassuring him. The total is over 200 billion. Your investigations are not detailed at all. Domestically, its over 30 billion. Zhang Xiaobao exined. I have nothing to do with overseas. You should havethe more, the better. Justice belongs to the whole of humanity but my citizenship has me belonging to my own homnd. It looked like Wang Juan was not suited to work for Interpol as she was a bit radical. Having gotten money, everything was easy to aplish. Zhang Xiaobao had Yingtao take the money out and give it to Erniu. He told him that when buying in bulk, he could further lower the price and even to try credit billing[13] after making two purchases. After letting Erniu go off to work, he and Wang Juan continued exercising their bodies as they considered their future development.
Ten days quietly passed. Something called grilled fish strips began getting popr in the surrounding manors. It used no currency but trading in soybeans or other things like millet, which was foxtail millet,[14] wheat, meat, and eggs was possible. TOP
  1. The Zhi Tian () in the chapter title is likely a pun that is referring to the facing heaven chili pepper or zhi tian jiao () while the phrase itself literally means to point at the skies, which can have the connotation of directing or ordering the heavens in order to control fate.
  2. I retain ~bei () sometimes in the trantion because its an ending sentence particle that shows the speakers nonchnce or casual attitude. Its a deliberate verbal tic whose purpose is to add a light or flippant tone to the speakers speech. This is simr to use of the ~ne ending sentence particle in Japanese sometimes, which can be used to seek agreement or add a yful tone and so on. Or in terms of the Inte, it is like appending LOL or emoticons after a sentence to show when one is being facetious since bodynguage or vocal tone isnt avable for interpretation to the reader online.
  3. Here, ~ne () is simr in usage as ~ne is in Japanese (though it isnt necessarily the same character or word and is pronounced differently) in that its meant to soften the meaning of speech that would otherwise sound harsher if read literally (simr to how people use LOL or emoticons online a lot more than they would in more formal writing to keep the tone light). Its meant to add a more joking or yful tone and can also be used as an interrogative sentence particle.
  4. Ma Mian Tun () or literally horse-faced fish (Tetraodontiformes) can refer to either filefish or ck scraper. Since the Chinese tend to name things bypounding characters with descriptions, names for animals can be applied to multiple species that arent actually biologically rted (i.e. the words for panda, xiong mao () or mao xiong (), which literally means bear-cat or cat-bear; or for hippopotamus, he ma (), which means river-horse). I went with filefish since it is a broad category of fish used for consumption in Asia that happens to be made into the type of snack food that they are speaking of here.
  5. The term Zhang Xiaobao is using here is liang shi (), which specifically refers to the grains that made up the majority of the diet in ancient China. The grains were either wheat in northern China or rice in southern China (hence why certain regional cuisines emphasized noodles or breads over rice) with other grain crops like barley or millet to supplement them. Meat was considered a luxury and only showed up with any regrity in the diet for affluent households to the point to which fatty oils were considered a luxury. So even though meat is also food, it was not something that was considered a necessity or jumped immediately to mind as food to the general popce in ancient China like the grain crops were (it was slightly different for military provisioning though). This would be simr to how foods like potatoes, pasta, or bread are normally considered the main and filling portion of Western diets.
  6. Soybeans or soya bean is called da dou () in Chinese meaning big bean. It can be referred to as yellow beans or huang dou (), too. Because it was the main bean crop in ancient China, the use of the generic term of dou () or bean typically referred to soybeans.
  7. Soybean paste sauce is a fermented paste sauce made from soybeans, salt, and water. The term Zhang Xiaobao uses to refer to it here is Da Jiang () or literally big paste/sauce, which is an abbreviation of big bean paste/sauce (da dou jiang/). Other names for it are bean paste/sauce (dou jiang/) or yellow paste/sauce (huang jiang/).
  8. Douban () is the term for the mashed up remnants of the soybeans after they are processed and literally means bean parts, simr to how bits of fruits or vegetables are left behind once processed and made into jams or sauces. Douban Jiang () is a paste sauceprised of douban like how some tomato sauces have bits of tomato added to be chunky sauces.
  9. Zhang Xiaobao is referring to the fact that in order to guarantee its value, the government of ancient China allowed silk textiles (no matter the quality) to be used as legal tender, even epting it as payment for taxes in a process simr to how the U.S. Federal Reserve takes tattered dor bills out of cirction. Keep in mind that China had a near monopoly on silk in the world at the time and it required centuries of repeated international espionage to evene close to loosening that monopoly. You can read more here on sericulture, the method in which Chinese silk was and still is produced.
  10. I tranted ying zhe tou pi () as biting the bullet. This idiom literally trantes to hardening the head skin/scalp, which is likely a tangential reference to the concept of face and how one had to have thick (facial) skin in order to ignore any embarrassment or shame or humiliation that might need to be endured.
  11. Yi guan qian () or one string of cash was usually 1,000 coins (wen/) strung together though the exact amount could vary from time to time or with regional custom. A string was subdivided into 10 sections of 100 coins each with the entire string being equivalent in value to 1 silver tael. If 1 coin (wen/ or cash) was the equivalent of 1 dor, then a string of cash was the equivalent to 1,000 dors. This was derived from the fact that ancient Chinese coins were usually cast with a hole in the center, making it easy to thread a string through them. I will refer to it in text as guan [string] to differentiate it as a mary unit from actual strings of thread or rope.
  12. Nan yu Bei yang () or Southern fish, Northern sheep/goat is a saying that refers to the meat that each regional cuisine is famed for since they were in plentiful supply in those areas. The phrase also alludes to a visual pun made in Chinese with the character for fresh or xian (), which is created bybining the characters for fish and sheep/goat into one.
  13. She zhang () is a method of purchase where the merchant trusts the buyer to pay them backter while allowing the buyer to receive the goods beforehand. This is the principle that credit cards or a bar tab is based on.
  14. Su () refers to millet in general, which is a nt that has several cultivars. Themon name of xiao mi (), meaning little rice, refers to the foxtail millet which is the variantmon in China that is traditionally said to have been cultivated by the mythical ruler, Shennong (), in Chinese folklore.
Book 1: Chapter 7 Book 1: Chapter 7 Build Up Guts Of A Bear For The Sake Of Parents Idlers Note: In celebration of Fathers Day, which ising up, Im releasing a bonus chapter for today! I hope you enjoy! Eh I might end up paying for thister on in tears and blood when I have to hustle to keep up with the schedule Ive set but I thought Xiaobao would disapprove if I didnt do something special to acknowledge a holiday that celebrated fathers like a filial child should.
Erniu was bewildered by the money earned by this thing called grilled fish stripsor more precisely, the items earned. He never thought that the fish he had never liked eating, after going through such processing, would be this tasty. These days, every time he came over from home, he would bring several fish strips to share together with Yingtao. Hey, do you think that there are some illicit feelings between Erniu and Yingtao? Through observation, Wang Juan discovered this bit. During todays walking exercise time, she asked why was it that Erniu gave only Yingtao fish strips but never gave any to her and Zhang Xiaobao. Juan-Juan, please change the type of greeting. Dont call me hey. You can call me Xiaobao or even call me Bang. After all, we are one family. Zhang Xiaobao was in a good mood. The grilled fish strips returned quite a few things which could sustain future growth. Comrade Zhang Xiaobao, I am not that familiar with you. Juan-Juan is not what you can call me. Dont assume that identity will let me suddenly treat you well. Please directly answer my question. Wang Juan was also obviously in a good mood and she even had time to yfully bicker. For her, this was very rare. Zhang Xiaobao had no retort. He was currently still holding Wang Juans little hand while circling the flower urns in the garden. That sufficed in expressing the issue. There was no need to admit to anything in speech. They were all not children. Reality would prove everything. Wanting to pick a flower yet also discovering that his physical height was not yet high enough to climb up the flower urn, he sighed as he said: I dont care about the rtionship between the two of them. Only when a person feels like they have no way of controlling their subordinates does a ban on this type of conduct or emotions in subordinates appear. Its simply two peopleI think I can manage that. About why he doesnt give us grilled fish strips to eat, on this point, I would like to praise Comrade Erniu. At least, hes not stupid and realizes that our teeth arent suited for eating stuff with this kind of difficulty. Is your meaning that Im stupid? Wang Juans little hand used force, wanting to painfully squeeze Zhang Xiaobao. But in the end, she discovered that the physical attributes of the two of them were about equal so could only give up this action. Quit squeezing. Its no use. Even if youre stronger than me and crush the bones in my hand, do you think I would be frightened? I havent endured any less hardship than you. If I make one sound, then I wouldnt be called Zhang Xiaobao. Erniu,e overits all being seen into your eyes.[1] Upon being gripped with great force by Wang Juan, Zhang Xiaobaos little hand suddenly rxed, using a type of passivity to let Wang Juan understand that everybody had the same kind of tenacity. He then turned his head to call out to Erniu who was over there exchanging flirty looks with Yingtao. Little Mister, you [honorific] called? Erniu was fawningly[2] helping Yingtao rub the fish strips that were slightly tough[3] when he heard Little Mister call for him. Running over agilely, he bowed his head as he smiled at Zhang Xiaobao while he spoke. After a bit, when me and Juan-Juan have had milk and my Mom ising out of the room, you go and find my Mom to say that you want to partner up with my Mom in a business deal. Can you or can you not do that? Zhang Xiaobao stared at Erniu as he asked. Can Or cannot? Erniu originally thought that Little Mister sought him out to randomly order some things. He didnt think that it was to actually let him go into talks with Mistress. Terrified, he didnt know how to respond for the moment. Youre asking me? Your family made quite a bit these few days, right? Ive decided to offer a tenth of the profits to your familyjust have to see if you can keep up appearances. Zhang Xiaobao wrinkled his brow, a little dissatisfied with Ernius timidity. Erniu gulped. Thinking of the money made from the grilled fish strips, to say that he wasnt tempted was false. A tenth was already not a small amount. But upon thinking that the one to be faced was Mistress, he also felt like his heart had no ground.[4] How could he dare go talk to Mistress of partnership? It was like scheming with a tiger for their pelt. Speak, whats the use of simply wiping your sweat? What needs to be confronted still has to be confronted. Didnt see that you were so hot before when you were helping Yingtao to rub the fish strips. Zhang Xiaobao discovered that his patience seemed to not be as good as in the past. At the same time, he was also disappointed with Erniu. With this kind of person, how could he use him to do anything in the future? Little Mister, Id dare with anyone else. But Mistress, even if you [honorific] lend me the guts to do so, I dont dare to go have talks about some partnership. I know I have caused you [honorific] to lose face. How about you [honorific] give me a beating? Erniu thought for a bit but still couldnt call up the resolve. Even when gambling with your life, the opponent had to be picked out. Zhang Xiaobao shut his eyes, not really knowing what he should say. With such a ything that couldnt even stand up in public,[5] he couldnt even get angry. He turned his head to look at Wang Juan to consult: Lets see if we can get some money from your family. Two guan [strings] should be enough. Im not willing to ask my Mom for money again. Havent we already made money? What do you still want money for? Wang Juan didnt understand one bit. There were quite a few things received in exchange for the grilled fish stripsmeat, eggs, food grains, oil. Why did Zhang Xiaobao still feel that it wasnt enough? There were no issues with making the paste sauce anymore. If it really was this simple an arrangement, then its not me, Zhang Xiaobao. The way I do things has always been like a ring linked to a ring, as if a chain of interlocking rings. The grilled fish strips were only sold in the small surrounding areas and already had these kinds of results. Think about it. Those people with a few resources, are they fools? If Im not wrong in my thinking, there are already people analyzing the recipe for grilled fish strips. I want to use the money to do a promotion and sell the theory behind making grilled fish strips so we can earn an extra sum. Im not going swindling but I should at least get the maximum profit, right? Zhang Xiaobao felt a bit solitary at this moment. It was lonely at the top.[6] You want to sell the technology for the oven? That is feasible. Then, Ill try getting some money. Wang Juan, feeling that she understood, agreed with a nod. But Zhang Xiaobao shook his head: Dont look at how simple making an oven is but I definitely wont sell it. I want to bake cakes in the future, ~ne. What Im selling is the recipe for the grilled fish strips. Whatever else, the oven cant be taken out. Wait until after Ive finished baking cakes and have been noticed by some people to discuss that. What recipe do grilled fish strips have? Isnt it just pickling and drying? Getting a grasp of these basics is enough. Wang Juan asked in confusion after trying to synchronize with Zhang Xiaobaos thinking pace yet found that she had no way of doing so. You dont understand this then. Dont look at how simple it was when I spoke of it. To really get a grasp of it requires so many years of experience. Ill give you an example. I seem to remember that it was France that saw that Germany had telescopes so they wanted to make them. In the end, they discovered that the telescopes they made had air bubbles. They paid a huge price to finally exchange for the technique. This technique only had two wordsgrind & polish. The taste of being baked dry and grilled dry arent the same. Pickled and not pickled is also not the same. We here dont have marine fish so the issue of saltiness is fundamental. I need money to open the markets. I want to mass produce fish strips to go to therge areas for a free promotion. The things we got in barter in the early phase, I want to directly convert to money to go buy more fish. The time is too long. I dont want to wait. I dont need to say what time is, right? Zhang Xiaobao exined patiently. Wang Juan looked into those pitch-ck eyes of Zhang Xiaobao, almost imagining momentarily that she had been sucked inside. Nodding, she said: I was previously dubbed a genius by others. Now, I finally understand. Any coincidence is an inevitability. For you to be able to be an International Criminal Swindler was not mere trickery. To tell the truth, I am a bit envious of the education within the prisons. Its like what some people have said beforethe gathering point of geniuses, besides the research universities, is in the prisons.[7] The conversation between the both of them used lip speech. They didnt think much of it but the pressure on Erniu was very great. He thought that Little Mister was preparing to give up on him. Thinking of his familys future living, thinking of his parents, at this moment, he finally gritted his teeth as he resolved his mind: Little Mister, I will do as you [honorific] say. Ill talk. Ill go talk with Mistress. Big dealits only a single life. Ernius words caused Zhang Xiaobao to feel surprise. He originally did n to give up on Erniu. It wasnt not permitting him to follow but a decision to not let hime in contact with any important matters in the future. Now, upon hearing Ernius words, the original idea of abandonment eased. He asked: Why? For my Dad and Mom. I trust Little Mister that you [honorific] will definitely let me make lots of money. Ive always wanted to let my Dad and Mom have meat to eat for every meal and good clothing to wear. Ill put my all into it. Erniu honestly replied. Good child. Thats right. Youre not bad. Follow me from now on. Zhang Xiaobao praised him. He forgot that he himself was the genuine child right now.
Mrs. Zhang-Wang was the same as before,ing over at the time that the children needed to have milk. She fully fed the two children, one at each side, watching the two kids fall asleep. She was just about to go out the door to busy herself with her own matters but discovered that Erniu who usually hid far away was actually blocking the door today. Erniu, is there anything you need to tell me? Is it about Bang and Juan-Juan? Mrs. Zhang-Wang nced over Erniu as she lightly asked. Erniu had already drank a bit of wine and was currently brewing up the nerve. He had thought he could directly face Mistress to speak but then upon hearing Mistress ask him, that little bit of courage built up by the wine was suddenly gone. He bowed his head to stare at his feet, timidly saying: No, nothing, Mistress. You [honorific] walk well. Unh, take good care of Xiaobao and Juan-Juan and you wont be ill-treatedter on. Mrs. Zhang-Wang made a sound in confirmation, then moved to walk away into the distance. Erniu froze there. Thinking, he used his hand to forcefully pinch his own thigh before he finally mustered up the courage again and loudly said: Mistress, please wait. I, I have words to speak. Unh? Speak of what? Mrs. Zhang-Wang stopped, slowly turning around to ask while staring at Erniu. Erniu at this time knew he no longer had any path of retreat. Letting the sweat freely flow down his forehead, he gulped and stammered as he said: Miss, Mistress, I, I want to, with you [honorific], talk, talk about, deal, business. Unh, right, its talk, talk business. Oh? You said you wanted to talk business with me? Good, Erniu has promise. Speak. What business do you want to talk about? Buying yourself back? Mrs. Zhang-Wang was puzzled. She didnt know what illness had struck this Erniu today to even want to discuss business with her. What a joke! What qualifications did he have? The sale-bond item[8] was still in her hands. No, not me. Its, its my family. My family wasnt sold. My parents as well as my [Older] Bro Daniu and my younger sister are still all peasants. My familys business, grilled fish strips, the ones sold in the surrounding area in these past few days, our manor still doesnt have these grilled fish strips. Talk, talking about this. Erniu tried his best to not let himself be so afraid, trembling as he spoke. Grilled fish strips? You said fish strips? Could it be that it is your family that made them? What gall! Your family are peasants from our manor. The things that you made, why have you not first spoken of it for me to hear? Mrs. Zhang-Wang scolded angrily. TOP
  1. A bit nonsensical even in the original Chinese but Xiaobao is mockingly referring to the mooning looks that Erniu is apparently giving Yingtao.
  2. You know the opposite of the English expression, hard to get? Erniu is described as doing theplete opposite. Fan jian () literally trantes tomit cheap and describes when people debase themselves by fawning or sucking up to people whose attention they want to receive, essentially throwing themselves away for cheap without any sign of self-respect in their behavior. This expression is simr to fan cuo (), which means tomit a wrong or to err, and fan fa () meaning to break thew, so theres the implied connotation of a crime against oneself in this phrase.
  3. The fish strips are likely simr to beef jerky so Erniu is rubbing the tougher ones to soften them up for Yingtao.
  4. I couldnt find or think of an English expression that was a satisfying substitute for xin zhong mei di () so I tranted it literally here. It basically means Erniu felt uneasy and his emotions were not grounded and thus there was uncertainty.
  5. The phrase shang bu liao tai () is an expression that literally means cant go up the dais/tform and is used to describe people or objects that are considered to be items that cant be shown in public as they would be an embarrassment and a loss of face to those associated with them. Its usually a derogatory description applied to people that are viewed as upstarts for daring to try to get above themselves in areas that they werent trained/educated for. Xiaobao is using thisbel here because Erniu doesnt even dare to dream of being anything else besides a lowly servant, which is worse in his eyes.
  6. I substituted gao chu bu sheng han () for the roughly equivalent English saying. The literal meaning of this phrase is the heights cannot win over cold and is customarily used as a metaphor for the emotional chill and loneliness that power can bring that not even its benefits can ovee. This saying is a quote taken from Shuidiao Getou (), a poem by the Song dynasty poet Su Shi ().
  7. Note that how the penal system in China is set up would likely be different from in the West. It is probably due to the political nature of some jail sentences and what is considered to be punishable offenses that the demographic makeup of the prisoners would be a great deal more eclectic than the Western stereotype of the convict or jailbird. Thats not to say that the inmate poption in Western prisons arent themselves skilled, too.
  8. Mrs. Zhang-Wang is referring to an indentured servitude bond or contract. Ancient China was simr to ancient Rome in that there was a permanent subss of ves and servants whose numbers were constantly in flux since people could be forcibly enved due to various reasons like with penal sentences, under the prisoner of war system, from property seizures, or due to human trafficking but the source of the ves could also be from those who willingly sold themselves into very as indentured servants in order to use the money of the sale to benefit their families or pay off debts, essentially mortgaging themselves to gain a mary amount. This meant mechanisms to buy their freedom back also existed and the racism associated with very as practiced in the Americas was not as prevalent though ssism was still a huge problem with this institution. Arguably, everyone was a ve to the emperor who could arbitrarily order their deaths so there was not as much taboo about very as an institution that vited human rights by treating people like property and what that entailed. It is likely why Chinese culture tended to view it as just another type of servitude. It was standard practice in ancient China to ensure that trusted and loyal servants legally sold themselves to the household or were born into families that had been under such an arrangement for generations as it was viewed as a form of vassge rather than very. The ve or subservient status was a form of guarantee that protected the master in this case as an ancient form of a NDA since the confidentiality of the servants was literally ensured by the master having the legal power of life and death over them. The Chinese counterpart to the Western stereotype of the English butler that has served the lord of the manor in a position that had been passed down from father to son would be bound to the household in an indentured servitude arrangement that was usually for life and considered an honor or privilege. Sometimes, such loyal servants were granted the right to bear the households surname as a disy of how trusted and valued they were. This will be why in my trantions, I will rarely use ve for the servants even if they technically were not free citizens and could be treated like property or abused by their masters because of the Chinese view that it was more servitude unless it is unequivocally a very situation where freedom was virtually impossible to gain like with war ves, etc.
Book 1: Chapter 8 Book 1: Chapter 8 Within The n Is Even More Oddity Within The n Idlers Note: Happy Fathers Day~!
Upon hearing Mistress interrogation, Erniu didnt even think and directly kneeled down right there with a thump. He didnt dare face Mistress in the midst of a rage. He had thought of giving away Little Mister but then he suddenly realized that if he really did give away Little Mister, would Little Mister be punished? Of course not. Mistress would only praise Little Mister and would also praise him. The problem was after the praise, would he himself have a life? If Mistress didnt punish him, Little Mister could casually find a reason to let him die without a whole corpse.[1] Due to this, Erniu felt that the only thing he could do was to not make a sound while awaiting Mistress wrath. Even if Mistress had others give him a beating, it would be good. As for exnations? How to speak of it? Could he say that it was Little Mister who deliberately told him not to sell the grilled strips in the two manors? Bear with itassuming that Mistress wouldnt beat him to death. Tell me. Why did you not tell me those grilled fish strips are produced by your family? Really had not discovered before, our manor here actually had such a character. Earned quite a bit? What future ns do you have? Upon seeing such a demeanor from Erniu, Mrs. Zhang-Wang also tried her best to control her own tone of voice as she slowly spoke. Mistress, I cant say. Even if you [honorific] beat me to death, I cant say. I can only say is that I, Erniu, and I, Ernius family havent done anything to be sorry for against Zhang Manor. Mistress, you [honorific]ter on will certainly know this. I, Erniu, will die for the sake of the Manor but wont even think of harming the Manor. Im just talk, talking business. Erniu knelt on the ground, forcefully clenching his fists together, his face already flowing with tears. But he was even like this and he still did not sell out Zhang Xiaobao. At this moment, Zhang Xiaobao was lying on top of the couch and upon clearly hearing these words, he actuallyughed. Wang Juan also heard them and seeing Zhang Xiaobaos expression, angrily said: Why dont you step forward to save him? Youreughing. Do you think Erniu stupid, that he should be mocked? Fart,[2] when have I ever mocked Erniu? From now on, Erniu will be my family. Imughing because I, Zhang Xiaobao, had people willing to die for me in my previous lifetime and even now in this lifetime, I will have them still. Worth it for me. From now on, Erniu will be my dear brother. When hes living, Ill have him enjoy glory and wealth; he dies, Ill help him take care of his family. Youd have me go out. If I really went out, how could I face Erniu? Zhang Xiaobao suddenly spoke an obscenity as he stood up from the couch, his smile not changing but his little fists were tightly clenched. A swindler like you could actually also acquire the hearts of people? I dont believe it. Wang Juan was a bit jealous. Her data, if Zhang Xiaobao wanted to know it, he could. But Zhang Xiaobaos whereabouts, it could only be exposed after he did it himself. This difference really was too great. Humph! You dont believe it? Ill tell you. On that day, up until the final minute before the explosion, if I wanted to run, I could still escape. I didnt call for them but my brothers were all already in position. If I just made a hand gesture or a move, the team of 6 snipers that your side had in ce would immediately be knocked out. It was only that my life didnt have that much time left and I didnt want to harm you guys. Dont assume that you guys are so powerful. Ill tell you that in your team, there were some people who,pared to Erniu, were nothing. Erniu still knows his standing, still knows loyalty. That person amongst you had already sold his soul. Not all people are you, Wang Juan, and not all people can be a Tyrant Flower. Zhang Xiaobao was now finally angry as he ruthlessly spoke to Wang Juan. He also had his bottom line that no other person was allowed to touch. Wang Juan was already muddled. It wasnt that she hadnt thought that the team had traitors but she just wasnt willing to believe it. At this time, the little bit of hope left in her heart had been destroyed. She naturally understood the meaning within Zhang Xiaobaos words. She didnt hate Zhang Xiaobao and she didnt hate the person that had sold her out. After all, she couldnt demand that everyone be just like her. She was only a bit envious. Zhang Xiaobao who was nothing more than a swindler, on what basis could he have such good brothers? Based on what? The two of them nursed their respective attitudes in thought while outside, Erniu and Mrs. Zhang-Wang were also having their confrontation. You really wont talk? Mrs. Zhang-Wang, emphatically pausing after each word. Beat me to death and I still wont talk. Erniu stubbornly replied. Wang Juan, who was still contemting her thoughts within the room, nearlyughed out loud upon hearing Ernius words. Then, fine. Talk. How do you want to partner up? Mrs. Zhang-Wang thought for a bit, turning her head to nce at the room that she had just walked out of as she asked. Mistress, give me another 2 guan [strings]. Ill use it to buy fish and make fish strips. Then, Ill take them to the other bustling areas to give away for freeespecially to a high-grade restaurant. Five dayster, Ill return 50 guan [strings] to Mistress. Erniu spoke ording to the script that Zhang Xiaobao had set. Mrs. Zhang-Wang smiled and nodded as she gently said to Erniu: Erniu, youve always been a smart and sensible person in my house. Almost everyone thinks this. But I know you and am reassured about you, which is why I gave Xiaobao and Juan-Juan to you to care for. Since you want this money, then Ill give it to you. If there can be 50 guan [strings], then let there be 50 guan [strings]. Even if theres a loss, its nothing. Dont think too much of it. For your Mom to have a son such as you, she must be happy. I think your Mom also knows your characterjust like me. Its over. My Mom knows. Zhang Xiaobao faintly said as he stood on top of the couch. Unh, a mother knows her son best.[3] Wang Juan, who had simultaneously heard Mrs. Zhang-Wang speak, agreed as well. My Mom spoke these words for me to hear, ~ne. Zhang Xiaobao smiled. Then, why are you still so happy? Wang Juan asked. Why arent I happy? My Mom is so smartof course, I have a reason to be happy. My Dad, that bookworm, lucked out. Zhang Xiaobao directly flopped down with a thump from where he stood as hey at Wang Juans side as he said to Wang Juan who was unhappy with his action: Today is the happiest day for me. I found a good brother and also know the degree to which a mothers love can be great. To what degree? Wang Juan really had no way of understanding. To the degree of unconditionally supporting their child. Listen, my Mom will definitely promise it. This makes me recall something written in a book somewhere. Those who are mothers, although they clearly know their own child could get burned boiling water, will still unconditionally support it. Shell secretly watch. If theres danger, shell immediately rush over to grab the water kettle rather than let her child get burned. Zhang Xiaobao said sentimentally. What is that? The nobility and greatness of man is only because of this? Wang Juan was still refuting Zhang Xiaobao. Even though she was already touched, she still wouldnt admit defeat. Wrong. Not just humans. Even animals are also the same. If youve seen hunters go hunting, youll understand. Those animals that chewed off their own legs to escape the mps will definitely be female, if only because they need to return to feed their children. Zhang Xiaobao spoke thus. Dont speak to me of such uselessness. I dont like listening to it. Wang Juan turned her head, not wanting Zhang Xiaobao to see her own red eyes. She was missing her family from the previous life again. Fine, I wont speak. Just listen. Zhang Xiaobao was thankful to God; he finally had parents in this lifetime. Yingtao,e here. Take this money. When its time, give it to Erniu to use. From outside, Mrs. Zhang-Wang called out toward the room. Yingtao immediately ran out to receive that wooden piece that represented 2 guan [strings] of cash. Erniu, you stand up as well. Remember my words. I trust that you can take good care of Bang. In a while, go to the ounting room to get some meat. Go home to eat a good meal. Mrs. Zhang-Wang took out another wooden piece to throw to Erniu who was still kneeling there before slowly walking away. As if waking up from a dream, Erniu trembled as he picked up the wooden piece, not able to speak as he watched the silhouette of Mistress in the distance.
It was just like Zhang Xiaobao said. When conscientious people saw that fish strips made money, imitations immediately appeared. The price was a bit cheaper but sales were not as good. One was not evenly salted. Another fish strip had no way of being grilled to the degree that Ernius family had as they could not control the temperature as well. Upon getting the money, Erniu instantly started buying great amounts of raw fish ording to Zhang Xiaobaos instructions and then had the fish strips produced sent to a few restaurants for people to freely sample. Five dayster, the free supply of grilled fish strips to each restaurant was suddenly gone. This stuff, men actually didnt like to eat. As tasty as they were, they werent as good as marinated beef for wine appetizers. But children and women liked them. These two kinds of people were simply too importantimportant to the point that any man of a normal sexual orientation couldnt not consider. The 5 days of free samples, which gave the wine-houses a taste of the sweet rewards afterwards, necessitated that they prudently consider the financial benefitsor rather, the amount of profitbrought by this stuff. The most direct one was with the brothels. The women there were plentiful and had already made the grilled fish strips a type of essential snack food. Secondly were the men seeking a woman who couldnt help bringing some back to seek the beautys favor. Finally were the people with children who, when eating and drinking themselves, discovered that children liked this stuff and would also bring some back. They would then throw it to the child with a stern face while speaking two lecturing sentences full of harsh wordsthis was the depth of fatherly love. But now, the supply had suddenly stopped. Those that had appeared in other ces differed too much from thesejust the bnce of salt itself could not bepared with. The restaurant owners were all frantic now as they asked around for the ce that made these fish strips, trying to figure it out. Erniu had been constantly obeying Little Misters orders as if by remote control. Upon seeing many people inquire, he had his big brothere out to hold the talks with a bidding war to sell the recipe. In reality, there was only one and that was to pickle or the process by which marine fish were cured. Such a simple thing before being publicly disclosed could let people crave it so endlessly. But after someone spent 120 silver taels[4] to obtain it, they could only keep the dismay they felt in their heart to themselves. Didnt I tell you to ask for copper coins? Yet, you insist on bringing back so much silver. You tell meif I want to buy a bit of stuff, youd use silver to pay the bill? If I buy 200 catty[5] of soybeans, do you want to take out this big piece of silver to look for an illness?[6] How would you let me speak of you? If I want to sell tofu right now, should I watch you get out some silver to go buy some? You want to constantly pay with silver for business in the future? You yourself may feel like youre tired of living but dont drag me along to die with you! Zhang Xiaobao looked at the small pile of silver that Erniu ced in front of him, smacking his forehead as he spoke. But seeing that sorry expression of Ernius, he knew that this deed had been done by Daniu. So he could only sigh as he had Erniu first take the money back to his mother there for repayment and have the remainder be gradually exchanged for copper coins in order to better execute the next step of the n.
  1. Due to the Chinese belief in ancestor worship, a lot of beliefs were associated with the afterlife. This resulted in various funerary rites requiring having a whole and pristine (i.e. undamaged) corpse upon death. A good funeral was considered necessary for a good afterlife. Anything that resulted in the muttion of a corpse or not being able to be properly buried (and thus worshipped by descendants) could lead to a fate worse than death such as bing a hungry wandering ghost with amnesia. Hence, this cultural belief leads to the hyperbole that Erniu expresses of his fear of what he could face if he betrayed Xiaobaos confidence. Coincidentally, capital punishments in China were ranked in terms of preference to the sufferer based on the state that it left the corpse in. This is why ancient Chinese history typically had a lot of forced suicides by poison or hanging for the political losers who were of noble, royal, or imperial status because it was a privilege that orded them a respectful death by leaving them a whole corpse. Beheading, which was the normal method of execution formoners sentenced to the death penalty, was thus one of the worse ways to die. An infamous example of one of the cruel and unusual punishments is the death by a thousand cuts, which was usually awarded to those who had done serious offenses above and beyond the crimes (or one who had run greatly afoul of someone in a high position of power). Not only was it a physical torture that made for a painful death but it was also a mental torture for the victim since it would leave their corpse in a mutted state, running the risk of dooming them to a horrible afterlife.
  2. Eximing fart or fang pi () in Chinese expression is simr to saying Shit! or Crap! in English. It is a bit rude and vulgar. Although not an obscenity that rates as high as fuck or damn, it is simr in impact to saying hell or damn.
  3. Wang Juan is referencing an expression that originates from an anecdotal parable of Da Kuang (), a chapter from Guanzi (), which was a philosophical text from the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history that was credited to Guan Zhong () from whose surname the title is derived. The original quote is zhi zi mo ruo fu (), which means a father knows his son best. Here, Wang Juan modified it so the father bes mother. For those interested to know, the parable that the adage is based on is about the Chancellor of the state of Yue, Fan Li (). His second son hadmitted a crime in the state of Chu that he was arrested and sentenced to death for. To save him, Fan Li wanted to send his youngest son with a bribe of 1,000 gold taels (an insanely high amount of money, even back then) and a letter to his friend, the Chancellor of Chu. Upon hearing that Fan Li had entrusted the youngest son with such a task, his eldest son was angry that Fan Li didnt choose him for the job instead since it was simple and only needed him to be a messenger. Yet, Fan Li stated that only the youngest son could save the second son and that sending the eldest son would doom the second son to death. However, Fan Li ultimately wasnt able to ovee his eldest sons protests and gave in, letting the eldest son go, though Fan Li stressed that the eldest son had to leave behind the gift (bribe). The eldest son initially followed along with the n leading to the Chancellor of Chu saving Fan Lis second son by getting the King of Chu to give a nket pardon to all death row criminals. However, after his younger brother was saved, Fan Lis eldest son then thought that the 1,000 gold taels had served its purpose and not wishing to be wasteful, returned for the gold. His taking back the gift (bribe) angered the Chancellor of Chu so much that he instigated the King of Chu into specifically ordering the execution of Fan Lis second son. Then, just as the execution ended, Fan Lis youngest son arrived with the coffin that had already been prepared. The reason for Fan Lis prescience was because he knew his sons too well since his eldest son had been born in poverty and was aware of the hardship behind their fortune while his youngest son was born in wealth and could thus give away 1,000 gold taels without batting an eye. So Fan Li knew that by sending his eldest son, the mission would end in failure and made provisions for it. Thus, Fan Li, as a father, knew his son best. By the way, this idiom is actually the first half of the actual quote. The second half is zhi chen mo ruo jun (), which essentially means a ruler or lord knows his vassals best.
  4. Tael or liang () was a traditional Chinese unit of mass that was also amon way of measuring silver and gold currency (note that copper or bronze as a currency was never measured in taels but in coinage, reflecting theparative value of silver and gold as precious metals in the ancient Chinese economy). Thus, this term frequentlyes up as a mary unit when discussing silver or gold denominations of currency in China. Simrly to the Western Imperial system of measurement with ounces and cups, the mass of a tael was 1/16 of a catty, which was ~40 grams. However, the actual mass differed depending on the region and time era, making the actual mass of such currency variable. Maind China reformed this unit into the market tael, which is 50 grams or 1/10 of a market catty.
  5. Catty or jin () was a traditional Chinese unit of mass whose measurements varied depending on the region or time era but was typically ~600 grams. It is often seen in marketces and shops that sell products by the price per weight. The market catty, which is a modern mass unit used in modern China, was derived by rounding the catty down to 500 grams.
  6. Xiaobaos retort is making a pun out of looking for change into looking for an illness, alluding to how crazy paying for something like 200 catty of soybeans with a silver tael would be since it is simr to buying a loaf of bread with a $100 bill. It would definitely raise eyebrows and draw notice.
Book 1: Chapter 9 Book 1: Chapter 9 Earn Some Pocket Change To Be Able To Raise Chickens Idlers Note: Whoo~! I hope Fathers Day was good for everyone! At least I am currently on track with keeping to my promise of at least 2 releases per week. I might die trying to keep to the schedule for the next month though ?
Erniu obeyed Zhang Xiaobao and left to pay back the money. Mrs. Zhang-Wang was rather surprised, staring at Erniu as she asked: How much did your family make this time? You didnt borrow it from somewhere else to pay it back to me, right? Mistress, how could I have anywhere to go to borrow so much money? It was all from what Little this little ones[1] family had earned. Erniu wanted to say Little Mister in unconscious reply but it was a good thing that he was normally clever and at the critical juncture, held onto his control and distractedly foisted it all onto his own family. Mrs. Zhang-Wang once again carefully nced over Erniu as she slowly nodded: Erniu, how much money did your family earn this time? In giving me 50 guan [strings], is there any remainder? There is. This time, a total of 120 taels of silver was earned so theres still 70 taels left, ~ne. Even if Erniu was smart, he still couldnt outmatch Mrs. Zhang-Wang. Completely ignorant of the deeper meaning behind Mistresss questions, he bbed the entirety of the truth. Oh? So profitable? Then, you repaid with silver. What you still have left in your hands are copper coins then? No, its also silver. I forgot Little this little ones parents instructions. It would be good if it were to be exchanged into copper coins. Now, its really not easy to spend. Erniu also didnt know why but upon seeing Mistress, he would get scared so whenever he spoke, he was clumsy. If thats so, then Ill give you copper coins in exchange. After all, youre also a peasant of my Zhang Manor. To be able to make a profit is goodyou have promise. Mrs. Zhang-Wangpletely took care of Ernius problem. Erniu didnt even think there were any problems at all and used a small cart to haul the 70 guan [strings] of copper cash back. Upon seeing Zhang Xiaobao, he happily said: Little Mister, theres no need to think of another method. Just now, Mistress actually exchanged the silver on my hands into copper coins. Its all good now. Didnt even realize that Mistress was this easy to talk to. Little Mister? Little Mister? You [honorific] dont stare nkly. Ive hauled the money back. Erniu kept speaking, only to discover Little Misters eyes were gazing outside, not moving one bit. A bit worried, he reached out a hand to wave in front of Zhang Xiaobaos face. Oh, fine. Erniu, is your Moms teeth still fine? Zhang Xiaobao suddenly asked. Not that good. My Dad said that it was all to me on when Mom was young. She lost quite a few teeth so she doesnt like eating tough things. Erniu had no way of following along with Zhang Xiaobaos pace so he just answered whatever he was asked. The teeth are bad so eating meat is troublesome? Come, Erniu, Ill teach you a method. Go back and make it for your Mom to eat. Prepare a copper basin thats thisrge. Or you can make an item ording to how I draw it for you using copper. Zhang Xiaobaopletely didnt consider the issue of money and directly started drawing on the ground a basin that was hollow in the middle with a tube that bulged out. Under the tube was a mesh that he exined as being made out of iron wiring. Make this item. Put charcoal in the center area and the charcoal debris can be taken out from the bottom. Put in seasoning that you think can be ced in there. Addrd. In addition, use a stove to cook some wheat flour in a pot. Cook it until its thickened. Exchange it with twice the amount of water. ce the water into the stuff from before. Wait until the water boils, then put in themb meat to cook. Take it out once the color changes and give it to your Mom to eat. She definitely will be able to chew itas tender as poached meat.[2] In a while, go back to find people to make it. Its best if you find different people to make different parts. Keep it secret. Absolutely dont reveal it. Make an additional oneunh, twosend it to my Mom as well as Juan-Juans Mom while telling them how to use it. Emphasize the secrecy, understand? Zhang Xiaobao pointed at the drawing on the ground as he spoke to Erniu. Understood, Little Mister. You [honorific] rest assured. Beat me dead and I wont talk. Little Mister, why are you [honorific] also buttering up my Mom? Erniu asked in a daze. What words are you saying? What is this buttering up your Mom that youre talking about?[3] This is to let you treat your Mom a bit better. Dont ask. Just go back to make the stuff for your Mom to eat ording to how I said so. Now, lets begin talking about the main business. Know anyone who makes ceramics? Zhang Xiaobao continued asking. While Erniu was pondering this, to the side, Wang Juan used lip speech to say to Zhang Xiaobao: Your Mom [modern] treats you so well. Knowing you cant easily use silver to spend with, she exchanged it all for copper coins. She even found an excuse that she thought was reasonable, not wanting to let you know. Being a Mom [modern] really isnt easy. Ill say something honestly so dont be unhappy. I now find it a bit fortunatehow fortunate that your parents are gone. Otherwise, you would definitely seek out your parents. If it really came to that point, what if your parents from that lifetime had beenid off or bullied? A rainstorm of blood[4] would definitely beunched right there. Just get scared thinking about it. You know that the state youre in is sick, right? Youre not sick? I pray that your Mom [modern] from that world will be smashed dead by a car tomorrow. Zhang Xiaobaos lips moved. Wang Juan was just like a man-eating wolf as she fiercely threw herself at Zhang Xiaobao, using her hand to choke his neck as she said lowly: You want to repeat yourself for me to hear? Ill bite you to death. See? And you call me sick. Youre not better than that, you know? Were the same type of people. From now on, dont cross my bottom line. Yes, knowing that it was my Mom giving me support with no reservations, I just now thought of Ernius Mom, wanting to use his hands to give my Mom and your family members a little benefit. I dont feel that I did wrongly. You can say that I have no internal defenses when ites this type of familial feeling but you shouldnt insult me. Zhang Xiaobao didnt struggle one bit. A little brat that was only as big as Wang Juan wanted to choke him to death? That was essentially impossible. So you speak of my Mom [modern]? Fine, Ill temporarily forgive you. Dont speak to me again of whatever words of do not do unto others what you do not want wish for yourself.[5] Continue making your hot pot.[6] Wang Juan actually just wanted to make Zhang Xiaobao not be so juvenile since once he was dealing with the people in his family, he was missing that kind of toughness only to suddenly discover that she herself was the same. Moodily climbing up, she stood to the side once again. Erniu was freaked out. He had wanted to pull [them apart] before yet didnt dare to. Seeing that the two little ancestors were finally apart, he repeatedly gasped for breath before he could restore his emotional equilibrium. Thinking of the question Little Mister just asked, he replied: I can find people who make ceramics. Little Mister, what do you [honorific] want to make? Make stuffmake different kinds of fine little jars. Dont want them to be too big. If they can only hold 4 taels of water, its fine. It should be so that 4 jars all together can hold 1 catty. The prettier, the better. How are the mountain chili sprouts that your family have gathered? Zhang Xiaobao regainedposure as he spoke to Erniu. Gathered quite a few. Little Mister, how much do you [honorific] actually want? This money is to be used to make ceramics jars? Erniu finally realized now that in front of a child that had barely even reached 1 year of age, he himself was pretty much a simpleton as he had no way of knowing what it was that Little Mister was actually thinking. If it werent for the over 100 silver taels earned at once this time, he would have supposed that he really was apanying children on ark. Continue gathering it. Its best to have other people help gather it. You can use money to buy itthe more, the better. Even if the surrounding mountains arepletely harvested, its fine. Do it this way1 wen [cash] for every 3 catties. Have the children who dont have anything to do go gather them. Over there, not waiting for Zhang Xiaobao to speak, Wang Juan already gave the order. She at least understood this small stuff. 1 wen [cash] per 3 catties? Erniu asked with eyes widened. Why, the money is too little? Wang Juan was a bit unsure. Too much. You can find a whole plot of that stuff up on the mountain. Just randomly letting a child go up the mountain can return 40-50 catties in a day. Even Erniu wanted to rush up the mountain to go gather them right now. Ah? That much? Then, itll be a bit more1 wen [cash] to buy 5 catties. I cant lower it any more but I can adjust the method of acquisition. Collect 300 catties at one time. This way, when the mountain chili sprouts have been gathered till their numbers have started getting lower and lower, there will still be people going to pick them. There wont be any money to earn if they cant gather enough of 300 catties. This kind of small matter Wang Juan herself could handle. It didnt even require Zhang Xiaobao, that big swindler. Up to now, Erniu was still unclear as to what Little Mister and the Wang Familys Little Miss were thinking inside but he still nodded in confirmation. After all, he was considered to be a clever type of person, too. He understood that he himself didnt have to know a lot of things but there was one thing that he absolutely had to be able to aplish and that was loyaltyto do whatever they had him do. Waiting until Erniu left in eptance of his orders, Wang Juan was a bit worried again and asked Zhang Xiaobao: Having Ernius single family work on such arge matter? Why not divide it and let Yingtao also work on it a bit? How big of a deal can it be? Howe I havent found this matter to be that important? Its nothing more than a bit of pocket change. Yingtao has some other things to do. I dont expect to rely on a single item to make a fortune. I want to endlessly produce little items and earn a bit with each one. Once you add them all together, itll naturally be a lot. Yingtao,e here. Theres something to discuss. Zhang Xiaobao had an appearance of not caring while he spoke, calling out to Yingtao who was still vigntly looking outside. Little Mister, you [honorific] were looking for me? Yingtao also knew about the money Erniu had made these past couple of days. 70 taels, ~ah! A tenth was 7 silver taels, which was enough to match a few years of the sry, if not fined, she would have received. Her family was also of the manor. Who didnt wish to make some money for their family? She deftly ran over here. Come, Ill draw something for you. You watch. Zhang Xiaobao took up that wooden stick to start drawing on the ground again. Little Mister, what thing is this? Yingtao asked as she looked at the drawing. This is called a kang [bed-stove].[7] Kang [bed-stove]? What is it used for? This things function is huge. Its most useful in the winter. It can also be used now. You wait for Erniu to return and get money from him. Buy chicken eggsbuy the kind that wasid by a hen that was bred to a rooster. Try your best not to rock those eggs. My familys courtyard also has chicken. You look to see which chicken is brooding. Get someone to hold the chicken down and then stretch a hand inside to feel that temperature. Wait until the kang [bed-stove] has been built. Then, you ce the collected chicken eggs on top of the kang [bed-stove]. Use something to cover it. Fire itwhen the temperature is around the same as when under the chickens body will be fine. Oh, also, the eggs you collect, you should try to collect those where one end is rounded and one end is pointed. Both ends that are rounded can be collected, too. Forget about the ones where both ends are pointed. Yingtao blinked her eyes once she understood. Little Mister wanted her to produce chicks without needing to brood by directly using this kang [bed-stove]. If this really could be figured out Madnesshow many people would go mad? Zhang Xiaobao could care less how many people would go crazy as he continued drawing and then said: Yingtao, look here. Make a small te. Get some mirrors and arrange them. ce a candle inside the area these mirrors are surrounding. Then, candle[8] it. Look at the chicken egg as you hold it in your palm. Candle it once every 5 or 6 days. Keep the ones that are dark in color. Take out the ones where the colors are reversed. Dont discard them. Give them to me. I still have a use for them. After 12 or 13 days, candle it once again. Look at the skeletal silhouette inside Forget it. Lets not speak of this. You wouldnt understand. Just keep therge majority of the same kind. Take out the ones that are different and dont dispose of them. Give them to me. I can still use them. Yingtao nodded, memorizing the words that Zhang Xiaobao spoke before she excitedly stood to leave. She was a bit dazed. This Little Mister was really too unlike ordinary people. With all the matters he spoke of, anyone would get muddled. You want to hatch chicks? Candle the eggs? Whats the meaning of the roundedness and pointedness? Wang Juan waited until Yingtao had left, slightly tilting her head as she looked at Zhang Xiaobao. A genuine egg candling expert can directly sort out the male and female. This, I cant do. Usually, the rounded ones are female and the pointed ones are male; the probability is in there. In this time period, chicken is actually inferior to the ox or sheep. Thus requiring the next step of my n, teaching others how to eat chicken and the different ways of eating it. Well raise chicken and even be able to earn a bundle. After adding up one bundle to another bundle, youll discover that its a tremendous figure. Zhang Xiaobao said while blinking his eyes. Somethings wrong. You, Zhang Xiaobao, could possibly only use this to earn a single bundle of money? Then, you wouldnt be Zhang Xiaobao. Talk. What other ns do you have? Your smile isnt the type of smile a normal person would have. What particr detail is there about the chicken eggs that get sorted out? Wang Juan didnt trust that this International Criminal Swindler didnt have a backup move. If that truly was so, then it could be a World Wonder. Zhang Xiaobao used that fat little hand to scratch at his sparse hair as he deliberately feigned a coy smile: You found me out again. The Heavens, ~ah! Great Earth, ~ah! Why ce a cop right by my side, ~ah? Actually, there isnt. Its that Im preparing to use that chicken to trade for oxen and horses. My family arendowners after all. Farming without oxen or horses wont do. Regarding those candled eggs and balut[9] eggs, Im going to use them to trick peopleno, to help people. First, Ill usemb stew and fish stew to cook them with, adding a lot of scallions. After theyre cooked, Ill grill them with the juices made out of those mountain chili sprouts along with some other things. Theres an effect where it increases blood cirction. People with cardiovascr diseases shouldnt eat it. When healthy men eat it, theyll discover that theyre just a bit impulsive. It involves the thing that you wanted to touch to expose me. If you dont understand, it can be sold for money and not only that, it can be sold for a lot of money. You understand? Hooligan. Wang Juan said.
  1. Erniu uses xiao de () as a way to humbly refer to himself in the third person. Again, referring to oneself in the third person ispletely normal in Chinese though it can appear awkward sounding in English.
  2. The original text uses bai zhu rou () or hundred-cooked meat, which is a little nonsensical if you consider Xiaobaos instructions, especially since there is only twice-cooked or double cooked pork in Chinese cuisine. It is likely a typo since it is a homophone for a Beijing dish that is called bai zhu rou () or white cooked meat, which is a dish that uses poaching in its preparation just like the Sichuan dish, shui zhu rou (), which means water-cooked meat. By the way, the white part is likely referring to the poaching if you consider that in boiled water is actually called bai kai shui () in Chineseliterally, white open water.
  3. The reason for Xiaobaos reaction to Ernius unwitting turn of phrase is because hao shang (), which I have tranted as butter up and literally means good up can have gossipy connotations since its generally used in the context of people getting together in rtionships, making Ernius word choice unfortunate.
  4. I tranted xing xue feng xue (), which reads as raw/fishy wind, blood rain, as literally as possible though Google Trante evidently thinks that it should be reign of terror (not going to lie, that would also be an urate description of Xiaobaos response in Juan-Juans hypothetical situation). This is an expression thats usually applied to tumultuous and conflict-filled situations like military coup dtats or pce conspiracies. I like double-checking my trantions against Google Trante for readability, which sometimes leads to hrity, and Chinese dictionaries for uracy, which adds to the length of my footnotes.
  5. Wang Juan is actually quoting the version of the Golden Rule from Confucius Analects, yi suo bu yu, wu shi yu ren (), which is sometimes referred to as the Silver Rule for its double negative.
  6. Hot pot or huo guo () is also called steamboat though it literally trantes to fire pot. It is a Chinese dish that uses a pot (usually metal) filled with constantly simmering stew in which ingredients are dunked into and cooked before being eaten with dipping sauces. It is typically eaten during the winter. For those more familiar with the Japanese variants, think of shabu-shabu or sukiyaki. Fondue using a spicy stew or vored soup is likely the closest equivalent you could get in Western cuisine.
  7. A kang () is a type of hypocaust or underfloor heating that takes the form of a brick tform that is heated by an attached stove or hearth. It can be used as a bed and is normally installed in houses located in the colder, wintry regions of China in the north. The ondol is the Korean variant of the same concept.
  8. Xiaobao uses the word zhao (), which means to illuminate, shine, or reflect here. But since he is describing the practice of candling, I chose to use the English verb here.
  9. Balut [warning: NSFW images] is actually the name of a street food sold in the Philippines that was likely adopted from the Chinese dish Xiaobao is referring to here called mao dang (), which literally means fur/hair egg. A balut is a boiled egg containing a stillborn bird embryo that is peeled and then eaten. Needless to say, it is an acquired taste for people (it has been the subject of some food challenges on some reality and variety shows). However, there is the belief that consuming it has medicinal properties that are simr to the aphrodisiac effect attributed to oysters or deer.
Book 1: Chapter 10 Book 1: Chapter 10 Striving For The Sake Of Honor Idlers Note: Lets hope I really dont vomit up blood trying to meet my personal trantion schedule ?
Erniu and Yingtao both had things to do. At the moment, there was no one to take care of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. So Mrs. Zhang-Wang sent over Shiliu, the one who had helped her hold up the umbre from before. It was afternoon. Under the great sun, in the middle of a courtyard with a ground manually nketed with sand, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were currently striving with great effort to walk on top of it. Children sweated very little but even so, though their two foreheads were glistening and the thin clothing on their bodies had been changed once already, the both of them still did not intend to return to sleep. Shiliu, water. Zhang Xiaobao stopped, raising his arm to wipe the sweat off his brow as he called out to Shiliu who was worriedly watching next to him. Shiliu had been watching them. She couldnt imagine why these two children were doing this walking back and forth on this floor of sand fornot speaking of normal children who were willing to do so themselves, even if adults forced them to, they would already be crying by now. Upon hearing the call, she hastily handed over the water that had been ced to the side. As she watched the two children chug the water down over there, Shiliu could not figure it out why they didnt drink perfectly good tea or sugar water but insisted on drinking some salty water. She had tasted this water before. It wasnt nice to drink at all. Drinking it felt a bit of brackishsalty but not salty, mild but not mild. Yet, Little Mister specified that he must have this type of water. Drinking salty water, wouldnt that make you thirstier the more you drank it? Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didnt know what Shiliu was thinking about as they half-filled their stomach with salty water before sighing in relief together and getting up again to walk towards the front. Endure it. Today, theres still 200 meters. Thats only 5 round trips. Grit your teeth and itll be over. This is a rare chance. As he was walking on top of the sand, Zhang Xiaobaos calves started to uncontrobly tremble. Today, the mission of the two of them was to walk 500 meters. For adults, 500 meters was like nothing. But for two children who had just reached 1 year of age, in the sand, it was an excessive load. I know. Children arent willing to train when theyre wrong but when they wish to train after growing up, its toote. Our sort with childish bodies and adult determination is the best opportunity for training. I trust that with practice like this, you would have no problem jumping down from 20 meters in time. But I reckon that there will be no way to read at night. Probably wont have a bit of energy left at all. Wang Juan was suffering equally, falling as she spoke before slowly climbing back up herself. Still have to though. Making a contract or whateverter on, if we dont recognize the characters and understand the ssical quotes,[1] we could eat a great loss.[2] Therge majority of characters, I can still recognize and can even write a portion. After all, I did spend a period of time on the ind.[3][4] But literary quotes, I cant do. I thought about tricking people all day, how would I have time to think of all that? Zhang Xiaobao grinned, watching Wang Juan climb back up without showing any intention of helping her up. Wang Juan finally climbed back up, pulling on Zhang Xiaobaos hand once again as they moved forward together. Arge area of her small face was tannedpletely red but she was also not willing to give up and said: Unh, learn it. Even if I have to lie there, I still want to learn it, too. I was a genius back then. Ma,[5] ~ah! Its more tiring than when I was at the Special Ops Unit. There isnt even anyone to give us massages or scientific instructions.[6] Quickly, get to the front. There are still 4 and a halfps. Lets be tired for 2 days and then, itll be betterter on. Quit dreaming. Once weve adjusted to this intensity, then well have to draw up a new training program. Endure it. If one wishes to show off in front of people, then one must suffer in back of people.[7] Who made us be unlike others, ~ne? Zhang Xiaobao also staggered on his feet and as his hand loosened, fell down. He opened his mouth to spit out sand before pulling on Wang Juans hand to get up. The both of them were holding hands but not responsible for when the other fellit was only for being able to better control their bnce. If a fall was due to physical ability, then they didnt heed the other. The strong didnt need the pity of others. In a room from which the situation here could be seen, a man and woman stood by the window. The two people held back tears as they watched the babies fall and climb back up, fall and climb back up again over there. Qiao-er, is this still my son? From hearing you talk, the matter of that Ernius family should have been caused by Xiaobao. Hes still that little. He cant be a monster,[8] right? The man asked doubtfully. What monster? Thats my son. When theyre that small, other peoples children naturally arent able to but my son is. Even if hes more powerful than other children and you see scary areas, you still have to think: This is a divine sage,[9] not a monster. Whose familys children canpare to Xiaobao? Before, while carrying him, I knew that in the future, my son would definitely be different from the majority. You saw how well I could eat back thenI could eat more than most men could in a single meal. Mrs. Zhang-Wang retorted, the words she spokepletely without reason. Anything about her own son, it was all good. A stumble was better looking than when other children stumbled. To be able to swallow a mouthful of sand and still not cry, which familys child could do that? The man was Zhang Xiaobaos bookworm father. He had been hearing about too many strange matterstely that were all involving his own son so he found some time toe over with his wife to watch. But he didnt think that he would actually see this kind of scene. Dont speak of a small childeven an adult would have already hidden away from being baked by such a fiery sun. But the reality told him that these two babies will were so resolute, it caused people fright. He wanted to rush over several times to pick up his son and thoroughly question his son on just what he wanted to do. But he was held back by his wife once again. ording to his wifes words, isnt it fine for the children to y? Other people wanted their child to move more and the child wouldnt move. How obedient, how good looking was their own child as those calves stepped up and down? Whats to fear with a stumble? With the sand, there wasnt a bit of trouble. This sand had been sifted and re-sifted by people. It was all fine and wouldnt injure anyone. Father Zhang[10] thought of what his wife had said on the matter of the money that Ernius family had made. Watching the two stubborn children in front of him, he somehow felt that it wasnt right. Hearing Qiao-er speak like this once again, he sighed as he said: Youre not scared that these two children were possessed by something? Whose children can be like this? Yingtao was also sent out to collect new chicken eggsheard that the collection even had specifications in the choosing. Dont even know what they want to do. If it isnt fine, lets find a master[11] to checkcant let harme to our own child. What monster? Can a monster call me Mom, call you Dad? Is your monsters heart that good? This is just talent. You didnt discover it before? Wasnt that belly of mine not the same as others? Mrs. Zhang-Wang had managed the household for too long so her speech to her husband wasnt respectful like others were. She would say what was what. But it was all one meaning. Zhang Xiaobao was her own biological son. The son did things well and that was because the mother had given birth well. What area is there thats not the same? I see it as all the same. Which family could essentially eat that much? Father Zhang felt that he himself had no way tomunicate with his wife. If there was just one mention of his son here, then it was that everything was all good. Husband, speak to this consort.[12] Which familys pregnant-bellied wife did you [honorific] see was good? If theyre a poor, unfortunate familys, lets spend money to bring them here and let Husband see enough. Mrs. Zhang-Wang asked, holding onto her temper. Father Zhang really was scared when his wife was like this. Other people all had several women. But he himself sure was swellthis Wang Qiao-er and the Mistress from the Wang Manor over there had teamed up to protest as one. It was just as well that he himself was wholeheartedly seeking an honorary title[13] so it was nothing. Now that he also had a son, then this single one would just be the one. If other women really entered the family, then he didnt even know what huge issues woulde out. Yet, the Wang Manors brother had a daughter. If this next one was still a daughter, then could it be that he still couldnt take on another room[14] in there? Turning his head to look at that frost-filled face of Wang Qiao-ers, he didnt say anything, only sighed heavily. Now, this was serious. His single sigh had been heard by Mrs. Zhang-Wang whose eyes immediately reddened and she began to sniffle, sobbing while she said: When I was wed to you back then, what did you say? You said you would be good to only me. Now, ~ne? The sight of another persons wifes belly, youve already seen it, too. Furthermore, you insist on saying the son I birthed is a monster. What sin did I do in my previous life, ~you?[15] How did I open myself up to this sort of thing? Im going to find Mom [inw]. Divorce[16] me! Ill bring my own monster son along with me. No, I didnt, I said nothing. I was just ying around, ~ne. Qiao-er, dont, dont cry. Your husband was wrong. Its son, our son, our divine sage son. Missus[17] spoke correctly, our son is stronger than other peopleslet them all be envious. Missus, dont be mad. You [honorific] look at our son. How good. Even the sound he makes choking on water is better than other peoples children. Shiliu, if you dont even keep watch and allow Xiaobao to choke, Ill pluck your skin! Father Zhang had no resort, either. His Missus here said divorce yet it wasnt to let him divorce her but to go find some Mom [inw]? That clearly was telling on him.[18] He was already so old, if he was taught a lesson by Dad and Mom once again, then it wasnt worth it, ~ah. He was watching Xiaobao drinking water there at the time and wanted to praise two sentences to better distract from the matter that his Missus was fixated on but he didnt think that what he saw would be Xiaobao choking on water over there. Only once he finished praising did he react and all the heat he had just taken from his Missus, he took it all out on Shiliu. Dont mention it but this one move was actually really useful. Upon hearing her man speak of the children, Mrs. Zhang-Wangs eyes instantly looked over. The tears were gone too. The sobbing sounds stopped as well. It wasnt until seeing that her son was fine that her heart was set at ease. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan heard the noise and simultaneously turned their heads, only to discover that there were people watching. It wasnt that the both of them had no vignce. If it were before the practice, they would have already heard this little bit of disturbance. But right now, they were one after another tired till they wanted to die as their bodily functions had dropped incredibly low. To keep on standing and walking upright had already cost them all of their mental energy, how could they discover anything else? From now on, want to preserve a portion of stamina while training? Working like this really was too dangerous. We actually didnt discover people were monitoring us. Wang Juan dumped the water on top of her head to lower the heat as she worriedly asked. Theres no need. This isnt monitoring. This is loving concern. My Dad and Mom watching us still needs to be guarded against? In my own homes courtyard, who do I have to guard against? Not to mention, there wouldnt even be a bit of danger. Even if there suddenly were several people holding knives rushing over to kill us, would you have a way to avoid it? Train quickly. There are still 3 and halfps. Zhang Xiaobao even took the leisure of waving a small hand toward his parents over there before turning around to move towards the front. All right. Even if I have to crawl, Ill finish crawling this distance. Wang Juan squinted her eyes slightly, rxing all of the muscles everywhere save for her legs, swaying as she followed. Father Zhang and Mrs. Zhang-Wang saw their son was even waving his hand at them. That dirty little face made people want tough and yet have no way ofughing out loud. Staring at that sandy ground of several zhang [yard][19] lengths, the two people both knew that this was the children challenging the extreme limits of their bodies. Missus, you spoke rightly. Which familys children could beparable to Xiaobao and Juan-Juan? Theyre this small and can treat themselves with such ruthlessness. Once they get bigger, theyll definitely be even more powerful. Father Zhang said feelingly.
  1. Dian gu () usually trantes to literary quotation or ssical allusions. The individual meaning of the characters in this term is text/code () and reason (). The reason why this is an issue thates up is historically speaking, written Chinese was deliberately condensed andpressed inparison to the spoken vernacr. This was due to the cumbersome weight of the bamboo or bone strips that were used for literary records before paper was invented (Yes, the Chinese had already experienced the agony of trying to write everything they wanted to write in as few characters as possible in prehistoric times way before Twitter ever came along). The need to pack as much information as possible on as few strips and characters as possible led to the habit of quoting extensively from existent text sources which likely led to a lot of the 4 or 8 character long idioms or couplets that summarize parables. The difficulty in publication and reverence of schrship meant ancestral poets and authors that left behind a literary legacy were respected and constantly referenced in ancient China. This is simr to the role yed by Shakespeare who is one of the, if not the absolute, most influential contributors to the written Englishnguage. Native English speakers might be able to identify A rose by any other name would smell as sweet for the meaning ascribed to it from its use in the scene from Romeo and Juliet but non-native speakers would likely not be aware of the allusion without research. So imagine written Chinese as having multiple Shakespeare-like poets and authors contributing their works as a pool of literary references that were then constantly quoted. This is not as much of an issue in modern times due to a loosening of linguistic traditions and increase in literacy rates that allowed people to write as inly as they spoke instead of pursuing brevity, poetess, and word y in all of their writing simrly to how English speakers no longer need to consider iambic pentameter or rhyming in their normal writing. Hence, this leads to Xiaobaos current problem as the literary reference pool for modern-day Chinese writing would be apletely different animal than the one used for ancient Chinese writing. No memes, for one thing.
  2. Xiaobao says chi da kui (). I tranted chi kui () literally as eat (a) loss, which I thought was close enough to simr English expressions about financial loss that I tranted as is. Its worthy to note that eating a loss has potential for wordy in the pun-happy environment of the Chinesenguage.
  3. Xiaobao is obliquely referring to Taiwan, which is an ind off the coast of China whose modern history started as the location of the fleeing members of the deposed Republic of China (ROC) after the Communists took over the maind as the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). Taiwan has historically beente to the party in terms of being assimted into the current Chinese government. Quick summary: Taiwan was initially inhabited by aborigines that had contact with the Dutch and Spanish before the pro-Ming Chinese began to colonize it in order to resist the Manchu rule of the Qing dynasty before it was finally annexed by the Manchu Qing. It was then ceded to Japan in the wake of the Sino-Japanese War before being regained by the ROC that then used it as its new seat of power in resistance of the Communists. Ever since then, the question of Taiwans legitimacy, independence, and sovereignty have been up in the air, especially since China has gained international acknowledgment and grown into a world power, gaining the upper hand in terms of diplomatic recognition of sovereignty. Political tension between their two governments will periodically re up whenever the issue of Taiwans sovereignty or independencees up due to debate over the One China Policy, which is not helped by the fact that there is only a narrow stretch of sea called the Taiwan Strait separating them. Naturally, diplomacy between China and Taiwan can be referred to as cross-strait rtions or in Chinese, haixia liang an guanxi (), which literally trantes to rtionship of the two sides of the sea channel.
  4. The reason why Xiaobao mentions that he only recognizes some characters is because of the Chinese governments revision of the Chinese characters into a Simplified character set in order to, so they im, try to increase the literacy rate of its popce. Since territories like Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Mysia were not affected and continued using the unmodified Traditional Chinese character set, this led to a forking of the written Chinesenguage. There has been a lot of debate over this move ever since. It is worthy to note that even how Traditional characters are referred to in Chinese is heavily politicized as maind China (PRC) refers to them as fan ti () orplex form while Taiwan (ROC) calls them zheng ti () or proper form characters. Since this change was done during the 20th century, Xiaobao was educated in Simplified Chinese and would not be as familiar with the Traditional characters that Tang China used and would only know the characters that were not modified. By the way, the Chinese characters used in these footnotes are from the Traditional character set, which are easier to convert to the Simplified version than vice versa due to how the character substitution can work for the Simplified characters with one Simplified character recing multiple Traditional characters that could have wildly different meanings from one another but the reverse process of which cant be perfectly automated byputer due to theck of predictable contextual cues (ex: hair, which is tou fa/ in Traditional would be written as in Simplified but could also be alternatively construed to mean initial send depending on the context since head/ can be interpreted as first while fa/ is an existing character that is used to mean to send, transmit, or release).
  5. Wang Juan is using ma () as an exmation here, likely as a shorthand that references the curse, your mom, simrly to how someone can just exim, Fuck! or Damn! Because of how she is saying it here, I am tranting it as onomatopoeia.
  6. Im assuming that Wang Juan is referring to information that a specialist could give such as in sports medicine where they could monitor the athlete''s condition and provide advice based on the data from the medical readouts.
  7. Xiaobao says ren qian xian gui, jiu yao ren hou shou zhui (), which paraphrases a quote that was poprized by the Chinese novel, Farewell, My Concubine (Bawang Bie Ji/) by Lilian Lee (Li Bihua/). The meaning is that suffering and great effort must be gone through behind the scenes in order to show off the results on stage in a glorious disy.
  8. Yao guai () is used here, which can refer to the devils and demon spirits of Chinese folklore and myth. But it can also simply mean monster as in freak. The connotation in Chinese is simr to how it is in English where it could be hyperbole in an insulting or praising way depending on interpretation like how beast is used in English (i.e. hes a beast at basketball versus hes a beast of a man).
  9. Shen xian () is a legendary figure rather unique to Eastern lore born out of the idea that one can ascend to a higher level of being and be superhuman or immortal through enlightenment, etc. Daoism is closely rted to how the xian (or sage as I have tranted it though others have tranted it as celestial, fairy, or immortal) would manifest though there are different avenues other than Daoism through which they can pursue enlightenment, immortality, ascension, etc. The xian xia () and xiu zhen () genres of Chinese fiction are different takes on this type of figure. The closest Western equivalent is likely the wizards of fantasy or the various demigod heroes of various European myths. The reason why its significant that Mrs. Zhang-Wang insists Xiaobao and Juan-Juan are divine sages instead of monsters is because Chinese folklore believed entering the reincarnation cycles was one of the ways such sages tried to gain enlightenment in order to power up. Some powerful sages could be reborn still bearing memories from their previous life, making them act wise beyond their years, which could easily be mistaken for possession by a monster such as a devil, demon, ghost, or spirit that was just as long-lived or knowledgeable in the arcane.
  10. Father Zhang is how I trante Zhang Fu (), which is just the authors shorthand for Zhang Xiaobaos father.
  11. The master that is being used here, shifu (), is a form of address that can refer to Buddhist monks or Daoist priests who would be the Chinese go-to figures for exorcisms just like how Catholic priest are stereotypically called upon in horror movies with demonic possession. The speaker who uses this term would be conveying respect for the persons expertise or mastery so it can also be applied to someone who is a master in their field like an artisan. This term alsoes up in martial arts as well as wuxia and xianxia fiction but is written as for the additional connotation of father to emphasize the type of paretnal role they y in the master-disciple rtionships of these situations. Obviously, this form of the term would be one only disciples or apprentices would use.
  12. Its difficult to trante qie shen () well as its one of those ancient Chinese illeisms that a wife or concubine could use when using humble speech with her lord and husband. Even though it literally means concubine body, that is meant to be a metaphor for her servility when a wife says it in order to show her verbal submission even though she isnt technically a concubine. To make it even more confusing, a concubine could use this illeism as well though they could also use nujia/ or ve family to show even more respect in their humble speech. To try to replicate the same effect but not add too much to reader confusion that could be caused by seeing Mrs. Zhang-Wang seem to incorrectly refer to herself as a concubine, Ive tranted it as this consort.
  13. Ive tranted gong ming () as honorary title to try to encapste what it meant in ancient China. This is the general term colloquially used for the various degrees conferred upon those that passed the different tiers of the civil exams. The titles granted privileges but not necessarily positions in the Imperial government as it was up to the individual holders what they did with the diplomas received. Some whose personalities were unsuited for the political arena simply took the tests to be qualified as teachers or for the tax break and increase in social status while others who sought a governmental position might not have the connections or money to get a good cing if their results werent high enough or whatever so used these schrly titles as a foundation for their n and to get a foothold into a higher social circle. However, the corrting rtionship between an official and the title gained from passing the civil exams was high so for therge majority of people, it was the only route to sess and prestige.
  14. The room he is referring to here is an oblique reference to terms that were synonymous for wives and concubines. Ancient Chinese polygamy or polygyny allowed only 1 wife but had the option of multiple concubines. Depending on the era and family, the requirements for taking on a concubine could be stringent or veryx. Usually, the wifes permission had to be asked for and granted though, even if nominally. However, as a sign of her supreme status, the wife was usually ced in the main residential wing or rooms of the house while the concubines were generally in the side wings, which were symbolically less prestigious. So wives were also called main houses or main rooms while concubines were called side houses or side rooms, which is simr to how the other man or woman that a partner was cheating with could be colloquially referred to as a side piece in English. Also of note is that the main and side room arrangement is an important consideration for hosts and guests as well as masters and servants so cing servants in the main room of a house would be a severe break in protocol and show that the household was messy and uncultured for not holding to etiquette while a host giving up their ce in the main rooms to a very highly honored guest could be a way to show respect.
  15. ~You ()pronounced more like yo like in yo-yo rather than you as in the second person pronounis another one of those exmatory sentence particles that can add emphasis to certain portions of speech. It can give the speech a drawling effect as well.
  16. Technically, the verb used here is xiu (), which means to rest. The divorce Mrs. Zhang-Wang is speaking of here is not the modern concept of divorce, which Chinese trantes as li hun () or literally, leave marriage. Divorce in ancient China was one-sided and tilted heavily in the mans favor as it was legally valid only if the husband wrote a divorce letter stating that the wife had been repudiated or cast off. The only constraint on the husband in terms of the divorce requirements was that the reason for the divorce had to fall under one of the 7 wrongs (qi chu/), which were if the wife was unfilial, had no son (although this usually required barrenness for 3 years), was vulgar/lewd/adulterous, was jealous, was diseased, gossiped too much, or stole. Only 3 exceptions called san bu qu () or 3 no go existed that prevented a wife from being unterally divorced and that was if she had no ce to return to, had mourned a parent-inw for the full 3 years, or had wed the husband in poverty but he was now wealthy. Also, note that concubines didnt even need a divorce to be legally cast off. If the concubine had a rank (i.e. they were gifted by elders or belonged to families that were of simr rank or higher to the mans household or were officially registered), they might receive a letter stating that they had no more ties with the mans family but it was not necessarily a requirement and not treated with the same formality as when a wife was divorced. Concubines in general could be sold or given away like property. This was because of the thinking that they were really ban ge zhuren () or half a master as they were not considered to be fully legitimate masters since the wife could order around the concubines likemon servants due to the household hierarchy though they were still waited upon by servants with some heavily favored concubines getting treated like or better than wives if the man was foolish or heretical enough to do so. It also did not help matters that the men of a household could technically elevate an existing maid servant into a bed warming maid as a precursor to making them a full concubine. The concubines straddled a gray area in terms of legal protection, which was a quality that was passed on to their offspring who only gained some marginal protection for being of the household bloodline. Divorce (and marriage)w that was more in line with modern sensibilities was only established in China in the 20th century.
  17. He uses fu ren () here, which is the same term that I had previously tranted as Mistress that the servants use to address her. But since he is using it for the other meaning of the word, wife, I have chosen to trante it as Missus as it is an English word whose etymological origins are rted to the word Mistress. His speech is akin to a husband addressing his wife as Madam even in private such as in 19th century British literature like Pride and Prejudice, Oliver Twist, or Jane Eyre, etc.
  18. Gao zhuang () literally means to speak form. This makes more sense once you realize that an official letter ofint or petition that was presented to a court magistrate to open up a case orwsuit is called a zhuang zhi () or form paper. When used in more casual settings, this expression could be tranted as to snitch, tell on,in, etc.
  19. Zhang () is a traditional Chinese unit of measure for length that was set as 10 chi (), measuring out to be around ~3.5 meters and ~3.6 yards. It waster standardized to be ~3.5 yards. I will be noting [yard] next to it as a reminder to readers as to the role it ys in rtion to the other Chinese measurement units for length but it is not actually equal to a yard.
Book 1: Chapter 11 Book 1: Chapter 11 Daytime Fatigue Requires Massaging Idlers Note: As always, if you have any feedback or suggestions, please feel free toment below. If you catch an error, let me know too~!
When Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan used four limbs to finish crawling 40 meters on the sand floor, they were all lying there exhausted, not moving one bit. Shiliu had been standing to the side apanying them. She had really been horrified now. What children were these? When crawling thest 2 zhang [yards] left of the way, she clearly saw how the two childrens short little arms and legs didnt stop trembling. Shed had a simr experience so she understood well what that feeling was like. In fact, shed previously had only trembling in her arms but her legs had been fine. She had just started out at the manor and being unfamiliar with how to do things, she had been punished. At that time, she had been endlessly cursing in her heart yet she didnt dare not workif she didnt, then her familys living would be broken off. If someone had let her rest back then, she would have been grateful to that person for a lifetime. But right now, just what were Little Mister and Little Miss Juan-Juan doing this for? Could it be just for y? Whose children would y so desperately when they were this big? If there were really people who had children y like this, then the children would already have cried looking for Mom. As she thought of this, a little esteem rose up from within Shilius heart. She told herself that perhaps rich peoples children were all this formidable. As she looked at the sand all over the childrens bodies and those little faces and hands that were tannedpletely red, Shiliu had people prepare the bathwater on the one hand while on the other, she walked near, wanting to pick up the two children. No need. The two of us after resting a while can walk by ourselves. Have people make the bathwater a bit hotter. Warm the vintage wine as well. Warming arge kettle will do. Go, theres no need to keep minding us. Zhang Xiaobao used all of his energy to shake his head while instructing Shiliu. Shiliu hesitated for a bit before acting ording to what Little Mister had said. She didnt leave though and stood there to the side as things had been arranged for. Really fucking [modern][1]fortable. Aiya,[2] how long has it been to be this tired? So nostalgic of the original days. Zhang Xiaobao basked in the sun as he faced downward and stuck his head into the cove it made in the wet sand as he spoke in a muffled voice. Isnt that so? Today is still of no matter but tomorrows practice, well really suffer, ~ne. In a while, just having milk, even if our bellies are stuffed to the max, well still be hungry at night. Xiaobao, what to eat tonight? Wang Juan also mimicked Zhang Xiaobao in using her head to burrow into the sand. Who knows, ~ne? Right now, I dont want to consider this issue. Just want to lie down and sleep. Zhang Xiaobao also vigorously stuck his small hands into the sand. It was cool there. Wang Juan imitated his actions: That wont do. You need to decide. That little bit of milk will affect our training tomorrow. If you can endure the greasiness, then lets drink mutton soup. Have them cook the mutton till its mushy. Lessen the salt and other seasonings addedwant to eat something light. Itll be cucumber and chicken egg soup then. Only a bit of cucumber and mix the chicken eggs loosely before adding some chopped scallions. Its better than a hungry stomach. Zhang Xiaobao wanted to eat something light right now. Mutton soup, then. Ill bear with the queasiness. After all, this stuff can quickly replenish energy. Gruel[3] is too watery and too slow to heat. Our rice here isnt that great. Wang Juan chose the item she most didnt want to eat. Zhang Xiaobao exerted himself before he could finally stand up. Pulling Wang Juan up, the two of them walked towards the shade together, that tottering pace causing Shiliu to the side anxiety as she watched. After soaking in a hot water bath for less than an hour,[4] Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan used the warmed vintage wine to massage each other. Whoevers turn it was to be massaged, they would bite down on clothing at the side and endure that feeling of aching soreness. Everyone had been driven out. The two of them didnt wish to let others see their disy of difort. Xiaobao, this alcohol percentage is too low. Lets distill it a bit. The body absorption is slow; its all vaporized. Wang Juan whined as she spoke. I dont like this stuffit has no use. If you want to make drunken shrimp,[5] Shaoxing yellow wine[6] is the best. It can be used to disinfect when treating external injuries. Wang Juan kept urging. She didnt know the steps for distition but she believed that Zhang Xiaobao would have no problems. No, I dislike ethanol. It easily causes pus under the scabbing. When I was injured in the past, Id directly use yellow iodine solution.[7] You can get injured as well, even as such a formidable person? Wang Juan here was just looking for a topic to talk about; she had been rubbed by Zhang Xiaobao till she had nearly cried out loud. How could I not get injured? When practicing, Id constantly be injured. But it was okay, there was the money stolen from the officials to sustain me. Once, I jumped down from a height of 13 meters. Both of my legs were broken. pped down 200K at the hospital and they waited on me like I was an ancestor. When my legs were good, I continued jumping until I found that kind of feeling. Zhang Xiaobao finished massaging Wang Juansst leg and directlyy leaning down. Wang Juan gritted her teeth as she climbed back up and began giving Zhang Xiaobao a massage: A great beauty like me giving you a massage, you happy? Youfortable? What feeling? Right now, anyone that touches me, I am all one single feeling. How is yellow iodine solution produced? I tricked people in the past before without involving this stuff. If Id known it would be like this, Id have learned about it. Its only a matter of a few sentences. Just a mention to remember and I could memorize it. Zhang Xiaobao bared his teeth, sharply inhaling on the one hand and grunting as he spoke on the other. The matter you let Ernius family do and theres also the one with Yingtao, have you decided on what to do in the end? If theres a leak, ~ne? Both of Wang Juans hands pushed down on Zhang Xiaobaos back, nearly all of her body weight pressing on top. Zhang Xiaobao had wanted to speak then but he suddenly grunted. It wasnt until Wang Juan shifted position that he exhaled as he said: No fear. The ideas to make a bit of pocket change are plentiful. Wait till others have learned how to, then well do other things. This kind of thing is the same as tricking peopleflexibility and adaptability is necessary. Clinging onto one kind of thing in this time period, maintaining confidentiality isnt easily done, ~ah. Fine, youre almighty. That hot pot, ~ne? Youre not prepared to use it to make money? Only idiots will use hot pot to sell for money. That ythingjust a nce, and others will know how. Keeping it secret isnt even possible. Once my and your family members have all eaten well, well publicize it in a free promotion. Let all who wish to dine this way know the method of making this hot pot. Then, well sell the ingredients. Actually, the most typical one is to add starchthat way the meat wont toughen up so easily. I dont know how to make it so let him cook rice or wheat. The starch content in that stuff is high. At that time, well have another ie stream. Zhang Xiaobaos eyes slowly closed. This type of feeling when being massaged was really toofortablesoreness that was just right, aching till it was relieving. As the two of them massaged each other inside the small room, outside, Mrs. Zhang-Wang was eating with great effort as well. When Shiliu arranged for people to make a thick mutton soup, Mrs. Zhang-Wang had people make pork elbows for her to eat at the same timethe type that was unsalted and taking two bites would lead to a moment of nausea. The little maid servant that specifically attended on her, Xiaoqiu,[8] looked at that basin full of oily and greasy pork elbows and without needing to eat it, just a look made her want to puke. While she watched Mistress vigorously eat over there, she urged: Mistress, this stuff really is too greasy. How about adding a bit of salt? To get it down like this wont do, ~ah. Add what salt? Adding salt can still induce milk?[9] My son and my daughter-inw are badly tired today. If I dont eat more, how can I feed them well? Other peoples children will energetically cry with just a bit. How understanding are my familys two children? If by chance, they get hungry, they wont cry like other children. Theyd just bear with it. The more theyre like this, the more that the mother I am will feel sorry. Tonight when you sleep next door, listen carefully. If theres any movement, just call for me to get up for a breastfeeding. Mrs. Zhang-Wang spoke a few words before beginning to eat again. Thinking of the childrens sweet smiles when they fell asleep after a feeding, she felt that these pork elbows werent that greasy after all. Mistress, how about finding two wet-nurses?[10] You [honorific], a single person feeding two children, its too tiring. Xiaoqiu advised next to her. Dont look. My familys children I can feed myself. I still have elbows here to eat, ~ne. How many people who had children and wanted to eat a bit of meat but couldnt, didnt they bear with it, too? As Mrs. Zhang-Wang spoke, she scooped up a piece of fatty meat that was 1 cun [inch][11] thick. Opening her mouth to shove it inside, her face broke out into a smile as if she had just fought a victorious battle.
When night came, it was just as Mrs. Zhang-Wang had thought; Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan woke up after sleeping for 2 hours. When muscles were rbining, the heat consumption was really great. The prepared mutton soup was all eaten by Mrs. Zhang-Wang while the two of them still had milk. On the second day, when Mrs. Zhang-Wang left to do other things, Zhang Xiaobao summoned Shiliu to ask: Yesterday before dinner, what did my Mom eat? In reply to Little Mister, it was elbows. Shiliu replied. Thats fine. You may go. Xiaobao, elbows can induce milk but isnt the effect not that fast? Wang Juan waited till Shiliu reached the exterior room before asking. The milk we had yesterday had nothing to do with the elbows. This is a type of self-hypnotic subconscious suggestion. My Mom believed that eating elbows could induce even more milk so she concentrated on having more milk herself. The result was that she really had some milk. Its just like sleepwalkers that climb up high-rises. Under those types of conditions, he believed he could climb up and as long as his bodily functions could theoretically fulfill this demand, he could climb up there. Zhang Xiaobao exined. Oh, then we still walking in the sand today? Wang Juan nodded to show she understood, not saying too much. They were all adults; there was no need to mention words of gratitude. Walking in the sand is fine. You should have discovered that we actually arent a bit ufortable. This is the advantage of a childs body; the recuperation speed is extremely fast. Today, lets walk around outside. Well walk separately. I want to get familiar with the affairs of the manor. You have Shiliu lead you. Ill get Yingtao. Zhang Xiaobao made the decision. After finishing their milk, they were carried out by people. What Zhang Xiaobao wanted to see was what was actually being nted inside the manor and whether the yield could be increased while Wang Juan was assigned with the mission of understanding the hearts and minds of the peasants so they operated separately. Yingtao went and bought chicken eggs yesterday. Today, she didnt need to go herself and there were people who had already brought the chicken eggs over here. It was all ording to her request of newlyid eggs with at least one end rounded as well as not being excessively rocked. Zhang Xiaobao was a little worried about thisst bit. As if aware of Little Misters concern, Yingtao directly said to Zhang Xiaobao: Rest assured, Little Mister. Not a single one of these people dare to trick us. I will mark the eggs they bring over. Whichever familys eggs spoil and die the most, Ill go seek them out then. That is good. Im not worried. When the chickse out, what stuff has been prepared to feed them? Zhang Xiaobao considered it. The people here were not the same as his own time period, they were not that bad. Feed what? Taking them out to feed will be fine. They can find stuff to eat themselves. They can even eat grains of sand. Yingtao replied casually. That wont do. My familys chickens definitely must be sturdier than other peoples chickens.
  1. The Chinese version of fuck is actually an abbreviation of what would trante to motherfucking, which they usually just shorten to your mom or any other variation as a curse. I note that this is the modern version because in ancient China, saying fuck or your mom would actually be ni niang () since using ma/ to address ones mother was notmon then. Wang Juan is actually saying his mom or ta ma (), which is slightly softened in tone as a generic curse since its not aimed at anyone in particr.
  2. Aiya () is anothermon Chinese sound of exhtion that is a variation on aiyou ().
  3. Ive tranted xi zhou () as gruel though it literally trantes to thin porridge/congee. Congee is the name used in English for the Chinese version of porridge, which is made out of rice.
  4. The text says less than half of a shichen (), which is the unit of time the Chinese divided their days into and equates to 2 hours. I converted into modern-day time rather than go for a literal trantion.
  5. Drunken shrimp (zui xia/) is a Chinese dish where freshwater shrimp are soaked in alcohol and usually eaten alive though the recipes can vary depending on the region.
  6. Shaoxing wine () is a famous example of a traditional Chinese wine (huang jiu/ or yellow wine), which is fermented from rice. It can be directly imbibed as a beverage or used as a cooking wine in Chinese cuisine.
  7. The Chinese term Xiaobao uses, huang dian shui (), literally trantes to yellow iodine water and is referring to the organicpound solutions of iodine that are used as disinfectants (iodine being poisonous to humans inrger quantities). They stain the skin yellow, hence their name in Chinese. The forms of iodine-based disinfectants depend on what agent theyre solubilized in such as tincture of iodine, Lugols iodine, and Povidone iodine (an iodophor).
  8. Xiaoqiu () means little autumn.
  9. The philosophy of Chinese medicine greatly believes that nutrition is part of health and thus food can influence or cause many physical effects. In this case, the belief that certain foods encouragedctation. Scientifically, the substances that promotectation are called gctagogues. Conversely, the Chinese also believed that substances such as salty foods could interfere with and impedectation, thus Mrs. Zhang-Wangs refusal of Xiaoqius suggestion here.
  10. In Chinese, nai niang () literally means breast mother. They are frequently a character archetype that will appear in stories set in ancient China and stereotypically have a great deal of influence on the child that they breastfed since the household will generally employ them as a nanny and caretaker of the child once the child is weaned. Common trantions of this term are nurse or nanny as well. Wet nursing was a historical practice that employed actating mother to breastfeed a baby in cases where the biological mother was unable or unwilling to breastfeed. With the invention of baby form, this practice is no longer as prevalent. However, wet nurses still show up in developing countries as well as in areas like China, Indonesia, and the Philippines where their hiring is a disy of social status and wealth on the part of the employers.
  11. Cun () is the Chinese unit of measure for length that was traditionally based off the span of the thumb at the knuckle. It was also set to be a tenth of a chi (). It was standardized a couple of times throughout history but a cun measured in between ~3-4 centimeters and over ~1 inch in length. As a reminder to readers of the role it ys in the Chinese measurement system for length as inch does in the imperial system, I will be notating [inch] next to it. Obviously, it is not equivalent though and the variable values of this unit over time makes a conversion difficult for me.
Book 1: Chapter 12 Book 1: Chapter 12 Phnthropist That Swindlers Do Not Mind Idlers Note: Im going to do my best to put out more tranted chapters than what is promised with the schedule I have already set. I cant promise I will be able to do it because of the other requirements on my time (i.e. making a living) but Ill definitely try! Lets hope I pull it off! ?
When Zhang Xiaobao said those words, many thoughts formed within his mind in that moment. Seeing Yingtaos puzzled look, he said: If its solely free-range, the growth will be slow. I must umte within a short time arge amount of money to do stuff. How about this, you listen to me talk. You return to find several servants. Have them gather up the rotten rice straws or wheat stalks. Especially the firewood piles that other people of the manor use for fuel. The weathers just right. It even rained before. Those firewood piles underneath must all be sodden. Theyll have to flip and dry them. So youll use money to get them. Give some spare money;[1] that stuff isnt worth much money. You judge how much to give. Collect it all and transport it to the worst of thends lying fallow behind my house. Use dirt to bury it. Then, go and find people to catch earthwormsunh, theyre called night crawlers.[2] Throw them in there to raise. Also, put some dung droppings in there, too. Once its almost night timeyou yourself can do it or finding others to do it is finepick up the foul fish and shrimp thats been discarded by people at the market fair. If there are river snails or whatever, thats even better. Take it all back here and find an empty spot to air dry. Little Mister, what do you [honorific] want to do? Those fish or whatever are already inedible. Yingtao was muddled. She felt that this Little Misters thinking really couldnt be regarded with an ordinary perspective. How dumb, ~ne. Before, didnt I speak of raising chickens? Of course, its to have these things ground into powder to feed the chickens. That way, our familys chickens will grow the fastest,y the most eggs, and wont even have soft-shelled eggs appear. Zhang Xiaobao discovered that the most painful thing in life was when you are speaking but others had no way of understanding. If this was his own subordinates from before, he would definitely die from anger. Why couldnt they crack it[3] themselves, ~ne? Oh, I understand. Little Mister, you [honorific] are really almighty. Though I dont know if this will be fine or not but whatever you [honorific] say, I just feel like it is right. At that time, well sell the chicken eggs. If the chickens donty eggs, we can still sell the chickens. Stuff thats picked up doesnt cost moneyits a no-cost business, ~ah. Yingtao felt like she had thought it through herself. Zhang Xiaobao raised his hand to smack his forehead with the discovery that if he really had Yingtao lead on her own,[4] she was still too far off. Fortunately, he didnt directly gripe at Yingtao. He felt that it was he himself who hadnt brought up his subordinates well and could only patiently groom them slowly so he said to Yingtao: My family wont sell chicken eggs. Those chicken eggs, I am keeping to make cakes, ~ne. Otherwise, if you go buy chicken eggs, you already lose a sum of money during the process of the purchase. If we keep this portion of the profit for ourselves, wouldnt that be better? That item that I had Ernius family produce can make cakestalking about it with you, you wouldnt understand. Learn it bit by bit. Yes, Little Mister is surely a devil spirit.[5] No, the reincarnation of a divine sagethats what everyone is saying. Yingtao said a bootlicking sentence.[6] That caused Zhang Xiaobao to start worrying at once. So he himself and Wang Juan had already caught the notice of others and rumors of devil spirits reincarnating had already spread outwho was it? Was it on purpose or without intent? This one day, ~ah! Doing a bit of stuff even required a cover up, needing to waste quite a bit of attention. How much money could be earned with this energy? This matter must be investigated thoroughly and moreover, a means to seal the leak thought of. The reasoning behind the prominent rafters rotting first[7] anyone should know. What to do, ~ne? Might as well seek out Mother to discuss this. Anyone could harm him but his own mother wouldnt harm him. Of course, the Wu Meiniang[8] that had already died being an exceptionthat was a genuine devil spirit, ~ne.[9] Little Mister, just this? Is there anything else? Yingtao, seeing that Little Mister was silent at this moment, was a bit afraid. Little Misters face was powerfully overcast. An adult made this expression to let others know that he was angry; a child making this expression was a bit too piercing, especially those eyes of the childjust meeting their gaze would basically cause insecurity. They really were too pure, too devoid. There is. Theres still something. I want to ask now. From whose mouth did you hear about us being monsters or devil spirits? At this time, Zhang Xiaobao didnt have any smile at all. Usually, he would use a babys expression and a childs smile when speaking to others. Little Mister, what is it? It, it was Xiaoqithe Xiaoqi[10] who chops firewood behind the kitchen. He said, he said when he was carrying firewood, he heard the words that Master spoke in the backyard[11] saying that Little Mister was a monster. Yingtao was scared. Xiaoqi? How long has been working in my house, what did he do before? Zhang Xiaobao didnt think that the source of this matter was actually due to his own father. He naturally couldnt upbraid Father. Father must have been speaking to Mother at the time. That Xiaoqi, how could his ears be so sharp? His mouth that loose? He and Wang Juan were already doing their best to be careful lest other people would know too many things by having Erniu seal his mouth tight like a jar,[12] letting Yingtao keep it secret, and handing over business for others to do. Mother was intelligent so she found out. That was nothing. Anybody else finding outthat would be troublesome. A tree apart from the forest, the wind surely would destroy it; a shoal higher than the shore, the waves surely would disturb it.[13] He himself being a swindler, the most important thing was concealment. A swindler being captured, was there a need to describe what consequences there would be? He didnt even consider that the problem woulde from the inside. When thinking on this, Zhang Xiaobao could only sigh. After all, this house hadnt been built by his own hands. The personnel quality varied too greatly. Before him, the only matter to be aplished was to figure out this person, Xiaoqi. If it was a campaign of deliberate intent, then there was only a single resultdeath. Without intent, then hed need to think of a way to organize the manor. This was aggravating, ~ah. Using these people, even if it wasnt like directing your own arms, but they still shouldnt constantly create trouble for him. Little Mister, the matter you [honorific] just spoke ofwhat did you want me to do? Yingtao followed up with a question. Oh, speaking of the main business. That, Ill ask you. Our manor and the Wang Manors people, after eating the chicken eggs, where do the eggshells go? After eating the chicken, where do the chicken feathers go? Zhang Xiaobao wasnt one of those people who had never seen great turbulence before after all. He wouldnt let a single matter affect the entire n. Thrown out, of course. My familys courtyard house is also like this. Always have to throw out a bit every day. The my familys courtyard house that Yingtao spoke of was Zhang Xiaobaos familys. Thrown out? Its really thrown out? Thats to say, those wine-houses and restaurants also throw them all out? Good, thats great. Yingtao, giving you a new mission. You find other peopleyoure too busy to. Go collect those things that have been thrown out for me. Zhang Xiaobao was that happy. These were all good ythings for creating fodder. If he didnt understand how to create down-filled clothing and was afraid that the current clothing materials would shed the down, he could have even made down-filled clothing. Howe its all rotten stuff that doesnt need money? Yingtao said in a low voice. Raising her head to see Little Mister was currently looking at her, she then hastily said: All right, Little Mister, wait till I return and Ill arrange for people to collect those things that you [honorific] spoke of. Little Mister, its too hot here. Lets go under the tree shade to sit. Unh, thats fine. This plot is also my familys? Why is it all nted with trees? Zhang Xiaobao was led by Yingtao to the bottom of a big tree. Sitting on top of a piece of rock that Yingtao had used a cushion to pad it with, he asked this while pointing a finger at a plot of woods in the distance. In reply to Little Misters words, that plot is an eternal industry field[14] that those above had us nt trees on. Oh, could it be that they have this kind of awareness now? Thats not right. I remember that this time period is deforestation to create farnds, ~ah. Zhang Xiaobao was a bit unclear. Yingtao also didnt understand exactly what Little Mister was saying. Assuming that Little Mister was asking about those woods, she said: nted in these ces are mulberry[15] treeshave to hand over quite a bit of silk every year. With this one mention, Zhang Xiaobao understood. So it wasnt a simple grove. It required an output and it wasnt even the product from processing wood. Then that said, he could exercise his brains when it came to the woods inside. Zhang Xiaobao started executing the next step of the n. The insides of his skull had nearly all turned into pasteespecially that Xiaoqi, too detestable. Wang Juans mission was to observe the native environment and poption. Carried by Shiliu while walking around the ce, they walked and walked until they reached the vicinity of the little bridge outside of the manor. Crossing this bridge was considered leaving the sphere of influence of the Wang Manor and Zhang Manor. Shiliu didnt dare move and carrying Wang Juan, she sat down on the stool by the bridge on this side. Pointing at that stream trickling by, she said to Wang Juan: Juan-Juan, see this water? Its so refreshing. Wait till youre a bit bigger and you can go down to y. Wang Juan could care less if the water was refreshing or not. She wanted to hear other people making small talk but the problem was that there were no other people in the surrounding area. If she chatted with Shiliu, then she might as well just go home, ~ne. Looking around in all directions, she discovered that there were several ck dots where the river downstream was gentler in the distance. Raising a hand to point over there, she asked: What is that? Those are rude boys[16] swimming. Shiliu had naturally seen them. Not just the children from the two manors were ying over there; even the children belonging to some of the families that lived by the bridge were there, too. Their butts were bare as they fought water battles. She felt that she shouldnt let the Wangs Little Miss see that. I want to see. Wang Juan strained towards that direction, trying to break free from Shilius embrace. Shiliu patiently offered advice but the end result didnt need to be dered. Wang Juan was victorious. Shiliu carried Wang Juan while walking toward there. Wang Juan prepared to look at the physical conditions of the childrendo they get enough nutrition? Also, looking at the clothing ced on the bankswere the households rich? Just as they were visibly about to reach the spot, at this time, a child suddenly ran over from that side of the bridge to yell out at his otherpanions still in the water: Quickly go look, ~ah! Great Phnthropist Song[17] ising. Upon hearing this, the children came out of the water with a hua sound. Deftly donning their clothes and regardless of which manor they were from, they all ran over towards that side. What phnthropist? Wang Juan asked. Ai, more people got taken in. What phnthropist? Its just a swindler. This Swindler Song is formidable, tricking so many people and yet, there are so many people who call him a phnthropist. Lets go back. Otherwise, if he sees Juan-Juan, hell even trick you along with the rest. He cant be messed with but we can still hide away. Shiliu sighed once, a swindler with each breath, holding Wang Juan intending to leave. If it was something else, Wang Juan really would leave. But upon hearing phnthropist and then swindler, she suddenly smiled as she said to Shiliu: Where is there a swindler? Hes definitely a phnthropist. Little Miss, he really is a swindler. You really mustnt go over there. Upon meeting this person, I hear that theres no one who wasnt tricked. Shiliu was frightened. Wrong, he is definitely not a swindler. With such a good ce, how could there be swindlers? Go. g down a child that hasnt run far. Have him return to the manor there with a greeting. Have Xiaobao carried over here. When Xiaobao gets here, you ask Xiaobao where there is a swindlerthere are only good people. Wang Juan said with certainty.
  1. The original Chinese used was xian qian (), which is a bit nonsensical since it trantes to disy money. The author likely made a typo since a homophone, xian qian (), means spare money which would make much more sense in context with the rest of the dialogue.
  2. Xiaobao first uses qiu yin () before using the casual/ancient term, di long (), which means earth dragon. To produce a simr effect, I used night crawler, which is an alternate name in English thats ng for earthworm.
  3. The author literally uses break shell (kai ke/) as a description. It isnt a standard expression or idiom though it is simr to the phrasemonly used to describe receiving an epiphany or gaining enlightenment, kai qiao (). I chose to interpret the authors choice of words simrly and trante it as an euphemism for enlightenment or understanding.
  4. The Chinese used here is du dang yi mian (), which trantes to solitarily block a side/face. Its generally used to describe someone who can make judgment calls or decisions independent of any guidance or specific orders and/or lead one side of the battlefield.
  5. Ive tranted yao jing () as devil spirit because demon matches up more with mo () in my mental lexicon. Yao () tended to be indiscriminately applied as abel to anything that was heretical to the mundane so it could epass evil spirits but it could also include amoral or benign spirits. In those cases, thebel was usually applied to beings of non-human or fantastical origins thatter gained sentience or a humanoid appearance.
  6. Ive used bootlicking as the trantion for the idiom of pai ma pi (), which literally trantes to pat/p horse ass since bootlicking has a metaphorical image that is also synonymous with the same meaning of fawning or being a toady to someone.
  7. I tranted this expression, chu tou de chuan zi xiann (), literally since its meaning is exined by its usage in text. It describes how the first person to step forward gets taken down more easily like the rafters in a house that stand out more are exposed to the elements and thus, tend to rot more easily. It is an adage adapted from the Ming dynasty era Chinese novel, Jin Ping Mei (), which is written by an anonymous author who used the pseudonym of Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng (). The title of this novel is normally tranted as The Plum in the Golden Vase or The Golden Lotus. It was a spin-off of the ssic novel, Water Margin or Shui Hu Zhuan (), by Shi Nai''an (), which itself is considered one of the Four Great ssical Novels of Chinese literature. In contrast to the ssical source it is based off of, Jin Ping Mei is infamous for its lewd material (hence the multiple porn adaptations that it has spawned) but simrly, it has also added greatly to the Chinese vernacr including idioms such as the one Xiaobao uses here. However, people using the phrases or idioms this book spawned are likely not aware of the source just like most people probably dont realize that Shakespeare invented the word elbow or that the word sadistic was derived from the name of the Marquis de Sade due to the nature of his autobiographical sex memoirs.
  8. Wu Meiniang () is how Wu Zetian is called when people are referring to her in her youth, which entails her time as a concubine of both Emperors Taizong and Gaozong of Tang (Yes, you read rightshe was concubine for both the father and the son though she only had children with the son so at least there were no messed up rtionships where the half-siblings were also nieces/nephews and aunts/uncles). She is referred to as Empress Wu when discussing her time as Empress-Consort of Gaozong while Wu Zetian is how she is referred to when discussing her time as Empress Regnant of China. Her rule interrupted the Tang Dynasty government ruled by the Li () n and historical opinion of her has been mixed. Needless to say, she is a very controversial figure in Chinese history.
  9. Xiaobaos calling Wu Meiniang/Wu Zetian a devil spirit and implication that she is an untrustworthy mother is a reference to two historical events, both involving the death of Wus children. One of the major obstacles to Wu first gaining power and bing Empress was Empress Wang, Gaozongs original wife, and Consort Xiao, another one of Gaozongs favored concubines and mother of one of his favorite sons, both of whom had teamed up against Wu. Their faction fight culminated in Wu using them of being responsible for the death of her newborn daughter who had been mysteriously found dead. There is no definitive proof, even retrospectively using current technologies, about how the daughter died so schrly spection is rife on who was actually responsible. One of the prominent theories is that Wu killed her own daughter herself to discredit two of her rivals in a move that was two birds with one sthree if you consider that Gaozong believed Wus usations, deposing Wang from her position, and crowning Wu as Empress soon afterwards. The other event was the death of Li Hong (), the eldest son of Wu. He was Crown Prince when he died suddenly, leading many traditional schrs to believe that he was poisoned to death by Wu due to his growing independence and defiance of her as they specte that her motivation was to prevent a future power sh that she would have lost since her son was the legitimate heir. However, it is arguable that this could be unfounded nder being retrospectively made by schrs and historians after her death due to the millennia of patriarchal tradition that Wus own life flouted though it is also possible that this usation is true though unproven.
  10. Xiaoqi means () little seven.
  11. Here, hou yuan () is being used for its literal meaning as a backyard but it is alsomonly used to refer to the back courtyard houses that the concubines and consorts of the men of the household resided in as an unofficial harem setup. In those cases, I will trante it as back courtyard house or backcourt or something simr. I will most likely reserve the word harem for situations involving royalty or nobility where the women are literally cloistered away with eunuchs standing guard over them.
  12. The idiom used here is shou kou ru ping (), which literally trantes to guard mouth like jar.
  13. The meaning of this quote can basically be paraphrased inly as standing out from the crowd will cause trouble for the one standing out. The first half of this quote is mostmonly used and thus better known than thest half; it is to the point where mention of a tree apart from the forest is enough of a keyword to get the meaning of the entire quote across. The expression mu xiu yu lin, feng bi cui zhi; tan gao yu an, liu bi tuan zhi () is from the Yun Ming Lun () by Li Kang () of Wei from the Warring States period. The title of the text roughly trantes to Discussion of Fate. The text itself survived because it was included in an anthology of works called Wen Xuan (), which is usually tranted as Selections of Refined Literature, that waspiled by Xiao Tong (), the Crown Prince of the Liang Dynasty. Thisption was very influential onter schrly education with its relevance asionally refreshed by new annotated editions. It waster imported into Japan and became a source of many loanwords in Japanese.
  14. Ive tranted the term, yongye tian (), literally. It can also be referred to as a shiye tian () or generational industry field, which was its predecessor. This first appeared in the Sui dynasty as a form ofnd system. It was granted ording to rank with a corresponding obligation in giving thends output to the state. In return, thisnd typically couldnt be confiscated by the government, was inheritable (hence its name of eternal), and could also be used as an exemption from conscription.
  15. The leaves of the mulberry tree (sang shu/) are the only source of food for silkworms, which are essential to the production of silk in Chinese sericulture.
  16. Shiliu uses ye xiaozi () to refer to them. The ye () that I have tranted here as rude has the connotation of uncivilized, feral, and wild.
  17. The original Chinese used for the nickname, Song Shan Ren (),bines the surname of Song () with da/, meaning big or great, and the word that means phnthropist or do-gooder (shanren/ literally trantes to benevolent person). It more directly corrtes to Good Samaritan but since this term is actually Biblical in origin while the Chinese phrase has no religious connotations, I felt that it would not be a good trantion choice in this case.
Book 1: Chapter 13 Book 1: Chapter 13 Swindler Appearing Before Ones Eyes Idlers Note: Happy 4th of July, America! I wish Independence Day was a worldwide event where everyone just celebrated together (or were just happy drunks together) but that would probably require a situation like in the eponymous movie where the entirety of humanity was knocked down for the count and then needed to pick themselves up to kick some alien ass together. It did have an awesome pre-ass-kicking speech though. I do wish American presidents in general were actually as awesome as they are made out to be by Hollywood though And Japanese video games Where is my mecha-piloting president?!?
Song Jing-gong[1] was originally an orphan. That year, a gue had descended and all the people in the vige had died, leaving just his 10 year old self behind. He had begged for food while on the road and suffering the cold looks of other peoplehe had epted all of this, too. After all, other people looked down on these types of beggars. The only thing that he couldnt ept was that there were actually people who would beat and curse him, insulting his parents, and hitting him till he was wounded all over.[2] There were several times when he had felt like he would nearly die but the Heavens[3] seemed to not to wish for him to go like this so he kept on pulling through at thest moment. Until now, he could still remember it. Back then, there was the owner[4] of a manor who was idle with nothing to do that insisted on releasing the dogs to bite him. Such arge manor actually didnt even have a mouthful of rice to give. He hadnt even entered the courtyard so why release the dogs to bite him? From then on, he vowed that he would definitely take revenge. First, he went to a few academies that had been established by wealthy families to eavesdrop outside. Later, he discovered that it didnt even matter that he didnt even study that knowledgeit didntpare to some of the misceneous studies. That year that he was 15 years old, he had finally gotten some money by working for other people and had met a sick old man who was near death. After some effort, he had temporarily saved him, only to discover that old man knew quite a few things. At that point, there was finally someone who could teach him. When he was 20 years old, the old man died. From then on, he made up his mind to use what he had learned to retaliate against those wealthy people. Ten years passed and he had swindled quite a few people as well as helped quite a few people, too. This time, he had set his goal on the Ge Manor. He had originally thought he could go over and trick someone but the result was that they didnt even heed him at all. Just as he was sulking, he had heard people mention that there were two more manors after crossing the bridge. At once, he got motivated again as he leisurely strode in the direction of the Wang Manor and Zhang Manor.
Yingtao, even if you cant think it through for the moment, dont panic. This n of mine is too long so you can just take it bit by bit. Go, take me out again to look at the other ces. While Zhang Xiaobao was striving to groom Yingtao, he saw that puzzled expression on Yingtaos face and realized that he was really being too hasty. So afraid that Yingtao would suffer a blow and thus lose confidence, he kept on patiently exining again. Unh, Little Mister is formidable, I must learn well. Little Mister, in reality, Ive never felt that you [honorific] were some monster. It was all that Yingtao, Older Sister Shiliu over there wants you to carry over Mister Xiaobao. She said that there are matters to discuss. Just as Yingtao wanted to speak two more sentences with Zhang Xiaobao, a little kid breathlessly ran over as he loudly yelled at Yingtao. Yingtao recognized this child. He was the child of a family from the manor and was called Xiaoshitou.[5] Seeing that Xiaoshitous anxious bearing, she nodded and smiled as she said: All right, Ill go over there now. Xiaoshitou is a good child. Hearing such praise, Xiaoshitou shyly rubbed his head with his hands before turning around to run away. Little Mister, Shiliu is having us go over there. You [honorific] think we should go or not? Yingtao didnt know what Shiliu was calling her for, even carrying Little Mister, so she asked for a consultation. Zhang Xiaobao instantly thought of it. This was definitely not Shilius intention. Shiliu dared not call him over therethat neednt be said. So other than Shiliu, Wang Juan was the one left remaining. It was guaranteed that there was an important matter to discuss. He nodded, spreading out his arms to let Yingtao pick him up, as he said: Lets go over. Hurry a little. There might be something urgent. Have that child that hasnt run far called back here. Ask him what hes seen and what hes heard. Yingtao picked up Little Mister after calling Xiaoshitou to her to find out. Xiaoshitou naturally didnt know what the matter that Shiliu sent him out to find them for was so he nkly shook his head. Not asking you about Shilius business. Its that you were ying over theredid youe across anything fun? Zhang Xiaobao saw that Yingtao didnt know how to ask so he could only interrupt to speak. Little Owner,[6] I and the others from the manor were ying in the water, ~ne. That was real fun. Ioh, right. We heard that Great Phnthropist Song wasing and we all ran over there. I ran too slowly. Xiaoshitou was a bit nervous facing the master-familys Little Mister so his speech was a bit stumbling. Who is Great Phnthropist Song? He gave you guys stuff for free? Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaobao felt that there was a bit of a problem. He had always felt that with this word[7] of phnthropist, if they were true phnthropists, then they wouldnt have any reputation; any who had fame were all not good things. He had seen too many of these types of people. When there were some natural disasters, theyd advertise how charitable they were and how much money would be doled out. After a round of adtion from the media, theyd have the fame but then, the money was simply not given. He had seen genuine phnthropists before, too. Whichever ce needed help, there would be people who drove SUVs equipped with satellite phones, hauling carloads of emergency supplies over there themselves to disperse upon reaching the site. If someone was in danger, theyd make a phone call. Once there was no more stuff, theyd once again drive their car elsewhere to buy more. So this Great Phnthropist Song definitely didnt belong to thetter group. What was he doing here? Could it be for the sake of creating a reputation? Just as Zhang Xiaobao was making conjectures, Xiaoshitou spoke again: Actually, Great Phnthropist Song really is a good person. He helped a lot of needy people but there are always some people whod say that hes a swindler. I hear that its all people from several wealthy manors that would im this. This mention of his caused Zhang Xiaobao a moment of distraction. Such a familiar feeling. Helping impoverished people and swindling wealthy peoplehe himself operated like this back then. The problem was that while he was in China, he generally didnt swindle legitimate business people and only tricked the officials. Could it be that this Great Phnthropist Song sought out only the wealthy as a target? Too extremeit really was a bit too extreme. He pondered this on the way until they reached the site of that bridge. Wang Juan and Shiliu were waiting there. Once the two of them met, Wang Juan spoke first: Xiaobao, Shiliu said that Great Phnthropist Song is a swindler. I think thats not possible. What do you say, ~ne? Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaobao understood. Seeing that excited gaze of Wang Juans, he could only follow along as he said: What Juan-Juan said is right. With such a good ce, how could there be any swindlers? A phnthropistdefinitely a phnthropist, I guarantee it. Let us wait here. A phnthropist shouldnt do good deeds for just the people on the other side of the bridge. As he spoke, he red at Wang Juan, ming her for her meddling. But Wang Juan smiled. She really hopeding over would be a swindler. At that time, theyd encounter Zhang Xiaobaothat would be extremely fun. Swindler? How much skill could the swindlers of this time period have? Even the International Criminal Swindler was honestly doing business, ~ne. Whoever dares swindle had better broaden their horizons. Considering this yet afraid that swindler wouldnte over, she said: Why dont we go over to see? Forget it. Lets not go over there. This side of the bridge is our territory. Over there is someone elses. We should give people a single chance. Zhang Xiaobao overruled this suggestion. If they really went over there, then that would be aggressive. Waiting on this side would be considered defensive. The world had too many people that were eyesores,[8] so they shouldnt look for trouble when there was none. Shiliu and Yingtao werent clear on what the two children weremunicating but they were concerned. What if Little Mister and Little Miss Juan-Juan suffered a grievancethat would be trouble, then. They were particrly vignt against this Swindler Song. Next to them, Shiliu first urged: Little Mister, that person really is a swindler. Lets stay on this side for a while. If that persones, ignore him. All right, Little Mister? Shiliu, dont you worry about this type of thing. Well just y here. If hees, itll be natural to know whats happening. Dont always listen to what others say. Itll only do to witness it with your own eyes. The ears hear false, the eyes The eyes might not be true, either.[9] In short, just wait. Wang Juan wanted to catch a swindler right now. It was possibly a professional habit. While Zhang Xiaobao didnt speak a word as he gazed at the bridge in front of him. Knowing that river passed by the front of his own house, he immediately had another new method to make money. He wanted to implement it yet discovered that the people by his side that he could use really were too few and moreover, the investment this time wouldnt be small. He was calcting at what time to carry it out when from the bridges opposite side, a person and a group of people surrounding him walked over here. Upon seeing this person, Wang Juans eyes lit up. She could guess that person should be Swindler Songoh, called Great Phnthropist Song. She turned her head to nce at Zhang Xiaobao as Zhang Xiaobao resignedly shook his head and sighed. This person, ~ah, didnt know when to advance or retreat. He originally thought that they wouldnte over to this side but he didnt think that theyd insist on falling upon their own sword.[10] How could this bridge be so easily crossed? Little Mister, thats Great Swindler Song. He came over. You [honorific] and Little Miss must not speak. Theres no need to heed him. Shiliu grew nervous, her eyes tightly fixed on that person opposite them, hoping he wouldnte over. That person didnt seem to have heard Shilius inner desire and finally got on the bridge. His face bearing a smile, he conversed with the people by his side on the one hand while on the other, he sized up the two kids dressed in silk as well as the people carrying the kids. That smile suddenly grew even more brilliant. Upon seeing that persons smile, Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao also smiled along with him. Wang Juan smiled because she could finally strike a blow against the criminal element while Zhang Xiaobaos smile was a bit wry. There is a road to Heaven that you do not walk and no gate to be cast through to Hell.[11] All right, lets brush up on a bit of swindling technique. Its been so long since hed swindled. Such nostalgia, ~ah. How could Song Jing-gong know what he would be facing soon? Upon seeing these two kids, he was happy. The people of Ge Manor were afraid; those of this area might not be, especially the kids. It really was great. He had found another type of excuse. He casually said two sentences with the people beside him before quickly walking over. Song Jing-gong reached a hand into his sleeve to pull out two sugar people;[12] in his mind, the vividly lifelike sugar people would definitely impress the two kids. Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao were originally still judging whether this Great Phnthropist Song was really like a swindler like how Shiliu described. Now, upon seeing the sugar people, they set a character type for this person. Offering up attention for nothing,[13] ~ah. His props were even readily at hand. It looked like he was a repeat offender, too. Look here, kid. How good. Come, taste this sugar person. Song Jing-gong waved the two sugar people in front of the kids eyes as he spoke. What person? To even dare take out stuff to give to my familys Little Mister and Little Miss to eat? You fed up with life? Seeing that Great Swindler Song hade and was even holding sugar people, Shilius face was chilly as she rebuked him. Here, Song Jing-gong was even happier. From these words, he could determine the identities of these two kids. He said while staring into the kids eyes: Yes, yes, shouldnt give this stuff to that Little Mister and Little Miss of yours [honorific] to eat. Ill stow it away here. These kids really are good looking. I liked them with a nce. Dont know who you [honorific] are?
  1. Jing-gong () works out to mean quiet/calm, work/power. It is a name with a schrly air.
  2. The idiom used here is bian ti lin shang (), which literally trantes to everywhere body scaled injury. It is usually used to describe someone whos wounded all over with the scales likely a metaphor for the injuries that might result in scabbing or bruising.
  3. Song Jing-gong uses Lao Tian Ye (), which literally means Old Heavenly Lord. But despite the personification implied in the meaning of the name and the existence of various mythological figures that can and have stood in as the ruler of the Heavens in Chinese folklore, when this particr title is used in speech, it is usually meant in a generic or abstract sense without referring to a specific figure. So though it shares some surface simrities with the broader concept of a sky-father that is prevalent in Indo-European mythology, it is not nearly as anthropomorphized in Chinese as it is in other cultures. The closest equivalent anthropomorphized figure in Chinese mythology simr to Odin or Zeus would likely be the Jade Emperor, who serves as a ruler of the Celestial Court and acts as the father of a Chinese pantheon of celestial gods and demigods. Also, when the Christian missionaries were tranting the Bible and misceneous Judeo-Christian concepts into Chinese, many existing Chinese folklore terms were co-opted such as with Shangdi (), which meant High Deity/Emperor and referred to an actual deity that the ancient Chinese worshipped, that they used to trante for Lord when referring to the Christian God. So some of the terms or names used in Chinese folklore can tend to take on Judeo-Christian connotations when tranted into English because of this. Thus, Lao Tian Ye () can also be used in Chinese Christian text to trante for Heavenly Father. For all of these reasons, I am tranting this particr term as a neutral and de-personified Heavens.
  4. The original text uses dong jia (), which literally trantes to east house and is typically a way to address superiors like a boss or an owner of the business you are working for and hosts of parties or events where the guests are being invited or treated at the hosts expense. The east part likely is because the sun rises in the east and acts as a source of light just as the owner or host is the origin of wealth orrgesse in the rtionship. It could also have part of its origins from an ancient Chinese idiom, dong jia shi xi jia su (), that roughly trantes to eating with the East family while sleeping with the West family. This particr idiom summarizes an anecdote of a beauty from the Warring States period who had two rival suitors vying for her hand in marriage. The rich but ugly suitor was from the East family while the handsome but poor suitor was from the West family and the beauty was unable to choose,menting that if she could, she would eat with the East family one but sleep with the West family one. This proverb is simr in meaning to the English idiom of having your cake and eating it, too but it also has a negative connotation of shameless greed that the English phrase doesnt necessarily have.
  5. Xiaoshitou () literally trantes to little stone. Because it could actually be his name rather than a nickname due to the rural naming superstitions for children the Chinese had, I used the pinyin instead of tranting it.
  6. Xiaoshitou is calling Xiaobao xiao dong jia (), which is simply little added to the title that he would normally call Xiaobaos father for being the current head of the Zhang household. This choice of address suggests Xiaoshitous family is likely employed by and thus subordinate to the Zhangs but not sold in service to them and thus, free citizens.
  7. The Chinese text here is two words/characters (liang ge zi/) but since I have tranted shan ren/ as phnthropist, two words, characters, or sybles no longer fit this situation.
  8. The Chinese used here is bu shun yan () and literally means not smooth (to the) eye. Simr to the intent behind finding favor in someone in English, to find someone smooth to the eye was to find favor in them. So the opposite would be looking at them and finding them unpleasant to the eye or an eyesorelike how some fights can be picked for no apparent reason just because one side simply thought that the other side had looked at them in a way that they took offense to.
  9. The proverb Wang Juan was about to quote in full here is er ting wei xu, yan jian wei shi (), which basically means that what your ears hear is false and what your eyes see is true. It is typically used as a warning against believing too much in the veracity of rumors, gossip, or hearsay while advising the listener to believe only what they see (i.e. experience it themselves) and judge the truth for themselves. However, Juan-Juan corrects herself here because modern knowledge (and probably her own personal experience working cases) tells her that the testimony of an eyewitness might not be indisputable, either.
  10. The expression Xiaobao uses here of wang qiang kou shang zhuang () means to collide on top of a spear point and describes someone who is essentially impaling themselves on a spear. By the way, qiang/, which is the name of the Chinese spear, was reused as the Chinese word for gun so ancient idioms that use qiang/ can also take on the newer meaning of the word and thus new connotations. If tranting this phrase for the meaning of gun, then a simr image would likely be colliding with the muzzle of a gun. This idiom is generally used to describe acts that are suicidally stupid or asking for trouble though the intent of the person who is doing so isnt necessarily to seek death. Because the imagery of the English idiom of falling on ones sword was so simr, I opted to use this in the trantion despite the fact that this English expression does have a connotation of an intended suicide so it is likely an imperfect recement.
  11. Xiaobao is quoting amon saying here, tian tang you lu ni bu zou, di yu wu men tou jini (), which is usually a one-liner to throw at someone the speaker thinks is dooming themselves to a fate worse than death by denying themselves a path to Heaven as well as the gate to Hell. I havent found any clear literary source or origin for this saying although versions of this expression are often quoted in various Chinese literature (usually fictitious novels) so it is likely an expression that circted through the spoken vernacr before being put to paper.
  12. Sugar people (tang ren/) are a type of Chinese handcraft, art, and edible sweet made using liquid sugar. It uses the caramel color of the sugar itself along with yellow or green dyes in its art. It is generally sold in public food stalls so buyers can request what figures they wish to be made or simply watch the artist create one.
  13. The expression used here is wu shi xian yin qin (), which trantes to no thing offering hidden industry, and the meaning conveyed is roughly like the one found in the English phrase There ain''t no such thing as a free lunch. Basically, the Chinese saying describes someone who is attentive and industrious for no apparent reason so it warns that there is a hidden motive for such behavior.
Book 1: Chapter 14 Book 1: Chapter 14 Being Able To Cheat A Bit Is A Bit Idlers Note: Please let me know if anything needs to be borated on or rified in my trantion! I am trying to be more efficient in terms of speed but I am a bit worried about a drop in the trantion quality. If possible, please consider so I can devote more time to tranting! If youre not able to, leaving ament below or clicking the like button is fine as a show of support as well. Thank you!
Song Jing-gong wanted to thoroughly investigate in order to make the swindle easierter on. While he made his inquiries, his eyes stared into the eyes of the two kids. He originally assumed that upon seeing such pretty sugar people, these two kids would make a fuss to get them. He even came up with how to respond then. As long as the kids liked him, he would seed at the first step. s, what he saw was that the two kids eyes only gave the sugar people a once over and then ignored them to look at him. They even smiled sweetly. Only, why did that smile feel not rightunless little kids all smiled this way? It was a bit cold. Who are you? Im Zhang Manors Little Mister. Zhang Xiaobao batted those innocent big eyes twice as he curiously asked. Wang Juan also tilted her head in concert with Zhang Xiaobao as she asked: Right, ~ya.[1] Youre who, ~ya? Im Wang Manors Little Miss. Hearing these voices that slurred the words a bit, Song Jing-gong was not a bit surprised. He believed that the family members of these two kids must have taught them how to speak. Families with a bit of money were all like thisalways feeling that their own children were stronger than other peoples so theyd teach them a few sentences to get more praise from others. Thinking of this, Song Jing-gong made a very funny face in order to make the two childrenugh. But the result was that the two children both turned their heads. This affirmed even more his internal spection. Sure enough, they werent kids that were that smart. In actuality, Wang Juan was turning her head because she saw that when this Song Jing-gong made a funny face, his teeth was still stained with stuff so she was disgusted while Zhang Xiaobao wasnt willing to speak any more with this person. Swindlingit didnt even require him to give any kind of guidance. He thought that this swindler was preparing to go to his house to deceive the adults. Upon seeing the two kids appearances, Song Jing-gong felt that he couldnt use the original method after all and could only turn to the two young girls who were probably maid servants and say: Im called Song Jing-gong. Seeing how good your familys Little Mister and Little Miss are, I suddenly decided that I wanted to help your two manors a bit. Quickly bring me to go see your patriarch. With just you? And you even want to see our patriarch? Youre dreaming, ~ne? If I were you, Id leave here immediately. Our manor doesnt need your kind of peopleing here. Shiliu coldly looked at Song Jing-gong and scoffed, leaving not a shred ofpassion as she spoke. Over there, Yingtao was the same. Confronting Song Jing-gong like an enemy, she hugged Zhang Xiaobao tightly in her embrace as she turned her head to look elsewhere. Failureit really is too much of a failure being a swindler to this kind of degree. The other person is already on guard, how could a swindler still keep working? Yingtao and Shiliu are not bad thoughthey know how to judge people and help the family avoid quite a bit of danger. Zhang Xiaobao held back his smile while using his head to rub against Yingtaos neck. Yingtao liked these two children so seeing that cute appearance of Little Misters and feeling that Shiliu wouldnt go tell Mistress after seeing it, she turned her head to kiss Zhang Xiaobao on the face. Over there, seeing such a situation, Wang Juan was afraid that Song Jing-gong wouldnt go swindlinghow could she nab a swindler, then? So she could only say to Shiliu: Go home. I want to go home. Shiliu was also of this intention and turned around to return while carrying Wang Juan, not even sparing a look at Song Jing-gong. Yingtao naturally followed after her. Seeing that the two maid servants were carrying the kids away, Song Jing-gong wasnt angered a bit. He smiled and also followed afterwards, walking toward that side. Seeing this, the kids, who had been watching the excitement just now, returned back to the river on this side and jumped down one after the other to resume with their gamesall not willing to continue following them. Those adults who had tagged along, discovering that it wasnt their own manor anymore, also turned around to go back. What are you doing, following us? After walking a portion of the way, Shiliu discovered that this Great Swindler Song was actually following after them and stopping in her tracks, she turned her head around in a furious query. When was I following? Could it be that this manor being your familys mean that I cant walk on the road? Its not like Im going into your familys courtyard. Song Jing-gong didnt care one bit as heughingly spoke. Then, go on and follow. You, dont hope to trick our familys Mistress. My familys Mistress wont even get taken in by you. Shiliu bluntly pointed out the facts, speeding up as she walked back while carrying Wang Juan, prepared to call on the footmen once at the courtyard to drive him away. If she had known they would encounter this swindler, she would have brought along a few people when they came out. This maiden might be thinking wrongly. I, this Song,[2] have never tricked people before. It would only do to have proof whenever you speak. Otherwise, Ill sue you in court. At any rate, I am also of the honorary title of Juren.[3] Song Jing-gong responded with a threat. Unh, a swindler is a swindler. Who knows how that Juren of yours came about? Shiliu quietly muttered. This time, she really couldnt continue insulting Song Jing-gong. She knew that Juren were not good to provoke after all. Even her own familys Master still didnt have such an identity right now, ~ne. Seeing that the two maid servants were scared, Song Jing-gong was gloating. This Juren identity was really useful, ~ah. Hed swindled so many people and yet, wasnt it because they couldnt get a handle[4] on him and also because of his own identity that they had no way to get a court suit? Juren, ~ah! Xiaobao, you able to beat him? Wang Juan was being carried by Shiliu up front so she turned her head around to face Zhang Xiaobao as she used lip-speech to speak to him. Juren counts as what fart? Back when I was swindling, the group of doctorates subordinate to me had four that were previously the valedictorians[5] in the nationwide high school test.[6] Dare to swindle my family? Ill let him know why the flowers are so red.[7] You leave first, Ill dy him. You return and tell my Mom about things on this side. Have my Mom prepare a bit. Divide the talks into several times. Having met a swindler, Zhang Xiaobao didnt want to just let him go, either. Since hed arrived, then theyd entertain him thoroughly. The benefit of having Wang Juan going back first with the news and dividing the talks up into several times was that they could have time for discussion. All right, Ill have Shiliu walk quickly. Youre not making preparations? Looking at the jade ornament[8] hanging from his waist, you can guess that hes probably seeded many times. Wang Juan nodded slightly as she asked. Go on your way. I prepare for what? How many tricks does he have? Compared to me, hes not even on the same level. Ill definitely let him experience who exactly is the ancestor of swindlers. Unh, this question is a bit profound.[9] Zhang Xiaobao waspletely open today as well while he joked around with Wang Juan. After hearing the words Wang Juan spoke in her ear, Shiliu increased her speed, almost running as she left first. Song Jing-gong didnt know what matter had appeared and wanted to chase her but he also wanted to follow this little boy. While he was still unsure as to how to decide, Zhang Xiaobao spoke up. Lie, liar.[10] When these three sybles popped out of Zhang Xiaobaos mouth, Zhang Xiaobao even apanied them with a gesture by using a finger to point at Song Jing-gong. Little Mister, Im not a liar. Im a good person. Song Jing-gong was really scared now. He wasnt scared of the two maid servants talking on their return. He trusted in his own ability to get the person managing the affairs of that manor to listen to his great money-making n. But he was afraid of this kid speakingespecially since he was a small boy. He had already found out from the mouths of the people of that Ge Manor that the Zhang Manor on this side only had one boy in this generation. What does a boy mean? All of the adoration is focused on this kids person. At that time, not to mention if he really did want to go swindling, even if he didnt swindle, one word from this kid could let those who were his parents change their minds. There was an aphorism that was the most convincing for people and that was that when kids looked at people, they could tell good from bad, especially with kids that still didnt have anyprehension as they said that it was when the kids hearts were purest, their eyes the cleanest. Song Jing-gong didnt wish to have his previous worke to naught just because of one kid so he inwardly deliberated on how to let this kide to like him as that would make things easy. He thought and then took out a little toy sword made out of peach wood[11] from his sleeves. There was even a red string on top. Using his hand to grasp one end of the string, he swung the sword in front of Zhang Xiaobaos eyes. Zhang Xiaobao gave a he-he inughter and didnt look at that toy sword. Instead, he pointed at Song Jing-gong as he said: Money, money. If Wang Juan were here, shed definitely beughing to the point of gasping for air. This Zhang Xiaobao was really too ruthless. Song Jing-gong wasnt Wang Juan so he naturally didnt know what he was about to face. Hearing such a little kid call for money, he felt that it should have been taught by the adults in his family. To start having kids know about money from such a small age, he definitely had to swindle this kind of family. Unh, he must pass the obstacle of the kid he was facing. He wanted money? Fine, hed give money. Thinking this, Song Jing-gong took out a copper coin from within his sleeve. On it was written Kaiyuan Tongbao. Heughingly gave it to Zhang Xiaobao. Upon seeing that it was only 1 wen [cash], Zhang Xiaobao didnt even think and waved a small hand to knock this coin down to the ground as he continued pointing at Song Jing-gong to say: Silver, silver. Yingtao hugged Little Mistershed originally intended to directly and quickly leave but she had listened to Little Misters words just now telling her to slowly hang about in back and to not mind anything else, so she could only endure the harassment of this Great Swindler Song. Song Jing-gong picked up that copper coin that had been knocked down while he cursed inwardly. This little bit of a kid had already started recognizing silver, could it be that the masters of the manor had nothing to do but throw the kid on a pile of money? Gritting his teeth, he dug out the 1 tael or more of silver pieces and reluctantly ced it in front of Zhang Xiaobao. Zhang Xiaobao wasnt modest, either, freely epting it as he continued calling for silver. Then, seeing that helpless gaze of Song Jing-gongs and feeling that he didnt seem to have any more silver, began to call for money. Song Jing-gong still had money. Not muchonly 100 wen [cash] as too much would be too heavy. He took that out too, handing it over to Zhang Xiaobao. Now, this was heavier than the silver from before. Zhang Xiaobao struggled to use both of his hands to hold onto the money string, cing it in between himself and Yingtao, sandwiching it just right, before his eyes locked onto the jade ornament at Song Jing-gongs waist. The string of the jade ornament was tied to the waist with the jade falling at the thigh to weigh down on the clothing.[12] Zhang Xiaobao just stared at it intently, not speaking at all. Song Jing-gong suddenly felt ufortable inside and not knowing why, he followed the kids gaze to see the jade ornament. If Zhang Xiaobao had stared at the jade ornament from the start, then Song Jing-gong would definitely not give it away. After all, it was bought for 5 guan [strings of cash]no matter how bad the jade was, it was still not cheap. Zhang Xiaobao was currently using psychology. This was called gaining a cun [inch] to advance a chi [foot],[13] getting it little by little. You already gave a bit anyway; you stillck the other bit? This was only because Zhang Xiaobaos age was too small. If he were slightly bigger, he could have used gaining a chi [foot] to gain a cun [inch].[14] Start out by asking for a little more. If you didnt give it, then ask for a bit less to let you feel like you couldnt keep on rejecting it and so,ply with thetter rtively smaller request. How could Song Jing-gong know these things, ~ah? He was furthermore unable to realize what kind of person the kid in front of him was. So resolving his heart, he took off the jade ornament, too. He was roughly panting as he handed it over, thinking that this time if he didnt swindle hundreds of silver taels, then he would not desist at all.
  1. The ~ya () here is another one of those ending sentence particles that can be added for emphasis. It can be used to lengthen the sentence to add a drawling effect, to emphasize the exmation in the sentence, or a verbal tic. Because of this, I will sometimes leave it in for effect.
  2. Song Jing-gong is using a Chinese illeism that is typically created bybining the speakers surname and mo () meaning some as in somebody to make this [insert surname]. So Song Jing-gong is saying Song mo (). To reproduce the effect of this third person pronoun he is using to refer to himself while still keeping the flow of the sentence rtively smooth, I have tranted it as this Song.
  3. I decided to use the pinyin for ju ren (), which is one of the schrly degrees that can be conferred through the civil exams to those who had passed exams at the prefectural level. It literally means elevated/promoted person/man and was granted to those who passed the provincial level exam given every 3 years. Though some trantions attempt to equate it with one of the different college certificates one can obtain after a set number of years of study like a Bachelors or Masters degree, I chose not to do so because the degrees and titles that the civil exams awarded were very subjective in their standards and different from the more structured curriculums a student must undertake before being granted a college diploma at any level versus the situation with the civil exams where one could earn a degree without any prerequisite amount of study so long as they passed the civil exams or end up never passing it at all even after a lifetime of study, making it hard to make them easy 1:1 recements in my opinion. Passing the exam to earn a schrly title depended on a number of factors, of which the years of schooling undergone only served as a rough guideline as to what to expect in terms of the duration of a typical education but other variables like luck, connections, and timing could alle into y. Schooling also varied since a sessful candidate could bepletely self-taught or home-schooled rather than educated by attending private academies or other such educational institutions. How the exams were set up meant that a man who was just as educated and skilled as a man who had earned a degree could still end up not passing because they might have espoused a viewpoint or preferred a writing style that the grading official disliked or disagreed with; they might simply have ended up taking the test in years where there were too many qualified candidates or lived in a highlypetitive area where they couldnt rise above the crowd to make the cut-off point but they would have passed if they took the test when there werent as many skilled candidates or in an area where thepetition level was much lower. Corruption and cheating were also possible variables that could affect a candidates sess. In a way, the civil exams were a bit like how the Oscars are set up as the winner chosen was dependent on the avable te of candidates that year so one years winners could be considered lower in quality inparison to another years simply because they won during a year with lower quality candidates and they happened to be the best of the avable te that year.
  4. Ba bing () can describe a physical handle but it can also be used as a metaphor in Chinese to mean a weakness that gives enemies a handle to get a hold on you such as in a ckmail or hostage situation.
  5. Zhuang yuan () was the rank given to the highest scoring person on the civil exams at the national level. This title then broadened in usage to apply to people who were the top in their field or the top scorer on the test in modern Chinese. Since valedictorian describes the student with the top grade in a graduating ss in English, I have opted for a trantion rather than using the pinyin in this case.
  6. Quan Guo Gao Kao (), which is further shortened into gaokao/ (literally meaning high test), is a colloquial name for the National High Education Entrance Exams. It is a nationwide admissions exam that Chinese high school students take in order to determine their eligibility for entering the college or university of their choice by testing their knowledge in various subject areas. This is the modern incarnation of the Imperial era civil examsonly, the promise of governmental positions have been divorced from this test for the most part (it is arguable that students with political ambitions could use their test results to enter schools that would further those goals). It is simr to the SATs or ACTs in the U.S. except even more stressful since the high school admissions test results are generally the only criterion that Chinese universities will consider when epting prospective students. Due to the influence of the Sinosphere which spread the concept of these exams from Imperial China to other countries that thenter evolved into their modern-day versions, high school students in Japan, South Korea, and other countries have to undergo a simrly nerve-wracking experience to the point that there is anecdotal evidence of the drastic measures that the governments will sometimes take in order to minimize the level of disturbance suffered by test-takers. This is literally how important the test is deemed to the future of the high school students and how stressful the situation isthe entire country shuts up and rearranges its schedule just for this one test.
  7. Showing someone why the flowers are so red (hua-er wei she me zhe me hong/) is likely a reference to the oft-used poetic imagery of blood staining flowers red, especially since in Chinese, seeing red (jian hong/) is used to describe blood or bleeding (though it can also be ng for being lucky since red is considered a lucky color). So someone who says this might be threatening physical violence. Or they could be joking since this turn of phrase has been used so frequently that it can be a bit meme-tastic to the point of parody. Im not sure if this is coincidental or not but there is also a song of a simr name, Hua-er Wei She Me Zhe Yang Hong (), that was used in a 1963 Chinese film called Bing Shan Shang de Lai Ke () or Visitor on Ice Mountain. It was a rtively popr song and has more recently shown up in a couple of Chinaspetitive singing TV shows [A YouTube video of an older rendition of the song can be found here].
  8. A yu pei () is a brooch or pendant-like ornament made out of jade. Unlike brooches which are pinned onto apel or pendants which are a type of ne, these ornaments are usually designed to be hung off the waist like a belt weight or attached to essories like fans, simrly to how some people can decorate their cell phones or keychains by attaching little charms to them. They can be considered good luck charms as well as be a disy of wealth or status.
  9. Because the Chinese practice ancestor worship, Xiaobao is bragging in a roundabout way that he is the god of swindlers. Until he realized the time travel aspect of his reincarnation made a paradox out of the literal meaning of his words
  10. Xiaobao is saying pian zi (), which I have chosen to trante as swindler in the overall novel. However, because he is ying up his physical age in this instance, I chose to use liar as the trantion in this context as liar would be a more believable choice for a normal kid of his age to know and speak. The pian/ in pian zi () just means deception or deceit so my trantion is dependent on the context of the sentence that describes what kind of deception the deceiver is doing in particr. Since most of the deception in this novel has to do with cheating money out of people, I usually choose to trante it as swindle or swindler.
  11. Peach wood or tao mu () is considered to have properties that can ward off evil in China. This is likely because the peach is a positive symbol in Chinese culture. So the swords made out of peach wood that Daoist priests use in their rituals tend to feature heavily as a prop in real life as well as in Chinese fantasy films with ghosts or spirits.
  12. Song Jing-gong is likely wearing a long robe with flowingyers and voluminous sleeves, which would mark him as a schr or a member of the leisure ss inparison to the peasants who would be wearing more practical clothing with shorter hems that are actually simr to modern-day clothing attire that wouldnt get in the way of their work. So having an ornament that could act as a weight would be a necessary essory for him to prevent the clothing ps of his robes from flying all over the ce in a strong wind or with the motion of the body. Go here to read more about Han Chinese clothing.
  13. An English expression with a roughly equivalent meaning to de cun jin chi () would be the one based off of the Scottish inch, the modern version of which is usually rendered as Give him an inch and hell take a mile. I marked the cun as [inch] and chi as [foot] since they are known as the Chinese versions of these measurements of length from the Imperial system as well as to remind people which unit is the smaller orrger unit. They arent actually equivalent to a foot or an inch and are too variable in measurement though for me to convert them to a Western system.
  14. Xiaobao came up with de chi jin cun () by inverting the front and back halves of the previous 4-character couplet, which is amon form of wordy in Chinese.
Book 1: Chapter 15 Book 1: Chapter 15 Settling Down Anxieties Within The Heart Idlers Note: I hope that you are all enjoying these trantions! If you wish to help ensure that I can devote more time to tranting, please consider through Patreon or Crowdrise! As always, any feedback you can give is much appreciated, especially if you catch an error! Thanks again! ?
Bearing a dream of making another fortune, Song Jing-gong followed along after Yingtao while periodically directing a smile at Zhang Xiaobao that Zhang Xiaobao would respond to with an even cuter smile. With a peaceful atmosphere, the three people arrived outside that manor courtyard of the Zhang family. Having already received the report as well as subjective opinion of Wang Juan beforehand, Mrs. Zhang-Wang didnte out in wee this time. Even if Song Jing-gong urgently requested it, it was still only Steward Zhang who came out as the representative. Little Mister, whose stuff is this that you [honorific] are holding in hand? We shouldnt take someone elses things. Quickly, return it. ording to his instructions, Steward Zhang spoke as nned upon catching sight of Little Mister. This caused Zhang Xiaobao to start for a moment. He clearly didnt tell anyone beforehand that he would swindle money and items, how could Steward Zhang know of such a status quo? Of course, Zhang Xiaobao wouldnt return the money or items. Since they hade to swindle, then they should be conscious of being swindled. Fully ying along, he allowed Steward Zhang to take the silver coins and jade ornament from out of his grasp to hand over to Song Jing-gong while his gaze traveled along with the objects. Just as Song Jing-gong was happy that his own stuff was about to be returned, he suddenly blurted out: Lie, lie Steward Zhang, you [honorific] look at what words you [honorific] are saying. Your Little Mister is so cute; Im gifting this to him here. With such a little ything, why be this way? To tell you [honorific] the truth, once I saw Little Mister, I felt like we share an affinity.[1] Song Jing-gong, seeing that when the items in this little kids grasp were gone, he would be called a liar again, how could he dare take the things back? He ced it into his hands to give to Zhang Xiaobao again. Seeing that the other persons Little Mister had regained his smile, he felt a full-body weakness from the fright he had suffered while Steward Zhang smiled as he nodded his head and said: Mister Song, if thats the case, then thank you very much. Oh, Mister Song hase from afar. Why not enter the courtyard house to rest for a bit before making any other ns? These words sounded like they had a bit of an intention of rejection but Song Jing-gong didnt refute them one bit. He had arrived with a motive so he immediately struck while the iron was hot:[2] If thats so, then Ill be imposing. Coincidentally, I desire to discuss a great business deal with the person managing the affairs of your noble manor. Steward Zhang didnt say anything else, only replying that he would return to make a report. After leading the person to the parlor, he turned to leave. Zhang Xiaobao got down from Yingtaos embrace as he walked back, step by step, wanting to find Steward Zhang to ask how they knew that he had swindled stuff. In a room, Wang Juan was being held by Mrs. Zhang-Wang as she kept calling Mom [inw] with each breath. To tell the truth, she didnt like being this way. But for the sake of a good lifestyle, she must be wed to Zhang Xiaobao. She would not allow herself to be wed to an individual who couldnt even keep up with her thinking when speaking to her. From now until growing up and marrying was a time for nurturing their feelings and understanding each others worlds. To have the samenguage and ideals, being together in the end wouldnt be hardshed just treat it as an experience of this new dynasty era. Mom [inw], even if that swindler is exposed, dont report it to the officials. Dont know how much money Xiaobao will swindle this time? Wang Juan tried her best to make herself speak a bit more familiarly, even if she had no way of adapting to this identity. All right, Ill listen to Juan-Juan. Can Juan-Juan tell Mom [inw] how you knew Xiaobao would be able to swindle money? Mrs. Zhang-Wang had already discovered that this future daughter-inw and son were overly intelligent. But so what? Xiang Tuo became Confucius teacher at 7,[3] Gan Luo became Senior Minister at 12;[4] werent her own son and daughter-inw allowed to be a bit bright? Ah? It was Xiaobao who told me beforeing back. Wang Juan replied in answer. She obviously couldnt say that she understood this swindler and had done quite a bit of investigation so that if this kind of person didnt cheat a swindler that they had met from head to toe, then that would only sully the reputation of an International Swindler. Zhang Xiaobao wandered through a few rooms and asked the servants but he couldnt find Steward Zhang in the end and could only return to ask Wang Juan. He trusted that Wang Juan absolutely could not avoid involvement with this. As expected, upon walking through the door, he saw Wang Juan, who was being carried by his mother, use lip-speech to ask him: How much money did you swindle? Split it in half. Zhang Xiaobao could only sigh. Understanding each other too well wasnt a good thing either as there were no secrets. Ignoring Wang Juan, he spread his little hands outward while walking toward his mother and cried out: Mom, Xiaobao has returned. His call was natural, ~ah, causing Wang Juan to be unable to avoid shuddering. Thinking of Zhang Xiaobaos prior age, she secretly ndered him in that it must certainly be that his mind had issues. At this moment, Steward Zhang was currently interrogating Xiaoqi who had been secured within a room while being apanied by two house guards. Talk. Who sent you to spread rumors? What you signed was a death contract.[5] If you dont talk, there wont be anyone investigating, even if youre beaten to death. Steward Zhangs face had now transformed from the respect disyed in front of Mistress to a face that was as overcast as water.[6] Being the Steward of Zhang Manor, he shared glory as one and shared ruin as one with the Zhang Family. This position had been passed down from generation to generation. At the manor, he had his own courtyard house with his parents, wife, and children. He forbade anyone else destroying this kind of happiness. Xiaoqi didnt have his own surname and didnt know who his parents were, either. He had been an orphan ever since he could remember. Later, he had been captured by people and then sold to the Zhang Manor. Food, clothing, and housing didnt require him to spend money and every month, he could even get 10-something wen [cash] in wage. This was treatment he only received after working for 10 years. Upon hearing the stewards question and then looking at the other two people behind him bearing equally mean-looking expressions, he fearfully fell to his knees with a thumping sound. Steward Zhang, I didnt. Ive never spread whatever rumors. What things are you [honorific] talking about? Xiaoqi simply didnt know what wrong he hadmitted and even assumed that Steward Zhang was deliberately finding fault with him, ~ne. Looks like you wont be telling the truth. Little Mister and Little Miss Wang are monsterscould it be that it wasnt spread from your mouth? Let him know about formidability. Steward Zhang stared at Xiaoqi and with a gesture, the two people behind him rushed forward.
Song Jing-gong waited in the parlor for an entire full hour before Steward Zhang finally returned. Mister Song, really beg your pardon. Just a moment ago, Mistress actually couldnt be found so I went outside to look, only to return now as a result. s, Mistress experienced overexertion and so, after feeding Little Mister, has already retired. Dont know what matter Mister Song has? This little one shall certainly inform Mistress of it. Steward Zhang finished grilling Xiaoqi, then came to the parlor and spoke thusly to Song Jing-gong. This was also arranged beforehand. Song Jing-gong had no way of guessing if these words were dependable or not. After considering it, he decided not to speak of it with this steward and could only seek out the next opportunity. He muste tomorrow. At the very least, he couldnt spend that money and jade ornament in vain. So he said: No harm. Since your noble manors Mistress is not in, I dont know if I could see your familys Master? He was still unwilling to let his hopes die here. Master never bothers with the trifling affairs of the manor; everything that should be taken care of is managed by Mistress. Unless Mister Song is talking about matters of schrship? Then naturally, you could seek out Master. Steward Zhangs reply was also airtight against any leaks. No, no, not schrship. Its business, big business. Oh, is that so? Then, I request that Mister Song pleasee back the following day. Mister, drink tea. Steward Zhang here was driving off a guest. Waiting until Song Jing-gong had turned around and left, Steward Zhang gazed at that slightly reluctant back silhouette as he coldlyughed once and said to himself: Dare to aim your attentions at my house? At that time, youll know formidability.
So, hes not a viin who was dispatched by other people to the manor and was actually having an affair with a maid servant of the manor. This is easily handledjust drive them out of the manor is all. Mrs. Zhang-Wang received the stewards report. That Xiaoqi hadnt been sent here by other people but had heard Masters words and as a result of wanting to cajole a maid servant of the manor called Xiaohong,[7] he bbed these words to prove that he knew a lot of things. Hearing the beginning and end of this matter at the same time, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan also breathed a sigh of relief. No one was willing to have fire break out in their own backyard when they were working hard to develop an enterprise. In regards to his mothers approach, Zhang Xiaobao didnt agree but could only suggest: Mom cant have Xiaoqi driven out. What if he harbored resentment and talked about this everywherethat would be bad. Rather beat him dead than let him go. Dont need to beat him to death. Since hes good with that Xiaohong or whatever, then just ask Xiaohong what they intend. If theyre both like this, then just betroth the two of them. Wang Juan, seeing that Zhang Xiaobao wanted tomit murder for the sake of removing a hidden danger, quickly prevented it. Mrs. Zhang-Wang looked at her son and then looked at her daughter-inw before happily kissing their two faces again and again: Good, well listen to Juan-Juan. My son and Juan-Juan can actually say so many words like a grownup. Even if youre monsters, Mom will ept it. Where would you go to find such dear monsters? Its really all your Dads fault. He had to say that word. Wait a bit; Mom will go find your Dad to have a talk. Having finished talking and fed the two children, Mrs. Zhang-Wang really did go seek out Father Zhang. But she didnt go by herself and called up Mom [inw] and Old Master with a slight appearance of wishing to make a public trial of his crimes.[8] Of course, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didnt care about other people as theyy down there, holding back the sleepiness overtaking them to discuss matters forter on. These ideas of yours are one after another. Do you intend to take them all out? Altogether, there are only two people working. How could Yingtao and Erniu know of so many things? Theyll get exhausted silly. Wang Juan felt that if Zhang Xiaobao continued like this, the expansion would be too quick so she was giving advice there. It is a bit much. Then, just have Ernius family manage the affairs of that paste sauce, Yingtao will raise the chickens, the earthworms and other misceneous stuff will be given to Shiliu. But then, wouldnt we have nobody by our side again? Actually, it isnt that I want to expand so quickly. If we werent in the 2nd year of Kaiyuan right now and were 2 years earlier, I could still go slowly. But time doesnt abide me,[9] ~ah. Zhang Xiaobao sighed as he spoke. I dont believe it, ~ne. I feel that even if it were 2 years earlier, you would still say this. Just like how some people who would always say if I were only younger, I would be like this or that. Even waiting until they age bit by bit, they would still be like this. Wang Juan basically treated Zhang Xiaobaos words with disbelief. Zhang Xiaobao turned over to lie there, pressing his face to the mat as he said with a hum: Really, Im afraid that Li Longji will take my familysnd. My family doesnt pay any taxes on those 100 heads. If thends gone, what do the people of the manor do? Keep them? Those taxes are paid per headhow much money is required every day, ~ah! Dont keep them; my Grandpa, Grandma, as well as my Dad and Mom, whod wait on them? Theyre people whove grown used to being waited on; Im worried that they wouldnt be able to take it. Even if you have to earn it, you still want to buy such a big plot ofnd with this little money? This money isnt enough, of course. I need a foundation. At that time, thered naturally be a way to get rich. I wont speak of it with you beforehand. Otherwise, youll mourn the heavens and pity the people[10] again. Anyway, its not by swindling. Zhang Xiaobao continued exining. Who cares? If you wont speak of it, then dont speak of it. Dont tell me in the future ever again. Think on that Great Swindler Song, then. Wang Juan said as if in a pique. Whats to worry about a swindler? Its those of you who are officials that are formidable. How did I not think about using dys, ~ne? That is indeed bureaucracy. Dying him a few days is fine. Im impressed. Zhang Xiaobao praised. This was because todays dying tactic was Wang Juans own idea. If it were up to Zhang Xiaobaos thinking, theyd just be swindling each other directly. What do you understand? This is called battle strategy. Sleep, we still need to continue training in the afternoon.
  1. The phrase Song Jing-gong uses here is you yuan (), which can be tranted as destined or fated. It can describe a romantic destiny but can also refer to serendipitous encounters that lead tosting friendships. Since Song Jing-gong is trying to im that he likes Xiaobao enough to want to befriend him in order to curry favor with the Zhang household, I chose to trante his turn of phrase as sharing an affinity.
  2. The expression Song Jing-gong uses is da she sui gun shang (). This Chinese turn of phrase is essentially describing someone acting quickly like someone striking a snake with a stick before it can react. I reced it with a roughly equivalent English expression as suggested by a reader.
  3. Mrs. Zhang-Wang is referencing a point in Chinese history where a 7 year old genius named Xiang Tuo () was so intelligent that Confucius treated the little boy as his teacher (). This anecdote is supposed to be an illustration of Confucius humility as he had already taught several students himself and was considered a master sage at this point in his life but he still wasnt arrogant enough to assume that he knew more than a 7 year old child prodigy who had wisdom of his own. The historical veracity of this ount is corroborated in terms of being mentioned in several Chinese texts of the period as well as in several ssical histories. However, the actual details of the event and how it became well known enough to be recorded for posterity is unknown. It is likely a situation simr to how everyone knows Sir Isaac Newton first thought of the concept of gravity by having an apple hit his head even though that might not be what exactly happened. However, as this story is universally epted as the truth in Chinese culture, Xiang Tuo became one of the oft-cited examples of a boy genius.
  4. Gan Luo () bing a Senior Minister at the age of 12 is anothermon example cited in Chinese history of a child prodigy (). Senior Minister is how I have tranted the position of shang qing () that is mentioned in the phrase. Qing/ is a ministerial title that falls underneath the Three Lords and Nine Ministers governmental system of ancient China and was divided into upper (shang/), middle (zhong/), and lower (xia/) graded ranks. Sometimes, Gan Luo is said to have be a prime minister or chancellor in a mistrantion or exaggeration of shang qing (), usually for the purposes of drama. Historical mention of this event can be found in the 71st volume of biographies of the Records of the Grand Historian or Taishi Gong Shu (), which is also known as The Scribes Records (Shiji/) for short, authored by Sima Qian () of the Han Dynasty.
  5. Siqi/ is the term for a lifetime contract that remains valid until the death of the contractor. In this case, Steward Zhang is stating that Xiaoqi sold himself to the Zhang household for the duration of his lifetime.
  6. The expression used to describe Steward Zhangs facial expression is mian chen si shui (), which isparing his facial expression to that of the deep or dark water surface. The adjective of chen/ in this phrase is alsomonly used to describe gloomy or overcast weather, hence my trantion choice.
  7. Xiaohong () means little red.
  8. Xing shi wen zui () is a Chinese idiom describing a situation when a crowd or mob of people, possibly incited or led by a leader, makes a bigmotion over an alleged crime in a mock trial where they y judge and jury (and sometimes executioner), essentially holding a kangaroo court.
  9. The 4-character long expression that Xiaobao uses here is shi bu dai wo (), which I havent been able to find when looking it up in Chinese dictionaries or the inte but based on the meaning that I can gather from it, it likely shares a meaning along the same lines as the English expression time waits for no one as the Chinese characters literally trante to time not rece me.
  10. The 4-character idiom Xiaobao uses here is bei tian min ren (), which is typically used to describe when someone is being the equivalent of a bleeding heart. Obviously, this is Xiaobao needling Juan-Juan on her naivete since he is more cynical than she is.
Book 1: Chapter 16 Book 1: Chapter 16 Imp or King Yama, Whos Hard To Deal With Idlers Note: Im going to try to see if I can manage 3 chapters a week on a regr basis but again, I cant guarantee it right now. Ill see if I can keep up this increased pace although I have to work for a living and will likely need to prioritize that first so I can put food on my table. Hopefully, my trantion speed and efficiency will rise with time so the tentative schedule will be easier to maintain and I will do my best to do releases more often. But again, tranting is not my full-time job right now and only you, the readers, can decide if you want to that possibility so I can devote more time to tranting.
Shiliu was also sent out to do things. After Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan woke up, they discovered that seated by the doorway there was actually another maid servant. I am really a bit impressed with your Mom [modern] of this lifetime for overseeing the manors affairs, breastfeeding us milk as well as maintaining control over her childrens surrounding situation at all times. If it were switched to that time period of ours, she would definitely also be a howling whirlwind[1] of a superwoman.[2] Wang Juan said with a sigh. That is, you dont even look to see whose Mom she is? In the future, dont keep saying your Mom [modern], your Mom [modern] like thatits like youre insulting people. Follow the local customs[3] and say Dad or Mom. Whos that by the doorway again? Cant assign any more tasks, otherwise there wont be enough people to use in the household. Zhang Xiaobao looked at the maid servant keeping watch there as another idea emerged from his heart. He thought on it before finally overruling it. Seeing that Wang Juan was grumpily looking over here, he smiled as he said: Too used to it, I keep on feeling like Im still that person controllingrge-scale organizations, ~ne. Then, keep reminding yourself from time to time, especially when facing outsiders. Lets go. Go to the sand grounds. Lets use the fast recovery rate of a childs body to quickly grab the time to train. Once Wang Juans voice fell, the two of them began to kick the mat down to the floor. This was the only way that the both of them could get down by themselves. Little Mister, you [honorific] are up? Just after kicking down one mat, that maid servant vigntly walked over. Dont need you. Well go ourselves. Youre called? Seeing the maid servant stretch out her hand to carry him and Wang Juan, Zhang Xiaobao spoke up to stop her. In reply to Little Misters words, Im called Xiaohong. Many thanks to Little Mister and Little Miss intercession. From now on, I and Xiaoqi wont ever dare be loose-lipped again. The person calling herself Xiaohong was a bit cautious in her reply. Oh, youre Xiaohong. Work well at the manor; we wont mistreat you. Quickly, down. Wang Juan said a sentence to Xiaohong before pressing Zhang Xiaobao to roll down first. Deeply inhaling a breath with both hands protecting the head, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan consecutively rolled on top of the mat on the floor under that flummoxed gaze of Xiaohongs. Xiaohong felt like the ones tumbling down there werent two children but two great boulders that were tightly pressing down on her chest, frightening her until she didnt know what to do. Go to the kitchen hall to get the water we need. Once you mention it, theyll understand. Go to the sandy grounds of the backcourt to find us. Remember to bring two or more changes of our clothing. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan ignored the mat on the floor. This kind of matter should be done by Xiaohong. One in front and one in back, they tottered while walking outside. Gazing at that vanishing silhouette of Little Mister and the Wang Familys Little Miss, Xiaohong nkly stood there. Only after a long while did she react as she used a hand to cover her mouth as she whispered: Not monsters. I dont know anything at all, wont say anything at all. Trembling, Xiaohong went to the kitchen as ordered. The kitchen had already readied the items. As she carried the water while walking to the back, Xiaohong was still in the middle of a trance. As she walked and walked, she suddenly stopped mid-stride as she said to herself: If Little Mister really is a monster, then wouldnt the future patriarch be a monster? Doesnt seem too bad, ~ah. With a monster as the patriarch, who would still dare to bully the manors people? In an instant, Xiaohong who hade around to the idea became happy. She sped up her footsteps to arrive at the sandy grounds in the back here, only to see Little Mister and the Wang Familys Little Miss there, currently holding hands as they walked, ~ne. Nearby under a tree, Old Madam and Old Master were sitting, their faces filled with kind smiling expressions as they watched the two fellows over there mess around. The proud sun slowly sinking in the west,[4] Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan once again dragged their exhausted bodies back to their own room. Bearing with the aching soreness, they massaged each other once before lying down there to gradually fall asleep. Mrs. Zhang-Wang had already given the orders these few days, requesting a pig elbow to eat every daythe kind without any salt. For her, for the sake of the children, it seemed that there wasnt anything she couldnt endure. After being breastfed by Mrs. Zhang-Wang, by the time Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan flopped down there to read the Thousand Character ssic,[5] Erniu and Yingtao had already returned while Shiliu was bringing several people to the market fair there to gather vegetable leaves, foul fish, and rotten shrimp. Little Mister, the sauce base[6] has been prepped. Making sauce in this season isnt that good. My Mom has said that it can still be madeitll be done after a couple days have passed. The money for the small ceramic jars that weremissioned will be sent over at the same time. Only waiting until Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan raised their heads to rest their eyes did Erniu open his mouth to make the report. Unh, first work on this matter; you pay more attention to it. The items received through trade that arent soybeans, keep a tenth for your family. Transport the rest back to the courtyard. Find a ce to store it for me. The amount of every item, find a person whos literate to record it and give to me. You also dont need to constantlye here every day. Come once every 2 or 3 days. When you encounter unresolvable matters, you can alsoe seek me out for advice. Rest in the courtyard house tonight. Return tomorrow morning. Zhang Xiaobao deliberated slightly, after instructing Erniu, he then nced Yingtao who was standing to the side. Nodding his little head, Yingtao came forward to say: Little Mister, that kang [bed-stove] that you [honorific] spoke of has already been set and dried. Quite a few chicken eggs have also been purchased. Ive been touching the chicken nests every day. I feel like I can do it. Properly prepared? This is good, then. Do it ording to what I say. Around 20 dayster, there will be chicks hatching. Wait for me to think on it. Ill describe the matter in detail for you to hear tomorrow. This stuff Im familiar.[7] When you see Shiliu, have her be a bit quicker. Zhang Xiaobao was pensive for a moment before slowly speaking. When Yingtao had also left, Wang Juan stared at Zhang Xiaobao before suddenly smiling: Even thought you really knew of everything. So you were actually insecure. You familiar with it? Why were you so unconfident when speaking of it? Cant say Im unfamiliar. Yingtao had already grasped the temperature so what she needs is for me to give her confidence. Being in power isnt easy, ~ah. Zhang Xiaobao smacked his lips, continuing to read after he finished speaking. This wasnt simply reading but also memorizing. Wang Juan didnt say anything more at the moment as her eyes looked straight at the characters with too many brush strokes.[8] Only after a while did she speak: Actually, living isnt that easy. Who even knows what tomorrow will be like? Natural catastrophes, man-made disastersif they cant be avoided, then confront them. What do you want to use that stuff for? Wang Juans tendency for mental leaps was a bit strongershe had beenmenting previously and then, with a switch in topic, had gone elsewhere. Rewards. From now on, the money made will be even greater and be subject to the suspicions of other people. I may not have the inclination to oversee the internal affairs. Right now, consolidating the hearts of the people is needed. My request is that the two manors of the Zhang and Wang families must be like a monolithic iron block. Its good that there are people to help out. Zhang Xiaobao said as he flipped a page. Wang Juan flipped it back as she hadnt finished reading it, ~ne: Still short two linesnot used to reading the vertical version.[9] Who did you say was helping? Song Jing-gong, that swindler. We can get a sum of money from him. Read quickly. Read a page and then, sleep. Zhang Xiaobao yawned as he spoke.
It was another brilliantly sunny day and the early morning breeze still carried a bit of coolness; the chirping of the birds were like the sunlight passing through the gaps in the foliage as their presence could be sensed only inadvertently. The little kids and idle adults with nothing to do were all at home flipping over the firewood piles as they dug out the decayed stuff from underneath to carefully heap it up to the side as they awaited the arrival of the people from the manor to trade for it. Song Jing-gong didnt return yesterday and had randomly found a household of the manor to request lodging with. Ordinarily, with a phnthropist like him staying for a few nights, the people of the house should have included the food to be taken care of by them without asking for even 1 wen [cash]. But who knew that the people of these two neighboring manors actually wanted money out of him. One nights stay was 5 wen [cash]; a single meal was 5 wen [cash] and it was even without meat while with meat, it was 10 wen [cash]. Just that single crummy dishnot mentioning the vor not being so good, there wasnt that much grease,[10] either. Going to the town tavern to stay, 15 wen [cash] was enough and you could even drink a bowl of wine, ~ne. When he left that household, Song Jing-gong even secretly swore a curse. All the money on his person had been given to that Zhang Familys little kid but they had gone so far as to take an ink stone[11] from the Four Treasures of the Study[12] that he always carried on him. That ink stone had been priced at 50 wen [cash] and it had only been worth a broken down bed for a nights stay, a bowl of brown rice,[13] and a te of eggs with stir-fried garlic chives[14] that they had actually counted as a meat dish. With such a dismal mood, even the weather being this nice couldnt make Song Jing-gong cheer up. If that jade and silver hadnt been taken by another person, Song Jing-gong was really prepared to leave here. Now that the stuff had been given away, if he didnt swindle any profit, whatever else was said, he couldnt ept it. Imagining the spectacle of when the Zhang Manors people would be swindled to tears, Song Jing-gongs heart was finally a bitforted. He hurried along the way, only slowing down his footsteps after he had nearly reached the manorsrgest courtyard. Tidying his clothes, he said in the direction of the great door: I wonder if the one managing the affairs of the manor is present? Song Jing-gong hase to pay a visit. The people at the doorway here had already received instructions so they nced at the door and were silent. Song Jing-gong waited for a while before reaching out to knock on the door. Only then did someone inside pull open the small portal, sticking their head out to look at Song Jing-gong as they said: What? I am Song Jing-gong, desiring to meet the person managing the affairs of your house. Song Jing-gong cleared his throat, speaking in a clear voice. Dont recognize you, have a name card?[15] How could the person managing the affairs of my house be so easily seen? The gatekeeper curled his lip in disdain. I came here before yesterday along with your houses Little Mister. Why is this not known today? Song Jing-gong was inwardly furious yet he couldnt directly demonstrate it and could only continue talking. I only saw Little Mister yesterday and saw no other people. Eiyou~![16] Isnt this Mister Zheng?[17] You [honorific] havee; please quickly enter. This little one here will go inform them for you. The gatekeeper was speaking when his face suddenly changed in expression, greeting Song Jing-gong afterward before turning around to run inside. Song Jing-gong hearing this mention by the gatekeeper, turned his head to observe only to see a young person around 20 years of age with a face full of smiles who was currently standing there, his upper torso d in a little jacket and lower parts in tight-legged trousers. He didnt appear to be a person with money so why did that gatekeeper treat him like this? Holding onto his suspicions, Song Jing-gong made an obeisance[17] to this person as he said: So it is Mister Zheng. This one below[18] is acquainted;[19] this one below is surnamed Song. Oh, oh, greetings, Mister Song. Dont know if Mister Song is like this one[20]ing here to borrow money? This Mister Zheng didnt seem to know what secrecy was, revealing his purpose ining upon opening his mouth. Borrow money? Then, I wonder why the gatekeeper gives the two of us such different treatment? Song Jing-gong wanted to figure it out where he wascking. Oh, Mister Song must be an upright person. Although I am borrowing money but every time Ie here, I always Mister Zheng, you [honorific], pleasee inside. Just as Song Jing-gong wanted to know the reason, the gatekeeper returned, standing by the doorway in wee. Mister Zheng smiled as he said thanks, offhandedly handing over a string that was enough to be 300 wen [cash] in copper coins to the gatekeeper before walking inside with the gatekeeper in respectful attendance. Gazing at Mister Zhengs silhouette in the distance, the gatekeeper weighed the money in his hands with a face full of smiles before happily stowing it away. When he was looking back at Song Jing-gong again, he suddenly gave a cold humph and not speaking at all, he turned around to go inside. Song Jing-gong at once knew the reason. Gritting his teeth, he turned around to leave. This wasnt because he didnt want to swindle anymore but it was to go back to get money. He finally understood what was going on with this gatekeeper. This really was called King Yama[21] is easy to see; an imp[22] is hard to deal with.[23]
  1. Chi zha feng yun () is an idiom with Cantonese origins. When taken apart etymologically, chizha/ means to roar/bellow and fengyun/ means wind (and) cloud, which tends to call up the image of a storm or turbulence. This phrase is generally used to describe something omnipotent or all-powerful using the weather/nature as an image. Because it was a bit hard for me to trante this literally as well as get the gist of it across as briefly as possible, Ipromised by choosing a simr metaphor that hopefully also conveyed a roughly equivalent meaning.
  2. Nu Qiang Ren () is another ng term with Cantonese origins that was probably poprized and adopted into the Mandarin vernacr through a Hong Kong drama called Jia Bian () whose official English title is A House Is Not a Home. Cantonese ng or idioms being re-purposed and re-adapted into Mandarin Chinese is understandable when you consider that Hong Kong was the main source of Chinese entertainment for years until the maind Chinese economy kicked into high enough gear to allow its film/TV industries to mature and why Hong Kong-based celebrities still have name recognition in maind China, even today. Qiangren/, meaning strong person, was a term first coined in the Water Margin () to describe someone highly skilled but it alsoter gained the added meaning of bandit or robber, which sounds simr since they are qiangdao/ or qiangfei/ in Chinese. Nu Qiang Ren () likely harkens back to the initial talented person definition but adds the character for woman (nu/) in front of it. A simr term in Chinese would be tie niang zi () or irondy. Both terms would be applied to career women who bnce work and home lives while excelling at both. Because of these considerations and for the sake of reader understanding while simultaneously keeping the grammatically smooth, I have tranted this term as superwoman.
  3. Ru xiang sui su () literally trantes to entering vige, follow customs. An equivalent saying in English, which is attributed to Ambrose, would be When in Rome, do as the Romans do that is so often simply quoted as the shortened when in Rome to the point that people hardly remember the full expression. Here, Xiaobao is chiding Juan-Juan for still using the modern version of your mother to refer to Mrs. Zhang-Wang, which really sounds like shes cursing him out. It is especially ring since by contrast, Xiaobao has mostly switched to using the ancient term for mother. So he is telling her to switch over as well.
  4. I dont think I did this phrase justice as the original Chinese is written rather poetically although I cant find what ssical source the author might be quoting or referencing: jiao yang jian jian xi chen (). It could also be a turn of phrase the author made up on his own since he is rather literary. If anyone knows for sure, let me know!
  5. The Thousand Character ssic or Qian Zi Wen () is the equivalent of a primer for ancient Chinese children just like how little kids would get taught their ABCs as a basis for how to read and write in English (or any other Romancenguage that uses the Latin alphabet for that matter). It is written as a poem, which serves as a mnemonic device, simr to how singing the alphabet song helps American kids remember the letters.
  6. A pizi () is the base for the sauce that is usually created by mixing the raw materials and is then processed through fermentation, marination, or brewing depending on the needs of the recipe for the specific sauce.
  7. The shu/ used in this sentence can also mean hot or warm since being familiar with something in Chinese literally means to be hot/warm with it, adding a bit of wordy in this conversation since they are talking about controlling the temperature by being familiar with it.
  8. This is another reference to the fact that Xiaobao and Juan-Juan are looking at Traditional Chinese characters, which would use more brush strokes than they are used to, having grown up using the Simplified Chinese character set.
  9. Wang Juan is referring to the fact that not only is Chinese a writtennguage whose characters were traditionally oriented horizontally from right-to-left, it could also be written vertically. The influence of Europeannguages such as English and the predominantly Latin-based encoding ofputer fonts means that modern Chinese is now generally written horizontally from left-to-right with a decrease in the use of vertically written Chinese. So reading a Tang dynasty book would require some adjustment from Juan-Juan since the text would not only be using moreplex characters (in her view, at least), it is also oriented in the opposite direction of what shes used to, and probably oriented vertically as well.
  10. Meat was considered a luxury in the ancient Chinese diet. So the oils, fats, and grease associated with meat consumption was correspondingly very highly valued to the point that you shui (), which is grease or oil water, became a synonym for profit in Chinese and oily or greasy merchants were amon epithet to illustrate how rich they were.
  11. A yan tai () or ink stone is a mortar that serves as the surface that the ink stick is ground against as well as being the container that the ink is mixed and stored in during use. An ink stone could be made out of different kinds of material as well as decorated or carved to beautiful effect with some of them being sought after for their historical and artistic qualities as well as utilitarian function.
  12. The Four Treasures of the Study or wen fang si bao () are the brush, ink (stick), paper, and ink stone. They were considered necessities for a schr to have in their study and carrying them around on their travels in case inspiration struck them was also amon habit. Needless to say, selecting the right ones was itself an art form and a matter of subjective opinion that the ancient literati took seriously.
  13. Brown rice is rice with only the husk removed, which is why its called rough rice (cao mi/) in Chinese.
  14. I have tranted jiu cai () as garlic chives though it is also known by a plethora of different names in English that include Chinese leek, oriental garlic, etc. Its scientific name is Allium tuberosum and it was widely cultivated in East Asia for its culinary, medicinal, and decorative purposes.
  15. I have tranted ming tie () literally as name card though it is essentially the ancient Chinese equivalent of a calling or visiting card. The reason I have done so is because I wanted to emphasize the name part as they were handwritten and served as an impromptu way to prove the holders identity while showing off their calligraphy. Obviously, these cards were more effective the more famous the card owner was. A card bearing the name of the person was given to the household they wished to call upon as a form of etiquette. These cards were considered the persons face and could also function as a form of letter of introduction if given to a friend or acquaintance that could be used to gain entry to a household outside of their social circle or request a meeting with someone who was also a friend or acquaintance of the name cards owner. Since these helped facilitate social calls, they were a necessary tool for the Chinese aristocracy and literati in maintaining their socialworks, simr to their European counterparts.
  16. Eiyou () is another onomatopoeia in Chinese that is an exmation of surprise.
  17. The gesture of greeting Song Jing-gong is making here, gong shou (), is a hand gesture simr in concept to a Namaste but with one hand clenched in a fist instead of the palms meeting. This was a polite way to greet people as it maintained a safe distance between the greeter and the one being greeted without touching as well as conveying polite friendliness. So it is a bit like a handshake geared for wary hypochondriacs or those with a phobia to touch. Youve probably seen this gesture before if you have ever watched any Chinese fantasy media as it shows up a lot in kung fu films, wuxia series, and any other visual media that are set in ancient China or an analogue of it. For pictures on what it looks like, you can visit this page here.
  18. Song Jing-gong is using humble speech to refer to himself in the third person here. Zai xia () literally means is under and is a polite way for the speaker to imply that they are beneath the listener as a sign of polite humility. Since Song Jing-gong wants information from the other person, the power dynamic between them is unequal and his polite humility is warranted.
  19. The Chinese used here of you li () literally means have rationality. Since this is one of those pleasantries said by rote upon meeting someone, I tranted for the gist rather than the literal meaning.
  20. Mister Zheng is referring to himself with just mo/, which would be simr to someone using one to refer to themselves (ex: One wishes one could take a vacation).
  21. Yan Wang () is the Chinese name for King Yama, who is the King of Hell in Buddhism. The Chinese name is based off the original Sanskrit name, Yama Raja ( ). He is known as Enma Ou in Japan so some trantions will use this name or a variation on it for him. He is a figure that ys a simr role to Osiris or Hades in that he impartially judges the souls of the dead thate before him and decides their destination.
  22. Xiao gui () literally trantes to little ghost. However, because it is being mentioned in text to contrast with King Yama who is the king of the underworld and has a lot of demons and spirits as his subordinates, I chose to trante it as imp. Kids can also be jokingly referred to as xiaogui () when they are naughty or precocious, further supporting its connotations as imp.
  23. This 8-character couplet, Yan Wang hao jian, xiao gui nan chan (), is essentially a Chinese aphorism that states that individuals of high status like King Yama (who is known for his fairness, by the way) can be easier to meet or deal with than is expected while small-time peons like the imps subordinate to King Yama (who are prone to bribery or caprice) can be harder to deal with by contrast and their difficulty in being dealt with seems to be an inverse reflection of the pettiness or greatness of their positions.
Book 1: Chapter 17 Book 1: Chapter 17 White Clouds Meeting & Parting Words Make A Fortune Idlers Note: A bonus release! Trying to see how much work is entailed in doing as many releases as possible if I go on a trantion binge We shall see if I can maintain this pace for the week. I might need to drop back down to the original schedule I set for myself afterwards since I will likely need to go back to focusing my attention on my frencing to make up for all the time I spent doing just trantions. I do wish I could just trante without worrying about other stuff since it is a lot funner for me. Sigh The working travails of a frencer ?
Song Jing-gong was a swindler. He had always thought of himself as the most impressive and simply didnt think on other matters, not even knowing to frequentlymunicate and exchange ideas with his peers. So he really could be said to be at a self-involved standstill.[1] Zhang Xiaobao had seized advantage of this psychology of his to endlessly swindle money. Every time was a little bit and he even utilized the gatekeeper. The morning after returning, the more Song Jing-gong thought about it, the madder he got. For the sake of taking revenge earlier, he brought along the money to rush back here the same night. The one he encountered was still that gatekeeper and with the experience from this morning, this time without waiting to speak, he had already handed over a piece of silver. It weighed around half a tael, more than double what Mister Zheng had given in the morning. Sure enough, the gatekeeper greeted him with smiles, taking the money and almost flying, ran inside. Not long after, he came back, revealing a helpless expression. He said: Mister Song, the steward is currently checking the ounts. He probably has no way of meeting with Mister today. Perhapsing early in the day tomorrow would be better. Then, is the Mistress of your house present? Song Jing-gong had spent half a silver tael. His heart was hurting, ~ne. That much money, ~ah, was just given to the gatekeeper. Seeing that there was no way to speak to the steward at this time, he presented a new request. Who knew that upon hearing these words, the gatekeeper who had been dealing him with a smiling face just now, his expression darkened immediately as he coldly said: The Mistress of my house has no need for Misters concern. Please leave, Mister. Song Jing-gong froze as he suddenly realized that there were two kids to feed. At this time, she must have been breastfeeding the kids, ~ne. His asking after her like this was really too discourteous. His face embarrassed, he didnt dare converse too much as he forced a smile and turned around to slowly take his leave. After walking tens of steps, he discovered that he was currently walking towards that family that he had requested lodging with yesterday. Thinking of that familys meals, he switched directions, moving towards the Wang Manor there. Who knew that though he had found a household whose appearances looked clean but after speaking of his intent, they had actually wanted 10 wen [cash] in lodging money and the food expenses were likewise doubled. Thinking that this familys food should be a bit better, he gritted his teeth and epted it. After all, ining here to Zhang Manor to swindle, it wasnt good to go to Ge Manor. Who knew that dinner upon its delivery was actually a dish of chicken eggs and stir-fried garlic chives? And it didnt evenpare to those chicken eggs with stir-fried garlic chives, ~ne. At least that dish had more chicken eggs. Lying down on that bed whose boards were nearly gnawed hollow, underneath the thinyer of matting was a carpet of thatch straw[2] that pierced him ufortably. Just this was bad enough but within the room, there were actually even mosquitoes flying about. For yesterday nights sleep, that familys people had even lit a piece of rope woven from Chinese mugwort[3] to use as mosquito repellent, ~ne. Today had nothing whatsoever; this room was even adjacent to the back of that courtyard. Through the broken half of the window shutter with the illumination of the moonlight, things that were loudly pping their wings could be seen as they wandered around inside. Song Jing-gong didnt even dare take off his clothes. Using the nket that had an odor he couldnt identify to cover his face with, he waspletely unable to fall asleep. Outside the window, the crickets sounds were never-ending. In the past, listening to them was another type of vor; today, it was even more of a kind of vor. Thete night dew was heavy as the vegetables and the fruit trees nted within the courtyard endlessly sent damp air into the room. Song Jing-gong felt that his hands and feet were icy cold. Tossing and turning, he curled his body up into a ball but still had no way of stopping this type of chilliness. Old Father,[4] Old Father, open the door. Lets discuss something. Song Jing-gong who was finally unable to endure this kind of torture rose to arrive in front of a room next door, gently knocking on the door and speaking up only after hearing a querying response from within. Whatwhy arent you sleeping when its thiste? Opening the door was a 50-something year old person who yawned as he discontentedly asked. Old Father, that room of mine is really too cold. I wonder if there is a thin quilt that can be lent for my use? Song Jing-gong didnt expect that a peasant could actually dare to speak in such a way to him and sighed destely in his heart while speaking in a conciliatory manner. What bedding is there? Its all been put away. Where would I go with you in the middle of the night to find it? Put up with it for a night. What were you thinking earlier before? The old father rejected him. There really isnt? Its not like there isntthere is a new bed quilt thats been given to my grandson to use for wedding a wife. It was put in a conspicuous spot; spent an entire 1 silver tael to have people make it. The old father spoke while sighing over the master-familys formidabilitythey had calcted even this. Ill buy it. A silver taelIll buy it. Song Jing-gongs eyes were all red. What quilt was 1 silver tael? Could it be satin? Its still a bothersome effort to go get it. The old father griped while not moving. Ill add another 10 wen [cash]. Song Jing-gong raised the fee. Wait here. The old father humphed once and closed the door, probably going inside to find the quilt. Only after an entire quarter-hour[5] did he saunter out and stuff a bundled up item into Song Jing-gongs arms before turning around to close the door and put up the crossbar. Song Jing-gong hugged the quilt, feeling a bit warmer. Returning to his own room, he spread the quilt toy on top of his body but he still couldnt sleep so he could only look around in all four directions using the moonlight. As he looked around, he saw the quilt. The more he looked, the more that he felt like something was a bit wrong. He didnt know if it was the moonlight that was originally such a pure white or if it was an issue with the quilts color. When he peered closely at it to see, it was made out of coarse thread. With this one set, 30 wen [cash] would be considered too much; the most expensive couldnt be more than 50 wen [cash] but he had actually spent 1 silver tael. This was bad enough but seeing that those dyed areas had obviously been starched and washed till they had lost their color and were splotched off-whitethis was called a new quilt? Song Jing-gong was this mad, ~ah. After thinking on it, he simply didnt sleep and directly stood up to walk in front of the window as he pushed open the other window shutter to look at the night view with the quilt draped over him.
Several days passed like this. Song Jing-gong had spent quite a bit of money. Excluding what he had given to Zhang Xiaobao, it was enough to be 10 silver taels added up all together, including lodgings, food and drink, as well as gifts yet he had only met Steward Zhang once. He did speak of the matter but had only said that it was a partnership for a profitable business. But Steward Zhang said he wasnt able to make the decision and needed to report to his Mistress for her to know. Who knew that this wait would be another several days? If he hadnt spent so much money, hed have already gone backwhod freely loiter here? But the money had been spent yet the business hadnt beenpleted. He wasnt satisfied, ~ah. Today, he finally decided to go to Ge Manor to stay and not spend that wrongful money.
Xiaobao, weve arrived here for 20 days? On one end of a seesaw under the shade of a tree was Wang Juan, who asked this as she vigorously pressed down to get Zhang Xiaobao on that side raised up. Zhang Xiaobao shifted his center of gravity to have Wang Juan lift him up as he answered: No, just 19 days. After another 10 or so days, the chicks shoulde out. The earthworms havent grown up yet so put them in the bathrooms of the peasant houses. Oh, theyre called outhouses.[6] If they eat maggots, it doesnt matter if theyre buried but Im afraid that theyll fall into the cesspool and die from drowningtheyll need to be fed a bit of food grain. The sauce, ~ne. Its almost done? Still early, ~ne. Still needs 20 some days to be done. Zhang Xiaobao estimated the days that Erniu stated. Are you sure therell be people to buy it? Its no more than a bit of spiciness with meat inside. Wang Juan also energetically moved back to lift Zhang Xiaobao back up again as they used this to exercise the strength of their legs and hips, ying while they were training. Definitely not a problem. Wait until the saucees out, well include the methods for dishes made using the sauce to be sent together to those inns and restaurants as well as shops. If they sell well, then theylle buy the sauce. Lets rest. Its been 2 hours. My legs have been rubbed raw. In a while, lets have Xiaohong go to the back kitchen and tell them to make some kelp and bone soupwasnt some kelp bought 2 days ago? Supplement the diet a bit; just drinking milk wont do either, ~ah. Zhang Xiaobao got down from this end of the seesaw to walk outside where there was sunlight to bask in the sun. Wang Juan also followed by going there. On that side, Xiaohong hurried over to the kitchen to order people to make stuff, rushed back to take out a small couch to ce it in the center of the courtyard, and raised an umbre. She herself took cover underneath the shade as she watched over the two little ancestors while pondering her own concerns. Usually, when she had free time, she would make clothes for herself and for Xiaoqi. This time, whatever else said, she didnt dare to. If she let people catch her holding needle and thread while caring for the children, then nobody could help her at all. Xiaobao, dont keep lying down. See how much money we have. Wang Juan flipped over, resting her chin on the couch as she asked. There isnt too much money; umted a bit of stuff, though. Lets wait. Waiting till the fall harvest will be good. What do you want to do for the fall harvest? Keep feeling like youre up to no good. Up to this moment, Wang Juan still didnt know what calctions Zhang Xiaobao was making.[7] How to say, ~ne. If you say up to no good is fine, saying its working with good intentions[8] would also doit just depends on which angle you approach this from. Like? Wang Juan prompted. Like trade merchants making money, is that good or bad, ~ne? If they want profit, they can only buy low to sell high. Zhang Xiaobao pensively said. When Wang Juan, who had been lying there, heard these words, she sat up in a sh as she stared at Zhang Xiaobao and said: You want to buy food grains? You want to hoard to corner the market?[9] Dont be silly. How much money can I haveand to hoard, too? Im thinking of buying up food grains locally. Today was a rich harvest here so food grain is cheap; next year, transport it somewhere else to sell and make a great sum. Zhang Xiaobao finally spoke his objective out loud. What ce? First, cant say it. If its spoken of with another person, then a secret is no longer secret. Zhang Xiaobao refused once again. I wont ask at all from now on. You think on that Swindler Song and how hell need to be swindled. Im not a divine sage and not even a monster, either. Lets wait. Have Steward Zhang get in contact tomorrow; if the soldierse, the general will deal with it.[10]
The next day, Song Jing-gong came to the courthouse here as expected. Coming once every day, it had already be a habit. He originally assumed that he wouldnt have any results today but who knew that the gatekeeper would take the money he gave to go inside for the notification and that Steward Zhang himself had actuallye out in wee. He-he, Mister Song ining here must have waited for a long time? Quickly, follow me inside. Steward Zhang enthusiastically led Song Jing-gong into the parlor room, making Song Jing-gong feel a bit unustomed. When the two people had sat down, the servants delivered the tea water that had finished brewing. After drinking a few sips, Steward Zhang opened his mouth to say: For Mister Song toe here for this many days, it must certainly be an important matter? Today, Mistress is out on business and will require several days to return. All of the affairs within the manor have all been handed to this Zhang to manage. If Mister Song has something to say, please do. Upon hearing these words from Steward Zhang, Song Jing-gong was tempted within his heart and tentatively asked: Decisions on financial matters can also be made? Of course. My family has been the Steward of the Zhang family for generations; the paltry matter of allocating funds is naturally not impossible. Steward Zhang replied with a bit of loftiness. Oh, if this is as you said, then Steward Zhang is greatly esteemed in this Zhang Manor. Congrattions, Steward Zhang. Song Jing-gong ttered. Well said, well said. Mister Song might as well speak of the matter that youvee for. Steward Zhang squinted his eyes, appearing to have enjoyed being praised. Thats well. This Song will speak here, then. I have a store in that Sanshui County[11] that specializes in antiques and art.[12] Song Jing-gong softly said. Oh? Could it be to have me go buy some calligraphy and paintings? Steward Zhang asked. Not so, it is to discuss another important matterthe matter of making a fortune. Song Jing-gong finally spoke out loud words that he considered to be full of temptation.
  1. Gu bu zi feng () is a 4-character couplet that literally trantes to solid step self seal and is used to describe someone who doesnt improve and has closed themselves off from the world. A roughly equivalent English expression would be resting on ones where a person decides to rely on their existing reputation or fame but doesnt bother improving further, running the risk of their rivals or enemies overtaking them in the future.
  2. I have literally tranted the name for mao cao (), whose scientific name is Imperata cylindrica. Because it is a grass native to wide swathes of the world including Asia, Africa, and Oceania, it has several other names associated with it. However, in Chinese, its name is mostly derived from its function, which is its use in thatching the roofs of buildings. It can also be used medicinally and in other handicrafts.
  3. Ai hao () is a nt most well known for its use in traditional Chinese medicine. It can also be referred to as ai cao/ (ai grass) or aiye/ (ai leaf) but its scientific name is Artemisia argyi. It has many effects proscribed to it with many applications in different areas.
  4. Ive trantedo zhang () as old father because it is a respectful way to address an older man and zhang/ alsoes up as part of the formal term of address for a father-inw, yue zhang ().
  5. Time in ancient China could be divided decimally with the traditional time units for divisions of the day being shichen/ (2 hours), fen/ (minute), miao/ or hao/ (second). The exact amount of the time unit of ke/ varied wildly over history but since it had been roughly around 15 minutes before finally being modernized to equal exactly 15 minutes, I have opted to trante ke/ as a quarter-hour.
  6. Mao fang () are the ancient Chinese equivalents oftrines or outhouses as they were pits dug into the ground with thatched straw roofs. Obviously, they were an outdoor building separated from the residential areas. Needless to say, theyre a rare sight in China nowadays.
  7. The text used here is da de she me suan pan (), which literally means hitting what suanpan/abacus. Complex math calctions were done using the suanpan () in ancient China, the Chinese abacus. Because the character for n or scheme (ji/) also has heavy connotations with making calctions, the act of using an abacus (da suan pan/) would be a natural metaphor for the Chinese to use in describing someone scheming or making ns for their own benefit.
  8. There is a bit of wordy here as Xiaobao springboards off of Juan-Juans choice of phrasing to use two 4-character couplets that both contain hao xin (), which means good heart. Ive tranted mei an hao xin () as up to no good while hao xin ban shi () has been tranted as working with good intentions. Hopefully, this bit of wordy is apparent in the English trantion.
  9. Tun ji ju qi () is a Chinese idiom that describes stocking up on goods in vast quantities while the price is low with the intent of waiting for or creating a future situation where its price will skyrocket due to rarity in order to sell it for an exponential amount of profit. Because China historically has had a lot of gues and famines that caused food shortages and a corresponding rise in prices, this expression is politically sensitive in connotation since most often or not, Chinese merchants would profit greatly from the misery of the popce using the unstable food supply as a basis for their fortune. Hence, the bad reputation merchants kept getting in ancient China.
  10. This is actually the first half of a 8 character long sentence in Chinese: Bingi jiang dang, shuii tu yan (), which illustrates adapting ones reaction ording to the needs of the moment or the current threat. Tranted, this idiom means: if soldierse, the general will block it; if the waterse, the earth will cover it. However, like with these phrases, the first 4-character couplet (Bingi jiang dang/) is quoted more frequently and tends to act as a mnemonic device for the entire quote. A roughly equivalent English expression would be, What wille wille and we will meet it when it does, which can be simrly abbreviated into What wille wille.
  11. Because Ive decided to use pinyin for the names of locations in order to match up with the names of real-life historical ces when they are mentioned, will be transcribed as Sanshui County from now on. Sanshui/ simply means Three Waters.
  12. The phrase used here is gu wan zi hua (), which trantes to antiques, calligraphy and paintings. Since zihua/ was usually considered collectible art, that is the reason for my trantion choice here.
Book 1: Chapter 18 Book 1: Chapter 18 Striking Like A Thunderp Idlers Note: If it is within your means, please consider on Patreon! I have also added AdFly links at the bottom of each chapter on an experimental basis to see if that would be an easier way to support this site for readers. It would help me out a great deal since I would like to get a domain for this site. Anything extra would be gravy but would also prepare the way for my being able to devote more time to trantions, which would equal more frequent releases! If you catch an error or simply want to say hi or anything else, justment below! Thanks again! ?
After saying these words, Song Jing-gong didnt make another sound as he lowered his head to drink the tea there. Steward Zhang inwardly saying, Indeed, it hase, also feigned drinking a few sips of tea and waited until more water was refilled before he asked: Dont know the matter of making a fortune that Mister Song spoke of, what it is in detail? This Ai~! So be it. Ill speak of it for Steward Zhang to hear. This Song heard people say that those barbarian[1]nds has a kind of strange item and thought that if it were transported to our Great Tang, it certainly could be sold for a high price. So I first gave a bit of a down payment for around 1,000 dan [stone][2] with each dan [stone] at 200 wen [cash]. That object appears to be bright red, mouthwateringly tender and beautiful[3] with green leaves on top that is brilliant and rich in color.[4] It was originally said to be 1,000 dan [stone] but who would have thought that being transported over here would be 2,000 dan [stone]? The financial wealth on hand that this Song has isnt enough; therefore, came here to find Steward to discuss whether or not to make a fortune along with this Song and purchase these 1,000 dan [stone] in goods? Song Jing-gong said with a face full of assurance. Dont know what item is actually so precious? This 1,000 dan [stone], if eating it up, would need 200 silver taels, ~ah. It really isnt a small sum and to not have even seen the item. This Steward Zhang revealed a pained expression. In fact, he wasnt a bit afraid. No matter what was said now, it wouldnt be finalized so he could only follow up with talk. Yes, ~ya, 200 silver taels, its not good for Steward to decide. Why not wait for your noble manors Mistress to return before having a discussion? Song Jing-gong goaded. Steward Zhang really did reveal an unhappy facial expression as he lightly ced the tea bowl onto the table and said: 200 taels might be a lot but its not that this Zhang cant make the decision. Its only that having not seen what item it is, its not good to just take it out. If its convenient for Mister Song, then please present the physical object for a look to let this Zhang be reassured. Steward Zhang neednt worry about that item, either. This Song still has a method here that could solve this Songs trouble and it can also let Steward Zhang gain some benefit, too. Song Jing-gong seeing Steward Zhang speak like this, smiled as he spoke. Oh? Theres another way? Quickly, Mister Song, please speak of it. If its feasible, 200 silver taels can still be brought out. Steward Zhang yed along. Song Jing-gong with no hurry or dy took out several sheets of paper from his person to gently unfold in front of Steward Zhang, motioning for Steward Zhang to see. Steward Zhang carefully picked up these sheets of paper, turning one page after another. After a long while, he revealed his iprehension: This is a store deed; I wonder for what purpose Mister Song brought this out for? Correct, it is a store deed. It is the store deed of that antiques and art store in Sanshui of this Songs. The entirety of the goods inside added to the property there is valued at 300 taels of white silver. Here is a document as proof from the broker[5] that gives even more detail; every item each have their values indicated. If Steward Zhang could take out 200 silver taels to lend to this Song, this Song is willing to use this store as well as the goods inside as a mortgage. Wait until this Song has received the goods, I will immediately return the money. Lets calcte it based on 3% interest. By that time, that share of the benefits for Steward Zhang naturally wont be less. Song Jing-gong exined all of his intentions. No matter from which side, it made people feel that it wasnt bad. So thats to say if the principal and interest hasnt been repaid, that store including the goods within will belong to us? Steward Zhang asked again. Thats right. Song Jing-gong nodded in confirmation. Then, dont know why Mister Song doesnt seek other people to borrow from? There are specialized ces dedicated to these matters of loaning money and also I wonder when those goods will arrive? Steward Zhang asked in puzzlement and with some disbelief. As if Song Jing-gong had already known Steward Zhang would have such a question, he smiled as he replied: That barbarian traders sole goal is profit; this Song is afraid that in seeking somece else to borrow money, they will not only not lend to me but instead independently seek out the barbarian trader. At that time, this Song will not be able to get even 1 dan [stone] of cargo. Having heard that Zhang Manors people are all those belonging to the ilk with a kind and honest heart, thus did I arrive at your noble manor for consultation. My thinking was that even if your noble manor doesnt lend me the money and partner with me, you still wouldnt do that sort of dishonest business like pulling the kindling out from under the cauldron.[6] As for those goods, their arrival time nears; estimating it wouldnt take more than half a month, thus this Songs inner heart was full of anxiety. When he said these words, Song Jing-gong himself felt that it was contrary to his heart. Staying here these several days, he had been cheated quite a bit. It was like this so if they were still kind and honest, then this world didnt have any good people. Recalling that worn quilt, his resentment burned. Well said, well said. These two points Mister Song raised, this Zhang feels are feasible. How about this, wait until this Zhang thoroughly makes some calctions, then I will borate with Mister Song. If its like how Mister Song put it, regardless of sess or failure, I wont go and do that damaging thing. Attend here, ~ah, order the kitchen to make a seats share and to serve Mister Song well. Mister Song, please abide in this hall for a moment. This Zhang is a person short on calction.[7] Wait for me to return and discuss it a bit with my father, is that fine? Steward Zhang asked after making the arrangements. All right, then Ill have to trouble Steward Zhang to take care of it. Regardless of whether this matter seeds or not, this Song will remember Stewards one favor. If it really seeds, wait until the day this Song makes money as Ill definitelypensate Steward Zhang thoroughly. Song Jing-gong was inwardly happy. If Steward Zhang hadnt spoken this way and had immediately promised it with pleasure, then hed be worrying, ~ne. Steward Zhang didnt continue speaking. After saying a word to wait, he hurriedly left the parlor room, rushing straight to where Zhang Xiaobao was. As for his father there, he had no rtion to this matter at all so going there would be of no use anyway. At this time, Zhang Xiaobao was currently with Wang Juan rolling around in the sand, ~ne. A couple days ago, theyd had people make a ball out of pig dder[8] with leather pasted on the outside. The two of them kicked it back and forth, using this to exercise their bodies, which could even train their physical coordination. Seeing Steward Zhang rush over, they stopped and asked: Steward Zhang knows what that Swindler Song wants to do? Steward Zhang repeated the conversation he just had with Song Jing-gong, intact and unedited, to Little Mister once again and then didnt make another sound as he quietly awaited Little Misters orders. At this time, Little Misters measure in his heart was not low; the things that Ernius family was doing, Mrs. Zhang-Wang did not conceal from him. While he was touched by that kind of trust from Mistress, he was also astonished by Little Misters methods. As for whatever ims of divine sages and monsters, he fundamentally didnt care. His family had served as stewards at Zhang Manor for generations. It could be said that alive, he was Zhang Manors man; dead, he was Zhang familys ghost.[9] If Little Mister was a monster, then his son would be a monsters steward; there was no difference. Zhang Xiaobao, upon hearing these words, sank into deep thought. Over there, Wang Juan also followed in contemtion; she had handled quite a few cases and prepared to pick out a simr type to draw aparison. Without waiting for Zhang Xiaobao to speak, after thinking for a while, Wang Juan spoke up: I understand. That Swindler Song wants us to take in all of that cargo. Then, when it cant be sold, a big sum will be lost. How can there be something so expensive100 wen [cash] for 1 dan [stone]? Talking like it sounded so good, whatever contrast-rich red and green. Why not just lend money to him and obtain that 300 taels worth store of his. With a broker acting as insurance, it presumably wouldnt be cheated. Lets see how he talks by then? Thatd really be getting taken in and deceived, ~ne. A broker guarantee[10] has an effect? The store can be guaranteed; how can the stuff inside be guaranteed? Antiques and art, this stuff can be said to be faked just to be faked. Song Jing-gong can, when seeking the broker guarantee, use real objects and then wait until after hes signed the document with us to switch it out with fakes. At that time, who will you go to? The broker really did guarantee the authentic article, how will you sue? When you think of finding Song Jing-gong, then it could also be said that it was just those items. Youve already seen it; havent there been times that these antiques and art were wrongly identified? Zhang Xiaobao picked out the ws within Wang Juans words. Wang Juan considered it so, too. Not even talking about the brokers original guarantee being authentic, even if they saw the items that had been switched, they could still say it was genuine, which was also a possibility. So she said: Then, its that there are simply no items that have been transported here from elsewhere. He only wishes to sell that store to us. We can say well partner up with him to take on those 200 silver taels of cargosee how he talks, then. How do you know theres no cargo, ~ne? If it were me, Id get some cargo shipped here. This way, no matter which is chosen, youll be taken in. That cargo should be very cheap. If you bought it, it would be 100 wen [cash] for 1 dan [stone]. Of course, maybe theyll let you bargain down the price. Zhang Xiaobao rebutted once again. Wang Juan, hearing this, also had no solution. After all, the work she did before mostly had a vast amount of intelligence to support it as well as thew as a weapon; you could easily be able to find expert personnel in this area. Havinge to the Tang dynasty, if she as an individual were to, say,mand some troops, she could still get some results after adapting. But with just this little information, there was basically no way to judge. Then, you say how to do it? Treat him to a meal just to release him to go back? Wang Juan looked at Zhang Xiaobao as she asked. Treat him to a meal and release him? Hes dreaming, then. Treating him to a meal doesnt cost money, ~ah? Since he darese swindling, then lets let him know about formidability. Steward Zhang,e here; Ill speak while you listen. Do as I say. Zhang Xiaobao gave a scornful smile as he called Steward Zhang over toe near in front of him. Wang Juan, Zhang Xiaobao, and Steward Zhang huddled their heads together and whispered for a quarter-hour before Steward Zhang, bearing an expression of seemingprehension and seeming puzzlement, left. Real dumb. When you mentioned it once, I understood it all; why doesnt he understand? Wang Juan here was now reassured. As she spoke, she reached out to pinch that chubby face of Zhang Xiaobaos once. Tilting her head to observe him for a moment, she then said: Impressive. Today, Ive finally witnessed it; an International Criminal Swindler really cant bepared to those petty swindlers. If there were people like you in that Special 2 Division[11] of mine, then a swindler would be nabbed whenever a swindler was spotted. Let me thoroughly checkcould it be that this head of yours was naturally born for the sake of swindling? Thatll do, the saliva has all been squeezed out. Dont you know a childs face cant be constantly pinchedthis counts as what? All right, get down to business. Arrange the people well. Ill let that Song Jing-gong know what swindling is called. Zhang Xiaobao batted away Wang Juans little hand and summoned Xiaohong to start making the arrangements. A quarter-hourter, while Steward Zhang and Song Jing-gong were eating and drinking, a few of Zhang Manors people left and a few of Wang Manors people also left. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan restarted anew the ball game, their contest evenly matched in wins and losses. Song Jing-gong and Steward Zhang were also drinking wine as they spoke happily, chatting with great enjoyment. When Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had been ying for 1 hour and preparing to take a rest, Mrs. Zhang-Wang had also rushed over and upon seeing the two children, she let out a sigh. This childs heart really was too ruthless. Walking in front of Zhang Xiaobao, she touched her sons face as she said: Xiaobao, you here are going to force Song Jing-gong to death, ~ah. Men should be spared when men should be spared.[12] Mom, no, you [honorific] rest assured. Son[13] has a personal ndefinitely wont force people to death. Soncks people, ~ah. Just now, Steward Zhang listened to Childs[14] method but simply couldntprehend it. Son doesnt want such a dumb person. Wait until Song Jing-gong is at the end of his rope,[15] Son will give him a hand up so he can better workter on. Son cant always personally manage every matter, right? Zhang Xiaobao, knowing that his mothers heart wasnt that bad, gave an exnation. Said like this, Mrs. Zhang-Wang was set at ease as she said: My Bang speaks correctly. Bang is a great talent;manding from the rear is fhere are others to lead the charge to break the enemy ranks.
  1. Fan/ is the character assigned tobelnds that are not within China proper. Because the full term of fan bang () has connotations meaning uncultured or uncouth since it was the traditionalbel Imperial China applied to all foreign states that they viewed with a condescending attitude, I have chosen to trante this character as barbarian. Contrast this with the more linguistically neutral tone of wai/ for outside/external and yi/ for foreign/alien. Note that this fan/ is different from the character for fan/ as fan/ is thebel traditionally applied to fiefs that are considered totally subordinate and part of China proper, even if these fiefs wererge enough to be kingdoms in and of themselves. They are homophones and the characters are also visually simr because of the simrity in their concepts but the key to remember is that fan/ was thebel for territories considered part of Imperial China even if they were ruled independently by a feudal lord whose influence and power might rival the Emperors while fan/ was thebel for areas that were considered foreign, even if the territories in question were highly influenced by the Imperial Chinese government to the point of having a subordinate tributary rtionship like with Korea or Vietnam. Fan/ is also likely the basis for the Japanese Han system.
  2. Dan/ is the the Chinese measurement unit for volume that traditionally weighed anywhere from ~100 to ~103 liters (~26-27 gallons) before being standardized in modern times to be equivalent to 100 liters as the market dan (shidan/). This unit was typically used to measure cereal grains like rice or wheat. By the way, the character used here of is usually pronounced shi and literally means stone in Chinese but it is pronounced differently only when used in this context as a measurement unit, which is a linguistic anomaly called a homograph. This unit has some rtion to the weight measurement unit, the picul, which is a homophone in Chinese (dan/). To confuse matters more, the picul is sometimes written using the character for stone () as well and thats not even considering the fact that there is also an Imperial unit for weight in English called a stone, too.
  3. Jian yan yu di () is a 4-character couplet used in Chinese to describe objects that are tender and beautiful while dripping with a liquid like dew. Obviously, flowers and women are usually the objects of such praise. So Song Jing-gong is basically using hyperbole here in order to sell Steward Zhang on the value of this nt he is importing.
  4. The original text uses jiao xiang er ying () which I assume is meant to be jiao xiang hui ying (). It is a bit hard to trante for me but broken down into its individual characters, it roughly means cross exchange bright reflection. To illustrate its usage, this would be a phrase to use when describing a color photograph printed onminated paper.
  5. Ya kuai () literally means tooth broker even though this profession has little to do with dentistry. The reason why teeth (ya/) as a character became associated with the name for this profession, forming the basis for many of the ng terms used to refer to these brokers (ex: yaren/ or tooth person, yng/ or tooth man, yashang/ or tooth merchant, etc.) was because the character meaning mutual (hu/) was erroneously written and the mistake stuck. These brokers rose as a profession due to how Chinese society was structured where people were roughly categorized into 4 upational groups (), which was, in order of rank, the schrgentry (shi/), farmers (), crafters (), and merchants (). Because the merchants were traditionally looked down upon leading to discrimination or ostracization, it impeded themunication and socialworks necessary for a sessful trading business in ancient China. Thus, brokers served as middle men and a humanmunicationwork to bridge that gap, fulfilling many functions that could involve things like acting as prototypical notaries by facilitating, drawing up, and standing witness to the signing of contracts and other documents; as auditors or guarantors in evaluating prospective sale goods, stating their condition before sale, and testifying to this in court if disputes arise after the transaction; holding things in escrow; also, helping people sell and buy items. Some brokers specialized in certain areas while others were jack-of-all-trades.
  6. Fu di chou xin () is a 4-character idiom that describes using a drastic tactic to solve a situation by pulling the kindling out from under the cauldron and has the same meaning as the English expression of nipping things in the bud.
  7. What is spoken here is the first 4-character half of a 8 character long quote yi ren ji duan, er ren ji chang (). Like other 8-character couplets, the first 4 characters tend to act as a shorthand reference to the whole expression even if it doesnt make any sense without thetter unspoken half. The meaning is more apparent when the entire sentence is tranted: one person is short on calction, two people are long on calction. It is the Chinese version of the English saying with a simr message: two heads are better than one.
  8. Zhu chui pao () is a regional folksy term for a pigs dder so it wont show up in any formal Chinese dictionaries.
  9. Steward Zhang is professing his loyalty using amon speech pattern for such situations where you rece X for the object to whom youre professing loyalty to: Sheng shi X de ren, shi shi X de gui (XX). The Chinese believed that if you dont belong to a n and arent worshipped by descendants with the proper funerary rites, you would be a feral ghost, doomed to starve forever in the afterlife. The inverse of this belief is then also assumedproperly buried and venerated ancestors mean that their ghostly spirits are affiliated with the ns or families that they belonged to in life after they die as well. So basically, this expression is a standard way for people, especially subordinates, to profess eternal loyalty and their undying resolve where they will be loyal to their master or organization in life as a living person as well as in death as a ghostly spirit.
  10. Though dan bao () can mean insurance, in this case, it is really more of a guarantee that vouches for the products saleability since the broker wont rece or offset any losses incurred by the buyer and it is still very much a buyer beware situation. The guarantee of the broker is typically gained during business deals since their presence as the middle man acts as another witness to the transaction as well as a safeguard; they stake their reputation and credibility to evaluate and verify the value of the goods being sold; and though they dont y a direct role in enforcing the contract in case there is any wrongdoing, they can testify officially if the authorities are called in for judgment.
  11. I wasnt able to determine what specific division of the police that Wang Juan belongs to so I just tranted the Chinese, Te Er Chu (), literally as Special 2 Division.
  12. De rao ren chu qie rao ren () is an expression that professes showing mercy when possible because people are people (and err). The phrasing is verypact and has a bit of wordy, which was a bit hard for me to convey in the trantion thus leading to this footnote.
  13. Xiaobao is referring to himself in the third person, which is a normal linguistic behavior in Chinese. So I tranted erzi/ as simply Son even if it reads weirdly in English because Xiaobao is self-identifying as Mrs. Zhang-Wangs son and emphasizing that he is addressing her in this capacity.
  14. This is the same deal as when Xiaobao was addressing himself as Son but using the word meaning child, hai-er () instead.
  15. I reced the 4-character couplet with a roughly equivalent English saying because it would require too much exining in-text to unravel the idiomatic meaning if it were tranted literally. Shan qiong shui jin () means dearth of mountains and end of (river) water to illustrate hitting a dead end and having nowhere else to go.
Book 1: Chapter 19 Book 1: Chapter 19 Cherished Troops Of Godly Speed Show Humanity Idlers Note: We are nearing the end of my bonanza of chapter releases. I will probably not be able to do daily releases for a while As always, life and the need to eat gets in the way there. However, it will just mean a return to your regrly scheduled chapters though my fingers are still crossed on putting out 3 releases a week instead of just 2! If you have any suggestions, feedback, or just want to say hello, pleasement below!
Song Jing-gong originally didnt intend to drink too much of this meals wine and just lightly taste several cups. But after several cups, he still got blurry, bending over to lie down there while his mouth still spoke non-stop words of ttery toward Steward Zhang. Steward Zhang was also swaying a bit. He knew that his own alcohol limit was not like this but it had all been done by Little Mister. It wasnt that the wine had been drugged but rather, it had been cooked in advance by people using a brazier within this somewhat narrow dining hall. He didnt know what oxygen deficiency was and didnt know what was called a partial temperature increase in order to elerate a persons blood cirction so that the alcohol could more quickly affect the brain. He only knew that since Little Mister had said this, then it absolutely couldnt be wrong. Afterpleting the arrangements for Song Jing-gong to rest, he went out again to do other things. When Song Jing-gong woke up, it was already in the afternoon. After being fed wine sobering soup[1] by the maid servant attending him, in a semi-conscious daze, he faintly heard someone speaking. Steward Zhang, who allowed you to decide on your own? Could it be that within your eyes, there isnt my existence? Listening, it sounded like a woman. Song Jing-gong used his hands to rub at that still aching head as he bent his ear to listen carefully. No, this little one dares not. This little one only thinks that Mister Song has done well with his business. Thus, I thought to get some money. If Mistress wont allow it, then this little one will go send him away. Song Jing-gong had now finally heard clearly. Speaking at the moment was that Steward Zhang. When he considered Zhang Manors situation, obviously, the person that could make Steward Zhang so fearful was that Mrs. Zhang-Wang. Seeing that mistress was wanting to drive him away, Song Jing-gong was at once anxious. He was just preparing toe out and exin everything when he heard Mrs. Zhang-Wang speak again: Steward Zhang, since the manor has been handed over to you, you will have to drum up 120% mental will. You must not allow people to fool you. Mistress, you [honorific] rest assured, I absolutely wont be swindled. That Mister Song isnt that kind of person. Just when Song Jing-gong worried that hed be seen through, Steward Zhangs voice rose up. Humph, not what kind of person? Could it be that you received his gift and are speaking on his behalf? I have heard people talking. That Song Jing-gong actually moved to Ge Manor to stay yesterday; this is wanting to flee after swindling the money. Mrs. Zhang-Wangs voice was heard once again. Song Jing-gong felt a bit aggrieved upon hearing these words. If he could go out to exin it, he would definitely rush out to say that the people of the two manors in front of him were really too cheating. But he had no way to say this. Did that Mrs. Zhang-Wang recognize who he was? If he really did rush out, then that would be unwise, ~ne. Bearing a trace of concern, Song Jing-gong listened attentively over there as he hoped that at this time, Steward Zhang could put in a few good words for him. As expected, Steward Zhang spoke up there. In reply to Mistresss words, I have already sounded out Mister Song todayespecially while drinking wine. Mister Song, this person is really not bad. As for his going to another manor to rest, ording to this little ones guess, it certainly must be that manor has an acquaintance of Mister Songs. Fine, no need to say more. How could I be someone who cant even clearly see through people? If hes not trustworthy, then send people to follow that one surnamed Song. If my guess isnt wrong, he basically doesnt have any goods. During these several days, once he gets the money, hell go into hiding. That store of his simply isnt worth 300 silver taels. To not have seen even what the merchandise is like and you still dare to make this kind of n, how can this manor be given to you to manage in the future? Humph! That displeased voice of Mrs. Zhang-Wangs once again rose up, setting Song Jing-gong off into a startled jolt. He didnt fear people investigating him but did fear if this Mrs. Zhang-Wang directly vetoed his suggestion. If it really was like that, then wouldnt the money he had spent several days ago have convenienced others in vain? Only after listening for a moment until the sound of a persons footsteps gradually went away did Song Jing-gong slump down to sit on the small stool next to the windowsill as he considered what to doter on. He waited until after he couldnt hear any more sounds before he heard that Steward Zhang who hadnt yet left summon people. Go call for Xiaoqi. Wait until Mister Song has left the courtyard to follow him. If you discover that he intends to leave, then swiftly return here to report to me. After an individual voiced confirmation and left, only then did Song Jing-gong sigh in relief as he inwardly resolved to not let people see any telling horse hooves[2] no matter what. Then, secretly walking back in front of the couch to lie down there fully clothed while suppressing his headache, he fixed his eyes at the ceiling as he deliberated on how he should swindle this Zhang Manors money. He didnt think the Mrs. Zhang-Wang as mentioned by Steward Zhang would return so earlyis this coincidence? Was it due to having heard of his arrival orck of confidence in Steward Zhang that they purposefully worked like this? With this lie down, Song Jing-gong blearily fell asleep, only waking until it had reached evening time. Rising up to leave the couch, he just thought of looking for Steward Zhang to take his leave when he heard Steward Zhangs voiceing from outside the window. Has Mister Song woken up yet? This servant doesnt know; Mister Song has never exited the door. Unh, wait until Ive gone in to look; instruct people to prepare the food and wine. Song Jing-gong hearing the sound, feigned an appearing of having just woken up as he opened eyes hazy with sleep and waiting for Steward Zhang to enter through the door, he yawned as he said: Steward Zhang drinks wine well. Ever since the meal, this Song still knew what was spoken of with Steward Zhang but afterwards, everything was actually forgotteneven how this room was reached cant be clearly remembered. Mister Song here is facing the manor without any qualms to be able to be so at ease drinking wine. This Zhang cant do that. All of the big and small, great and little matters of the manor must be taken care of so drinking wine also needs to be held back a fraction. Otherwise, itd be unknown what troubles will arise. Steward Zhang, his face bearing a smile, entered while looking toward Song Jing-gong as heughingly spoke. Song Jing-gong had no time to appraise the veracity of these words as he used his hand to press on his forebrow and said: Looking at the sky outside, dusk should have arrived; this Song here wont overly disturb you. Wait a few dayster when that cargo has arrived, I will once again discuss in detail with Steward Zhang. No hurry, no hurry. Go after having eaten dinner. People at the manor are all not so clever; to want to find a person to have conversations with is a struggle. Mister Song has managed toe by this once so at any rate, you mustnt just leave like this. Steward Zhang tried to intercept him. Many thanks to Steward Zhangs good intentions. Only tis a pity that this Song cant ovee the wines strength as up to this moment, still have a splitting headache. Drinking isnt possible, drinking really isnt possible. After a few days, this Song wille by again. Song Jing-gong, whatever was said, wouldnt eat here. What he wanted to do now was to put on a show to let people trust him. Whether he at a meal or not was even more unimportant. Steward Zhang said a few words of persuasion again but Song Jing-gong persisted so with reluctance, he escorted Song Jing-gong outside of the gates. Then, he stood there, unwilling to turn back for a long time. If switched with another person, they would already be moved but Song Jing-gong knew that there was a person called Xiaoqi who should be tailing him from a ce he himself couldnt see. Thinking on it, he decided to stay in the house of the Zhang Manors peasantry. Spending some money was of no matter but at least it allowed that Mrs. Zhang-Wang to be relieved.
The darkness of the night fell as the few people who had left Zhang Manor and Wang Manor continued hurrying on the road. The nearest from the manor should be the Wei River[3] if you wished to use boats to ship the goods and travel a bit less on the road. But the nearest from that side of Sanshui County was actually Luo River.[4] ording to the judgment of Song Jing-gongs modus operandi, he should be stowing the cargo over there. For the sake of not having it go awry, people were sent to both sides to investigate. Besides this, there were two more people heading to Sanshui County to set up there. The groups of people had been instructed that no matter where they went, they were all not allowed to reveal their identities. Xinping City,[5] several tens of li [mile][6] away from Tuqiao Vige, weed two dust-ridden and travel-worn people in this early morning. These two people didnt directly enter the city but in a ce not far from the city, casually found a manor to stay in ordance to instructions. After sleeping well, they only woke up when it was after noon. After freshening up, they leisurely threw several copper coins to the family they borrowed lodging from before going out to ask around in all four directions where there were houses to be sold. When others asked, they would say they came from afar and wished to find a house to reside in this ce. After 1 hour, they finally found a family of people willing to sell a house and not caring that it waste in the day, dragged the people along to purchase the house that day. One of them stayed behind to clean the house and hired people to raise a kang [bed-stove]. The other person hurriedly rushed backit really was a starry night gallop. Returning to Zhang Manor in the ox hour[7] at a quarter till 3AM, they ignored their exhaustion after entering the door and went straight to the courtyard within which Zhang Xiaobao was sleeping. Once in front of the door, they breathed heavily while making their report. Zhang Si[8] has returned asmanded and purchased a house in Little Ox Manor, 2 li [mile] outside of Xinping City, being fortunate to have not shamed yourmands. Finished speaking, the man was already too tired to stand up. Crouching down there with one hand on the ground, he kept on heavily huffing. Hearing the noise, Xiaohong woke up Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. The two of them exchanged a look before hurriedly getting up, letting Xiaohong carry them off the couch to light thenterns and go out towards the door. Zhang Xiaobao even strained to hold up a bowl of water that had been ced by the couch. Arriving outside and seeing that appearance of Zhang Sis under the moonlight, Zhang Xiaobao nodded as he presented the water and said: Well done, the Zhang Family will prosper because of you. Thank you, Little Mister. The house has been bought. Little Mister, pleasemand me. Zhang Si took the bowl chugged it all down in one breath with a gu-lu-lu sound and after using a hand to wipe his mouth, he respectfully answered. Unh, thats good. Go find Yingtao. Let her make the arrangements for the remaining work. Have to also trouble you for this one trip. Remember to be careful on the road. Zhang Xiaobao, seeing that one matter had been aplished, smiled and nodded as he spoke. After Zhang Si had left, he then turned his head to say to Wang Juan: This is the people that I, Zhang Xiaobao, want. How is the efficiencypared to that Special 2 Division of yours? No more than ordinary. Dont suppose that all the people of that ce of mine all loaf around.[9] The other 3 routes you sent out still havente back, ~ne. Wang Juan curled her lips as she disdainfully spoke. Didnt mean to belittle that side of yoursI was just asking. Lets return to sleep. Looks like we wont need to go to sleep immediately. Lets have milk firsta bit hungry right now. Zhang Xiaobao gave a hei-hei inughter, then seeing his mother standing by the doorway, he sprinted two steps to throw himself into his mothers embrace to y at being a child. Wang Juan rubbed her belly and discovering that there really wasnt anything inside, also followed and walked over. The Luo River banks also had two people over there that didnt sleep as they watched those few boats moored at the docks, secretly observing using that periodic sh of themp light to carefully record the red and green item sticking out from the boat. Xiaomazi,[10] you stay here to keep tight watch; Ill return to report. The Zhang Familys Little Mister is still waiting, ~ne. One person looked for a while and feeling that they could remember the items appearance, spoke to the other person. When that other person nodded, they turned around to disappear into the darkness of the night. The remaining person resisted the fatigue as theyid down on the grassy ground, allowing the dew to gradually soak their clothes as they motionlessly kept watch over the situation and listened to the conversation of the two people standing guard over there.
  1. The original Chinese text is xing jiu tang (), which is a soup that the Chinese believed could help sober you up and deal with hangovers. An alternate name is jie jiu tang (), which could be tranted as wine detox soup. They are essentially home remedies for drunkenness or hangovers. These soups are also the basis for the Korean hangover cure soup called Haejangguk (/).
  2. The Chinese idiom here literally means horses feet or hooves (majiao/), which is used to depict a betraying or telling sign that something is wrong or false. It would simr in concept to a tell or giveaway to know when someone is bluffing in poker or lying.
  3. The Wei Shui () mentioned here is more than likely the Wei River (), which is a river in the Shaanxi () Province.
  4. I havent been able to definitely confirm this but Luo Shui He (), which basically means Luo water river, is probably the Luo River (), a tributary of the Wei River in Shaanxi Province. The reason Im not sure is because there are several Luo rivers in China and the characters used for the real-life Luo River ispletely different from the one named here. It is possible that the name the author gives is a historical name for the modern-day river that I am tentatively associating it with that isnting up in my research though.
  5. Xinping Chen () is a city whose name means new t. I havent been able to locate it on a map but it could be a city that the author made up or is the historical name of a defunct city or town or an outdated name for a city or town that is now no longer well known.
  6. Li/ is the Chinese measurement unit for length and like other traditional units, could vary in value over history. It has been an unit that could measure anywhere from 405 meters to over 500 meters, which for the sake of reference is around a third of 1 mile long. In modern times, it has been standardized to be exactly 500 meters and can be divided into 1,500 chi. Because its rtion to the other measurements for length is simr to the mile inparison to the foot in the Imperial unit system, I will mark mile in text next to it to remind readers what role it ys as the Chinese version of it but since it is not actually equal to a mile, I will obviously not be converting its value.
  7. Chou Shi () is the 2 hour span of the day assigned to the Ox that spans from 1:00 to 2:59AM. Since the Chinese divided the day into 12 2-hour units shichen () and there are 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, each twelfth of the day is assigned a zodiac animal as one of the Earthly Branches. If you know the order of the zodiac, you know the order of the hours. The 12 Earthly Branches werebined with the 10 Heavenly Stems to produce a cycle of sexagenary cycle of 60 terms in what was a very ancient Chinese way of counting days or years that is now no longer relevant to keeping the calendar current though ites up for certain ceremonies or rituals as well as in areas like astrology or fortune-telling.
  8. The name of Zhang Si () is basically the Zhang surname with the number 4 as the given name.
  9. Wang Juan literally says chi xian fan () which trantes to eat idle rice, ng for people who do nothing but loaf around and eat rice (i.e. useless). Since the English verb to loaf has both an association with food (i.e. loaf of broad) and meaning associated with idleness, this exins my trantion choice.
  10. Xia Ma Zi () can either mean little pockmark or little hemp child. Either way, its an interesting name.
Book 1: Chapter 20 Book 1: Chapter 20 Family Sharing A Meal Full Of Bliss Idlers Note: Okay, I will probably not be able to do a trantion binge like this for a while unless I am somehow funded so I can do trantions full-time. But fear not! Even though I will need to devote some of my time and energy to my frence jobs so I can make a living (and you know, live), I will still be tranting enough that I will keep to the regr release schedule. If I do manage to get extra chapters done, I will release them as a surprise bonus. ? After tranting this chapter, I am so hungry now XD On a more serious note, please read this because I might have seriously suffered a blow to my motivation I will be taking some preventative measures that will hopefully not distract from the reading experience on this site. If you notice anything or have any suggestions, let me know!
The flowing water of the river gurgled with cotton like clouds overhead as the green of a few leaves outlined the flower color and the breeze lightly brushed against the face. Today was an overcast day. Seeing such weather, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were both also happy as they finally no longer needed to endure the sun while exercising. The two of them went to the courtyard to throw around a sandbaga real sandbag, the outside being ayer of fine hemp cloth and the insides filled with sand, which was slightlyrger than a quail egg, just right for the grasp of a small hand. Xiaohong observed from the side, her eyes tightly staring at that sandbag flying to and fro in the air, terrified that the two little ancestors when throwing it to each other would throw it at the others face. When they were ying happily, a servant carrying a basket walked over and gently ced the basket on the ground as they said to Wang Juan: Little Miss, ording to your [honorific] orders, the item has been purchased. The surrounding area has been gone over in a circle to buy these. Unh, good. Go busy yourself. Oh, go to that storehouse of Xiaobaos and get tworge bones. Pick the ones with more meat to bring back to boil soup for your familys kids to drink. Wang Juan caught the sandbag in her hand and stopped as she spoke to this servant. The reward used was naturally the stuff from that storehouse of Zhang Xiaobaos. After the servant gave thanks and departed, Zhang Xiaobao ran over next to the basket, going on tip-toes as his eyes peered inside. What is this stuff? It looks familiar. Zhang Xiaobao asked. Of course, its familiar. Its saltpetersaltpeter[1] thats not that pure. I specifically had people buy it. Wang Juan exined. Saltpeter? Zhang Xiaobao, upon hearing this name, started looking around. Looking for what, ~ne? Its saltpeter. Looking for charcoal and sulfur,[2] ~ne. Zhang Xiaobao said. Wang Juan gave Zhang Xiaobao an eye roll and also walked over to look at the saltpeter: Imagining what? I didnt say to make gunpowder.[3] Well, cant buy so much just to treat illnesses, right? Zhang Xiaobao was still searching for the two other items. Stupid, Ernius finished making that hot pot and already sent it into the courtyard house. I want to drink some soup, eat two tender pieces of meat. Use the saltpeter to make ice to freeze themb meat, and then use a scraper[4] to scrape it off into slices. When slice after slice has all curled up, itll be thinner than being carved and eating it will be convenient. Wang Juan spoke as she reached her arms inside the basket to dig out a small piece of saltpeter, weighing it in her hands before nodding her head, feeling that it was not bad. Oh, can eat hot pot now. An overcast day is just right. Eating till full, then sleepingthats whatfort is, ~ne. Large meat slices, I wont count on it but scooping up some froth is fine, ~ah. Zhang Xiaobao upon hearing that there was hot pot, then naturally wanted frozenmb meat. Ordering Xiaohong to go get two basins, onerge and one small, both respectively filled with water and to ce the saltpeter inside therge basin, he then continued throwing a sandbag with Wang Juan. When the water inside the small basin had also frozen into ice, only then did he order people to send over the freshmb meat to be frozen. Naturally, there were also people preparing the other food, finding a new scraper, and getting the charcoal. They also had people go to Ernius house to get a jar of that water used to soak the mountain chili sprouts in. All that remained was waiting for themb meat to freeze and be scraped so that they could start eating. Wang Juan wasnt idle either as she called for people to go rify a broth[5] of pork bones and chicken, even scrounging up some dried seafoodthis stuff was cheap. They first used warm water to soak it to be used as the soup base[6] in a while. This wait wasnt a short time. It was almost nearly noon when themb meat was finally done. As for the beef, that stuff wasnt good to butcherit easily attracted trouble[7] so they couldnt eat it for the time being. Having yed till they were sweaty all over, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan took a bath before apanying Zhang Xiaobaos family members, sitting at the table. It was described as sitting but it really was being carried in peoples arms. Positioned in the middle of the table was that hot pot. Inside the tube, red-hot charcoal was ced. Within the cover was a hole in the pot lid. The length added on top was a smoke funnel. When a gu-lu sound came out of the inside there, the water had boiled. By removing the smoke funnel and lifting the lid, they could then swish[8] stuff in it to eat. Fermented tofu,[9] stinky tofu,[10] chive flowers, soy sauce,[11] mature vinegar,[12] and other seasonings were all set up using saucers and ced there. Whoever wanted to eat could get it themselves. Zhang Xiaobaos parents, grandfather, and grandmother sat there in a circle ording to etiquette. The both of them, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, were being carried by Xiaohong in her arms, one with each hand. The adults knew that this was the hot pot that Xiaobao specifically had people make for them. Smelling the scent of the seafood and the soup inside that pot, they felt that it wasnt bad but werent clear on how to eat it. Mom, eat, ~ya. Ill swish a slice ofmb meat for you [honorific]. Zhang Xiaobao, seeing that everyone was all sitting there watching, could only exert himself as he held the chopsticks to tremulously pick up a slice ofmb meat and reaching into the pot, gently swayed there. Xiaohong was afraid of that boiling soup sttering on Little Misters body and wanted to reach out a hand to block it but since she couldnt spare a hand, she could only strive to pull him back. Dont pull. Its easy to get burned. Its done. Zhang Xiaobao gave a warning. Then, after moving it twice, he took out that piece of meat that had changed in color, and put it into his mothers dish. Mrs. Zhang-Wangs eyes suddenly reddened. She opened her mouth to eat that meat. It was gone with just a ba-da sound. Not even tasting what vor it had been, she energetically gave praise: Tasty, the stuff my Bang made is just good. Dad [inw], Mom [inw], and Husband should all eat. At once, everyone moved ording to their own eating habits, getting two servings of seasonings with the mountain chili sprout water ced in one. Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaobao, Wang Juan, and Xiaohong watched from the side as they all swallowed their saliva. Xiaohong couldnt eat together with them. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan couldnt eat suchrge pieces of meat and could only wait until everyone had almost finished swishing and had left behind some bits and pieces in the pot before they could drink it as soup. Xiaohong, no need to carry us. Well stand while watching. You eat, too. As it was a low table, the group was all sitting on small stools, also called Turkic stools.[13] Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan standing to the side was fine but seeing Xiaohong staring over there, they felt ufortable. If they hadnt let people enter, they could forget about it but since they were sitting together, then just staring wouldnt do. Zhang Xiaobao struggled free of Xiaohongs embrace as hemanded her. How could Xiaohong dare to use the chopsticks so she vigorously shook her head. Wang Juan also broke free to get down as she said: Telling you to eat so you eat. More people would be funner. Xiaohong, lets eat together. These few days, youve conscientiously taken care of Xiaobao and Juan-Juan. Just treat it as us rewarding you. Mrs. Zhang-Wang finally spoke up. Only then did Xiaohong give thanks and carefully began to eat. Five people were eating besides the two children. Zhang Xiaobao watched as he rejected Xiaohong who wanted to get him soup to drink and used a spoon to scoop up a bit of tofu himself to put into the pot to scald it before cing it in Wang Juans dish. Eat. In a while, eat duck blood, too. These things can still be eaten. Wang Juan wasnt polite, either, as she mixed her own ingredients. Inserting the chopsticks into the tofu, she dipped it before she began to nibble on it. When she finished eating, she stuck out her tongue: Real spicy. Zhang Xiaobao scalded some tofu for himself, too; the back of that little hand already had a few red dots. Xiaohong seeing this now was scared silly. Before, she hadnt even noticed. She hurriedly grabbing onto Zhang Xiaobaos hand to look at it. The other people also saw this situation and tensed up. Only Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didnt have any expression. Xiaohong, you eat yours. No need to mind Xiaobao. This little burn is nothing. Wang Juan spoke up. She knew she and Zhang Xiaobao belonged to the same type of people. They were indifferent to this little bit of pain that didnt even count as an injury. She trusted that even if ayer of skin from that hand of Zhang Xiaobaos was burned off and Zhang Xiaobao wanted to kill someone, then his hand wouldnt tremble for even a little bit. Unh, right. It doesnt even burn a bit. Its just hot. I can eat by myself for Im a monster. Zhang Xiaobao said with a smile, two little dimples showing on that chubby face. What monster? Its divine sage. Dont listen to your Dads blind ther. Xiaohong, since Xiaobao can do it himself, then let him eat by himself for my son isnt an ordinary person. Mrs. Zhang-Wang was a bit pained but she still chose to support her own son. Its all stuff in the past, why still mention it? Mom, Ill pluck a shrimp for you [honorific] to eat. Father Zhang, seeing that his missus was about to revive an old topic and fearful that hed be lectured by his Dad and Mom again, scalded three shrimp and respectively gave his Dad and Mom as well as Mrs. Zhang-Wang the extracted red-colored meat. Its noon. Howe the people sent to Sanshui County still havent transmitted the news back here? Zhang Xiaobao used thedle to scoop up from the pot somemb meat that his family members had deliberately mashed up, including the soup and the green colored chopped scallions, to pour it all into the little bowl that Wang Juan was holding up with both hands. The two of them drank it one sip, one person at a time before he suddenly thought of the matter in that side of Sanshui County so he casually asked about it. There shouldnt be a problem. What Im most worried about isnt that side but which river will the boat actually moor inwhat if the boat hasnt arrived, what do we do? Wang Juan drank a mouthful of soup as she talked while she, out of habit, surveyed the table in a circle. This isnt urgent. I trust that those two rivers will definitely have results. This Swindler Song, Im rtively acquainted with his mentality. What are you looking for? Zhang Xiaobao, seeing Wang Juans motion, asked. Cellophane noodles.[14] I forgottheres none here. This time, Wang Juan was using lip speech. This, Ive never made. I do know the approximate stuff. When I was small, there was a starch nt by the orphanage; the water inside the river was all white. If Id known earlier, going inside to get a look at how people made them would have been good. Going back, have people use wheat to make it. Isnt it just to first make starch? If 10 silver taels are mmed down, it definitely can be produced. It also works out to be able to make some small profit. Unfortunately, theres no spicy sauce to eat today. Zhang Xiaobao pondered with some effort but in the end, he couldnt remember how cellophane noodles were produced. He didnt really like eating this stuff as trying it asionally was fine but he had never taken it to heart. No problem. Someday, have people make mianpi[15] to eat. This, I know how to make. When I was little, in thepound, there was a household that made this. I would frequently go help knead the dough to y. Wang Juan, seeing Zhang Xiaobaos lip speech, said in constion. The two of them were currently there exchanging lip speech, ~ne. Xiaohong had already hurriedly finished eating, not daring to eat her fill and just getting two bits of each dish before putting down her chopsticks. Zhang Xiaobao also knew that for Xiaohong to be able to eat several mouthfuls had already taken arge amount of resolution. Seeing that it also wasnt good for her to keep staying there at the side, he said to her: Xiaohong, you go look to see how Xiaoqi over there is doing. Its necessary to have Swindler Song stay here for a few days. Xiaohongplied and departed while here, eating and drinking continued. If not discussing theck of business here, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan could rx. They didnt use lip speech, either, as they drank soup and ate things in piecemeal while analyzing the ns for afterwards. Meanwhile, the adults didnt really speak up as they ate while gazing at the two little guys and listening to them spout out those types of words that only adults should be able to speak as the smiles never left their faces. Finally, they neednt ever worry over whether the next generation would send this family business into ruin. The most despondent was Father Zhang. He kept feeling like the two children werent normal but seeing that the three other people who he couldnt antagonize all had appearances of this being only natural, he couldnt say anything at all. Then, thinking better on it that being like this was also good since after Xiaobao grew up, maybe he could return from the test as a valedictorian. Thus, he said to his son: Xiaobao, want to learn to read and write with Father? Want to, am learning now. From now on, Dad will have to be troubled. Zhang Xiaobao gulped down the soup, nodding as he spoke to his father.
  1. Xiao shi () refers to saltpeter or nitermore specifically, the mineral form of potassium nitrate (KNO3). It is a substance with many industrial applications, making it of significant value in modern times even with advances in technology. The two major uses of potassium nitrate are as agricultural fertilizers and in the production of gunpowder.
  2. Liu huang () is the Chinese name for sulfur. It wasmonly used in experiments by Daoist alchemists as well as for practical applications in traditional Chinese medicine.
  3. Just in case people dont recall enough chemistry to be able to figure out what Xiaobao is alluding to, the basic recipe for gunpowder or ck powder as invented by the Chinese requires sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate (saltpeter/niter).
  4. A baozi/ actually trantes to ner but since that word typically refers to various types of handicraft tools used in carpentry, woodworking, and metalworking in both Chinese and English, I am assuming that Juan-Juan is referring to the thin scraped slices a ner is capable of. For that reason, I ended up tranting it as scraper even though thats not the standard name of any existent tool to convey the function and to try to avoid reader confusion if I used the literal trantion.
  5. Diao tang () is a form of refined Chinese soup called a rified broth. So to diao/ a soup is to rify it. This meaning of rification only holds true in the context of soup. Otherwise, diao/ simply trantes to hang.
  6. Guo di () literally trantes to pot bottom, which in this case refers to the soup base used for the hot pot.
  7. The bull was highly valued for itsbor in Chinese agriculture, gaining them a protected status that was enforced by the government by making it mandatory to report bovine deaths to the local magistrate and paying a fine if it was deliberately butchered for the purposes of meat consumption. This exins why pork and chicken was typically the most consumed meat in the ancient Chinese diet since for the majority of the poption, eating beef with any frequency was not feasible.
  8. The character used here is shuan/ which simply means to rinse or boil in liquid. However, I made use of the naming sense behind one of the Japanese versions of hot pot and chose to trante it as swish to try to convey the action used in order to boil or rinse the ingredients in the hot pot soup.
  9. The text uses fu ru () though it can also be referred to as dou fu ru () or lu fu (). Ive tranted it as fermented tofu though it can be referred to as fermented bean curd, soy cheese, tofu cheese, or preserved tofu. As evident with some of the possible names, it is tofu that has been fermented until it is simr in texture to cheese. However, it is not a cheese, which is made through a different chemical process.
  10. Stinky tofu or chou dou fu () is a specific type of fermented tofu known for its decidedly strong smell. Sometimes, it is said to be tastier the stronger the smell is. Needless to say, it can be an acquired taste for some people. However, it is very popr in Asia with many different regional varieties and is often sold as a street food or snack.
  11. The Chinese term for soy sauce is jiang you (), which literally trantes to sauce oil.
  12. Chen Cu () literally means aged vinegar but actually refers to a specific type of ck vinegar called mature vinegar. Other than its vor, it is also believed to have medicinal properties as well. For reference, an European counterpart of an aged vinegar would be balsamic vinegar.
  13. Hu deng () was so called because it was a portmanteau of hu ren (), a general appetion the Chinese applied to foreigners, and ban deng () for stool. Hu/ (meaning wild, foolish, and reckless) was said to be one of the names first applied to the Xiongnu and then was generalized to apply to other foreign people as well, primarily the nomadic tribes like the Mongols and the Tatars. The reason stools and chairs were sometimes referred to as belonging to these tribes is because these furniture styles were imported into China and then categorized underneath one generalbel. Prior to the advent of such furniture, the proper Chinese sitting position was to kneel down with home furnishings designed for elevated tforms or dais to amodate this posture. The traditional Japanese seiza is likely influenced by this behavior. This foreign hu () style was not just attributed to furniture as there were also clothing, cuisine, essories, etc. Riding clothes in Chinese are referred to as hu fu () or Turkic dress for this reason. Because the Chinese name for this type of stool is simr in thinking to the reason for name of the Turkish ottoman and Turkic as a people ethnically epasses many of the tribes the Chinese ced under such a nketbel, I am tranting hu deng () as Turkic stool.
  14. Cellophane noodles have various names in Chinese. Wang Juan used fen tiao () but they can also be called fen si (), dong fen (), xi fen (), or xian fen (), etc. They are noodles mainly made from starch and when cooked, have a translucent gray appearance that looks like cellophane.
  15. Though it is referred to in the Chinese original text as mian pi () for dough skin, it is alsomonly known as liang pi () meaning cold skin, which was erroneously romanized as rangpi. Simrly to the situation with liangfen (), I will be using the pinyin for this dish.
Book 1: Chapter 21 Book 1: Chapter 21 The Barbarians Have Carrots Idlers Note: Boo I just realized after further research that even if I got a domain so I can be eligible for getting some ad money from WordPress, I would need to upgrade my current n in order to do so, which is something I cant afford right now if Im doing all this just to be eligible for ad money. Although I know ads suck for readers but WordPress will p them on my blog regardless of whether I get a cut of it or not and if itted me some extra money, that could alleviate my having to frence so much and thus, free up time for stuff I like doing such as tranting. This new info will probably affect how much time I can devote to trantion from now on though since I will have to work more jobs in order to save up money. But I will be maintaining the current release schedule! Its just that bonus chapters might not be as often anymore if I have to block off more of my time for my paid frencing and leaving myself less free time for stuff like this. So this is probably a good time to ask that if you like my trantion work and wish for me to do more frequent releases, then please think about on Patreon! Thanks! ?
In Sanshui Countys county seat, on the north side of the street by the east gate of the city walls was a store bearing a sign with two words, Noteworthy House.[1] This ce was somewhat remote as there werent many people passing by back and forth in front of the door. It wasnt known where the shopkeeper on duty had gone to rest, leaving behind a single lowly sales clerk to stand guard by the counter as they gazed at the pedestrian asionally passing by the door in boredom. It was noon and the sales clerk had already heard his own stomach growling but with no oneing to rece him, he could only continue soldiering on here while frequently thinking of the food and wine in the restaurants. He felt more and more hunger until even the movement of that tree shadow outside seemed to slow down. cing both arms on top of the counter to cushion his chin, both of his eyes dully gazed at that small soup cake[2] shop as he muttered: Having a bowl of soup cake is good, too, ~ah. This broken-down storeone day wont even see two peopleing in. Just as he was muttering, ~ne, two people actually entered the doorway. The sales clerk immediately removed his arms and with a sweeping nce, he could conclude that these two were people with money, d in long silk robes and the string falling from the waist had a jade piece hanging from it. Going along with the motion, it never stopped bouncing. What do these two respected customers wish to find? This little one will point it out for you [honorific]. Based on his own judgment, the sales clerk changed his expression into a face full of smiles as he respectfully inquired. Go busy yourself, we two will casually browse. One of the people said, throwing over a small piece of silver with a wave of their hand. The sales clerk hurriedly caught it, weighing it for a bit so he could estimate the approximate weight. It definitely was 3 qian [mace].[3] Honored guest, ~ah! He felt his own body grow spirited and his stomach wasnt even hungry anymore. With 3 qian [mace] of silver, when he got off work at night, he could go to that Apricot Spring House[4] to eat a good meal and find a pretty little sister. Coming back here directly tomorrow would be fine. Those two people only looked and didnt speak, either. After going around in a circle, they suddenly locked onto a painting. Exchanging a nce before nodding at the same time, the person who had just given the money spoke up and said: Sales Clerk, what painting is this? Aiya~! Respected customer, your [honorific] eyes are real poisonous,[5] ~ah! One look and you singled out the good in this painting. This painting was painted by a predecessor, an image of early springs water lilies.[6] You [honorific] look at this brush strokehard but not broken, soft but not bewitching. Just a few strokes and it has already Fine, fine. How much is this painting? Not waiting for the sales clerk to finish speaking that continuous line of praises, this person was already impatiently waving his hands to interrupt the presentation and directly ask for the price. The sales clerk was rather sensible. If the other person didnt wish for him to speak, then he wouldnt speak. Gazing at that painting, he calcted how much money he should ask for. If that painting had not a bit of damage, then asking for 20 silver taels would really be feasible. The problem was that painting obviously had a spot that had received burn damage from a fire. In the upper right-hand corner of the painting, there was a fingernail-sized hole. It had already been filled in by the craftsmen using a special technique but it could still be seen. He temporarily didnt know how to ask for moneytoo much, he was afraid the other party would directly leave; too little, he would then feel that the reward money he himself gained was too few as the more he sold, the more he got. Just as he was wavering in his indecision, a voice rang out from behind him. Liu Wang,[7] are youzing about again? Dont you see that an honored guest has visited and youre not serving them well? Upon hearing this voice, the sales clerk Liu Wang was relieved at the shopkeepers appearance. Swiftly half-turning his body, he said to the shopkeeper: Uncle Zhao,[8] these two have taken a liking to that painting on the wall and asked after the price but Ive forgotten it. As the sales clerk spoke, he blinked his eyes. Shopkeeper Zhao actually didnt even need the sales clerks hint as he had already deduced from the attire of these two people that their worth was not low. ncing at the painting once, he smiled as he said: Wonder how this honored guest is called? Li. That person who had first spoken replied one word and then didnt speak anymore. So its Mister Li. For Mister to have taken a fancy to this painting, then you really have a discerning eye. ording to this How much money? Mister Li didnt wait for Shopkeeper Zhao to finish speaking and directly asked for the price. 200 taelsthis painting is one painted by a Western Jin[9] master. As time passed, the preservation wasntplete and there is a slight blemish on the painting. Therefore, this respected customer only needs 150 silver taels to take it away. Shopkeeper Zhao didnt know how much he himself should ask for so he thought to first ask for a stratospheric asking price and wait for the other partys counter. He was rather unafraid of them not buying it if expensively priced but feared selling it cheaply and having them look down on itthere were always such types of people. 150 taels? Fine, buy it. Mister Li basically didnt counter with any other price and directly agreed. Shopkeeper Zhao started, even feeling some regret in his heart. If he knew that these two would be so easily dealt with, then hed have asked for a bit more. At this moment though, there was no way to take it back. Just when he was about to walk over to take down the painting to wrap it up, that Mister Li spoke again. First, no hurry. We havent brought enough money today. Only have 50 taels. Count it as a deposit first. Coming back to get it after a few days. That good? Hearing this, Shopkeeper Zhao hastily nodded and agreed, thinking that was so. Who had nothing better to do than to go out carrying so much? Itd be too heavy. No fear with getting the 50 taels. Ive heard that after others have given the deposit, a few stores will secretly switch out the items, substituting good for shoddy quality. Dont know? Mister Li asked again. Shopkeeper Zhao knew that he was uneasy here and immediately said: Mister Li, rest assured. This store definitely wouldnt do such a thing as that. If you still cant set your mind at ease, you can find people from the brokerage toe here for a guarantee. However Seeking people for a guarantee will need a bit more in fees. No problem. Go find them. Mister Li made the call. With this, Shopkeeper Zhao was even more reassured. He had been real worried that after a few days, the two people would seek out someone who knew the business toe here and ask for that money back. Even if they didnt get it back, there would be some argument. Urging Liu Wang to go find people from the broker toe over, he prepared the tea drinks and refreshments on this side. After a short while, Liu Wang brought the brokerages guarantor back here. The guarantor inquired about the price and requested 150 wen [cash] as a guarantee fee. Mister Li gave it without saying a second word. Taking down the painting, they recorded some of the unique points on there to better serve as proof. Mister Li especially used thin paper to trace that burn damaged area on the painting and even added a description of the surrounding scorch marks. He proposeding back to fetch it half a monthter. If by that time, it wasnt this painting, the store would paypensation in tenfold the amount of silver taels. After half a month, if he hadnt arrived to get it, then for eachte day, Mister Li would pay an extra 100 wen [cash] in money. If an entire month passed without it being taken, the deposit money would be given to the store. Shopkeeper Zhao thought on it and seeing that there were even people from the brokers guaranteeing it, nodded and agreed. With both sides sealing it with their handprints and initialing it, a transaction deal waspleted. Watching those two people walk into the distance, not only was Shopkeeper Zhao happy, Liu Wang had also received 5 qian [mace] in reward silver.
The sun gradually tilted; red clouds filled the sky, slightly curling, as birds flew overhead, the white feathers dancing. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan both walked hand in hand to the banks of the river in front of the gates, the suns reflection causing their two shadows to elongate. Xiaohong nervously watched, afraid that the two little ancestors would, in a fit of joy, jump down. This type of thing could all possibly happen. Who made it so that her own Little Mister wasnt the same as other people, ~ne? Zhang Xiaobao, what do you say about funneling this water into a pond thats been dug out, can some ducks and geese be raised? Salted goose eggs and salted duck eggs[10] are tastier than salted chicken eggs. Wang Juan stood by the riverside, gazing at that crystalline water flow as well as the asional shes of fish silhouettes under the waters surface while she yearningly asked. Unh, I was also thinking on this. But right now, theres a shortage of staff. Most importantly is that my money isnt enough. Bear with it until the most recent affairs are up and running. If you want to eat, first trade for it in the manor. Several days after Swindler Song has been put away, Ill have money. Zhang Xiaobao had this type of calction several days earlier. He had thought to ask his mother for money but after a moment of indecision, decided to earn it himself. These few days didnt make a difference. Little Mister, Little Miss, lets go to the back a bit. Absolutely mustnt fall down there. Xiaohong, feeling like this ce was dangerous, spoke urgently from the side. The water wasnt deep but submerging two little children was easy. Dont be afraid. Juan-Juan and I can both swim. Were just looking at the water flow. A good moodhow beautiful is this day? When the matters on this side are done with, youll be in charge of raising the ducks and geese and you can even grow lotuses.[11] Several more dishes are costly if constantly bought. If we can take care of it ourselves, then lets take care of it ourselves. A meal of rice is hard toe by, ~ah. Zhang Xiaobao spoke while still retreating one step backward so he wouldnt make Xiaohong worry. Xiaohong nodded her head in a daze, feeling that if these words of Little Misters hade out of Mistress mouth, then it would be a little easier for people to ept. Just when the three of them were appreciating the scenery of the setting sun, the rosy evening clouds,[12] the flying birds, and the flowing water, a person hurriedly ran over and upon seeing them, said to Wang Juan: Little Miss, this little one already knows where this object is being stored. ording to that Swindler Songs description, we discovered several boats in the Luo River and from the ces where it asionally peeped out, we saw that red and green object. As they spoke, this person took out a sheet of paper from within his chest. There was an object drawn on it. He had to find a person to draw it so had been dyed. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan looked over at the drawing and simultaneously said out loud: Carrot.[13] Good stuff. This time, theres a new dish. Havent gotten to see this ything over here before. Zhang Xiaobao was happy. Over there, Wang Juan was also vigorously nodding her head: Unh, yeah, ~ya. This stuff shouldnt be produced locally. Looks like it really was taken from the barbarians. I dont even know what that Swindler Song is thinking? Looking at the situation, it seems that its (taking up) all of the boat. Then, could some in the middle that dontck moisture continue to be nted and live? Once we have the seeds, we can nt it ourselves. I like eating stir-fried carrot slices. You, ~ne? I like eating it raw. There are also cucumbers, eggnts, and nappa cabbages.[14] I like eating them all, eating it raw, treating them like fruit. Zhang Xiaobao replied. Who would treat these things like fruit? Eating carrots raw isnt good. Wang Juan smiled as she spoke. Then, what to do? Who would have nothing to do and give orphanages fruit to eat? That group of people had barely managed to send over a little bittheyd clearly spent CN100[15] to buy it but insisted on saying that it was CN1,000. They did bring quite a few reporters from all over, terrified that other people wouldnt know that they had donated stuff. Zhang Xiaobao said, curling his lips. So, its this way, ~ah. Then, you had a lot of hardship when you were small. People, ~ah, all wish to have a good reputation. Wang Juan sighed once, feeling that Zhang Xiaobaos childhood really was too pitiable. But Zhang Xiaobao shook his head indifferently: Actually, Im very grateful to those people. No matter for what purpose they were acting, it was fine as long as the stuff was brought over. If there were people donating every day, Id rather provide proof for themeven saying CN100 into 10,000 would be fine. Itd be better than not having anything at all. The thing Im happiest about is having fulfilled Director Grandpas dying wish. I even saved a child just before my death. It was worth it. Now, its good. There are carrots to eat from now on. Zhang Xiaobao, please allow me to use solemn words to evaluate you. You are a good swindler. Wang Juan said while blinking those big eyes of hers.
  1. The stores name is Liu Yi Ju (), which has a bit of wordy since liu yi () can mean to keep someones notice but it can also mean to beware. It is also a rather literary name so tranting it word for word would have resulted in a rather ridiculous sounding name (at least in my opinion), which is why Ipromised and chose to trante it as Noteworthy House instead of Attention-Keeping House. The original Chinese describes the sign as having 3 characters but with the trantion, this is no longer applicable.
  2. An early form of soup noodles that literally trantes to soup cake (tang bing/), it was one of the foods imported from China into Japan that possibly became the basis for udon noodles.
  3. Qian/ is a traditional Chinese measurement unit for mass that was also used to weigh silver or gold currency, being one-tenth of a tael, which is around ~3.7 grams depending on the region and time period. It is transcribed as mace based on its My pronunciation but since mace can mean somethingdifferent in English, I decided to use abination of the pinyin with mace noted as an aside in text. Outside of this context, qian/ is the generic Chinese word for money.
  4. The Chinese name is Xing Chun Lou (), which I have tranted as Apricot Spring House. Lou/ normally means floor but in this case, its short for lou fang () or storied house. The way you can tell this name is for an establishment rted to the red-district is because the name mentions spring and uses fruit or flowers that aremonly used metaphors for feminine beauty to symbolize the euphemistic goods avable for sale. Spring is a strong indicator of the nature of the business because aphrodisiacs are called chun yao () or spring drugs in Chinese and the season of spring is also the customary mating season for animals leading to a lot of spring-rted word y in the various love or sex-rted Chinese expressions. To the Chinese ear, the naming sensees off as simr in tone to the way the titles of porn films sound.
  5. Though saying someones eyes are poisonous can sometimes have the connotation of having a poisonous re, it usually is apliment stating that they have a discerning eye. I was unable to confirm how this idiom came about but my conjecture is that the Chinese word for poison (du/) is a homophone for the word for unique (du/) so someone with poisonous eyes not only has sharp eyes but can also spot the special unique qualities that might escape ordinary notice. By the way, sharp eyes is called yan jian (), which means pointy eyes.
  6. Shui lian () is a type of water lily whose scientific name is Nymphaea tetragona. Though the Chinese name literally trantes to sleeping lotus, it is not a lotus.
  7. Liu Wang is surnamed Liu/ and his name of Wang/ means prosperous.
  8. Liu Wang calling the shopkeeper Uncle Zhao is likely out of respect for his older age though it is possible that they do have some blood rtion. Since there is no generic word for uncle in Chinese, you can still discern some facts from the chosen terminology. Here, Liu Wang is using shu/, which means fathers younger brother. When applied to non-rtives, that means the person being so addressed is younger than the speakers father but too old to be in the same generation as the speaker like a brother. Shu/ is also another way for married women to address their husbands younger brother though it is usually modified into xiao shu zi () to differentiate. In addition, shu/ was historically used as the name for the 3rd son in a noble family before the Chinese naming conventions loosened up.
  9. Xi Jin () or Western Jin is the earlier half of the Jin dynasty, which was founded by the Sima () n, with theter half called Eastern Jin or Dong Jin (). When referencing the entire Jin dynasty, it is referred to as the Two Jins (Liang Jin/), which also differentiates it from ater dynasty that used the same character in its name, the Later Jin dynasty (Hou Jin/).
  10. Salted duck eggs (xian ya dan/) are a Chinese delicacy made by soaking duck eggs in brine. They are usually eaten with congee (rice porridge). The orange-red yolks can be used as an ingredient in mooncakes as well. Other eggs like chicken eggs can be prepared using the same method but the vor is usually not as rich.
  11. Whenever lotuses (lian hua/) are mentioned in Chinese, it is specifically the Nelumbo nucifera that is being referenced. Outside of its symbolic nature as derived from Buddhism and the role it ys in Chinese folklore, it is also greatly valued for its nutritional uses since every part of this flower is edible, making it a popr delicacy.
  12. I wanted to note that this part as a bit difficult for me to efficiently trante as the original Chinese uses just two characters, wan xia (). Roughly speaking, if tranting as a word for word match, it would trante to evening clouds. However, the Chinese had various characters to represent the different types of observed clouds and xia/ is the character specifically used for rosy clouds or the glow emanating from the sunset or sunrise.
  13. Hu Luo Bo () means carrot in Chinese. This particr name is the same principle as the hu deng () that I previously tranted as a Turkic stool as hu luo bo () literally trantes to Hu radish. Another name for carrot in Chinese is hong luo bo (), which means red radish.
  14. Bai Cai () is usually transcribed in English as Chinese cabbage, which itself is the generalbel for 2 kinds of vegetables: Brassica rapa pekinensismoremonly known as nappa cabbageand Brassica rapa chinensis or bok choy. The reason for the confusion is because bok choys name in Cantonese is bai cai () but it is called qing cai () or green vegetables in Mandarin. Most often or not, bai cai () or white vegetables will be referring to nappa cabbages. Sometimes, it is referred to as da bai cai () or great white vegetables to remove any confusion.
  15. Because is the currency symbol used for both the Japanese yen (/) and the Chinese yuan (/), I used CN to denote that it is renmenbi (RMB/) that Xiaobao is using here.
Book 1: Chapter 22 Book 1: Chapter 22 Mutually Scheming Over A Contract Paper Idlers Note: If you re-read the previous chapters, Ive edited them to try to make it easier to tell what the units of measurements are for and how to treat them. I have also been looking into ways to try to circumvent the leecher site from stealing my content without affecting actual readers too much. They dont seem to have stolen thest few chapters but I dont know if theyre just lying low because theyve been getting too much heat from all of the other trantors or re-working their scripts to counteract the anti-copy measures that the trantors have been putting up. Whats frustrating is that most of the advice I see online on preventative measures that dont affect actual readers suggest installing WordPress plugins, which I cant do because thats for self-hosted sites using WordPress.org instations and not for blogs hosted on like mine. ? So again, if you are able to and wish to, please think about through Patreon! That way, I can save up money for web hosting to allow for customization of my site like with installing the aforementioned plugins as well as free up more time for doing more tranting. Unfortunately, because of all the extra formatting and editing I have had to do these past few days as well as recovering from that trantion binge on top of the time and energy I have to put into working for a living, I cant absolutely promise that I can release 3 chapters a week although keeping to a 2 chapters a week schedule is still feasible. I will keep trying to see if I can make the 3 chapters per week schedule a permanent reality and not a tentative goal though. So be on the lookout for Wednesday releases from now on. It is just that I cant promise the chapter will always be there on Wednesdays though Mondays and Fridays should still have chaptersing out. Tranting is a bit of a juggling act for me right now since I am currently trying to avoid burning out or overloading myself as I try to increase my release frequency while I work for a living. Sorry for the wall of text! If you have any suggestions, questions, or other observations, feel free toment below. If you noticed an error while you were reading, please also let me know so I can correct it. Thank you~! ?
Catching sight of the things, Zhang Xiaobao was reassured. Otherwise, hed have to make a little less money. 2,000 dan [stone] of carrots, even if there was a bit of extra water,[1] that would still be 200,000 catties. Zhang Xiaobao was a bit impressed by that Song Jing-gong. Whered he go to get 200,000 catties of carrots, ~ne? For what purpose? Just what was he thinking when he was getting the carrots? Could it be that he really wanted to do normal business? Not right, ~ya. If it really was like that, then he shouldve found people to have that store of his directly mortgaged. With a store worth 300 silver taels, mortgaging it for 200 taels would still be no problem. Just when Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were unsure, that person who came as a messenger gave the both of them the answer. Little Mister Zhang, Little Miss, can this stuff be eaten? Its still not as big as our white radishes[2] here. Its being sold so expensively, toopeople wont die from eating it, right? With this mention of his, Zhang Xiaobao understood. After all, carrots had never been seen by the people here. The price that he, Song Jing-gong, imported it in at should be cheap with nothing more than a bit more in shipping costs. In the end, discovering that no one would buy it, he had prepared to get rid of the stuff or use it to swindle some money. Usually, people didnt have that much spare money on their hands as therge majority was still trying to use the bartering method to settle ounts. Who would be willing to spend 2 wen [cash] in money to buy 1 catty of small white radishes? 2 catties ofrge white radishes are so heavy that for 1 wen [cash] money, people would rush to buy it. Hes preparing to make a huge sum here, ~ah. His ambition really isnt little at all. Wang Juan had also thought of this point as she spoke up. Hes only thinking of swindling but cant do management. Wait until weve taken in this 2,000 dan [stone] of carrots, Ill sell it at 3 wen [cash] money for 1 catty for you to seeand no need to swindle, either. Zhang Xiaobao smiled, revealing two dimples once again. Dont need you to; I can sell it, too. With just those methods, by switching their use, at least one of them would seed. Next step is to see if hell fall for it or not. Wang Juan also had ns this time, happily raising her head.
Stop for a bit. Ill arrange the eggs and light the brazier. Itll get cold in a while. On the road from Tuqiao Vige to Xinping City, Yingtao instructed the person driving the carriage to first stop for a bit. After the carriage had stopped, she then adjusted the positions of those 200 chicken eggs in front of her a little and used the brazier to heat up the quilt to ce on top. Following her call, the carriage once again started leisurely moving forward. The coachman[3] who had driven carriages for 30 years had brought out all of his expertise for these two days. Using the dim illumination of thatntern hanging in front of the carriage, the coachman could avoid any one of the small potholes. Only until the horse could no longer walk did they stop, unhitching the horse to tether to a tree on the side to let the horse itself rest and graze for grass. Uncle[4] Wang, the carriage driving you [honorific] have done here is really great. The chicken eggs werent rocked too much. Yingtao reached out a hand under the quilt to feel the temperature. Releasing a breath, she took out water to drink a few sips and praised the coachman leaning against the tree. Its nothing. Drove carriages for 30 something years so was already used to it. Its not me just blindly telling you this but even without thisntern, I would still know where a pothole is in front. The coachman opened a water bag as he spoke. Then, taking out from his person a small bag with some fried rice inside, he prepared to start eating. Yingtao seeing this, hurriedly epted the item handed over from the two people who had been following after the carriage and ced it in front of the coachman as she said: Uncle Wang, eat this. It was already prepared whening here. With that light from thentern, the coachman saw that in front of him was some well-sliced pigs head meat[5] as well as two fried cakes.[6] His mouth splitting into a grin, he wasnt polite, either. After epting it, he wrapped the meat inside the cake and enthusiastically took a big bite. Squinting his eyes, he slowly swallowed it and then, drank another sip of water. His face writ full of life experience wrinkled together as he said: Savory, real savory. That manor of yours is better, ~ah. The Wang Familys manor has to give quite a few taxes every year so its not as wealthy as yours there. Uncle Wang, the aged[7] you [honorific] shouldnt speak in this way. Little Miss Juan-Juan is there. Just wait. It wont even need two years before the people of our two manors can eat meat for every meal. Other meat, I dont dare speak of but chicken meatthats however much you wish to eat, however much there will be. Yingtao gazed at the carriagepartment as she thought of those chicks about to hatch inside, her mood lightening a lot. Good, Ill heed you. This old man,[8] I will wait two years and will definitely eat that chicken meat for every meal. Chicks can be hatched out of those eggs of yours in the carriage? The coachman was also full of hope as he spoke, then pointing at those chicken eggs in the carriage, asking with some misgiving. Of course they can. Ive seen the appearance of the chicks inside. Wait after a few days, the whole manor will be full of chicks running about. Yingtao confidently said.
It was night, the dark clouds had still not dispersed, nketing over the brilliance of the moon and stars. Song Jing-gongy down on the bed as he thought of his concerns. As he thought, he suddenlyughed and began to talk to himself as he said: Watching me has what use? Could they assume that I will go get the stuff in these two days? Want to stake their im midway through?[9] Im in no hurry. Just wait for a few days and get that money lent into my hands, Ill let you all know the stuff on that boat. Actually dare to raise the prices on mea nights sleep and eating a meal for one day asks for 50 wen [cash] of money out of me. Give itIve given it all. By that time, lets see who will cry. That stuff clearly can be eaten, why cant it be sold? Mister Song, Mister Song is awake, ~ne? The food and wine you [honorific] wanted has arrived. Just as Song Jing-gong was plotting the course of the swindle this time, a door knocking sound and a voice raised in inquiry came from outside. Song Jing-gong flipped over and lit the oilmp. Opening the door, he saw that old man standing outside and some difort rose within his heart. For each meal, eating chicken eggs and stir-fried garlic chives, garlic chives and stir-fried chicken eggsif it were not for the shredded white radishes, he would have been a bit fed up with it. Here, hed had them prepare some good wine and good food for him today. But the result was 6 qian [mace] of silver was taken away. Just this little ce was enough to go to a little shop and order a table of food. Seeing the three small tes on that sieving pan[10] the old man was carrying as well as a jug of wine, however it was calcted, it wasnt worth 6 qian [mace] of silver. Ive troubled Old Father. Bring it inside. Song Jing-gong admonished himself not to be angry and thatter on, he would get revenge before he could eke out a strained smile in greeting. No trouble, Mister Song. You [honorific] spent the money, this old man, I, went to buy it. Wheres the bother? Tonight, I cant get to sleep, either. The old man entered the room while carrying the sieving pan and ced the three dishes and jug of wine on the small table. Then, giving Song Jing-gong a friendly smile, he turned around and left. Song Jing-gong was also really hungry. Seeing that there were three dishes and not discovering whatever chicken eggs or whatever stir-fried things, he exhaled a long breath. He could actually eat meat. Picking up the chopsticks, he found thergest chunk of the thing that should meat and picked it up to put in his mouth. Chewing twice, his face instantly changed in expression. It was meat. s, it wasnt themb meat that he had imagined but fish meat. There were even bones, ~ne. The meat chunks werent that small. That was to say then that the fish was arge fish. But fish meat was inexpensive and it actually required 6 qian [mace] of silver from him? The furiously mad Song Jing-gong reached toward the other dish with his chopsticks. Here, the meat was a bit smaller. When he had eaten it into his mouth, Song Jing-gong wasnt angered again but nodded his head as he murmured: Impressive. Before was the meat of a big fish; now, here is the meat of a small fish. Zhang Manor, Ill remember this. Finished muttering, Song Jing-gong then turned his gaze towards that dish with the meat that was not too small and not toorge. He didnt need a taste and knew that this was a medium fishs meat. These not evenpletely three whole fishes, added up altogether wasnt even 10 wen [cash] in money. Calcting forbor, 20 wen [cash] was enough. Appearing resigned, Song Jing-gong picked up that jar of wine and not even caring what taste it had, guzzled it down. Then, throwing away the chopsticks, hey down on the bed, covered his head, and fell asleep. It was like this for several days. Just as Song Jing-gong thought that he would still need to endure two more days, Steward Zhang came by personally. Mister Song, the money has already been prepared satisfactorily. I dont know if Mister still needs it or not? Steward Zhang seemed to have arrived with some urgency. Entering the room, he hadnt even caught his breath, ~ne, and was already speaking up in inquiry. Really? That really is great. Steward Zhang, you [honorific] here are helping me a lot. You [honorific], rest assured. After the matter is done with, I, Song Jing-gong, will definitely not forget you [honorific]. Upon hearing the matter of the silver was possible, that despondent mood of Song Jing-gongs immediately dispersed and scattered like the clouds and fog. Not waiting for Steward Zhang to speak, he said: If so, then Ill hand over my stores property deed to you [honorific]? No hurry, there are still some things in Mister Songs store. It behooves us to go over and carefully look it over. The silver, Ive ordered people to bring along. I dont know if we can go today? Steward Zhang assuredly knew that saying all the words that should be said was necessary. Otherwise, it would be too easy to raise a persons suspicions. Song Jing-gong smiled as he nodded. This type of matter, he had already considered. At once, he went with Steward Zhang and the person holding the silver to Sanshui County. It had reached the monkey hour [3~5PM][11] in the afternoon before they had arrived outside the store. Looking inside and seeing that the person who normally kept watch out in back was actually standing at the counter there, Song Jing-gongs expression instantly became overcast as he walked up front to ask: Storekeeper Zhao and Liu Wang, ~ne? In reply to [Store] Owners words, today at noon, there was someone who came into the store and took a fancy to a jar. They actually spent 30 silver taels to purchase it and even said it was inexpensive so insisted on inviting Storekeeper Zhao and Liu Wang to go have wine. So they went. How about I go and call them back? They just left. This person replied. No need. If theyre eating, theyre eating. You can go back, theres me to keep watch here. Steward Zhang, this business is busy, ~ah. Once Ive gotten the borrowed money, Ill close the store. You [honorific] sent a person to watch it and wait till Ive finished the turnover before talking. In a while, deduct the money for that jar, I can directlypensate for it. Dont just look at how dearly it was sold for, that jar was actually only worth 160 wen [cash] and it was turned over like this? Song Jing-gong swept over the position where that jar was ced and discovering that it was less 100 something wen [cash] but did not heed it at all. Fine, then lets invite the brokerage people toe over. Ive prepared the silver already here. Steward Zhang forthrightly assented. Behind him, the person carrying the silver put the money down and turned around to leave to go find the brokerages guarantor. Returning after not long, four people came this time. After all, there were a lot of items. Checking the detailed records originally produced by the broker, all of the things were not wrong. Just as Song Jing-gong was about to sign the contract with Steward Zhang, Steward Zhang abruptly pointed at a painting and said: Its better to record it with a bit more detail. That painting has a defect. If its wrong, it would be good to verify. Mister Song, let us first be petty men andter be gentlemen.[12] If its off, that would require paying threefold the money as we originally so agreed. Finished speaking and not even waiting for Song Jing-gong to have any response, he ordered people to record the defect on that painting, especially getting that burned area written down and having the brokerage people insure it. Song Jing-gong felt like it was nothing. It was just a painting. When it was time, hed just leave it to them. Smiling, he stood to the side as he watched. After the people who hade here had carefully given certificates for all of the other worthless items, with one hand handing over the money and one hand receiving the store was thispleted. When Steward Zhang andpany had left, Song Jing-gong curled his lips and turned around to walk toward that Luo River. He knew that there would definitely be someone following him.
  1. The Chinese used here is shui fen (), which literally means water amount. Shui/ tends to be used as an euphemism for excess in metaphor for overestimation or dilution like saying an author thers too much in order to pad out the word count, the forum thread has too much water as in off-topic talk, or their numbers have too much water, etc.
  2. Luo buo () means radish in Chinese. The full name is actually bai luo buo () or white radishes and is the winter version of the radish that would normallye to mind for most Westerners. The reason I have to footnote this to exin something that should be a straightforward trantion is because white radishes are actually more better known in the West by the Japanese name, the daikon. Though daikon is likely the name that is most closely associated with this vegetable, it isntpletely identical to the Chinese variant so I chose to simply trante it as white radish.
  3. Ba shi () trantes to mean expert, professional in Chinese. So a che ba shi () would be the equivalent of a professional driver of carriages or coaches.
  4. Bo () is a paternal uncle who is the speakers fathers older brother in Chinese. The formal term is bo fu () while the more casual form that is usually used by children is bo bo (). Obviously, if the speaker is calling an unrted person this, then it is because the person is of the speakers fathers generation and not of the speakers grandfathers generation while being older than the speakers father. Bo/ is also the traditional name for the second son of a noble family before Chinese naming conventions loosened up. The character bo/ cane up as well when used in the context of Chinese peerage titles and has a noble rank roughly equivalent to that of a count.
  5. Zhutou rou () is the meat that is sliced from a pigs head, which was considered a delicacy to eat, simr to bacon in the West.
  6. The Chinese used is you bing (), which is a Beijing food that is made in the exact same way that you tiao () are madeit is just that you bing () are made in the form of cakes while you tiao () are in the form of sticks. They are both dough fried in oil and are popr breakfast foods to eat with soy milk in Chinese cuisine. I didnt trante you bing () literally since oil cake can refer to the caked remains of what is left behind after oil is pressed from an oil-producing material. Thus, I tranted you bing () as fried cakes. Just as a reference point that might be more familiar to readers, scallion pancakes are essentially a type of these but with scallions added into the dough.
  7. Lao/ simply means old, aged in Chinese but it can pop up in honorific speech because of the Confucian ideal of etiquette that respecting your elders as well as due to the conventional thinking that the elderly should be venerated for their wisdom and experience. Thus, sometimes to convey even more respect to a listener, a speaker will say that they are old or elderly even when theyre not. It is not meant literally in these cases since at this point, its almost be apliment by rote. Sometimes though, a person being called old or elderly who actually isnt might jokingly reply that theyre not that old in a wordy on the literal meaning.
  8. Lao Han () basically just means old man in Chinese. Han/ became the ethnicbel for the Chinese majority after the Han dynasty () so calling an old man an old Han is simr to calling an elderly white man an old Caucasian.
  9. Heng cha yi gang zi () literally trantes to horizontally plug in a thick stick and is used to describe someone interrupting or cutting into something in an attempt to im ownership or participation in something that they didnt initiate or join in on from the start and are now attempting to do so midway through. In this case, Song Jing-gong isbeling the Zhang Family as trying to shove their way into the middle of a business deal that he started with the barbarians. I chose to trante for the meaning though I retained the image used in the original Chinese of a stake being stuck in the middle.
  10. A boji () can actually trante to dustpan. However these dustpans were also multi-purpose tools since they were baskets woven from reeds and depending on their design, could be used to sift or sieve stuff as well as to act as baskets or pans for temporary storage. Obviously, in this case, it is being used as a makeshift tray. This Baidu entry has pictures of boji/ for those who are curious. To try to avoid reader confusion, I opted to trante it alternatively as sieving pan in text.
  11. Ive tranted shen shi () as the monkey hour since it is the Earthly Branch assigned to the Monkey from the Chinese zodiac. The ancient Chinese divided the day into 12 2-hour segments or Earthly Branches with each named after an animal of the Chinese zodiac as a mnemonic device. The monkey rules over the time span from 3:00~5:00 PM.
  12. Steward Zhangs turn of phrase depends on understanding a key Confucian concept of Junzi (), which I have tranted as gentleman. Like gongzi (), the term that I have opted to trante as Mister, junzi/ initially had a literal meaning of lords son before it became a generic term that applied to all noble scions and then was co-opted by Confucianism to be more applicable universally. Simr to its Western counterpart, junzi/ is a moral archetype that Chinese men of good birth, background, or education tried to aspire to and some of the qualities associated with a junzi/ was being gracious, humble,passionate, and loyal. A junzi/ would be careful with their words and would ordingly, keep their promises when given. The opposite of a junzi/ was thus a xiaoren/ or a petty man who was theplete opposite. Thus, Steward Zhang saying xian xiaoren hou junzi (), which I have tranted literally, is essentially asking for some precautionary measures. The request is practical but mighte off as an insult to the honor of the person if they have pride in being a junzi/. So Steward Zhang is asking for forgiveness and leeway for his caution while promising Song Jing-gong treatment as a junzi/ or gentlemanter on.
Book 1: Chapter 23 Book 1: Chapter 23 The Sound of Laughter While Strategizing In The Command Tent Idlers Note: Ah, tranting these chapters are sometimes torture on me Especially on a limited food budget. The hunger only aggravates my mood, especially since the leecher struck again. ? Again, if you notice any errors, please point them out to me. If you wish to show your appreciation, pleasement, like, or subscribe! Of course, through Patreon so I can do more trantion is always cool, too. ?
The two banks were verdant with por leaves as dragonflies perched on the shallow grass. The skies were jade-blue with few floating clouds with the water reflecting blue with condensed dew. The gathering of swallows was perhaps intentional with the sound of the winds arrival or stay. The wildflowers swayed following each swirl, a glimmer with each swing. Early the following day, Song Jing-gong had just arrived at the Luo River riverbank. Gazing at the scenery before his eyes, he who should have been in a pleasant mood kept feeling like there was something off. From Sanshui County to here, the day had beente yesterday and plus he had wanted to see whether or not there was a person following behind him so he randomly found an inn to stay in midway through. The result was it let him catch sight of that person who had been carrying the silver next to Steward Zhang. He was confirming that there was someone following, only to discover that wasnt this person foolish, ~ya, and didnt even know how to tail someone? Other people would all try their best to keep a certain distance from the person being tailed. This person sure was goodtrailing him only 20 steps behind. Every time he stopped to turn his head around and look, you would typically have to hide. This person sure was good and just looked straightforwardly in front with their eyes, feigning an appearance of not being acquainted. Could it be that he was being considered a foolit had only been a while and he couldnt remember a person? The most maddening wasnt even this. He himself had already found an inn. Adjacent to this inn was another inn so if youre tailing me, then you should go to stay in that inn. Ending up staying in a single inn might be fine but he himself was dining in the lobby and the spots near the window only had two tables yet each one seated a person with one facing the otherspitting at the person in front wouldnt hit amiss. This was only because of the few people and the many empty tables. Otherwise, wouldnt they be sitting together to eat? How was this tailing? It was clearly surveince. Wonder what that Steward Zhang intendedcould it be that he wished to drop the facade?[1] Song Jing-gong stood on the riverbank not too distant from the docks as he thought on exactly how he got like this. Why was he in such a perturbed moodbecause of that person tailing him? Steward Zhangs attitude? The grievances he suffered at the two Zhang and Wang Manors? It didnt seem like it at all. After thinking on it for a while, Song Jing-gong attributed this sentiment to the action this time being rather big and the cheating of people more formidable so that he would have such a feeling. Turning his head to nce at that person who was squatting at a distance of around 10 steps away, they were currently fiddling with the grass on the ground. From this distance, a team of ants could be seen hauling things in a ck mass by that persons feet so that person was using grass to poke at the ants. Song Jing-gong exhaled a long sigh. He really wanted to go over and ask that person, how old are you? How could this kind of person be sent out to do things? Shaking his head, Song Jing-gong didnt wish to expend his mental energy on such a fool type of person. It was better to first check on those things that had been transported back here from the barbariannds that couldnt be sold. Thinking of it, Song Jing-gong strode towards the docks. The boats that he had hired were still moored there, ~ne. Of course, these boats didnt have any other shipping fees. As a swindler, he wouldnt do anything like paying a shipping fee but had an agreement with that person from the barbarian n. When the stuff was ferried here, out of the profit made, 21 would be added into 5. When Song Jing-gong had arrived at the docks, that boat already had people who had recognized him as they hurriedly ran over to ask respectfully: Greetings, Great Schr Song.[2] You [honorific] have found someone to buy the sweet nts[3] here? Thats great. Weve spent quite a bit of money just eating these past few days. If we cant sell them, then we would lose everything. The attitude was respectful yet the words within carried a sense ofint. Song Jing-gong also knew that if switched with anyone else, they would also be unhappy. Unh, almost. Songri Nigan, ~ne? Have him sought out. I have important matters to discuss. This person that Song Jing-gong was speaking of was a petty chieftain of noble rank in the barbarian ns over there. Theyd had a lot of contact with this side and so, took on some of the habits over here. When the greeting person heard Song Jing-gong ask after their chieftain, their face unwittingly revealed a trace of happiness in their appearance though they continued to respectfully reply: Great Schr Song, my king found a method to get rich and has already left this ce. The return may perhaps be after 2 days. Get rich? He can also get rich? Good, ~ah. Wonder how is he getting it? Where would the riches be? Song Jing-gong smiled. These barbarians also wanted to get riching to this cekeep dreaming, ~ne. That person, seeing that Song Jing-gongs tone had disdain, felt a little bit of dissatisfaction in his heart but still maintaining a smiling face in an appearance of wee, continued and said: My king really did find a way to get rich and even said to wait until after you [honorific] had arrived here to have you [honorific] go over to see. Seeing them speak with such assurance, Song Jing-gong was also puzzled. Could it be that Songri Nigan really did step into a dog poop windfall[4] and discovered something? But then feeling that it wasnt possible, so he asked: How did Songri Nigan discover it? And where does he want me to go? It was that someone came over to ask if we were buying chicks and said they could be cheaply sold. 2 wen [cash] can buy 1 chickthe kind that can grow up andy eggs. That person replied. Here now, Song Jing-gong wasnt puzzled but stupefied. A single chicken was worth around 30-some wen [cash] over here. It wasnt too expensive but hens were not the same. They couldy eggs and no matter how cheap, chicken eggs were still worth 1 wen [cash]. It didnt need too many days for the chicks to grow up andy eggsjust half a years time was more than enough. This 2 wen [cash] bought a little one and a half year of casually feeding them a bit of stuff was only a few wen [cash]. Letting it outside to range for food to eat on its own would save even more. After half a year, wouldnt that moneye in like an unending stream? This price really was too cheap. When those hens brooded,ying eggs wasnt possible. With the dy of those few days, the money for the chicken eggsid were all several wen [cash], how could it be so cheap? Swindler. I cant believe that I, Song Jing-gong, could also encounter a swindler. Song Jing-gongs most instinctive thought was this. But he didnt know how the other side was doing the swindling. They were even selling chicks and not chicken eggsthere, male or female could be figured out with one look. Fine, Ill go over now. Find a person to lead the way in front. Song Jing-gong really couldnt figure it out and wanted to get a personal look. So taking his leave and then ncing over at that fool of a tracker, he was led away from the docks by someone to hurry towards that ce selling the chickens.
The sparrow birds chirruped as the butterflies chased; hazy mists wreathed the green mountains in the distance as the oblique light dotted the floating dust motes by them. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had just gotten up for the morning and had milk. They didnt resume sleeping and went to the vegetable garden within the courtyard together, prepared to continue producing different dishes[5] for the adults to eat. For the two of them, drinking some soup and swallowing some froth would be fine. No kidney beans,[6] ~ah? I had wanted to simmer[7] some to eat, ~ne. Wang Juan looked around in a circle and didnt discover kidney beans but did see that there were cowpeas.[8] Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaobao, almost like a thief, struggled to pick a little round eggnt that was around 2 cun [inch] in diameter from within the eggnt plot. Using that thumb to vigorously dig at it until he dug out a small piece and shoved it in his mouth, he happily nodded his head. Xiaobao, what are you doing, ~ne? Its not suitable for you to eat eggnts right now and to even be so surreptitious about it. Wang Juan said upon seeing with a nce that Zhang Xiaobao was over there sneaking a bite, not knowing whether tough or cry. Im scared of other people finding out. The eggnts are too small. Eating it like this is a pity but its only at this time that the eggnts are sweetest. You try it. Zhang Xiaobao spoke while he dug out a little bit again and presented it in front of Wang Juan. Wang Juan really didnt know what to say. Such a grown man who was actually doing these kinds of stuff that only children would do. Reaching out a hand to p down that small broken-off piece: Cant you focus on some serious business? Then, forget it. Xiaohong, you eat it. It sure is sweet. After eating it, help us pick eggnts. Well be eating these for lunch today. Zhang Xiaobao easily conceded to the beneficial advice[9] and gave the small eggnt eggs to Xiaohong. Xiaohong took them and actually ate them. She didnt have anything to eat getting up this morning so to be able to eat some eggnts was good. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, seeing that Xiaohong ate the eggnt with just a few bites, started. Only after a while did Wang Juan say: Xiaohong, you rest assured. After Xiaobao and I make money over these next few days, the people who work the most in the manor will definitely be able to have 4 meals a day in the futuremorning, midday, and night as well as a midnight meal. Thank you, Little Miss Juan-Juan. Actually, were all used to it. Dont mention 4 meals, 3 meals would need to spend quite a bit extra in money. Xiaohongs eyes brightened but then she felt like this matter wasnt possible. Which manor would give servants 4 meals? Wang Juan also know that Xiaohong wouldnt believe it until shed really eaten 4 meals so she didnt speak any more words as she pulled Zhang Xiaobao along to go look at the other vegetables. Here, there was Xiaohong to pick the eggnts. Actually, just 4 meals arent enough. These people, they keep exerting themselves over the day and in the middle of the night, they still have to appear when called. Have to prepare some fruitster on and supplement their nutrition to be enough. The sheeps wool grows on the sheeps body.[10] The better their bodies are, the more things that they can do. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan arrived at a small plot of scallions, speaking as they squatted there. It was enough for a typical person to eat 3 meals in 1 day. Those servants were really too exhausted and also, it was entire families one after the other living at the manor. Without the children, the parents would be aggrieved; without the parents, the children would be upset. A stable solidarity was the most important. If the nutrition kept up, peoples life expectancy would also lengthen. Once he and Wang Juan grew up, the next generation of the manor would also appear. A manor also needed a manors culture to do well. Unh, lets not hurry first. Ill arrange it at that time. Youll be responsible for the nning and Ill be responsible for the organization. In the future, if the footmen and guards increase, give them to me to drill. While Im still little, Im prepared to go find some of the data on this time periods military operations to integrate theory with practice to producebat tactics. Wang Juan also supported this point and also wanted to use some of what she had previously studied. Seeing the nervous gaze Zhang Xiaobao was directing over here, she smiled: Rx, Im not rebelling so it wont implicate your Zhang Family. What dishes are you prepared to make for lunch? Eggnt to be roasted together with fishdress it with scallions and sauce after steaming, garlic eggnt, minced meat eggnt, dry stir-fried[11] eggntthis will need to use that mountain chili sprout water, sugar-zed[12] eggnt, red-cooked[13] ribs and starched[14] eggnt, rappi[15] and simmered eggntpeas will need to be added, 8 will be enough. Add an eggnt with kelp and shrimp soup. The staple food will be fried eggnt cakes.[16] Zhang Xiaobao counted on those little fingers of his as he listed them off one by one for Wang Juan to hear. After hearing it, Wang Juan solemnly nodded her head: Fine. I think this matters fine. Im ready to eat tofu tonight. Ill have to depend on youit has to be a feast of entirely tofu. No problem. I resolve toplete the mission. My only worry is whether using brown sugar[17] to make the sugar-zed eggnts would make it hard to eat. On our return, get some charcoal and filter out the brown sugar dregs to be convenient for cooking in the future. If Wang Juan spoke, Zhang Xiaobao dared to promise it, seeming to be eager to try it, rendering Wang Juan speechless. All right. Whatever we eat is fine. Do you think that Swindler Song will act ording to how you think he will act? Wang Juan redirected the topic back to the right track. Rx, I understand the kind of person he isits the same mentality as when I first started swindling. Zhang Xiaobao nonchntly said.
  1. Si po lian () literally means to tear apart face and is used in situations where face or keeping up appearances was the only thing maintaining the peace of a broken rtionship or situation. Thus, when even that semnce is dropped, hostilities break out. So I chose to trante this idiom as dropping the facade.
  2. This title is one formed bybining Songs surname with great (da/) and cai zi (), meaning schr.
  3. Gan xun () is an alternative name for carrot that literally means sweet nt, which makes sense since the barbarians wouldnt call carrots the equivalent of barbarian radishes (huluobo/) the way that the Chinese do.
  4. This Chinese idiom, gou shi yun (), literally means dog shit luck and is used to describe a sudden windfall like someone happening across a quarter on the street. The fortuitous nature of happening across dog poop doesnt make sense to modern eyes since it is now considered a sign of bad luck until you consider that there werent many sources of fertilization for agricultural use in the ancient world so fecal matter was a valued fertilizer source. Thus, identally stepping in dog shit would be considered lucky because you could sell it off for money to those in need of fertilizer or use it in your own fields if you were a peasant farmer. It is a very earthy idiom as expected of its agrarian roots so I have tranted it as dog poop windfall.
  5. Hua yang () literally trantes to flower semnce and can have a number of different meanings in Chinese. It can literally refer to a flowers appearance. Pattern or design is also another possible trantion choice for this word. It can also mean tricks or techniques that dazzle the eye with their finesse (i.e. the magician pulled a trick by turning a bunch of ribbons into doves). It can also refer to the various ways of making and reproducing things including the different variations, simr to the different species of blooming flowers. Because I found it hard to literally trante this word, I had to opt for a rough trantion in this case.
  6. Yun dou () is also called cai dou () in Chinese but both names refer to the kidney bean. A traditional dish from Beijing cuisine using kidney beans is yun dou juan (), which Baidu seems to have tranted as French bean rolls.
  7. To dun/ something is to gradually simmer a dish in cold water with seasonings until ites to a prolonged boil. An alternate trantion might be to slow-cook. This cooking technique is also called double steaming in English. Dun/ can refer to stewing in Western cuisine as well as the brewing of traditional Chinese medicine, too.
  8. Jiang dou () is the Chinese name for cowpeas. They can also be called hu dou ().
  9. Cong shan ru liu () is a 4-character couplet that describes someone following advice given to them for their benefit. In this case, Xiaobao is heeding Juan-Juans instructions to not eat eggnts that are not suitable for him to eat at his current physical age.
  10. Yang mao chu zai yang shen shang () is a Chinese expression that describes someone receiving a benefit or advantage that is, in actuality, something that they had already paid for with previousbor or money spent. This could be used to describe a person receiving a gift from someone that they are marily supportingit is something paid for with their own money even if it is being returned through an indirect means. In this case, Xiaobao is referring to how feeding the servants 4 meals might seem like an extra expense but it will all return to them as a benefit anyway in the amount ofbor that the servants pay them back with.
  11. Gan bian () is also known as bian chao () or gan chao () in Chinese and is a form of stir-frying called dry stir-fry that involves stir-frying with very small amounts of liquid.
  12. Ba si () literally trantes to pull strand, which refers to wire extraction when used in the context of metalworking. However, it also describes a cooking technique where the food item is zed in sugar to the point that the congealed syrup can be pulled out in strandshence, the name. Examples of such dishes in Chinese cuisine are ba si di gui () or candied sweet potatoes as an example of Shandong cuisine, ba si xiang jiao () or zed bananas as another example of Shandong cuisine, ba si shan yao () or zed Chinese yams as an example of Beijing cuisine, etc.
  13. Hong shao () is a form of braising that is tranted as red-cooking in English after the color of the meat () that is cooked in such a way. It usually involves stewing or braising the food in soy sauce, Chinese rice wine, and caramelized sugar. Meat makes up arge majority of this type of cooking and these dishes are popr throughout broad swathes of China.
  14. Hui/ is a Chinese cooking technique that refers to thickening the dish with starch after it has been quickly scalded and then stir-fried.
  15. You cai () literally means oil vegetable in Chinese, which makes sense if you know that one of thergest sources of vegetable oils in the worldes from a specific cultivar of rapeseed known as can (CANadian + Oil + Low + Acid). Other than the vegetable oil it can produce, rapeseed can also be edible as vegetable greens. Though the rape in this nts name has a different etymological root (Latin word for turnip) than the other possible meaning, I opted to trante it as rappi to avoid reader confusion.
  16. Zha jie he () literally trantes to fried eggnt box but since they are fried cakes that are an example of Zhejiang cuisine, I chose to trante them as fried eggnt cakes.
  17. Hong tang () or red sugar is actually the Chinese name for brown sugar.
Book 1: Chapter 24 Book 1: Chapter 24 The Hatching Chicks Show Their Heads 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!
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] 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] was really too cheap. If they were sold for 3 wen [cash], 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.[1] 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] 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.
Dont slice it with the skin. First peel the skin. Slice it. Fry it.[2] 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[3] 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,[4] 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.[5] 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?[6] 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.
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], 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.
  1. 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.
  2. Guo you () 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.
  3. This 4-character couplet, zhi shang tan bing () [Baidu], 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 (Taishi Gongshu/) AKA the Scribe''s Records (Shiji/) by Sima Qian (), which are the biographies of Lian Po () and Lin Xiangru (). The armchair general of the story is Zhao Kuo () from the State of Zhao during the Warring States period, who was the son of a famous general named Zhao She (). 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 (), 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.
  4. The threshold of a doorway in Chinese culture, a men kan (), 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.
  5. 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, 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 with children picking dishes that are the parents favorite or vice versa to show parental love.
  6. The Chinese expression used here is linng man mu (), 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.
Book 1: Chapter 25 Book 1: Chapter 25 Forcibly Raise Money To Sell To You Idlers Note: Thanks for your patience in waiting! I will be resuming the regrly scheduled chapters with the goal of making up for the releases I missed for thest week. The time away has helped me get some emotional distance from the whole but Im sorry to have to say that some of my readers might be affected by the preventative measures that I will end up having to take. I have also changed the release schedule to reflect my ambitions of getting 3 chapters a week out for you guys so please keep an eye out for releases on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays! Hopefully, I will be better about managing my frence workload so that I dont need to take time off from tranting to meet my budget. Additionally, for those of you who are interested in but are not able to do it through Patreon or Crowdrise for whatever reason, please note that I have added a that takes cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Dogecoin. The transaction fees involved are much lower than the rates that you would be charged for with an international currency exchange since you would be buying the coins in your own local denomination. Plus, you can pay fractions of a coin, making it perfect for micropayments. Any donations like this would really help relieve the burden on me so I can free up more time for tranting. I do enjoy producing something that people like, after all. ? If you dont have the resources to help out financially, then please like, subscribe, and spread the word by sharing the link to this blog! Thank you! ?
There really are chicksing out. Following that voice, six people stood in the doorway. One of them was a person with a protruding belly, with a perpetual smile on his face. The other one had a lowered head and bent waist.[1] The remaining four were blocked off to the back and could only been seen slightlythey seemed to be guards or footmen and the like. Song Jing-gong had already lost control and seeing that there were more peopleing to see the chicks, his smile was no longer that natural as he stood in the way there and said: Its just for fun. It was actually done using a hen to brood it and then, brought over on top of the kang [bed-stove]. You are? Not waiting for that person with the protruding belly to speak, the person by their side who had just been ingratiatingly smiling stuck out his chest, narrowing his eyes while looking toward Song Jing-gong as he asked. Im not worthya Juren surnamed Song, name of Jing-gong. Song Jing-gong, knowing that he couldnt show timidity at this time, raised his head as he spoke. Oh, just a Juren. Id thought a Valedictorian arrived, ~ne! Boss, let us go inside to look more closely. This person scoffed once before transforming back into that deferential appearance, causing anyone seeing this to sigh at the sight. This boss strode inside and even casually grunted, not even sparing a look at Song Jing-gong. The four people behind him also entered one after another, squeezing into this room until there was no room. When they hade near, it just so happened that another chick had smashed open the shell to struggle outward, ~ne. This boss eyes immediately lit up. He wasnt a fool, either, and understood that this method was the most importantthe chicks simply didnt matter. Old Father, didnt we reach an agreement just now? Leave this matter to me. Song Jing-gong also turned around and when facing the old man, he waggled his eyebrows and blinked his eyes while using his hands to mime counting money. The old man seemed to not have seen Song Jing-gongs gesture and didnt even respond to his words but faced the newly arrived people as he said: This sir,[2] you [honorific] see, this was all done by my daughter-inw. As long as eggs are ced on top of this kang [bed-stove], after a few days, chicks wille out. Oh? Its not this easy, right? This boss beamed while gazing at the old man as he asked, his words carrying a hint of a threatening intent. This little old boy[3] doesnt know. It was all handled by my daughter-inw. Mister Song, what were you saying before? The old man put on an appearance of not being afraid at all before turning his head to ask Song Jing-gong. Song Jing-gong was this angry, ~ah. Once he saw the old mans behavior, he understood. This old man was not a bit stupid. Perhaps, the one who had spread the news had been this family. The more people who set their eyes on this, then the more money that this family could make. Now, he no longer thought that this was a scam. Those chickens really hade out. Seeing that the old man had pushed him forward, he wanted to refuse but he couldnt bear giving up so could only be this viin. Wanting to make his own expression a bit more natural but discovering that it wasnt feasible, he simply put on a stony face as he said: Old Father, I just now said that this matter would all be managed by me. By then, Ill help you [honorific] sell the chicks. I wonder whether Old Father will agree or not? After Song Jing-gong finished speaking, he looked back to meet the gazes of those six people before turning his head around, not even wishing to see them. This house is the ce that was said to be able to use whatever kang [bed-stove] to hatch chicks? Just as the two groups of people were there working out their eyes, a voice rose from outside again. Mister, that is exactly so. This little one has asked around thoroughly. You [honorific], please go in. This should be another servant as servants basically all spoke like this. Sure enough, several people appeared in the doorway again. One of them was around 20 years old, having juste of age,[4] his body d in fluttery white clothing that appeared endlessly romantic and dashing.[5] Seeing that there was already no standing room within the room, his brow creased slightly. That person by his side then spoke up and said: Anyone alive,e out. Dont you see my familys Mister has arrived? Unh-humph! Xiaowu,[6] how can you speak thusly, ~ne. Could you have forgotten what Mister, I have normally taught you? This mister didnt speak out while Xiaowu had been speaking, only waiting until Xiaowu had finished speaking to feign being a good guy with a smile as breezy and light as the wind and clouds on his face. Other than Yingtao and the other person that had followed, everyone else in the room were all a bit nervous. This Mister was notmon, ~ah. Even Song Jing-gong felt that no matter how he faked it, he himself couldnt fake putting on such airs. The face veil-wearing Yingtao and the other person basically didnt feel anything. To see an elegant demeanor, just look at their own Little Mister to knowthat was what pretty should be calledwith a white and plump appearance, big eyes that were pure and clean, two round dimples with a smile, speaking words that couldnt be disobeyed. Within themand tent devising strategies that decide the victory within 1,000 li [mile] outside;[7] after growing up a bit, which Mister couldpare? This was just great now. Three groups of people were gathered together, each finding the other to be eyesores. For the sake of allowing theter Mister to enter the room to observe, the old man even drove out the footmen of that boss who had been second to arrive. After all, this was his home. Of the chicks on top of the kang [bed-stove] now, five had alreadye out. The down on the body of the very first toe out had already dried as it chirped and made noise continuously. Yingtao hurriedly took out the rice soup that had been cooked in advance to feed it. Seeing this situation, the three groups of people started discussions with the old man. This one said that they were willing to give 10 silver taels; that one said that they could use 100 bolts of silk to exchange for itin short, they all wanted to obtain this method of hatching chicks with the kang [bed-stove]. The old man nced at this one, and then nced at that one, not making a sound as he smiled and waited there. The three groups of people kept on raising the price. When it had been raised to 200 taels of silver ingots,[8] only Song Jing-gong still dared to bid. The others didnt make a sound as those two groups of people believed that it wasnt worth so much money. How many chickens had to be raised before this money could be earned back? Just as Song Jing-gong was smugly congratting himself, people started continuously arriving from outside again until a total of 10 or so groups of people hade to this ce. Having seen that you really could use kang [bed-stove] to hatch chicks, there was a deep-pocketed person who opened up with 500 taels of white silverdidnt even know what they were thinking. Hearing it, Song Jing-gong was also dazed. To have him bring out so much money, he really couldnt. At the same time, he was a bit jealous of this old mans entire family. With so much silver, till which lifetime would they need to spend it, ~ah? Others of this kind of people were all still using things to barter for somemonce items; if the old mans entire family had so much money, perhaps theyd be in danger. Seeing that there was no one raising the price again, the old man spoke up: Everyone, I say, everyone, you are all wealthy people. This old man, I am not. What would I do with this much money? Lest it attracts a cmitous massacre, how about this? Those willing to pay with money can continue to bid; those unwilling to pay with money can also use items in exchange. Silk, wheat, rice, millet, whether it be soybeans, radishes, horses, oxen, sheep, this kind of stuffthis old man, I can take it all. Then, we can calcte it as silver. Whoever gives the most, this old man, I will have my daughter-inw sell the recipe for how to hatch chicks to them. Is that all right? When everybody heard this, therge majority retreated a bit. After all, it was too much money. If these 500 taels still couldnt get it, then how much did they still want? However, Song Jing-gong rejoiced in his heart. He had goods valued at 400 silver taels there, ~ne. Added on top were the 200 taels that he had borrowed as well as the 200 taels on hand that he had saved up from before so he could take out 800 taels. Other people might feel like this stuff wasnt worth it but he didnt think this way. He was already prepared. As long as he could hatch chicks, then he could continue swindling. Within a few days, he would be able to borrow a sum of money once again. Just as everybody prepared to continuing bidding, a person abruptly said: Wait. I wish to ask. What if I buy this recipe and old man, you sell it again to someone elsethen, what do I do? Everyone can rest assured. This little old boy, I have already thought it through. At that time, well find the brokerage people to insure it. Of course, if this recipe was leaked by whichever one of you, then dont me me. I can only do this in my own home here and have no power or influence so I cant get too much of a big result. The old man said at this moment. Now, everyone was finally at ease thinking that a lone old man wouldnt dare trick people. Otherwise, just eating the paddles[9] could beat him to death. Everyone prepared to bid once again when at this time, the old man spoke again. Everyone, refrain from worrying. This little old boy has a method that can allow everyone not to break the facade. Everybody stopped to hear him speak. Child, ~ah, bring over a brush, ink, paper, and ink stone. Everyone, this method of this little old boy is for everyone to write down the money or items they wish to bring out on paper. Dont let the others see. Then, give it all to me together. Whichever price that I see is highest, Ill give to whichever person. How about it? The old man called out and a person from the two people there came out to take out the four treasures of the study that had been prepared in advance to allow these people write on there. In the beginning, everyone had felt that this method was good. But who knew that when considering how much money or things to offer, they discovered that with this method, they had no way to guess on the others. If that price given was low, thered be no recipe; if too high, wouldnt it be a mary loss? Every single one couldnt help secretly cursing this old man thenhed actually thought of such a damaging move. But even if they clearly knew this was disadvantageous to them, they still had to write. When one finished writing to switch to the next one, this person even pulled out that sheet of paper that had been the lining below for fear that the others would see a trace of it. It was good that everyone all knew a few characters and could write a few characters so there was no need to seek another person as a scribe.[10] After a quarter-hour, all of the people had finished writing and stopped, handing the papers over to the old man, and then had been persuaded to wait outside by the old man. Here, that other man from the manor began to flip through the papers to look at them. Finding one that was willing to pay 700 silver taels, this was the one with the highest price. Next was to take out that sheet of paper of Song Jing-gongs. One look and Song Jing-gong actually wanted to give a bit less in money and had counted that 2,000 dan [stone] of carrots as 400 taels and he had added another 250 taels. This person nodded his head, handing the paper over to the old man. Then, he quietly instructed a few more sentences as the old man took note of each one. Outside, Song Jing-gong was also speaking with Songri Nigan. After all, the cargo on the boats belonged to the both of them. Songri Nigan, wait until after Ive gotten the recipe and hatched the chicks, Ill use the chicks to pay the bill. Hows that? Song Jing-gong asked. Why not also give me a copy of the recipe? Songri Nigan wasnt stupid, either, as he wanted the recipe. You dont understand here. You can continueing here to get the chicks from me; Ill sell cheaply to you. But if you bring it back, can you hold onto this recipe? How many people will be seeing red, ~ne? You there doesntpare to my being protected by the local authorities[11] here. Song Jing-gong argued, giving an analysis of the pros and cons. Songri Nigan thought on it and it really was like this. So he nodded his head, which could be considered agreement. Not long after, the old man came out and holding two sheets of paper in his hand, he said: Everyone, the results havee out. Xinping Citys Owner Li this time is 700 silver taels. His words once spoken, the others inhaled sharply while Song Jing-gongs heart grew cold. If he had known itd be like this, he would have added a bit more moneythat cargo originally wasnt worth much money. At this time, the old man said: s, Owner Li was somewhatcking a bit as Mister Song, with 2,000 dan [stone] of goods equal to 400 silver taels added to 350 silver taels for a total of 750 silver taels, bought the recipe. After his voice stopped, that Owner Li said with an ugly expression: Ill give 800 taels. Owner Li, you [honorific] have spoken these words toote. If what you [honorific] had written down was 800 taels, then itd naturally be given to you [honorific]. But perhaps, you [honorific] thought to The old man didnt speak out loud thest words but everyone heard it and understood. Yes, ~ya, if they wanted to get less money, then how could they go back and still give you the recipe? Owner Li also knew that it wasnt the time for him to say these words so after saying a sentence to take his leave, he hurriedly left.
  1. Di tou wan yao () is an idiom in Chinese that physically describes the general posture of a sycophant bowing and fawning for favor. So to describe someone like this is tobel them a toady orckey.
  2. I previously trantedo ye () as Master since it is the title that the Zhang servants address Xiaobaos father as. Etymologically, it breaks down to old lord/grandfather with the old being used as a honorific rather than for its literal meaning. So other than Master, it can be used as a generic lord or sir in ordinary conversation.
  3. The old man uses xiaoo-er () to refer to himself. It literally trantes to little old son, thus exining my trantion choice.
  4. Ji guan () is one of the terms for one who has undergone the Confucian ceremony for young men of status in ancient China, which is called a guan li () or crown/cap ceremony. The age of a young man reaching adulthood was set to be 20 years old. The term literally means seed to crown/cap as guan/ is a type of formal hat, cap, or headgear that can look like coronal headdresses depending on the style or design. Other names that this ceremony could be called are jia guan () or add crown/cap and ruo guan () or weak crown/cap, thetter term of which was arrived at because at 20 years old, men were usually not as fully developed in body and tending to fill out physicallyter in life. This ceremony usually involved the young man formally binding his hair and then a respected elder or guest cing the guan/ on him like a crowning or capping. This was also the time when the young man received a zi/ or biao/, which is usually tranted as style or courtesy name in English (this custom also exins why historical Chinese figures can be referred to by so many different names and aliases). Having undergone this rite, a young man was then considered to be fully adult and not a child anymore so this is also typically when marriage urred. Note that this would not be applicable for peasants ormoners who would likely marry much earlier and not have the education or luxury of receiving a style name. Because this ceremony is linked so intrinsically with a young man reaching his 20th year, most mention of this ceremony is to state his age, which is simr to describing a Catholic boy as having undergone confirmation or a Jewish youth as having had a bar mitzvah. Due to the influence of Chinese culture, this ceremony has historically been a rite of passage for Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese young men as well. Above are some examples of these types of guan/.
  5. The 4-character couplet used here is feng liu xiao sa (). The reason I am footnoting this is because feng liu () has multiple connotations though it literally means wind flow, which can make it confusing to people unaware of the possible context. Though I chose to trante feng liu () as romantic this time because its meaning was modified by itsbination with xiao sa () meaning free and unrestrained, it can tend toe up by itself such as when describing yboys or lechers. So you will likely see feng liu () being used for its connotation of loose or debauched in thetter circumstances. In this case, though it is possible this young master could also be a yboy, he is being so described to show that he projects an umon aura.
  6. Xiaowu () means little five.
  7. This is a quote that has its origins in Han Shu () or the Book of Han, which was a historiographic work by Ban Gu () and Ban Zhao () that covered the entirety of the Western Han dynasty. Specifically, the quote is from Part II of the Annals of Emperor Gaozu or Gaodi Ji Xia (). In the text, Gaozu is praising a general by the name of Zhang Liang (), who he refers to by the style name of Zifang (), as one who is better skilled than he is: The same turn of phrase waster reused in one of the Four Great ssic Novels of Chinese literature, Journey to the West or Xi You Ji by Ming dynasty novelist Wu Chengen () as: Thus, two 4-character couplets could be taken from this one source that act as a shorthand for this entire quote. The first one is yun chou wei wo (), which means to strategize within themand tent while the second one is jue sheng qian li (), which means to decide victory from a thousand li away. Both of them arepliments of a greatmand or leadership ability. Gaozu was praising Zhang Liang as a general who could decide victory from a distance by just devising a n within hismand tent so Yingtao is equating Xiaobao with Zhang Liang in skill here.
  8. Wen yin () trantes to fine silver or silver ingots where the silver was cast into molds. A yuan bao (), which is known as a sycee in English since the word was imported through Cantonese (), is an example of such silver ingot currency used in ancient China.
  9. Banzi/ refers to an instrument used in a form of chi xing () or beating punishment, one of the Five Punishments that was used in ancient Chinese courts. This was a form of corporal punishment by the state where the person was beaten on the buttocks with bamboo canes or wooden boards/paddles. With the great breadth of power a local magistrate had within their own courtroom, a beating could be arbitrarily handed out to anyone for any trumped up reason, much less a situation where a defendant was found guilty.
  10. I tranted the Chinese used here as scribe even though dai bi (), which literally means substitute pen, can mean ghostwrite. But in this case, it is actually describing when a scribe or clerk helps an illiterate person transcribe the message that they wish written down though that is a form of ghostwriting, too.
  11. The local authorities here are referred to as guan fu (), which is the local court system that included, not just the magistrate and officials, but the staff associated with the yamen () such as the ya yi (), which is usually tranted as runners but were the ancient Chinese version of a prototypical local police or sheriff and deputies who stood in as a basic form of military power for the magistrate to keep the local popce in check with in addition to assisting with enforcing thew judicially.
Book 1: Chapter 26 Book 1: Chapter 26 Interlocking Chain Of Plots Within Plots Idlers Note: This release is to make up for theck of a chapter on Wednesday (July 27th, 2016) during . If you like my trantions, please think of ! You can also help keep me motivated by liking, subscribing, and sharing! As always,ments and suggestions are wee! ?
Song Jing-gong stood there, his head a bit dizzy. He felt that he hadnt remembered correctly as he had written down 2,000 dan [stone] of goods and 250 taels in silver. When had it turned into 350 taelscould it be that this old man had misread II[1] and III[2] incorrectly? He wanted to ask for the stuff he wrote down so he could see it but was also afraid that the old man would look it over carefully and call over that Owner Li, so he could only nod his head as he said: Unh, this Mister, I[3] desire this recipe. I wonder when it will be handed over? Immediatelytheres already somebody who has gone to get the people from brokerage toe over here. Once theyve arrived, that recipe will be written down for you. The old man sighed in relief at this moment. He had been rather afraid of screwing up the matter that Little Mister had assigned him. Shortly afterward, people from the brokerage arrived. Once both sidespleted signing of the contract, Yingtao passed the recipe that had already been recorded over into Song Jing-gongs hands. Song Jing-gong didnt wait for long as he unfolded it to read it. On here was written how to build a kang [bed-stove]. It was very simple. With just a sweeping nce, Song Jing-gong understood how it was done. As for the part after that on how to handle the chicken eggs, that was even simpler as what he saw written on there was: Find several brooding hens. Wait until it has started brooding a nest, then stretch a hand underneath its abdomen to feel the temperature. Afterward, fire the kang [bed-stove] and ce chicken eggs on top. Wait until there isnt a big difference in the temperature from under the chicken abdomen and it will work. Note: when touching the chicken, be wary of being pecked. Reading these words, Song Jing-gong understood it with just a slight bit of thought into it. It was that simple. He regretted it. To exchange using that much money and items for such an easily understood recipehow could he do that? This recipe is fake. You have to pay me back money. Song Jing-gong held onto the recipe as he loudly yelled. The people who had arrived from the brokerage also simultaneously fixed their eyes on the four people of the old mans group. That meaning was if the recipe is fake, then you will have to pay reparations. If you cant, then youll have to go to jail. If Mister Song thinks that the recipe is fake, then please hand the recipe over into the hands of the people from the brokerage and wait for them to return and put it into practice. If the chickse out, Mister Song, what should you do then? Over there, Yingtao said coldly. How could Song Jing-gong risk giving the recipe to the people from the brokerage? If it really was handed over, then the people from the brokerage would not only know the recipe, he himself would also be nabbed. Seeing the people from the brokerage look over here, he awkwardlyughed and said: A joke, just a joke. Its a real recipehow could it be fake? If thats so, then Mister Song, pay the money and goods. The people from the brokerage didnt show Song Jing-gong any good face. They frequently worked this industry so how could they not know what Song Jing-gong was thinking in his heart? Sweeping a scornful eye over Song Jing-gong, they spoke up. Right, right, lets leave here to get the money and hand over the goods. Song Jing-gong carefully stowed away the recipe. Together with Songri Nigan, the old mans entire family of four along with the people he brought with him and the clinging ghostly shade[4] of a person following him as well as the guarantor from the brokerage, they first withdrew the money and then hurried on the way to Luo River. They came out in the morning, only arriving in the afternoon, being not that much slower than when he had arrived. After all, everyone was anxious and didnt wish to dy. When theyd arrived at the docks, Songri Nigan and Song Jing-gong were flummoxed to discover that there were countless carriages parked over here and even people who appeared to be dedicated to loading the carriages in particr. There were even people guarding bup sack after bup sack of stuff waiting over there. Mister Song, unload the cargo. Ive already found people toe over and haul the cargo. Yingtao spoke up. Song Jing-gong nodded and began to order people to unload the cargo. 2,000 dan [stone] of goodsit would need to be unloaded for a while to be finished. This side unloaded while that side loaded; once a carriage was full, a carriage would leave. There were even people specifically sorting over there, choosing those ones that they thought were about the same and then, taking out dirt from a bup sack, they would wrap up the bottom of the sweet ntsor rather, carrotsto carefully line up inside the carriage so that they werent stacked into a huge pile. When night had fallen, 2,000 dan [stone] of goods had finally beenpletely unloaded and the filled carriages on that side had all left, leaving not a bit behind. Song Jing-gong was puzzled. How could an old mans family of four get so many carriages? So he asked: How did you hire the carriages? That many carriages sure isnt easy to hire, ~ah. Yingtao removed the cloth covering her face, taking out a damp handkerchief to wipe her face as she said with a smile: Mister Song has no need to worry too much. Based on the financial power of our two manors of Zhang and Wang, what does it matter to get some carriages here? Even more carriages can be had, too. You, youre that little kids maid servant from that Manor Zhang of Tuqiao Vige? Song Jing-gong felt like a giant chunk of ice had suddenly been crammed into his belly as his entire body was chilled from inside and out. Hed made thousands and tens of thousands calctions yet he hadnt counted on failing to swindle someone while they had swindled him. There must be something fishy[5] about that recipe but he couldnt think of where something had gone wrong. Thats right, ~ah. Doing it like that really could have chicks that hatchedthen, why, ~ne? But he couldnt think of himself as not having been swindled. Otherwise, how could all of this have happened at the same time? Could it be that there was still somewhere that an error had urred? At this time, a person came running over from a distance, running as they yelled: Mister Song, bad news! Big problem! Bad news! Song Jing-gong raised his head to look. It was unexpectedly Storekeeper Zhao from that antiques and collectible art store of his. How did hee here? When Storekeeper Zhao had run to arrive in front of them, he vigorously gasped for two breaths before he said: Mister Song, its a big problem and bad news. Noteworthy House is going to be finished! Finished what? How is it finished? You have to exin it to me clearly. Upon hearing these words, Song Jing-gongs fluttered for a moment and he could only brace himself as he asked. My faultit could be said to be my fault. I didnt know you [honorific] had already mortgaged Noteworthy House. Otherwise, I would have discovered it earlier. Storekeeper Zhao tearfully said. You, speak to me of the matterexactly what is going on? Song Jing-gong was inwardly growing more fretful. Yes, Ill speak. These two days, I and Liu Wang had been staying in the restaurant and And that red-light district.[6] Originally, we wanted to return but the person in the back watching the building came over to say, say that Mister, you [honorific] and other people had matters to discuss within the store so I neednt be in a hurry about returning within the next few days. Otherwise, if I offended the noble personage,[7] my having several lives wouldnt even be enough. So I believed for real and stayed there with Liu Wang until today before returning to have a look. The result was that there are no longer any people inside the store and there were several people who said that they were from Manor Zhang standing guard there. And they even told me that the store had been mortgaged away. Storekeeper Zhao finally blurted out the entire story. After hearing this, Song Jing-gong wrinkled his brow as he felt like this Storekeeper Zhao that he had hired really couldnte out in publicsomeone said something and they just believed it? Didnt he just want to continue rxing in that kind of ce so he found such an excuse? Fine, fine. It was me that mortgaged it. Wait over the next few days and itll return. You can still be storekeeper there and I wont drive you away. Whatever should be done should be done. Dont stay here where I am. Song Jing-gong still decided not to mind this matter. That store wasnt important. Big deal as the money could just be returned. Now, there was a new moneymaking method. The stuff on the boats had been sold and it could be considered to have cheated Zhang Family once. No, Mister, its not that simple, ~ah! Just as you [honorific] had the manor mortgaged few days ago, there were people who came over to buy things. They bought that painting. I set a high price of 150 taels of silver. That person didnt take it away directly but left behind 50 taels as a deposit. After half a month, if they still didnte to get it, then for everyte day, that Mister Li would pay an extra 100 wen [cash] in money. Once an entire month was reached without it being retrieved, the down payment would then be given to the store. If by then it wasnt said painting, the store would need to pay tenfold thepensation in silver taels. But you [honorific] have mortgaged away the store so how can the painting be brought out? Storekeeper Zhao was already crying as he recounted the matter from beginning to end for Song Jing-gong to hear. Ah? Painting? What painting? Is that the painting with scorch marks on it? When Song Jing-gong asked this, droplets of cold sweat dripped down one after the other. Yes, ~ah. Mister, how did you [honorific] know? I havent even spoken of it to you. Storekeeper Zhao asked in response. Finished, its all finished. What a ruthless Manor Zhang. Why did I allow my heart to be tempted by a ghost[8] in the first ce and insist on crossing that bridge, ~ne? How much money do I still have? 50 taelsright, I still have 50 taels. It cant be repaid. What to do? What to do? Song Jing-gongs eyes widened as he continued muttering, greatly frightening Storekeeper Zhao. Not even thinking, he went up and gave a great p to the mouth. With a pa sound, Song Jing-gong finally recoveredonly hisplexion was ghastly white; it didnt need to be more frightening, it was already that frightening. Mister Song, have you thought on what to do? From the start, everyone said that you were a swindler yet my familys Little Mister and Little Miss Juan-Juan said that you were a good person. I didnt believe it, then. Today, it looks like it really is true. Mister Song, you [honorific] are a phnthropist, ~ah. Yingtao didnt forget to jab at Song Jing-gong at this time. She felt that it really was too enjoyable. No wonder Little Miss Juan-Juan and Little Mister said that Song Jing-gong wasnt a swindler. This really was the Dao being a chi [foot] high while the demonic was a zhang [yard] high.[9] Monster, worthy of being a monster. Ai~, Mister Song was actually quite pitiable. How could he encounter Little Mister, this kind of person, ~ne? No wonder Little Mister said to give him a single chance back then. After a long while, Song Jing-gong smoothed out his breathing. Looking over at Yingtao whose face had blossomed into a smile and thinking of the things that he had encountered this time, he nodded his head and said: Fine. Manor Zhang, youre formidable. Isnt there still time? Ill go raise the money and return your manors money. I dont believe that you can force me to death? Come on, you can make everyone not lend money to me? I have this recipe in hand, what do I fear? Ha-ha-ha-ha! Yingtao looked at Song Jing-gong with pity, shaking her head slightly as she said: Mister Song, you really want to use that recipe to get money? My familys Little Mister hopes you can go to him there and see him to talk face-to-face. Meet? Go see that little kid of your family that hasnt even been weaned off of milk? Are you kidding me? Does he want to eat sugar, ~ah? He-he-he-he, I acknowledge it; your Manor Zhang has won this time. Song Jing-gong, hearing Yingtaos words, curled his lips in ridicule as he sarcastically spoke. Yingtao shook her head and said: Its not like that. My familys Little Mister doesnt like eating sugar. Little Mister wishes to save your life. Actually, Yingtao was even more furious within her heart. She would not allow other people to look down on Little Mister. What person was Little Mister, ~ah? But she still suppressed her temper as she spoke. Save my life? Keep dreaming! Wait, wait until Ive turned things around, Ill have you all paid back a thousand, a hundredfold. Song Jing-gong was filled with rage till his entire body was trembling with it. A little kid actually even dared to speak of saving his life. Then, fine. Since Mister Song has already decided, then dont me my familys Little Mister for not showing any mercy. In a while, there will be another new recipe being sold. Itll be sold very cheaply. This could be said to be a recipe that I just thought up and is better than the recipe in Misters hands. This wouldnt be considered selling a recipe multiple times, right? Yingtao sighed once as she slowly spoke before turning around to leave. Song Jing-gong was dumbfounded. When Yingtao had already walked 20 or so steps and had nearly boarded the horse carriage, only then did he suddenly move and shouting as he came running over in pursuit: Wait, wait, Ill go! I dont wish to die. Yingtao stopped in her tracks, not turning around but the corner of her mouth had already revealed a trace of a smile as she said to herself: Little Misters calctions overlook nothing, that''s sure enough.
  1. is the ounting character used to render the number 2 when recording finances, which is otherwise written as . Since the characters normally used for numbers are some of the simplest to write in the Chinesenguage, forgery was easily done by simply adding a few extra strokes. Thus, an alternate form of writing the Chinese numbers specifically for the sake of preventing such forgery was created. These characters are deliberatelyplicated, making it hard to alter them. To try to recreate this effect of using an alternate writing system to record numbers in English, I used Roman numerals in the trantion.
  2. is the ounting character for the number 3, which is normally written as in Chinese. These ounting characters are referred to as da xie shu zi (), which means great writing numeral characters. To try to recreate this effect of using an alternate writing system to record numbers in English, I tranted using Roman numerals. Ironically, its a lot easier to confuse some Roman numerals for another than it is to confuse the Chinese ounting characters for another.
  3. Ben gongzi () is an illeism that is not humble in tone at all. Though wo/ or I isnt used in the original Chinese, his choice of words emphasizes that his status is high enough to warrant being a self-proimed gongzi/ or Mister. Because of this, I havebined the literal trantion of this Mister with I to avoid reader confusion over the pronoun usage as well as to convey the pride evident in his tone.
  4. Yin hun bu shan (), which literally trantes to dark (yin) soul not dispersing, is a Chinese idiom describing a ghost or shade that is stubbornly clinging to the mortal world and refuses to pass on to the next life. Here, it is being used as a metaphor for how doggedly Xiaoqi is tailing Song Jing-gong.
  5. I tranted it as fishy but in Chinese, you gui () literally means has ghost and the presence of a ghost is a way to say suspicious or questionable in nature.
  6. Ive tranted yan hua zhi di () as red-light district, which is hong deng qu () in Chinese, since the literal meaning of ce of fireworks wouldnt make sense as fireworks werent invented yetat least, not until gunpowder was invented and started being produced in enough quantities to allow for the invention of fireworks during the Tang dynasty. Most likely, this Chinese euphemism for a brothel means ce of smoky flowers, which would refer to the smokiness of the environment as well as the ephemeral nature of the flowers found there. There are other flower-rted euphemisms for brothels and red-light districts in Chinese that I wont list here that would support this conclusion of mine though.
  7. Gui ren () or a noble person were usually patrons that were courted for the advantage or backing they could give and not easily approached. They didn''t necessarily have to be literally nobility though as long as they had a status or position that necessitated their special treatment. In short, this is the ancient Chinese way of saying VIP or VVIP. I opted not to use VIP in the trantion since I thought the acronym would be rather distracting as it gives off a rather modern vibe in my opinion. Coincidentally, Guiren/ can also be the official rank or title of an Imperial concubine as well.
  8. The Chinese used here is gui mi le xin qiao (), which is simr to saying sumb to temptation. This is an idiom that relies on the belief that ghosts or spirits could possess or mesmerize people and make them act contrary to their reason or logic. Its simr in thinking to the excuse of the devil made me do it in English.
  9. I tranted the Chinese saying of dao gao yi chi, mo gao yi zhang () literally. Its a phrase that describes the difficulty or continuous trial that Daoists face when attempting to refine their qi () while seeking enlightenment through the Dao () or path with the distraction of the outside world acting like demons that impede their way. So this saying is meant to summarize two themes in lifeone, sess is quickly followed by an even harder trial to surmount in order to continue seeding; two, newer and better things constantlye out and surpass the old so that there is a constant one-upmanship. However, this expression can also be used to describe situations where it is a one-sided battle and a significant margin between the two opposing sides is visible. In these cases, depending on the moral alignment of the stronger side, this idiom could be modified or reversed with the presumption that the Dao-aligned side is considered to be good or righteous.
Book 1: Chapter 27 Book 1: Chapter 27 Have To Strike At People From Within The Heart Idlers Note: I have to apologize beforehand for my rough trantion skill in this chapter as there were a lot of poetry and quotes that lead to footnoting because I inevitably couldnt capture it in a sinct enough trantion that bore up well to the poetry of the original words in Chinese ?
The dark clouds rolled as the fierce winds rose with one look that could behold the horizon. The sh of lightning and rumble of thunder gave birth to the rain that seemed to nket the distant mountains. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, the two of them stood on top of a little stool, leaning against the windowsill to look outside. The great rain poured down in buckets, hitting the ground in drips and drops as water bubble after water bubble appeared and disappeared. Resembling a fine mist, countless rivulets of water gathered together, undting towards the low-lying areas. I originally thought to give some carrots to the people at the manor. But it looks like we can only wait till the weathers clear to speak of it again. Wang Juan bit on a carrot strip in her mouth, speaking with a muffled voice. Unh, I heard people mention this before. With carrots, this stuff requires oil when cooking them to be able to better let people absorb the nutrition. How could peasants have that much oil, ~ah? Carrot seeds themselves can produce oil, right? Upon speaking of the peasants, Zhang Xiaobao crinkled up in an appearance of worried concern. They can. Theyre actually rather expensive, ~ne. Ive bought it before. You know how to make it? Wang Juan used a handkerchief to wipe her mouth as she spoke; the drool was a natural phenomenon. No, but I know how to make soybean oil.[1] Its very easy. Just get something like a bucket and ce the soybeans inside. Then, dont stop adding wedges inside. The oil is forced out using physical pressure, leaving behind the soybean press cake.[2] Some unscrupulous people would use this soybean press cake to make tofu but its not good tasting at all. You~! You also know quite a few things? Wang Juan had never seen this kind of method to press soybean oil before so was a bit disbelieving. Zhang Xiaobao didnt argue, either, and only slowly said: What does this count for? There are some elderly people who, if they spoke of the things that they knew how to do, would scare you. Some simple herbal medicine recipes, acupuncture and moxibustion,[3] cupping,[4] scraping,[5] brickying work, the breeding and rearing of animals, different kinds of crop nting experience, woodworking, charcoal burning, brick firing, basket weavingthey know all of this. While some people use this knowledge to show off with, those honest people were already passing it down from generation to generation until it had been assimted within their own lifestyle as a way to continue on living and a matter of instinct. Other than the ones that Ive mentioned, my Director Grandpa also knew how to paint, do brush calligraphy,[6] engraving, feng shui[7] reading; all the things to do with repairing the cracked jars, pots, and bowls[8] as well as grinding the scissors and polishing the kitchen knives[9] within the courtyard house were all done by him. As Zhang Xiaobao spoke, he seemed to sink into nostalgia once again as the expression on his face didnt stop changing until finally, he exhaled a long, deep breath and smiled at Wang Juan. That meaning was to tell her not to worry. It cant be? Im not saying that theres no people that know these things, Im saying that orphanage of yours cant have not even been able to afford a single bowl? To actually need to repair crackswho still knows how to repair cracks? Hearing my mom and dad [modern] speak of it, whenever they broke a dish or bowl during their childhood, they would get beaten. Thenter on, there was simply no one whod care. Wang Juan was a bit surprised. Lets not speak of these matters. When light appears, the other side always has darkness. A good environment is nothing more than shadowless light, which is to obscure the darkness even more and nothing more than not allowing it to be easily found. Above the shadowless light is also darkness. This time, the money gotten from Swindler Song was a lot. Have people collect soybeans tomorrow. I want to extract oil. Zhang Xiaobao wiped away a droplet of rainwater that had fallen upon his face, returning to a childs expression as he lightly spoke. The sound of the two speaking was rather low so Xiaohong who was sitting by that ce at the doorway only knew that the little ancestors were there speaking of whatever matters but was unclear as to the particrs. Now, she was no longer worried that danger would appear with Little Mister and Little Miss. The thing that she needed to do was to act as an assistant by their side. It was raining outside today so she could sit here and learn her characters. This was requested by Little Mistereach and every one of the people within the courtyard house must know how to read and write as well as how to calcte simple ounts. As well as this, Little Miss Juan-Juan had also said that in the future, people would be hired to teach the children of the two manors with all of the expenses being wholly managed by the two families of Zhang and Wang. The only request was no matter whether the education had beenpleted or not, they all had to treat the manors honor as their honor, shame as their shame. Xiaohong couldnt figure it out at all how the two little ancestors were actually thinking as the things they did always felt a bit like antelopes hanging their horns[10] or celestial steeds traveling the skies.[11] Unh, these were the words that the manors ountant had saidlearned people were really not the same. When the three people split into two groups to do their own work, Steward Zhangs voice rose from within the rain outside. Mister Song, Its raining today. You [honorific] see? Its so much that Little Mister has no way toe out to y and is currently inside the room. If you [honorific] could wait a moment till I can go in to report. If thats so, then Steward Zhang has been troubled. Song Jing-gongs voice spoke afterward, giving off a listless impression to the listener. Steward Zhang entered the exterior door and when he walked inside, he saw Xiaohong sitting there thinking on things. ording to his usual inclination, he would give a scolding here. He had just opened his mouth to speak when he raised his head to catch sight of the two little ancestors standing close by the window so he swallowed his words. He certainly knew that Little Mister wasnt a person who was that easily fooled. If such actions from Xiaohong hadnt been given implicit permission by Little Mister, then Xiaohong would definitely dare not to do so. If he really had opened his mouth to rebuke Little Misters maid servant, that consequence Just thinking about it was scary. Song Jing-gong was such an intelligent man but look at the state that Little Mister had bullied him into? Steward Zhang, is there something? Little Mister and Little Miss Juan-Juan typically dont allow people to bother them. Xiaohong had also seen Steward Zhang and was a bit afraid, moving the book in her hand behind her back as she spoke. An urgent matterSong Jing-gong, Mister Song has arrived. Hed arrived at the manor yesterday night but didnt dare toe over and interrupt Little Misters rest, so he endured the rain to arrive here today. Unh, you go and speak of it. Study the books well. The people by Little Misters side cant becking inparison to other families. Steward Zhang saw that Xiaohong had a book to read so that had certainly been arranged for by Little Mister. He really didnt know how to evaluate this little ancestor. Such a formidable person as Song Jing-gong had actually been frightened to the point that he hadnt slept well yesterday night. His eyes were still ringed with ck, ~ne. Unh, youvee? Pleasee in, then. Go make tea ording to the method that I taught you. Here now, I can busy myself over matters a little less. Zhang Xiaobao had actually already heard the sound of Song Jing-gong talking outside but he still waited for Xiaohong to finish talking before speaking up. Song Jing-gong held up an umbre while he stood in the rain, allowing that rainwater flowing downward to soak his own shoes, not moving one bit. Even if the wind blew in at an angle and brought with it rain that saturated the lower half of his body, he still didnt feel it. He kept on thinking of the words that Yingtao had said when he had arrived yesterday. He had asked Yingtao which adept had plotted against him. At that time, Yingtao had curled her lips and said what adept is needed to plot against you? My familys Little Mister will do. That day, when you set foot upon the bridge, youd already had no path of retreat. How she said this was frightening, ~ah. Those in the know clearly understood that bridge was the one connecting Ge Manor and the two manors of Zhang and Wang; those who didnt know would assume that it was the Bridge of Helplessness,[12] ~ne. Of course, Song Jing-gong didnt believe it. But then, Yingtao reminded him that could it be that he had forgotten how he had given away the money and given away the jade ornament when he had arrived that day? To take care of this kind of you, my Zhang Manor only needs to send out a one year old child. This was the cause for Song Jing-gongs conflict. Today, he wanted to see if that child could really be as formidable as how Yingtao had described. Mister Song, my familys Little Mister invites you. Just as Song Jing-gong was still in the middle of his thoughts, Steward Zhang came out and spoke in greeting. Good, many thanks to Steward Zhang. Steward Zhang, wait. This Song has some doubts in his heart and kindly asks Steward Zhang to help with one or two of them. Song Jing-gong was about to go inside but then, stopped Steward Zhang. Mister Song, please speak freely. This Song wants to know if the words that Steward Zhang said to your noble manors Mistress outside of this Songs window that day was intentional? What connection is there with your noble manors Little Mister? Song Jing-gong had thought of a few particr details. Mister Song, we will be working together from now on so please take care of me. Steward Zhang answered what was not asked, stretching out a hand in a gesture of invitation before turning around to leave. Filled with misgiving, Song Jing-gong stepped inside. After bypassing the outer room, he saw that in the inner room there, a cushion had already been prepared. In between the cushion and the little couch opposite it was an end table.[13] Song Jing-gong naturally knew that the cushion was for him to sit on so not bothering with manners, he walked in and sat down. When he looked toward the couch, there was actually nobody on it. At this time, his eyes had just adjusted to the brightness in the room so when he looked around again, he saw the two little kids from that day standing by the window there looking at the rainy scenery outside, ~ne. Xiaobao, what do you sayis going outside for a turn better than staying inside? Song Jing-gong heard the little girls voice. No, the rain outside is too big. Besides, using an umbre is tiresome, too. Song Jing-gong also heard the little boys activity. Use what umbre? Wearing a straw raincoat[14] will do, ~ah. Look at the mountains, gaze at the rainy view. How is that phrase said? Oh, its called in straw bearing a lifetime of smoke and rain.[15] The little girls voice. No, Ill get sick. By then, itll be the flowing wind is to always be buffeted by the rain and blown away by the wind.[16] The little boys voice. Song Jing-gong heard this and for a moment, he felt like he had gone to the wrong ce. This wasnt Zhang Manor; this was the Imperial Academy.[17] Before the window werent little kids but were clearly two xiucai.[18] Ya~, Mister Song has arrived. Pardon me, pardon me. Xiaohong, serve tea. As if just discovering that there was another person in the room, Zhang Xiaobao, pulling along Wang Juan, jumped down from the stool as they both came over to this side with the couch and sat there while giving greeting. Well said, well said. Mister Zhang here was too absorbed. Wonder who this little miss by Mister Zhangs side is? Song Jing-gong unwittingly and inadvertently treated this little kid in front of him like an adult, only realizing after he had spoken that these were clearly two children. Oh, this one is this Zhangs green plum and bamboo horse,[19] Wang Manors Juan-Juan. Zhang Xiaobao gestured with his hand as he gave an introduction. Green plum and bamboo horse? Song Jing-gong was confused again. What was the meaning? Wang Juan spoke up at this time: Its the meaning of boyes riding a bamboo horse; winding around the bed are green plums; two little ones with no suspicions.[20] So stupid. And youre even a Juren, ~ne. With learning, theres no learning; with swindling, you still cant beat others in swindling. Wang Juan had already lowered her voice with thosest words but Song Jing-gong could still hear them clearly. If it were anyone else saying this, he would debate this point but facing these two kids today, he only felt a kind of helplessness. Where had the ancestral tombs of the two families of Zhang and Wang been buried?[21] At this time, Xiaohong had already served the tea. In front of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan was hot tea. In front of Song Jing-gong were two kinds of tea, one hot and one cold. Regardless of whether they were hot or cold, they were all very green and different from the ones that Song Jing-gong had drank before in the past. Mister Zhang, this is? Song Jing-gong pointed at the cold tea[22] as he asked. Cold tea. Zhang Xiaobao exined. Oh, then why does only this Song have it? Song Jing-gong asked again. With people of status, who would drink cold tea? You joking? Juan-Juan and I are too young; its too easy to get an upset stomach from drinking cold things. Zhang Xiaobao said while smiling.
  1. Though dou you () literally trantes to a generic bean oil, it is because soybeans are thergest bean crop in Asia so they hardly needed to point out that the bean in question was soybean, which is simr to how hardly anyone points out that flour tends to really mean wheat flour since it is already understood to be wheat without further boration. Soybean oil ismonly used as a cooking oil though it also has other applications.
  2. Dou bing () trantes to bean cake but the cake part actually refers to the oil or press cake thats left behind after the liquid or oil is extracted and its not an actual finished product thats prepared for consumption purposes. To ensure the readers understanding and avoid confusion, I tranted this term as soybean press cake.
  3. For those who arent aware, zhen jiu () is the Chinese term for thebined practice of acupuncture and moxibustion within traditional Chinese medicine that involves sticking needles into the body at acupuncture points and the burning of ground up Chinese mugwort (moxa in English based on the Japanese pronunciation) on the acupuncture needles or patients skin. The therapy is typically used for pain relief but has a wider range of applications, especially within traditional Chinese medicine. Development of acupuncture rose from Chinese concepts such as qi, meridians, etc.
  4. Ba guanzi () or cupping is a form of therapy in traditional Chinese medicine that involves using cups to form suctions on the skin in the belief that this encouraged blood flow in order to to heal the body. Cupping therapy is generally divided into two types, which are dry cupping and fire cupping.
  5. Gua Sha (), which Ive tranted as scraping, is a form of treatment in traditional Chinese medicine where practitioners scraped the patients skin to cause bruising. The thinking behind this therapy was that the scraping released internal toxins and increased blood cirction as well as encouraged healing.
  6. Xiaobao refers to it as maobi zi () or ink brush characters when he really means Chinese calligraphy or book method (), which is the writing of Chinese characters using an ink brush.
  7. Feng shui () literally trantes to wind water and is a practice that believes in harmonizing people with nature and has its origins in Daoist beliefs and concepts such as qi, the eight trigrams or bagua (), and the yin-yang theory. It also uses Chinese astrology and the Five Elements system or Wu Xing (), having some fortune-telling aspects to it as well. Feng shui was important in ancient China (and today!) as people would seek out practitioners to find a location with the best qi or energy flow to build a structure so that it can give the most luck and good karma or energy to its owners or inhabitants. In modern times, this could cause decisions in architectural design that wouldnt make sense to Western thinking like an extraneous looking hole in the middle of a building.
  8. Ju/ describes the ancient Chinese method of patching together broken ceramicware or porcin before the advent of super glue. Strips made out of ttened copper or iron nails called juzi/ were used to stitch the cracked pottery shards together. For an example of a porcin jar repaired in such a way, visit this Baidu page here.
  9. The Chinese used here is mo jianzi qiang caidao () but that is probably a typo since the correct characters are mo jianzi qiang caidao () and refers to the craft involved with grinding and polishing scissors and cleavers used as kitchen knives in order to sharpen their edges. This used to be an ancient profession in China, simr to the wandering tinkers who mended household utensils in the West.
  10. Ling yang gua jiao () is a Chinese expression that arose from the mistaken belief that antelopes hung their horns on the trees and slept with their feet off the ground in order to prevent being tracked down and ambushed at night. This idiom is meant to describe someone who thinks outside the box or is out of the ordinary with their actions.
  11. Tian ma xing kong (), which I have tranted literally in text, is a Chinese 4-character couplet thats used to describe people who are unconstrained and free like the celestial horses, making them unpredictable. It can also reflect negatively on such people since they could be said to not be so grounded in reality. In this case, Xiaohong is referring to the greatness of vision that Xiaobao and Juan-Juan seem to have in their ns and actions whose direction or goal no one else can seem to get a grasp on.
  12. Naihe Qiao (), which Ive tranted as the Bridge of Helplessness, is a bridge found in the Chinese version of the underworld called Diyu (), which literally means earth prison. Any souls that crossed the bridge were greeted by Meng Po (), whose name means Granny Meng, who served them a soup called mi hun tang () or drugged soul soup that would induce amnesia so that they could continue on to their next life without any memories of their previous life or of their time in the underworld. The bridge is simr in concept to the river Styx that must be crossed by the dead in Greek mythology while the soup has the river Lethe as its Greek counterpart. The reason for the bridges name in Chinese is because crossing the bridge cant be helped or avoided.
  13. The end table is called a xiao ji () and can also be referred to as a tea table or cha ji (). For images on what it looks like, visit this Baidu page here.
  14. Suo yi () was a garment made out of rice straw that was water-resistant and was the ancient Chinese form of a raincoat before actual waterproof materials like rubber or stic were created. The mino () is the Japanese version of this clothing.
  15. Juan-Juan is quoting a poem by Northern Song dynasty poet Su Shi (), who is also known as Su Dongpo (), which is where the Hangzhou dish of Dongpo pork gets its name from. The quote yi suo yan yu ren ping sheng () is from Su Shis Ding Feng Po and given the context of the poem, the imagery of the straw raincoat that takes the battering of smoke and rain is likened to facing up to the trials of life with armor-like equanimity.
  16. Xiaobao is quoting Southern Song dynasty poet, Xin Qiji (). The phrase, feng liu zong bei yu da feng chui qu (), is from his poem, Yong Yu Yue Jingkou Beigu Ting Huai Gu , whose title can be roughly tranted as Eternal Encounter Song Yearning for the Past at the Northern Pavilion in Jingkou. He wrote this in 1205 at the location in question as a criticism of Emperor Wen of Liu Song () who he felt didnt appreciate his talents and contrasts Emperor Wen unfavorably against two men much feted for their greatness who had both been associated with Jingkou (), past incarnation of the modern day city of Xuzhou (): Sun Quan (), the founder of the state of Eastern Wu () from the Three Kingdoms period, and Emperor Wu of Liu Song () who founded the Liu Song dynasty () and was Emperor Wens father. The meaning of the line Xiaobao is quoting when considering the context of the poem is essentiallymenting how heroes who were free like the flowing wind are still not immune to the ravages of time as represented by the rain and wind so their presence or spirit will still disappear (as evidenced by Emperor Wen failing to live up to the memory of his father). So, Xiaobao is probably using hyperbole to im that he would get sick and died if he went along with the action that Juan-Juan is proposing here. Hopefully, I exined this well enough ^_^;
  17. The Hanlin Yuan (), which Ive tranted as the Imperial Academy though the name literally means Forest of Brushes School, was an institution founded by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang that gathered an elite group of schrs who gave interpretations of the ssic texts that the civil exams were based on. Members did secretarial and administrative work for the Emperor and included court painters, diplomatic trantors, archivists, as well as scribes for the Imperial edicts or decrees.
  18. Xiucai (), which literally means distinguished talent, was the title for those who had passed the civil exams at the local county level. If their test ranking was high enough, they could also receive a stipend from the government in addition to being able to attend the local equivalent of a state-funded high school (I do not say public because it was not open to the public). This was also the level at which such degree holders started receiving some of the privileges reserved for the schrly ss like not having to kneel in front of the magistrates when appearing in front of them.
  19. Qing mei zhu ma () essentially means childhood sweetheart with the green plum (qingmei/) typically used to refer to the girl and bamboo horse (zhuma/) for the boy in Chinese and is derived from a poem that illustrates such a situation. In cases where its literally meaning is not specifically pointed out and/or no wordy is involved, I will usually trante this phrase as childhood sweethearts.
  20. Juan-Juan is quoting the relevant poem to exin the 4-character couplet that means childhood sweethearts in Chinese: . The source is Chang Gan Xing by famed Tang dynasty poet, Li Bai (). It illustrates a young womans story of love since her childhood and their parting. The American poet Ezra Poundter did a trantion of this poem and titled it The River Merchant''s Wife: A Letter.
  21. In case people are wondering why Song Jing-gong is asking this question, as part and parcel of believing in ancestor worship and feng shui, Chinese people naturally thought that burying their ancestors in a ce that had good feng shui could help grant fortune to them as the ancestral spirits would naturally grow in strength to be able to bless their descendants. So Song Jing-gong is basically wondering what kind of super powerful feng shui location had the Zhang and Wang family ancestors been buried in to bless these two families with such unnaturally intelligent descendants like Xiaobao and Juan-Juan.
  22. Liang cha () literally means cold tea but is known as herbal tea or tisane in English since they could include other substances like herbs, spices, or nts and are not prepared in the normal way as true teas. Another name would be tea infusion. However, as the name in Chinese suggests, these teas were served chilled or cold in China. To avoid reader confusion, I have tranted it literally.
Book 1: Chapter 28 Book 1: Chapter 28 Who Can Beat The Spicy Sauce Once It Appears Idlers Note: I will be doing my best to make up for the week of releases I missed at the end of July as I am currently 2 chapters in the hole (I made up for one out of the three). Hopefully, I can keep to the schedule change of 3 chapters a week this month without dying. ? Please like, subscribe, and share to give me energy to power through this week!
In front of me are two little kids who havent even been weaned off milk yet. Im not afraid. I shouldnt feel fear. Pretendingtheyre all pretending. Its the grownups whove taught them to speak like this. As Song Jing-gong listened to the words that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan spoke, taking in the atmosphere when the two kids talked as well as that kind of inner something, he constantly reassured himself to make himself be clear on the matter before his eyes and to disperse the cloudy fog. Mister Song, please. Zhang Xiaobao essentially didnt even give Song Jing-gong a chance to adjust and seeing Song Jing-gong stare nkly, he picked up the tea and started drinking. Xiaobao, the tea is a bit oldpre-festival[1] is still the best. Wang Juan finished drinking the tea, evaluating it as she smacked her lips twice. Filled with curiosity, Song Jing-gong also picked up the hot tea to take a sip. He didnt dare pick up the cold tea as he feared being tricked. As he drank a mouthful of tea, he only felt one sensationlight. There wasnt any salt or sugar in the vor and even more, it didnt have any ginger or scallions to enhance it. It was a bit unptable but after a little while, he discovered that he actually found that kind of lightly bitter taste of this tea addicting. The method of brewing this tea seems to be different from others? Song Jing-gong asked, raising his head after he finished the tea. That is right. This way of drinking tea is for the sake of drinking while disying elegancenot for ordinary life and to be used for the sake of culture that isnt suitable for hardship. For those with money and status, they can use such a method. If it is only for the sake of maintaining the internal organs, then adding salt, ginger, or other such substances would be better. Today, I treat it with elegance; tomorrow morning, perhaps I may abandon it to disuse. Zhang Xiaobao spoke with a light tone of voice. Its to tell you that doing this is to put on airs. Decent people drink tea because theyre suffering from indigestion after eating. Adding salt is in order to not let the bodyck salt. Adding ginger is for the sake of preventing nausea and get rid of chills. For people with no power and money, living is the most important. Of course, when pretending is necessary, they will still pretendpretending is a part of life. Seeing Song Jing-gong go into a daze, Wang Juan gave a trantion to the side. Song Jing-gong nodded his head. It wasnt that he didnt understand but that he hadnt thought that tea could actually be used to reflect status. If he had known this earlier, then wouldnt he have had an additional trick when he was swindling in the past? But this little kid in front of him had a trick that wasnt use. Could it be that he had already reached a level that he disdained using such a method? In listening to this little girls words, what caused him the greatest shock was thatst sentence. Pretending is a part of lifehow could thise out of the mouth of a little girl who was only a year or so old? This Song has received instruction. Wonder if Mister Zhang is willing to teach the way to make this tea? This Song will certainly reciprocate a thousand and a hundredfold. Song Jing-gongs thinking was crooked as he felt like he had a new way to swindle people. Not waiting for Zhang Xiaobao to speak, Wang Juan over there had already spoken up: What can you reciprocate? You owe us money now, ~ne. Its a lot. Several hundred silver taelshow are you going to repay it? Upon hearing these words, Song Jing-gongs face changed in expression several times before he finally helplessly exhaled out a breath. He was about to speak when Zhang Xiaobao directly said: Mister Song, Im calling you Mister today not because you have an honorary title. Dog fart of an honorary title! If I wanted to, I could be your equal in standing before the age of 4. It is because though you have swindled many, you have never targeted ordinary people. What you did previously, I approve of it all. Save for your actions during the chick hatching matter, which disappointed me. Could it be that with arge enough profit, youll forget your beginnings? Hearing Zhang Xiaobaos words, Song Jing-gong trembled. It was really like what this kid had said. At that moment, he had actually been moved toward wickedness and hadnt been the same as what he had decided to be in the past. Many thanks, Mister Zhang. But the method of the tea leaves? Song Jing-gong still wanted to keep swindling. Song Jing-gong, how can you disappoint me so, ~ne? Except for this kind ofas I see itlowbrow swindling technique, you dont know of anything else? Harming people while benefiting yourself to make money, thats the low road. Helping people while benefiting yourself is the petty road; benefiting the nation and its people while making money is the great road. Are you just prepared to hang around on the low road? Zhang Xiaobao, seeing that Song Jing-gong was still thinking of using deceptive methods to earn money, was genuinely disappointed. If swindling was really needed, then would you, Song Jing-gong, even be needed? Song Jing-gong put down the tea bowl as he gazed at the little kid in front of him and suddenly felt a kind of awkwardness, especially with the contemptuous look and expression of disappointment on this little kids face. When he looked over at the little girl next to him, she actually had an appearance of hating that the iron hadnt turned into steel.[2] Song Jing-gong felt like when he faced the two kids, it was like they were his past test officials and he couldnt help feeling kind of lost. Wonder which type Mister Zhang belongs to? Song Jing-gong still wasnt willing to give up as he asked again. This point doesnt need Xiaobao to speak of it, I can tell you. Not to the left, not to the right, and not to the middlethat is moderation.[3] When Wang Juan said these words, she turned her head, not willing to look at Song Jing-gong anymore. At this moment, Song Jing-gong really was won over. He already understood that for these two kids to swindle him to death, the energy needed to blow the dust off wouldnt even need to be expended. How were these even children? They clearly were already masters of themselves. Mister Zhang, Jing-gong is dull-witted and hopes that many doubts will be answered in the future. Song Jing-gong humbled himself. Answer what doubts? Listen more, see more, do more, think more, ask morethat is learning. By my side, Ick an advisor[4] so whenever I do anything, theres always something thats overlooked. I wonder if Mister Song? Zhang Xiaobao didnt speak but implied thest words. Learning has no end;[5] those who reach it, teach.[6] From now on, Jing-gong shall do as Little Mister orders. Song Jing-gong had already figured it out. If some of the sentences before could be taught by people, then the following words in reply didnt have any other people who could teach it. Even if Zhuge[7] was alive, it wouldnt be possible. Everything had all been said ording to the will of these two kids themselves. These two kids werent like ordinary people. Moreover, he himself was still weighed down with debt; his life and death was entirely based on their one word. If he didnt seek service with them at this time, then hed have to wait till whendid he really want to make them take those actions of blood and iron[8] after causing them disappointment? Thinking of this, Song Jing-gong already understood that they didnt wish for him to have to die and only wanted a person who could handle their affairs. Song Jing-gong felt that working for the victor wasnt disgraceful. As for culture, it came whenever they opened their mouths. With swindling, several of him added together would still lead to a fate of bankruptcy and ruin.[9] Really? Gaining a person like Mister Song, it is like I have gained a Guan Zhong.[10] From now on, I will have to trouble Mister Song a lot. The overtures that should be made, Zhang Xiaobao still made. Little Mister, it would be better to call me Zijin[11] in the following days. Song Jing-gong said. At this time, Wang Juan also turned her head around and said: So Mister Songs style name[12] is Zijin: Blue, blue is yourpel that sways, sways my heart.[13] Since you possess a heart that worships themon people, then youll have to work hard. Xiaobao, hand the matter of the soybean oil to Zijin. Song Jing-gong was really speechless. Just saying out loud one style name from himself here and a one year old kid immediately recited the poem there. When he looked over at these two kids again, no matter how he looked at it, they were such a matched pair. If they were like this around a year old, what would they be like after growing up? Fine. [Older] Brother Zijin, since its like this, then Ill have to trouble you. I wish to use soybeans to make some oil and trade it to the peasants to eat those carrots that you brought overthat is, the sweet nts. You sold this stuff a bit expensively. It isnt worth 1 wen [cash] for 1 catty but 1 wen [cash] for 2 catties is about right. At this time, Zhang Xiaobao also spoke up, wishing to lower the price of the sold carrots in half. Song Jing-gong felt like he himself was like a fool as he shook his head: Not possible. I bought it at 1 wen [cash] for 20 catties. Here, theres basically no one whod eat them. When dealing with us, there is only whether you wish to do it and not whether its possible or not. Wang Juan said with certainty. All right. Then, how to make the oil? Soybeans have oil, too? To lightmps with? Song Jing-gong had to admit that they were more formidable than he was. Not for lightingmps. For eatingsame as withrd. First, collect the soybeans. We can talk about the restter. Wang Juan said in interruption. Song Jing-gong naturally wouldnt protest as things would be fine as long as he followed their orders. Concerned with the matter of collecting the soybeans, he took his leave before he left.
Five dayster, the sunlight was bright. Carrying a basket in his hands, Erniu returned to find Zhang Xiaobao. Little Mister, the sauce hase out. This is what you [honorific] wanted. See what its like? Erniu took out dozens of small jars from inside the basket and ced them in front of Zhang Xiaobao. [Older] Brother Zijin, know what this is? Zhang Xiaobao smiled after seeing the objects as he spoke to Song Jing-gong who was beside him. Song Jing-gong looked and said: I knowsoybean paste. Bring the t cakes[14] over. Zhang Xiaobao said to Yingtao next to him. Yingtao had already prepared them in advance over there. For these past few days, she had been preparing the t cakes day after day so upon hearing his voice, she immediately left to retrieve and ce them in front of Zhang Xiaobao. [Older] Brother Zijin, please smear the paste on top of the t cake. Zhang Xiaobao said while handing over a pair of chopsticks. Song Jing-gong uncertainly followed along with what Zhang Xiaobao asked and then looked at Zhang Xiaobao. When he saw this little kid make an eating motion, Song Jing-gong didnt hesitate one bit and directly ced it in his mouth to take a big bite. Delicious, how was this stuff made? Little Mister, could it be that you made it? After eating a mouthful, Song Jing-gong said a sentence to Zhang Xiaobao before eating the entire t cake. Just as he finished eating, Xiaohong there served up a bowl of chicken egg and spinach soup with scallions that had been stir-fried in oil floating on top. Drinking one sip left a fragrant aftertaste in his mouth. Little Mister, this stuff was made by you? Song Jing-gong smacked his lips twice as he asked disbelievingly. Not me, it was Erniu. The soybeans have been more or less collected, right? From now on, youll sell this kind of paste sauce. Ill give you several recipes for dishes using this kind of paste sauce. At the very least, you will sell 1 catty for 50 wen [cash]. Zhang Xiaobao also used a finger to dab up some sauce to taste it as he spoke to Song Jing-gong. No, thats not it. It was Little Mister. Little Mister told me how to make it. It wasnt me. It really wasnt me. Erniu had actually not tasted this sauce at all as once it had been made, he had brought it over. So seeing Little Mister credit him for the work, he vigorously shook his head in denial. Song Jing-gong, seeing the two peoples expressions and the words that they spoke, recalled the taste in his mouth once again as he said: Little Mister, I, Song Jing-gong, really do admit defeat today. I really do. Theres credit that you dont im and you can still make this kind of delicious item. You can rx; Ill sell it at 100 wen [cash] per catty for you. Dont. If you really sell it that expensively, then that would be cheating me. You can only sell it at 50 wen [cash] for 1 catty. Wait until Ive produced the soybean oil and its been stir-fried in oil afterwardsthen, we can sell it for 100 wen [cash]. Were doing legitimate business. We dont need to swindle. Zhang Xiaobao, upon seeing Song Jing-gongs appearance, knew what he was thinking and instantly rejected this suggestion. Then, looking at Erniu, he said: Now, Im giving you a new mission. Add the soybean bits [douban] inside the sauce. Categorize this and the previous one into two kinds of sauces. Remember to keep it secret. Little Mister, you [honorific] rest assured as I, Erniu, will certainlyplete this matter. Ill go then. After he finished speaking, Erniu turned around and left. Song Jing-gong used his hand to scoop up some meat from inside the sauce to ce it on his tongue as he asked: Why is there a special vor? It seems to be spicy. Its the same as that form for hatching chicks that you had bought. You always need something better in order to sell something worse. Zhang Xiaobao said, smiling.
  1. Juan-Juan says ming qian () in Chinese here, which literally means before light and refers to ming qian cha () or before light tea that itself is a shorthand name for tea that was picked before the Qingming Festival () as it is believed that tea leaves picked afterward dontpare in taste to the tea leaves picked before the festival. Therefore, pre-festival tea leaves tend to be exponentially more expensive and valued than tea leaves picked post-festival. Juan-Juan stating that the tea is too old means that the tea leaves were pickedter as they had time to grow more and thus, are not as tender as they could have been if they had been picked earlier.
  2. Heng tie bu cheng gang () is an expression in Chinese that uses the analogy of iron and the hard work required to turn it into steel as the metallurgic technology wasnt advanced enough back then to guarantee that iron could be sessfully forged into steel. So someone who hates that the iron hadnt turned into steel is usually metaphorically expressing frustration that someone with great potential is wasting it. This idiom is especially apt if the person so frustrated is the metaphorical smith who has put a lot of effort into nurturing or transforming the wasted talent that is being likened to the iron ore that failed to turn into steel.
  3. Zhong yang () trantes to moderation and refers to the Confucian philosophy, zhong yang zhi dao ( ), which means path of moderation though it has been tranted as Doctrine of the Mean in English. It is also the title of one of the Four Books of Confucianism. It shares remarkable simrities to the Greek philosophical idea of the Golden Mean as posed by Aristotle and the Buddhist concept of the Middle Way or zhong dao () in that all three approaches basically argue for avoiding excess or extremes and sticking to the middle.
  4. Mu liao () roughly means aide but it is a term that doesnt refer to the typical peon assistant or aide and has an added connotation of an advisory background role that is granted a great deal of independence and trust in order to work toward their leaders goal. For the sake of reference, the title of White House Chief of Staff is tranted into Chinese as Bai Gong Mu Liao Zhang () as the White House staff are essentially the Presidents personal advisory aides whod help with anything that impacted the President as an individual politician versus the national advisors who would give advice on official national policy but wouldnt normally deal with the personal politics of the President. So Xiaobao is basically asking Song Jing-gong to not only be his assistant but also act as an independent personal advisor. This termes up a lot in historical Chinese fiction because these mu liao could be collected into a group to be an ancient form of think tank or advisory team for their lord and acted as key yers if there were any backroom dealings or conspiracies to scheme over and put into action. For example, one of the most famous geniuses in Chinese history and culture, Zhuge Liang (), was essentially one of these for Liu Bei () before he was promoted to Chancellor after the state of Shu Han () was founded during the Three Kingdoms period.
  5. Xue wu zhi jing () is a 4-character couplet that can be traced back to a Qing dynasty text, Wen Shuo by Liu Kai (). Likely, the author didnt realize that this was anachronistic so lets just pretend Song Jing-gong is unwittingly ahead of his time
  6. The 4-character idiom dazhe wei shi () is another one of those mnemonic phrases that dont makeplete sense until you consider the entire context that it is taken from. Taken literally, it means the one who reaches it bes a teacher, which is a bit nonsensical. The full sentence is and is from the Tang dynasty text, Shi Shuo by Neo-Confucian poet Han Yu (). Thetter half makes more sense when youbine it with the former halfs meaning, which trantes to learning has no first orst. This expression basically espouses the thinking that those who are the best or most skilled should be respected regardless of seniority, an idea that is slightly heretical to the respect given to the age hierarchy in traditional Confucianism as it encourages the possibility of an older or more senior person deferring to a younger or more junior person if they possess the necessary learning or skill. Thus, its essentially promoting a version of survival of the fittest within schrly circles in that the most learned ones should be teachers, regardless of age or seniority. Dazhe () became a synonym for capable one or expert because of this quote even though it technically just means arrived one. Song Jing-gong essentially modified this sentence so that the meaning is slightly changed to show that he is acknowledging the childrens fitness to be his master and teacher.
  7. Zhuge () is the surname of Zhuge Liang (), who ismonly considered the epitome of genius and intelligence in Asia due to the essential role that he yed as the strategist for Liu Bei () and the state of Shu Han () during the Three Kingdoms period as well as the inventions attributed to him. This status is also helped by the fact that the novelization of the historical events of the Three Kingdoms is one of the Four Great ssical Novels of Chinese literature, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms or San Guo Yanyi , that took artistic license to expound greatly on Zhuge Liangs cunning and exploits. It is easy to know that Zhuge Liang is being referenced when just using the surname since it is rare to have 2-character surnames (also known as ) in China, much less the particr one of Zhuge.
  8. The Chinese used here of tie xue shou duan (), I tranted literally. I am footnoting it because I had to suppress the urge to trante it as blood and steel since steel is the metal mentioned whenever an euphemism for weapons is used in English whereas iron is the metal that always shows up in the Chinesenguage as a symbol for weapons or war. This is likely because the Chinese literary customs ossified and forever tied iron with war, even after the Chinese had already discovered ways to produce steel although steel wasnt produced in enough mass quantities to have entire armies outfitted in them. This is probably simr to how English idioms will still mention swords in metaphors even though they are no longer inmon use, having been superseded in their role by guns.
  9. I tranted qing jia dang chan () as bankruptcy and ruin but it actually literally trantes to copse of house, rocking of production, which basically means loss of home (homelessness) and financial loss or instability.
  10. Guan Zhong () was the chancellor of the state of Qi () during the Spring and Autumn period who was thought to be the ideal minister and was greatly praised by Confucius. His efforts made his state the most powerful of the feudal states in China at the time.
  11. Zijin () isnt actually a real word but is the title of a poem. So this would be simr to someone taking on an inte alias or pseudonym based on a song or book. Zi/ is a multi-purpose character that has a variety of meanings depending on the situation and in this case, it is likely acting as a ceholder word for person or individual. Jin/ refers to the cor orpel that diagonally traverses the front of a Hanfu () garment. Because of the export of Chinese clothing styles over time through the Sinosphere, you can see this cor style reflected in the design of the traditional Japanese kimono (/) or Korean hanbok (/) as well.
  12. Zi/ literally means character but in this case, it is referring to the style or courtesy name that an educated man assumes upon reaching his majority at the age of 20. Biao/ (meaning appearance) is also another way to refer to this name in Chinese. This style or courtesy name was reserved for intimates or close friends to use in ancient China while those who werent, used the persons titles or surname to address them. A persons given name was hardly ever used except for in legal documentations since even family members tended to either use nicknames and pet names or family titles to address them by, a practice that was likely a culmination of various Chinese naming customs and an extension of the thinking that doing so would possibly draw too much attention from malevolent spirits who would be able to identify the person by their true name.
  13. The quote of qing qing zijin, you you wo xin ()es from an anthology of ssical Chinese poetry called Shijin or the ssic of Poetrynamely, it is from a poem titled Zijin () from the Zheng Feng () or the Odes to Zheng section of the Airs of the States (Guo Feng/) part of theption. The poems subject is about a man waiting in the upper story of a building for his close friend or lover (there has been some historical debate over the actual nature of the rtionship). This particr phrase was then quoted by the Three Kingdoms period warlord and founder of the state of Cao Wei (), Cao Cao (), in a well known yuefu () style poem of his that heposed right before the Battle of Red Cliffs () that was titled Duan Ge Xing or Short Song Style in order to express his passionate longing for collecting talented people under his g. For those wondering why it sounds like it could be a song lyric, it is because yuefu style poems areposed to resemble music.
  14. Bing () trantes to cake, bread, biscuit, or cookies depending on the context. Because the food item in question here is a ttened and round cake made out of unleavened dough that is simr to tbreads and pancakes (in fact, scallion pancakes are a fried type of these), I chose to trante this food item as t cake in English. For other simr foods,pare Mexican tortis, Indian roti, or French crpes.
Book 1: Chapter 29 Book 1: Chapter 29 People & Money In Position About To Takeoff Idlers Note: This is a make up chapter since I had nothing up for Friday (July 29th, 2016) during . Also, heres wishing a happy Qixi Festival () to everyone today! This festival was the Chinese equivalent of Valentines Day since it celebrates the reunion of the two star-crossed (literally!) lovers, Zhin () who represents Vega and Ning () who represents Altair. You can read more about the Chinese folk tale behind their story, the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd, here. You might also recognize this festival under its Japanese name of Tanabata. Also, I have to apologize for the footnotes There were a lot this time, too. ^_^;
Song Jing-gong carefully observed Zhang Xiaobao before he rolled up a t cake, slowly eating it bite by bite as if savoring it and yet, not as if he was simply savoring this t cake and spicy sauce. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, the two of them didnt bother him, either, as they tore off a thin piece of t cake there, dipping it into the sauce before they carefully started eating. The taste is still a bit poor. Wang Juan licked her fingertips as she smacked her lips twice. Unh, I also think so. It wasnt fried using oil so its considered raw paste sauce. Wait till its been fried and itll be better. Zhang Xiaobao nodded as he agreed with her. In a while, use oil to fry it for a bit. Well eat it for lunch. Send some to my family, too. Yesterday night, my mom even sent us peaches, ~ne. Wang Juan said once she had stuffed that little bit of t cake into her belly. Over here, Zhang Xiaobao had also just finished eating and nodded: Send it, definitely have to send it. But without the soybean oil, the vor is worse by quite a lot. Last time when we went to the kitchen, I saw that there was some beef tallow over there. Use that, then. Lets think of a way for when an ox can fall down dead so we can use the beef to make sauce with. Have to keep them for plowing thend, ~ne. Killing the ones on the manor isnt allowed. Buying an old ox to kill it would be cheaper. Wang Juan added there. In this moment, Song Jing-gongs inner heart was filled with mixed feelings.[1] From the words of that manservant who had just left, hed already discovered that this sauce had been produced by the little kid in front of him. From the start, he himself had really been ridiculous for still wanting to swindle them. Look at themthey could think of one after another idea for legitimate business. His loss wasnt a bit unwarrantedthey were basically not even on the same level. One year old, ~ah. Could it be that they were the reincarnation of saints?[2] When he listened to the words that these two kids were saying again, how were these children who hadnt even been weaned off milk? They were clearly just like adults. No wonder Yingtao had such a pride-filled face whenever she spoke of Little Mister and Little Miss Juan-Juan. If he himself had such masters, he presumed hed be the same way, too. All right, he wouldnt argue from now on and just be an aide to this little kid. By following him, perhaps hed see even more splendid things. Just as Song Jing-gong was thinking on matters, Zhang Xiaobao had already instructed Xiaohong to go to the kitchens to get some things. She had just brought them over when Song Jing-gong was finished with his thoughts, only to see Zhang Xiaobao ce some scallions and cucumber slices on top of the t cake and then smear on some sauce before saying to him: [Older] Brother Zijin, try this. In the future, Im prepared to sell this stuff to every restaurant and snack shop. Unh, just selling the sauceif its just a little more expensive, people can still ept it. After all, wait until after weve extracted the soybean oil. Then, only our family will have it. Juan-Juan and I are still little and cant eat so many things. [Older] Brother Zijin, please. The t cake was small. Song Jing-gong hadnt eaten his full after having two, much less after having not eaten anything at all since yesterday afternoon. He was hungry right now, ~ne. So right then, he wasnt polite at all as he epted the t cake and gobbled it down in two or three gulps. Exhaling with satisfaction, he moved to roll up another two cakes and eat them as he said: Little Mister, from now on, wherever you [honorific] say to go, then Zijin will go there. As for that Noteworthy House, Little Mister, please dont bother with it. The store is small but can still support three families of people, ~ne. What is Zijin talking about? The store affairs naturally are up to Zijin to decide. Im so little, how can I manage so many things? These t cakes are tasty. In the future, Ill have people get a small stall specifically to sell themjust like spring tters,[3] only I know how to add some vegetables that no one else knows how to make yet. Zhang Xiaobao looked at Song Jing-gong and seeing that he didnt seem to be pretending, exined a bit more. He wasnt afraid of people deceiving him as he wasntcking in the ability to keep his subordinates in check. Song Jing-gong was still eating over there. This kind of stuff was really too good to eat as it was delicious and spicy, making him want to eat more the more that he ate. Only until he really couldnt continue eating did he stop and then, looking at the two kids facing him, he said: All right, Im full so Ill leave now to go collect the soybeans. Having said this, Song Jing-gong stood up to leave but Zhang Xiaobao suddenly spoke up: Hold on. Its raining hard and the wind is cold outside; Zijin will need to take care of your health. Xiaohong, is the wine with the added ginger strips warmed up yet? Serve it to Zijin to fend off the cold. Ill have to trouble ZijinJuan-Juan and I are still too small so we cant do a great many things. Everything will depend on Zijin handling it and exhausting himself out there so Juan-Juan and I give our thanks. As they spoke, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan saluted in gratitude to Song Jing-gong together as they used those small hands to tremblingly carry and ce the wine in front of Song Jing-gong. Hearing this, Song Jing-gong looked at those weak little hands and epted the warmed wine. Not having yet drunken it, ~ne, he already felt that his heart had been warmed up. With a tilt of his head, he drank the wine down to the dregs and then, cupping his hands in salute to Zhang Xiaobao: Thou treats this one like a gentleman of the state so this one must repay thee as a gentleman of the state.[4] Farewell. Having said these words, Song Jing-gong turned and left, not even using an umbre as he directly charged into the torrential rain with that pair of steady and powerful legs. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan followed along until the doorway until Song Jing-gongs silhouette had disappeared before turning around to return. But suddenly seeing Xiaohong over there with red-rimmed eyes, they asked in surprise: Xiaohong, why are you like this? Were your eyes burned by the ginger? Quick, go use water to rinse it out. No, Im fine. I just feel like my hearts beenforted. Mister treats people so wellno matter if its Yingtao, Shiliu, me, or that Mister SongMister treats them all sincerely. For Xiaohong to be sent to Misters side is Xiaohongs fortune. Xiaohong shook her head there but she hadnt even finished speaking, ~ne, and the tears had already started falling. Dont just look at how her age wasnt that big, she also knew of the coldness and warmth of human emotion.[5] Little Mister was not only smart, he also treated people wellto serve such a master must certainly be due to the good deeds from a previous life. Dont cry, dont cry. The good days are still yet toe, ~ne! Theres still t cakes left so you can eat them while theyre still hot and help me try out the taste to see if its still missing anything. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan exchanged a look as they inwardly sighed. The people here were so good, ~ah. Unh, tasty. The things Mister makes are so tasty. When I smelled the aroma just now, I knew. Xiaohong wiped her eyes as she enthusiastically nodded her head and helped the two children back on top of the couch, already starting with her praises though she hadnt eaten it yet. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didnt make a sound either as they watched Xiaohong eat three t cakes in a row before they said: Xiaohong, wait until the rains stopped as you still have other things to do. Youll need to find people to dig in that lond area by the river on the manor. Also, open up a hole in the river and channel the water flow into it. The manor needs to raise a lot more ducks and geese as well as nt some lotuses. Once its winter, well have more types of vegetables. Unh, Xiaohong understands. Little Mister, rest assured. There are quite a few people on the manor. As long as a meal is covered, theylle over to work. Tomorrow, Ill go digging. Xiaohong said in confirmation. But Wang Juan shook her head: Not only will you need to cover a meal but you will also need to give a wage. You decide on the number and return to get it. In the future, the two manors of Zhang and Wang will also be opening up a general goods store here to let the people of the manor do their purchases and trading more easily. Its not for the sake of making money but its so the people of the manor can walk a step or two less. Little Miss is righteous and kind; Xiaohong gives thanks on behalf of the elder patriarchs[6] of the manor. Xiaohong had eaten her fill so she was full of motivated energy. When she thought of the days toe, she felt like the rain outside was also so joyous.
The next day, the white clouds were puffy, the sunlight was brightly shining, and the river was clear as the children happily yed within it. Theborers of the manor had all been summoned by Xiaohong. Plotting out the area and not even caring about the muddiness in the aftermath of the rain there, they brought their tools and started working, each and every one all acting as if they didnt know what fatigue was. At this time, Xiaohong had people set up the big pot to the side that was simmering fragrantly tastyrge bones. There were also people making the dough in preparation for pan-frying[7] the t cakes. The sauce had also been ced to the side as the shredded pork was stir-fried using oil. When it was time to eat, it just needed to be returned to the pan to add some chopped scallion rolled up inside the t cake so the taste would be even better. This had been due to Wang Juans guidance since she loved shredded meat with * sauce.[8] [Older] Brothers and uncles, work hard. You certainly need to do justice to Little Misters 3 wen [cash] in daily wages. Wait until noon as therell be enough big t cakes rolled up with vegetables to eat. Xiaohong stood to the side as she yelledshe even knew to drum up morale. The people working could already smell the fragrant aroma rising from the pot so while they gulped down their saliva and vigorously shoveled, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan was also standing nearby as they observed. This could be considered a kind of method to rally the peoples hearts. From now on, the days will be better. Xiaobao, I want to transform the two manors of Zhang and Wang into an otherworldly paradise.[9] The elderly will be provided for;[10] the young will receive an education;[11] every family can build new homes; every person can eat their fill and be warmly clothedis that hard? Wang Juan said with a face full of yearning. If its only two manors, its not hard. But Im prepared to expand this ce a bitter on so the things to manage would be a lot, ~ne. Itll be necessary to cultivate some talent. What we need to do is to give them hope and confidence. By that time, you can train the footmen. Zhang Xiaobao was also making calctions there; he also wanted to let the people of the manor live well. Little Mister, do you [honorific] still want to eat toads? Just when Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were both imagining the future, a child in the river built up the courage to ask this. Zhang Xiaobao knew that these children wanted to get some benefits in exchange so nodding and then, shaking his head: Want to eat but not toads. You guys get me some river snails. In a while when its time to eat, you guys can also eat, tooyou can even take home a portion. Once Zhang Xiaobao said this, the children all cheered and one after another, they plunged headlong into the water and started to spread out to catch river snails. They all knew what was cooking inside the pot and that shredded meat which had already been stir-fried. To eat a portion themselves and then bring home another portion simply through getting some river snails, it was really too easy. Xiaobao, there are parasites in the river snails. I heard that there were people who ate it and worms grew in their brain. Wang Juan was a little averse to this stuff. No fear. When we go back, use some clean water with some salt added to store them in. Use boiling water to scald them twice over and then, dress them using parsley, garlic, and scallions to give to my dad to eat as wine appetizers. Well give a portion to your family as well. Well just drink a bit of soup. That stuff is tough so we wont be able to chew it. Zhang Xiaobao had already thought it through on how to make them. Then, well eat them tomorrow. Lets keep them for today and have the river snails expel the stuff in their stomachs first before talking about it. You, hurry up with bakery cakes. Otherwise, nothing can be eaten with us like this. Wang Juan was dismayed whenever she thought of their current age. The children moved quickly and within 2 quarter-hours, theyd already grabbed arge bowl full of river snails. After having people use a wooden bowl to store and keep them in to send back home, they found Xiaohong and had her also prepare food for the children when it was time for lunch. Then, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan went back to start training.
In the morning, Erniu got up very early and ate some porridge. Together with his older brother Daniu, they brought that small jar filled with the spicy sauce and found a carriage to leave for Sanshui County. Because it was adjacent to a river that wasnt considered too small, there was a lot of traffic there and there were also quite a few hotels and such. Today, Erniu was ready to go sell the sauce. For the sake of being able to sell it for a good price, Erniu continued to follow Little Misters instructions by pan-frying some t cakes and bringing some chopped scallions along with him. Hurrying along the road, they finally arrived at Sanshui County when it was nearly noon. [Younger] Brother, how do we sell it? Do we need to yell out our pitches?[12] Daniu wasnt as clever as Erniu for he was rather simple and honest so when they arrived, he didnt know what to do. No need, Little Mister already nned for this. Lets go. Drive the carriage to Waterview House[13] over there. They and the Hundred-vored Pavilion[14] next door are the tworgest restaurants in the county. Theyre bothpeting over customers so theres no fear that they wont buy. Erniu recalled Little Misters words to find twopeting restaurants to sell to so he had set his eyes on Sanshui Countys twondmark restaurants. When the carriage had stopped in front of the Waterview House, Erniu and Daniu jumped down from the carriage separately while carrying their things before walking inside. By the entrance, an employee[15] had alreadye over to arrange for the carriages parking spot before leading who he assumed to be two dining customers inside, walking as he talked. Would both respected guests like to drink wine or check in? ording to the restaurant owner,[16] the head chef of ones business has studied under an Imperial Chef.[17] Unh, having studied under an Imperial Chef is good, ~ah. Is your noble owner in? Find a single room on the second floor. The two of us have some matters to discuss with your noble owner. Today, Erniu was dressed well so he was emboldened as he held his chest high and used what he thought were the most elegant words with the employee. Hes in, hes in. The two of you [honorific], please go upstairs; this little one will go and invite the restaurant owner over here now. The employee didnt know what the two of them wished to do, either. But seeing that they had requested a single room on the second floor, he respectfully invited them upstairs. Then, waiting until the two of them had entered the room, he called over another employee to serve them as he ran to go find the restaurant owner. The newly arrived employee served tea before standing ready to the side. Erniu and Daniu were afraid of spending money so they basically didnt order any food as they sat there and waited. After around the duration of the span of an incense stick,[18] the owner of the Waterview House hurriedly rushed over here. He wasnt surprised either upon seeing the two men waiting there as he politely greeted them: Oneself[19] is the owner of the Waterview House and didnt know for what matter that both noble personages are calling about. Lets drink tea, drink tea. Erniu was a little nervous. After all, this was his first time dealing with the owner of a big restaurant. So using the method that Little Mister had taught him, he slowly inhaled two deep breaths as he silently chanted that he could do it before he felt a bit better. Then, along with his older brother, he ced the item on top of the table and flipped open that fine silk covering it before taking out that jar of soybean paste sauce. Coming here today was to invite Owner to try this item. As he spoke, Erniu prepared that still hot t cake as he coated it with ayer of spicy sauce on top and then ced scallions inside, using chopsticks to roll it up bit by bit. After this was done, he made another two to share with his older brother. Picking up one for himself, he said: Please, Owner. Upon saying this, Erniu and Daniu directly started to eat in order to show the restaurant owner that there was no poison. Besides, the two of them was also rather hungry as they had only that little bit of porridge to fill them up with since morning till now. The restaurant owner looked at the two men eating in front of him there, then nced at this t cake ced close by himself and understood what these two men came over to do. But with this stuff, he could make it after just one look so why split some of the benefits with other people? After thinking on it, he still picked up the t cake to take a bite. Once the bite of t cake entered his mouth, the restaurant owner was immediately surprised. What was this sauce? It was delicious and there was even a kind of fresh, spicy vor. No wonder these two men darede to his ce here to sell stuff. So it was like that. Thinking of this, the restaurant owner put down the t cake that he was holding. Its all right. Its edible. Leave this sauces recipe behind. I can give you two 200 wen [cash]. Erniu and Daniu froze as they thought of the words that Little Mister had said when they left and had even more respect for Little Mister in their hearts. Even this could be predicted. Right then, Erniu and Daniu got up simultaneously, putting away the t cakes that hadnt been rolled up and the sauce before turning around to leave. As he walked by, Erniu said: As expected, Owner knows his wares. Since its like that, the two of us will first go to that Hundred-vored Pavilion to dine, then. Well return to speak of the recipe in detail with Owner after. Hold on! Since the two of you havee here, how can you go elsewhere to eat? Liuzi,[20] quickly, have the head chef in the back make the signature dishes to send over here. Ill apany the two noble guests at their meal. Upon hearing this, the restaurant owner immediately knew that they werent stupid. So seeing that the two of them were about to leave, he hurriedly intercepted them and invited them back.
  1. The Chinese idiom describing Song Jing-gongs feelings is wu wei za chen (), which means five vors, varied (and) old. The Chinese defined the five vors as sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty. Since the vors can tend to be associated with different emotions, this is an indirect way of saying a person feeling many different types of emotions that run the gamut in taste.
  2. Sheng ren () literally trantes to divine person in Chinese and is usually tranted to sage, saint in English. More specifically, it can be how the Christian saints or martyrs are referred to in both Chinese and Japanese (at least in Kanji form though the pronunciation will obviously be different). However, outside of the Judeo-Christian context, sheng ren () has had a long tradition of being used to as abel for personages that have been elevated to a demi-god status, if not totally divine level, within the Chinese culture though the divinity is usually metaphorical. Thus, this term cane up in Daoism and can also be used for greatly revered ancestors or previous generations that were spiritual predecessors such as Confucius who is considered a spiritual teacher to all of the schrs who im to be students of the ssic texts. Because I previously tranted xian/ as sage or immortal and I wanted to emphasize the reverence orded to sheng ren (), I have chosen to trante this term as saint.
  3. The name for chun pan () is derived from a custom that became widespread during the Tang and Song dynasties where spring pancakes or chun bing () and raw vegetables were eaten together after the start of the spring, which was marked as Lichun () on the traditional Chinese calendar, as a way to wee spring. Because they were typically served on tters to guests in an arrangement simr to a hors d''oeuvre tray, they were called spring tters. Spring pancakes share the same concept as spring rolls or chun juan (), which originate from the Han dynasty, and sometimes depending on the region, they are synonyms for the same dish.
  4. Thenguage Song Jing-gong uses here is deliberately archaic, which you can tell when the Chinese gets super condensed andpact. The Chinese he uses here of is a modification of a quote by Yu Rang () from the state of Jin () during the Spring and Autumn period as recorded in the Biographies of Assassins (), the 86th biography written by Sima Qian () in the Records of the Grand Historian (). Yu Rang is well known in Chinese history as an assassin but he didnt do it for a living as his assassinations were motivated by revenge in a situation simr to the one of the 47 ronin of Japan. Yu Rang had been an underappreciated vassal of the Fan () and Zhonghang () ns who defected in service to the Count Zhi (), Xun Yao () who did greatly appreciate Yu Rangs abilities. By the way, the names are going to be confusing because this is during a time period when surnames, n names, style names, title names, nicknames, and given names could all be used interchangeably without any noticeespecially if the person was a member of the nobilityso it is all very headache-inducing even for native Chinese speakers because one person could be referred to by a dozen various names much less when you consider that history usually had more than just one named noble figure involved. During the Warring States and the Spring and Autumn period of China, the surnames and n names hadnt been set in stone yet so nobility could often take on different surnames or n names within just one generation and they were not treated as uniformly as surnames or n names are now. To rify, Yu Rangs third andst sovereign lord, Count Zhi (), is known under MANY different names, which I will attempt to exin so it is less confusing but it is a rather detailed exnation so Im very sorry for the length of this footnote. Though Count Zhi is listed on Baidu as Xun Yao (), he is hardly ever referred to by that surname of Xun () and was only retroactively given that surname due to modern sensibilities because he was the son of Xun Shen (). Confusing the matter further is that Count Zhis surname (xing/) was Ji (), which is actually also hardly used as a surname though it is one of the most ancient Chinese surnames, while his n name (shi/) was Zhi (), which is a homophone for the character meaning to know or zhi/ so he can also be referred to as the Count of Knowing (Zhibo/). This pun on his title wasmon enough that reputable historic records would address him by this pseudo-nickname. He also received a posthumous name or shi hao () of Xiangzi () so Count Zhi can also be referred to as Zhi Xiangzi ()please note that there is only a difference of one character to differentiate Count Zhis posthumous name of Zhi Xiangzi from that of his most bitter rival who ended up supnting him, Zhao Xiangzi () who is also known as Zhao Wuxu (). To differentiate from the other possible counts from his n, Count Zhi can also be specificallybeled as Count Zhi Yao (). I have to exin these names because otherwise, the Wikipedia and any other encyclopedic articles describing these historical events and the people involved are even more confusing. The breakup of the state of Jin was actually the catalyst for Yu Rangs transformation into an assassin as it was a process that first started out with Yu Rangs former masters, the Fan and Zhonghang ns, being eliminated by his current master, Count Zhi, but also nted the seeds for Count Zhis death and the ultimate destruction of his n. With the loss of the Fan and Zhonghang ns, the state of Jin had only four out of the six aristocratic ns remaining and left the Zhi n the most powerful of them all. But Count Zhi then started trying to consolidating the Zhi ns power and territory by taking advantage of his ns superiority and demanded concessions from the three remaining ns of Zhao (), Wei (), and Han (). So they rebelled and turned on the Zhi n in the Battle of Jinyang (), leaving the Zhi n shattered and their former fiefdom evenly split between the three victorious ns. Because of his personal feud with Count Zhi, after Count Zhis defeat and death which he personally orchestrated, Zhao Xiangzi even went so far as tocquer Count Zhis skull to use as a drinking cup. Because of this indignity done to his sovereign lords corpse, Yu Rang vowed revenge against Zhao Xiangzi. Yu Rangs first assassination attempt entailed him going undercover into Zhao Xiangzis pce and hiding in the toilet. However, Yu Rang was caught before he could kill Zhao Xiangzi but he was let go since Zhao Xiangzi admired his loyalty and bravery. The recorded exchange between them here is the source for one of Yu Rangs other well known quotes, which isnt the one Song Jing-gong is referencing. Yu Rang didnt give up after his failure though and disguised himself as a disfigured beggar by painting his skin and swallowing charcoal to make his voice hoarse until his own wife couldnt recognize him. His friend did though and tried to dissuade Yu Rang from his course but to no avail. Then, Yu Rang hid under a bridge to try to ambush Zhao Xiangzi but because Zhao Xiangzis horse suddenly took a fright, it allowed Zhao Xiangzi to sense that there was an assassin lurking underneath the bridge and correctly guess that it was Yu Rang. When Yu Rang was captured, Zhao Xiangzi asked him why he was going to such extremes for Count Zhi since he had previously served the Fan and Zhonghang ns that Count Zhi had destroyed yet he hadnt avenged them so Zhao Xiangzi wanted to know why he was avenging Count Zhis death. Thetter half of Yu Rangs response is what Song Jing-gong is quoting here: It roughly trantes to As for Count Zhi, I was treated as a guo shi (), thus I will treat him as a guo shi (). It makes more sense when you know that the previous sentence of Yu Rangs response states that since the Fan and Zhonghang ns treated him as amon pedestrian, then he repaid them with pedestrian loyalty. Ive tranted guo shi () as gentleman of the state even though shi/ really has multiple connotations since it can mean schr, gentleman, soldier, or warrior. The exact meaning of shi/ is dependent on what context in which it is used in as well as what other characters it isbined with but if you consider it as having knightly implications, it would be a good corrtion to draw to understand what being a shi/ entailed. Guo Shi () as a term is derived from how Sima Qian describes Han Xin () when recording his exploits in the Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin () from his Records, guo shi wu shuang (), which basically means a gentleman of the state with no equal. A roughly simrbel in English would be national hero. Song Jing-gong modified and paraphrased Yu Rangs original words by recing Count Zhi () with jun/ which has been simplified in meaning in modern-day Chinese to just mean lord or sovereign but ancient Chinese actually used it as a form of intimate address or polite and archaic way to say you. You can see these alternate uses reflected in how was adapted into Japanese as Kanji since it can be pronounced as kimi () when it means you or pronounced as kun () and used as a suffix when addressing younger men or boys (ex: Shin-kun or Shiro-kun). Because of these considerations, I tranted jun/ as thou since it gives off an archaic feeling in English and the intimate feeling that usage of thou was meant to have before people forgot that it was actually supposed to be familiar and wasnt actually formalnguage (because of the Bible) is rather fitting in this context too since Song Jing-gong is trying to increase the closeness of their rtionship. In summary, Song Jing-gong is basically stating that he will reciprocate Xiaobao and Juan-Juans respectful treatment of him with the same level of loyalty that Yu Rang historically gave. Whew! That took a bit of exining but I thought it was an interesting lecture I apologize if it was a bit boring and convoluted. I tried to cut it down as much as possible
  5. The Chinese idiom used here is ren qing leng nuan (). I tranted it literally since it conveys the meaning well enough but for those who wish for specific nuances, its basically an expression that is used to illustrate how the peaks and valleys of life exposes people to the warmth and coldness possible within the range of human emotion since when youre riding high, everyone will show you their best sides and shower you with positive attention but when youve fallen low in life, hardly anyone will bother to show you anything but their worst sides or apathy and leave you emotionally cold.
  6. The term used here is fuo (), which literally means father elder. Its an idiosyncratic way of addressing an older audience in adies and gentleman general kind of way.
  7. Too/ something is to press down on the food so it is baked or fried on top of a t, heated cooking surface. A t cake or bing/ made in such a way is called a () and resembles a pan-fried pancake. Because of how it is cooked, I chose to trante it as pan-fry.
  8. The original Chinese raw had * with the asterisk standing in for a character but Im not sure what the censored character might have been or why it would have been censored.
  9. Shi wai tao yuan () trantes to world external peach source. If you consider that in Chinese folklore, the peaches of immortality could be consumed to gain immortality much like the role ambrosia yed in Greek mythology and that the realms outside of the mundane or mortal world were considered the domain of the gods and immortal sages, then the the ce that is the origin of peaches outside of this world would be an euphemism for the Chinese equivalent of a garden of Eden. So, I chose to trante this term as otherworldly paradise. This specific idiom was coined in the fable titled The Peach Blossom Spring or Tao Hua Yuan Ji () by Tao Yuanming (), a poet from Eastern Jin dynasty during the Six Dynasties period. Whenbeling a real life ce with this expression, it is usually meant to evoke how beautiful and isted from the real world (and thus preserved in its natural beauty) it is.
  10. Lao you suo yang () was a quote poprized by PremierWen Jiabao (/) of the State Council of the People''s Republic of China, Chinas head of government, in his address to the 2012 National People''s Congress. The expression is itself derived from a sentence that sums up the main principles of a Chinese utopian model called Da Tong (), which is typically tranted as Great Unity in English. This was a philosophical idea whose originse from one of the Confucian ssic texts, the Book of Rites or Liji (). More specifically, it is from the chapter titled Li Yun (). These 4 characters basically are summarize the Confucian ideal of respecting the elderly by ensuring that they are provided for in their old age.
  11. You you suo jiao () is another part of theymens summary of an ideal proposed within the Confucian ssic, the Book of Rites, in its Li Yun () chapter.
  12. The verb Daniu uses is yao he (), which essentially means to yell. He is referring to how vendors would sell their wares in the marketce by yelling out slogans and prices in order to gain a potential customer''s attention.
  13. The restaurants name is Guan Shui Lou (), which Ive tranted literally. Again, lou/ is a Chinese term for a multi-story building that is not tall enough to warrant being called a tower.
  14. I tranted Bai Wei Ge () literally.
  15. Huo ji () is a northern Chinese ng term used to refer to a male employee who worked in the food and hospitality industry of ancient China (i.e. in restaurants, hotels, and inns, etc.). They tended to be responsible for greeting the customers as they entered, taking their orders, serving them, and then cleaning up afterward. So the equivalent modern job titles might be greeter, waiter, bellhop, errand boy, busboy, etc. Contrast this with the management jobs that tended to deal with the financial transactions and ounting as well as the administrative details of the business. So the image of a huo ji () tends to stereotypically be of a man or boy wearing an apron with a towel slung over his shoulder (sometimes with a cap). In modern times, this term is now used as a synonym for partner/ally. It can also be used in a way that mimics calling someone man or bro in English.
  16. I previously tranted zhang gui () as Storekeeper since it can be used as a title for the person operating a store. However, this term also tends to be used for a business owner regardless of whether they directly managed the store. In this case, because it is being used to refer to the owner of the restaurant/hotel, I have opted for restaurant owner as the trantion. When it is being used as a title to address the restaurant owner by, I will trante it as simply Owner.
  17. Yu Chu () refers to both the Imperial kitchens and the Imperial chefs. Obviously, the Imperial kitchens and the Imperial chefs were all supposed to be the best in China since they cooked for the Emperor.
  18. The Chinese used here is yi jie xiang (), which means a length or span of an incense stick. This would make more sense if you understood that time in ancient China could be marked in how many of one full incense sticks or yi zhu xiang () that burned down, which is a system of counting time that was derived from Buddhist monks who got too absorbed in chanting their sutras to keep constant track of time. Since the ancient Chinese divided time rtively, I will trante how Baidu summarizes it: 1 year has 12 months; 1 month has 5 weeks; 1 week has 6 days; 1 day has 12 shichen () [2 hour spans]; 1 shichen () has 4 quarter-hours (ke/); 1 quarter-hour (ke/) has 3 cups of tea (); 1 cup of tea () 2 incense sticks (); 1 incense stick () has 5 parts (fen/); 1 part (fen/) has 6 finger flicks (tanzhi/); 1 finger flick (tanzhi/) has 10 instant moments (chana//). Because incense sticks were more or less the same size and length in ancient China, burning one down was roughly estimated to take between 40~60 minutes. Thus, a span of an incense stick, which implies that it isnt the entire length, would be less than that amount of time.
  19. The restaurant owner is using ben ren (), which means self person as an illeism that is neutral in tone to refer to himself. It is not humble but it is not arrogant, either. I could onlypromise by tranting it as oneself.
  20. Liuzi () means sixth child/son.
Book 1: Chapter 30 Book 1: Chapter 30 Winning Over Peoples Hearts Once Again Idlers Note: Ack! The nature of the inte makes it too easy for me to get sucked into wiki walks Thus, increasing the amount of time that I spend tranting and proofing these chapters I dont intend to procrastinateI swear! But a cool thing I want to crow about is that I found a site that actually provides the full text in Traditional Chinese of a lot of the historical books that I keep citing in my footnotes! It makes research a lot easier for me since Baidu and modern Chinese dictionaries sometimes are still not up to par for figuring out the origin of idioms and suchat least to the amount of detail that Id like. Im especially psyched about the source text being in Traditional Chinese because thats how it was originally written as Baidus Simplified Chinese quotes can get hard to verify or check for uracy since conversion from Traditional to Simplified can lose the nuances present in the original Chinese characters used and when theres a mistake, they usually dont bother to correct or verify it, providing an echo chamber for the error to keep perpetuating itself. Also, Im curious about this. How many of you guys are in Rio at the Olympics? If so,ment below and check in! I hope you guys are being careful and safe while youre having fun though! I want to give a special thank you and acknowledgement to who became my first patron on Patreon! Thank you for your pledge! It was a much needed booster shot since I was getting a bit down on myself and my work. ? My readers, is what helps me keep going! Please let me know what you think bymenting or liking! You can also help if you subscribe to or share my blog. If you would like to, you can by bing my patron on Patreon or donating to my Crowdrise fundraiser to help this site get its own domain and hosting! Thanks again! ?
Erniu was very sessful in his talks with Waterview House. Not only did he sell the spicy sauce but he had also made another deal at the same time with Waterview House. And that was that for some of the new dishes that required the spicy sauce that would periodically appear in the manor, Waterview House would spend a sum of money for each one that came out and they would all be insured by the brokerage people. When the restaurant owner invited them to a meal, they had decided upon the first dish right then and there: carrots simmered in sauce. Not only did getting this dish made require spending money, even the carrots and spicy sauce had to be purchased from the manor as they werent sold elsewhere. The price of the carrots was rather cheap, 1 catty for 5 wen [cash] while the price for the sauce was a little bit more expensive. After all, there was meat inside, ~ne. So it was 1 catty for 12 wen [cash]. After finishing the talks with Waterview House, both Erniu and Daniu went to the Hundred-vored Pavilion next door. This time though, they actually didnt even get to see the restaurant owner as they were directly sent out by the lobby manager. The two of them werent worried though. This actually fit into Little Misters calctions. Wait until Waterview Houses food sold well, then the Hundred-vored Pavilion woulde begging. At that point, the price would not be the same. After the two of them finished selling the sauce, they found a little eatery within Sanshui County that was being managed poorly and bought it using silver straightaway. They didnt send away the original owner either as they invited him to continue managing the store. After the store had been put to order, the several carts full of carrots that hadnt been hauled away were sent over to the store. The previous menu didnt change but eight dishes using carrots were newly added. Finished dealing with these things, Daniu and Erniu were finally free so they moved into the room behind the store to stay for two days before going back. The several dozen catties of spicy sauce that had been shipped here this time were enough to sell to Waterview House for several days. Once they returned, there would be new jobs for them to take care of.
In Tuqiao Vige, work on Zhang Manors construction site was bustling with frenzied activity[1] as each and every person from the manor were vigorously digging after having just finished eating. This was only at Zhang Xiaobaos request as this group of people had rested for not even a quarter-hour. Zhang Xiaobao was afraid that theyd eat till they were too full and get sick. After rolling up the shredded meat in spicy sauce with the chopped scallions within therge t cakes, then that really was just two bites each. Scoop out the cooked bones and coat them with garlic sauceeating that was just aromatic. Sprinkle scallions and parsley on top of the greasy soup and with a gu-lu-lu, you could drink half a bowl in just one gulp. Watching this, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan started to crave[2] it, too. Finally, they really couldnt resist and the two of them asked for a big bowl of soup. They ced the t cake, which had been torn into bits and pieces that were smaller than their fingernails, inside to soak along with the parsley and scallions. Waiting till it had cooled down a little, only then did they drink it one sip and one person at time there. Since there was soup to drink, Zhang Xiaobao wasnt as worried about the workers overstuffing themselves. If so, the soup could directly wash it down. To the side, Xiaohong also ate while still being responsible for preparing the bone marrow for Little Mister, the two of them. Using chopsticks to dig out a strand of soft bone marrow before adding a bit of salt, it was suitable for Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to eat. Bearing a bit of greasiness and a bit of bony aroma as well as being just a bit pungently meaty, eating it was satisfying beyond words. Most importantly, they neednt fear for their teeth. Deliciouseating together with so many people, the food smells even better.[3] These bones are also good. Xiaohong, remember not to throw away the leftover bones. Zhang Xiaobao ate two pieces of bone marrow before he stopped as he was afraid getting nauseous if he ate too much. Then he called over Xiaohong. Understood, Little Mister. Keep them once this meal is dhey can be cooked again for dinner. Digging out the pond cant bepleted within a day. For tomorrows lunchtime, well just add some fresh bones and continue eating. Xiaohong looked like she had experience. After hearing this, the other people eating also nodded their heads. Not speaking of working for the manor, they were like this in their own homes. To be able to eat a meal together with Little Mister and Little Miss Juan-Juan, they were already satisfied. Thats not the meaning here. Wang Juan also stopped her movements and said: Xiaobao was saying to keep the bones. Then, use a millstone to grind them into powder that can be used to do a lot of things like feeding the chickens, fertilizing thend, or raising earthworms, etc. My manor can afford a meal for peopledinner has to be newly made. Once these words were spoken, all of the expressions of the manor peasants varied. They couldnt believe that this Little Miss and Little Mister werepassionate to this degree. The peasants were all honest people and didnt know how to say any fine words so they could only take note of the words these two little kids had said until they could repay them by working hard in the days ahead. Xiaohong naturally wouldnt protest anymore. The food expenses were all paid for from Little Misters own storehouse. If Little Mister didnt fear spending too much and could let the peasants eat well, she was more than willing, too. Those children who had been catching the river snails also ate together with them. The children had small stomachs so even if they ate a lot, they still couldntpare to the adults. Each and every one of them ate till their little bellies were round and full. They still wished to continue eating yet were unable to so they could only look on anxiously. If you cant eat anymore, then dont eat. Youll overstuff yourselves. Xiaohong handed the children oil-paper[4] to pack the food with ording to their serving sizes plus a bit more with the thinking that the children wouldnt be able to eat more after returning and were bringing it back for their family members. One of the little kids called Erzi helplessly nodded: Dont we all want to eat a bit more? Itd be best to eat our fill for lunch tomorrow. Tonight, I wont eat and bring it back for my younger sister to eat. Itll get better. Life will get better from now on. Zhang Xiaobao said lightly as he smacked his lips twice. Only Wang Juan knew how much resolve he needed to have when he said these words. The peasants continued working while Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan returned home to start training. A childs bones were soft as they hadntpletely finished growing so any running or jumping movements that were too intense couldnt be done. They could only adjust to it a bit at a time. The only benefit was that a childs body recovered quickly. That day, theyd be so tired that they couldnt speak; the next day, they would be just as energetically hyperactive[5] as before. The item that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were drilling today was rolls. They had Xiaohong take out a nket to spread out on the floor. The two of them would then vigorously roll back and forth on it. This could actually exercise a lot of areas as it was still too wet outside and there was no way to go walking in the sand. Xiaobao, lets rest for a while and talk all dizzy from rolling. Wang Juan flipped over and leaned against Zhang Xiaobaos body as she swung to a stop. Whatd you say? Zhang Xiaobao was also sweaty all over. I saw that the exterior road for the manor isnt easy to walk. Should a bit of money be used to repair the roads with? Change should always start from the up close. Allowing the people of the manor sense this will encourage their cohesiveness. Wang Juan reached out to ept the water that Xiaohong handed over, sipping it once before she spoke. No money. This little bit of money that Ive made, Im keeping it so I can buy some rice and flour, ~ne. Theres still another month or so before the wheat will need to be harvested. I need to buy more. Whether or not the familysnd and that grant of 100 heads can be saved will rely on this single chance. Zhang Xiaobao didnt even think before rejecting it. The roads could be repaired at any time but it wouldnt do to not buy food grains. He had a grand na n to trade for their familys status. When collecting the food grains, the cooperation between the two families of Zhang and Wang would still be needed. Then, never mind. Have Yingtao collect some duck eggs and goose eggs tomorrow. Since we want to raise them, then well have to get some here. Wang Juan bypassed this matter and began nning. Zhang Xiaobao also nodded: Right, most certainly have to raise themespecially ducks. By the beginning of spring next year, itd be best if we could have several thousand ducks. I want to see whod dare take back our familysnd then. Lets go shower and sleep. This was considered a temporary conclusion to the conversation. Over there, Xiaohong had already prepared the hot water in advance and ced the two children inside to wash off the sweat on their bodies. Carrying them over to the couch and using the nket to cover their navels, she could then sit by the doorway to read books and learn her characters. Once it was evening, Song Jing-gong finally returned with quite a few soybeans. Upon entering the manors domain, he saw that there were people hauling carrots outside in one carriage after the other. Not knowing where they were being transported to and curious about it, he stopped a person to ask: Wheres it being taken? Xinping City, theyre being stored over there. After a few days, theres going to be people over thereing over here to buy them. If theyre sold directly, it wont hold things up. One of the coachmen recognized Song Jing-gong as the Juren that was willing to work for the manor after being swindled by Little Mister. Oh, how much money is it going to be sold for? Song Jing-gong didnt find this strange but wanted to know the price. 1 catty for 5 wen [cash]Erniu has already gone to Sanshui County to sell them. It looks like they were sold. Otherwise, Erniu would be frantic to rush back here. How much? 5 wen [cash] 1 catty? Thats to say, I originally sold them too cheaply? Song Jing-gong was a bit dumbfounded. Hed initially assumed that only through swindling could they be sold so expensively. Whod have thought that after cycling through Little Misters hands that the price would actually increase so much and be sold for five times the price? It really was too fantastical. How could it be sold just like that, ~ne? He hadnt even thought it through, ~ne, before that coachman resumed talking. Little Mister has said that these arent easy to preserve so keep the ones that are slightly better, get a root cer to store them in, and wait until winter to sell them for 10 wen [cash] per catty. Winter has few vegetables so everybody would want to eat something fresh. Song Jing-gong didnt know how he walked back to the courtyard house. His heart had already been filled by pile after pile of copper coins; if it couldnt hold anymore, then switch them out for silk and shining white silverin any case, the money was plentiful. Before he could go inside, he caught sight of Little Mister, the two of them, eating and drinking with a group of peasants over there. Because the peasants were doing a lot of work, Zhang Xiaobao was afraid that theyd suddenly get exhausted and feel ufortable all over tomorrow, especially from standing on top of the muddy ground as some people had their feet submerged by the pooling water. They could easily get sick after going home so he had Xiaohong specially prepare some wine. When everyone was eating, one person could drink two bowls. Warmed wine with ginger strips added was good as it got rid of the chills and could even help increase blood cirction. This treatment was seriously too good as there was meat and wine, causing the peasants to eat till their hearts were warm. If it werent for Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan not permitting them to continue theirbors at night, they even thought of firing up the torches to continue digging. How much money was this one meal? Each and every one of them didnt want any wages. Little Mister, those carrots that you [honorific] spoke ofhow were they sold? Initially, I felt that 1 wen [cash] for 1 catty was swindling people. Could it be that you [honorific] found a gullible person? Song Jing-gong didnt care whether other people were drinking wine or not as he ran over to get rification. Why is swindling needed, ~ne? With carrots, this stuff is originally pretty good. When selling them to other people, just teach how to make them. Once everybody knows how to eat them, they will naturally be expensive. Moreover, eating carrots is beneficial to the body and it tastes good. Zhang Xiaobao wanted to change that kind of thinking of Song Jing-gongs where he always first thought of swindling whenever he ran across something. Seeing that Song Jing-gong had returned dusty and worn from travel and definitely had not eaten dinner, he spoke in invitation. Zijin must have been exhausted over these two days, right? Quickly, eat while its still hot. With so many people, eating bes lively. Xiaohong, get some meat for Zijin over here. Eat it with garlic sauceits perfect as a wine appetizer. As he spoke, he and Wang Juan moved to the side to make room for Song Jing-gong to sit in. As for whether Song Jing-gong was willing or not, there was no need for consideration. Xiaobao himself was eating together with the peasants so what else could he do?
  1. The Chinese idiom used here is re huo chao tian () which literally means hot fire reaching sky. This makes sense if you realize the hot fire is a metaphor for hubbub ormotion since liveliness is literally hot noise or re nao () in Chinese. So for the heat of the chaos to reach the skies is to be really lively, indeed.
  2. The specific character used here of chan/ is actually one that trantes to ravenous or gluttonous and is used to describe a specific greed for food. You can tell this because it has the radical for food or shi/ in the character itself. So it is a way of describing when someone has a food craving in Chinese.
  3. Technically, Xiaobao uses the character meaning fragrant or xiang/ here. This is another Chinese habit where dering a food that is tasty or delicious to be fragrant is synonymous withplimenting its vor and the experience of eating it. This is likely because xiang/ also has a connotation offort or enjoyment (it makes sense if you realize fragrances or perfumes are a sign of luxury and wealth so it calls up an image of lounging at ease).
  4. I wasnt able to find an exactly equivalent paper made in the West but you zhi () is exactly what it says it is. Its paper thats been coated by or dipped in oiltung oil () to be exact, which is oil that has been extracted from the tung tree (), Latin name of which is Vernicia fordii. This paper is water resistant so it is perfect for packaging food in as well as to use in making umbres with. Chinese umbres, which are made from this type of paper, are called oil-paper umbres () for this reason. For the sake of reference, the types of paper made in the West that oil-paper probably resembles the most in form or function was either greaseproof paper or wax paper (also known as paraffin paper).
  5. The idiom used here is huo beng luan tiao (), which when broken down, means living bounce, randomly jump. It calls up the image of a hyperactive bunny so a roughly equivalent English expression might be alive and kicking. However, I opted not to use that phrase as the trantion since alive and kicking usually tends to be associated with situations where a death is rumored or the person is in their dotage but still going strong (or ims to be anyway), which is the opposite of the case here.
Book 1: Chapter 31 Book 1: Chapter 31 With Autumns Arrival, The Tree Leaves Have Already Turned Red Idlers Note: This release is to make up for there having been no chapter on Monday (August 1st). With this, I am all caught up and on track with my release schedule! Yay~! ? You guys might have noticed that Ive started cing an image with a disimer in the middle of the chapter. It might be a bit distracting when youre reading so I apologize for that. This is another attempt in my ongoing efforts to stymie the content thief who has an army of scraping bots on his side. I have done my best to mitigate the cement of the image by putting it where theres a natural break in the chapter. Again, I will keep doing my best to not detract from the reading experience. But my options are limited in terms of what I can do as preventative measures since I dont have my own web hosting and cant afford it on my own. Yourments and support help keep me motivated so that I dont fall into a deep depression over this situation! Thanks for reading!
The summer days gradually left as the mornings and the nights cooled with autumnsing. The digging of the pond on the manor had beenpleted and the river water had been channeled into it. Yingtao gathered quite a few duck eggs and goose eggs and they had all been ced on top of the kang [bed-stove] as they incubated, ~ne. A clutch of chicks were chasing each other to and fro in sport within the courtyard. After raising them for these past few days, there was now no need to feed them rice porridge as they themselves could eat something more solid. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan both looked enviously at the chicks. The two of them still couldnt eat stuff that was too hard. If they ate a bit of t cake, they still had to nurse it in their mouth before they could gulp it down. Meat could only be simmered until it was in pieces although they could eat some fish meat. Chicks grow faster than people do. Several days after hatching, they can eat sand. Have to step up the time table for grinding the stuff that Shiliu is overseeingIve thought of a good thing. Zhang Xiaobao plucked a bug from the flowers by the side of the courtyard and ced it on the ground. A chick immediately came over to eat it. The bug was a bit bigger as it was a kind of caterpir that was nearly in its pupal stage. It had quite a few eye-like objects on top and after eating for an entire summer, it had already been fattened up. The chick pecked at it and vigorously shook its head. To the side, there were chicks that came over to fight over it as well. The chicks wiped out a single bug within an instant or two. What idea? Wang Juan didnt fear bugs like other girls so she simply didnt care. She was rather interested in Zhang Xiaobaos idea though. Actually, its nothing. I just wanted to make something for my Grandpa and Grandma as well as your Grandpa and Grandma to eat. Yesterday night, the people from your family all came over to my home and they even kissed me till my face was covered in saliva. I want to get some bone marrow and also get some bones ground into powder to use to stir-fry up some stir-fried noodles[1] and add some walnuts[2] or whatever. Zhang Xiaobao had met Wang Juans Grandpa and Grandma yesterday. Their two bodies werent that healthy and when they hade over, they kept on rubbing their legs. It looked like they had a calcium deficiency. What can it do? Can it be absorbed? Wang Juan was a bit grateful to Zhang Xiaobao. After all, to have the senior generation in this lifetime was good. For the elders of both families to still be present, that was the greatest happiness. It can. In order to supplement for calcium, its actually nothing more than just an item containing calcium along with vitamins A and D. The pure form cant be refined but there are still edible foods containing them such as the oil extracted from fish liver or thatyer that appears on top of cow or goat milk after its been cooked. Itll be fine to add it inside. All right, lets do this. Wait until our two families can all eat well, then well bring it out to sell. There are so many things inside, who would know what the form is? It can even treat night blindness,[3] ~ne. Lets first eat it ourselves and then wait till I can spare extra before we sell it outwardly en masse. As Zhang Xiaobao schemed, he squatted down to touch the chicks. The chicks werent afraid, either, as they even tilted their heads and used eyes filled with curiosity to gaze at Zhang Xiaobao. Then, lets do it. We can drink it, too. The recipe will need to be adjusted. If the calcium supplements are too high, problems wille up. Temporarily remove the walnuts from what is being given to the adults. If its too fatty, it could easily cause cardiovascr disease. Have them eat more vegetables as the norm. Ive heard that stuff ginkgo[4] is good. The good stuff should first be used by our own people. Wang Juan ended up agreeing. Recently, she and Zhang Xiaobao had increased some of the amount when training as they continued their nutritional supplements, especially with things high in calories. Xiaohong listened to the side. She didntprehend some of the matters that Little Mister and Little Miss would speak of every day. She only knew that as long as the both of them were seriously talking there and helping each other to correct it, then what was settled upon in the end was definitely something impressive. The chicks had eaten their fill and with the blink of an eye, had run off to some unknown ce. At this time, Erniu rushed over and upon entering the courtyard house, he excitedly said: Little Mister, good news! Hundred vored Pavilions owner went to find me and my [Older] Bro yesterday to say that they wanted to buy that spicy sauce. I followed your [honorific] instructions and sold it for an extra 2 wen [cash] to himthose carrots, too. When he returned, he kicked out the manager from that day, iming that theyd caused him to lose quite a lot of money. Little Mister, Hundred vored Pavilions owner wants to buy 500 dan [stone] from us here at the price of 7 wen [cash] per catty. Should it be sold? Here now, its quite a bit of a change, ~ah. Compared to when it had first been exchanged for, it was more expensive by quite a lot. 500 dan [stone]? His appetites ratherrge and hes also shrewd as a person. When you get back, tell him that there are already not that many carrots. At most, you can only sell him 20 dan [stone] or around 2,000 catties of it, which should be enough for him to sell till winter. After a few days, the price will increase. This time, Zhang Xiaobao didnt even need to speak as Wang Juan had already made the call. She could still understand such a simple matter. Wasnt that owner thinking to wait till the price had increasedter on? Unh, then just say that. If they want it, ship it over from those barbarians. With the dy in the time to get from there and then return, itll be toote. Erniu, first give this business to Daniu to handle. The same with selling the sauce. Ready yourself over these next two days. After the fall harvest, go acquire a lot of food grains for me. Whatever food grains there are, Ill want them. Ill give you money herethe more, the better. After several days, they would need to harvest the food grains. There really were no people by Zhang Xiaobaos side. Moreover, they couldnt purchase them all in one ce as that could easily draw the notice of the local authorities. He had a share here; his mother had a share there; Wang Juans family also had a share; and Song Jing-gonghe could be sent to a ce a bit further away to gather them. Meself[5] knows. Little Mister, you [honorific] rest assured. Whatever you [honorific] want meself to do, meself will do whatever. Erniu changed from that formerly clever appearance of his to take on a simple and honest demeanor as he spoke there, causing Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan tough. If Erniu was simple and honest, then how many clever people were there? After another two days, Shiliu had all the things that shed picked up and brought back as well as bought at a low price or traded for ground up into powder. It couldnt be fed at this time as that was a bit wastefulit still needed to wait till all of the food grains had been harvested and it could be mixed with the chaff[6] and wheat bran.[7] Yingtao herself made an area with kang [bed-stove] that was connected together. ced on top of the entire surface of the kang [bed-stove] were chicken eggs, duck eggs, and goose eggs. The clutch of chicks that had already been hatched had been taken away by Songri Nigan. Theyd even sold him some specially made feed to use on the road to feed the chickens with. On the other side where they were raising the earthworms, Shiliu had also arranged for people and acquire rotten firewood and excrement or whatever else from each family to all be steeped in there. Underneath were the earthworms that the children had dug up. Next year, there would be a lot more. Only Xiaohong had nothing to do. She obeyed Zhang Xiaobaos instructions and caught some cold-resistant fish, throwing them into the pond, and then ignoring them. The ducks and geese were still not in ce so while she envied the others, she also knew that she still had to wait. For Song Jing-gong, his job was easy. After all, what he had to manage in the past had been a lot, too. To buy some soybeans and find reliable people from the manor who could extract the soybean oil was very simple. The oil yield was a bit lower and not the 15% that Zhang Xiaobao had imagined it to be, barely reaching 10% instead though that was an issue of the production technology. The soybean press cakes that were left behind after the oil extraction werent wasted, either, as they were directly sent over to Ernius family for them to keep for when making the spicy sauce. Everything all had to wait until next year to have an effect. Before their eyes, what could turn a profit were solely the spicy sauce and carrots. Comparatively, the two stores in Sanshui County didnt have that much of an ie. Fall has arrived. When the first tree leaf fell down, Zhang Xiaobao was standing outside by the stream and looking at the yellow and withered scene before his eyes as he feelingly said a sentence. Unh, theyll be reaping tomorrow. Its good that it didnt rain. When the golden yellow fills the eyes,[8] youll discover that not only have the skies and flowing clouds grown distant but so have some of the memories that you feared recalling yet were unwilling to forget. Wang Juans eyes were fixed on the flowing water as she looked at the clouds curl and unfold in that sky, a bit homesick. As she thought of that past family, she felt Zhang Xiaobaos presence at this time and knew then that she had someone apanying her so she wasnt so lonely and was grateful or rather, as each supported the other. It should snow for winter. Then, we can build a snowman. Build a big, big one. Even if itll melt in spring, we can still make it every year. Zhang Xiaobao didnt know how tofort Wang Juan. He didnt have any regrets since in that world, he wouldnt have been able to be alive right now. Unh, let go backbuild the swings and train our adaptability to heights a bit. Why couldnt you have studied science and technology,[9] ~ne? Are there these kinds of experts in the prisons? I want electric lights, ~ne. Its too dark at night. Wang Juan pulled on her clothing before turning around to go back. There were some things that should be adapted to that must be adapted to. No fear. Theres money this year so well prepare more candles. Well light them then. Zhang Xiaobao knew that Wang Juan wasnt afraid of the dark but was afraid of dreaming. Why dont you know how tofort me a bit more? Im a little child right now. Wang Juan deliberately used words that would lighten up the atmosphere. Zhang Xiaobao smiled: Ive been doing that. Just like that song I overheard by the window of an elementary schoolI came backst year, you wore new cotton robes; I came to see you today, you grew fat and tall; do you all remember the lotus flowers in the pond turning into lotus pods?[10] No worries about having no color with few flowers, I will dye the tree leaves red. What song is that? Its so nicehowe I dont remember it? Wang Juan asked with surprise. The Words of the West Wind.[11] Its part of the elementary school appreciation course. You might not have appreciated it there as there were always music teachers who were cutting corners and skipping material.[12] When I heard it back then, I thought that it was nice. Later on when I grew up, I knew that embedded within it was philosophy and hope. Zhang Xiaobao kicked a pebble in the air with one leg, scaring the chicks that had grown up quite a bit into squawking fright as they ran away. What kind of skill is there in bullying chicks? Wang Juans mood had improved quite a bit. I would rather bully the old yellow dog but Im afraid of him biting me. Zhang Xiaobao said, ying along. Before, Xiaohong had been standing by next to Little Mister, the two of them. When she had been listening to them both speak, she somehow felt like Little Mister and Little Miss Juan-Juan were so, so distant from herself. It was only until this moment that she discovered that the two of them had returned once again. That kind of sensation had really been too horrible to feel. The swings had already been preparedit was just that they had not been hung up yet. When Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan returned to the courtyard house, they immediately arranged for people to set up the swings. At this time, the sky was clear and the clouds were light so going on the swings would feel the best. For the sake of not letting themselves identally fall off, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan even specially designed something in the middle that could act as a brake for the front, back, right, and leftjust like that octopus that could move up and down that theyd yed with in the past.[13] To start required only a little force and the two of them could swing up really high by themselves, bursting out with child-likeughter in the air and frightening Xiaohong who could only worry at the sidelines. Having waited with difficulty for the swing to finally stop, Xiaohong hurried to let Little Mister, the both of them, think of other matters and asked: Little Mister, what will be eaten at night? Eating what? Among those chicks that Yingtao hatched, they cant possibly all be hens. Shes raising the roosters in another ce. Here are two. You go request one more. Tonight, well be eating spring chickens.[14] Zhang Xiaobao jumped off the swing, pulling Wang Juan to go inside in preparation for reading books as he casually gave the instructions.
  1. You cha mian (), meaning oil tea noodles, is also known as you chao mian () or oil fried noodles and would be more familiar to American readers as chow mein, which is the American Chinese or Westernized version of the dish. Since chow mein itself is a name thats derived from an erroneous transcription and is also a very specific variation that is rather different from the original Chinese dish, I chose to trante the name literally in this case. This stir-fried noodle dish is actually wheat flour noodles mixed with sauce made out oil, sugar, preserved fruits, nuts such as peanuts or walnuts, and sesame. You can think of this dish as a vegetarian version of zhajiangmian () or fried sauce noodles, which is the origin of the Korean dish of jajangmyeon (/).
  2. He tao ren () are walnuts. The Chinese name actually means walnut innards reflecting how walnuts are actually the stuff that you get when you crack open the walnut shell. Why I am footnoting this is because there is only a difference of 1 character from tao ren (), the Chinese name for peach kernels, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine, and ke/ by itself can be a character that acts as a counter or measure word and can also mean kernel. So there is a possibility that the author doesnt mean walnuts if there was a typo or I am misinterpreting the text here.
  3. The original Chinese had ye mang zheng () or night blind proof but that is probably a typo since the correct word in Chinese for night blindness or nyctalopia is a homophone, ye mang zheng (). There are different types of night blindness, which depend on how it is caused. It can be congenital but it can also be attributed to malnutrition or injury. Obviously, Xiaobao and Juan-Juan are referring to the type that is caused by malnutrition like a vitamin A deficiency. This condition is what it says it issufferers can see fine during the day but have little to no night vision, being effectively blinded at night.
  4. Yin Xing () means silver apricot and is the Chinese name for the nt that is known as ginkgo biloba in English, which is usually known as ginkgo for short (it can also be spelled gingko). The English name was itself derived from an erroneous transcription of one of the possible Japanese pronunciations of the Kanji, gin kyo (though is actually read as gin nan in Japanese). The tree itself is also known as the maidenhair tree and is native to China. Ginkgo can be eaten for nutritional purposes but it is most well known for the medicinal properties ascribed to it by traditional Chinese medicine.
  5. An/ is an informal personal pronoun used for I that originated in northern China and gradually spread outward though its usage is still primarily concentrated in the region of northern China (think of the American English usage of yall in the southern parts of the U.S. versus the rest of the country). This is one of the rare times in Chinese when using a pronoun that means I or me doesnt give the listener an arrogant or proud impression of the speaker. Mostly because it was used by uneducated peasants andmoners, this pronoun gives off a country yokel or backwoods hick sort of feeling in Chinese. By the way, this pronoun was unisex and could be used by both men and women. However, when this character was adapted into the Japanesenguage, the connotations changed as it became ore (/), a male personal pronoun in Japanese that can be construed as very rude given the context or at least very masculine and proud (leading to the impression of arrogance). Curiously, when / was first imported into Japanese, it was also an unisex pronoun before it became a male-only pronoun. This progression from unisex to male-only usage is also reflected in its usage in the modern Chinese vernacr as nowadays mostly rural Chinese men would refer to themselves by this pronoun. To try to capture the image of a rural peasant associated with this pronoun in ancient Chinese, Ive tranted an/ as meself.
  6. The Chinese term of cu kang () trantes to rough hull, which can be generalized as chaff in English. So this is referring to the detritus that is produced when grains are threshed to remove the husks. Chaff can be re-processed as animal feed or fodder.
  7. Mai fuzi () is wheat bran. In general, bran is the byproduct of milling and it is formed from the outeryer of the grain itself. Bran is generally edible for both humans and animals, exining why they can be re-added into foods for the sake of supplementing for dietary fiber.
  8. The Chinese used here is jin huang man mu () which Ive tranted literally. It sounds like a quote of a poem but Ive been looking and so far, I cant verify which poem and poet it is from. From what I can tell, it is derived from an ode to the rappi flower whose author is anonymous.
  9. Li gong ke () is study of li gong (), a portmanteau formed from the Chinese trantion for the acronym of STEM. In Chinese, STEM was tranted as ke xue () for Science, gong cheng () for Technology, ji shu () for Engineering, and shu xue () for Mathematics. So to abbreviate just like STEM does, li/ became shorthand for science, gong/ for technology, ji/ for engineering, and shu/ for math. Thus, li gong () is basically science and technology.
  10. Lian peng () refers to the seed pods or cases that lotus flowers transform into after the petals fall off. You can visit Baidu here for pictures (dont click if you have trypophobia though!).
  11. I tranted the name of this childrens song, Xi Feng De Hua () literally here. If you wish to hear this song, you can watch the Youtube video here.
  12. Tou gong jian liao () is usually a Chinese idiom thates up a lot in terms of construction because it literally means to steal work, lessen material. So this is basically used for cases where corners are cut and the work is inferior. Sometimes, this expression has connotations of embezzlement since one of the main reasons forbor and material costs being skimped on and leading to shoddy constructions is when the constructionpany is skimming off the top.
  13. Im assuming that this is a modern toy that Chinese children yed with in previous generations but the description is too generic for me to pinpoint exactly what it would be.
  14. Technically, Xiaobao says tongzi ji (), which means (male) virgin chicken. However, I thought it might be a bit confusing as a name for readers if literally tranted so I opted to use the English name for an equivalent dish and that was spring chicken, which is also known as poussin or coquelet in French. Tongzi ji () were called virgin because they were all typically too young to have been bred to hens yet. You will see tongzi/ as the Chinese word meaning prepubescent/virgin boy since Chinese superstition as well as traditional Chinese medicine ascribes medicinal and supernatural qualities to the urine of a virgin boy or tongzi niao (). Note that a boy who has gone through or is going through puberty and is capable of sperm production would not be considered a tongzi () and would just be considered a typical virgin man or chu nan () instead. Tongzi/ can also simply be used in Chinese for its literal meaning of young boy without any reference to its connotation of virgin.
Book 1: Chapter 32 Book 1: Chapter 32 The Harvested Food Grains Gathered Into Piles Idlers Note: Okay, Im done for the week. See you guys on Monday! I can finally finish my rewatch of JIN, which is known as Ren Yi () in Chinese, over the weekendsuch a good series! This is my reward to myself for making it through this week. The one debate that I have is whether to watch it with English or Chinese subtitles? English subtitles are good for romanji to get the Japanese pronunciation but it might not properly trante all of the meaning because of the limited time and space that subtitles have while the Chinese subtitles trante the concepts a lot better because the Kanji are pretty interchangeable with their Hanzi counterparts though it is a bit of an adjustment to see Japanese names presented in a Chinese context. If only I could watch it with both Chinese and English subtitles, Id likely get close to gleaning 100% of the meaning in Japanese. By the way, if you like the themes of time travel and alternate history, I cant rmend this Japanese drama enough. JIN () is a 2 season long (2009 & 2011) drama adaptation of a manga by the same name although the drama departed from the manga in terms of storyline so you can consider them two canons. It is rather interesting to read the manga after watching the drama (I dont believe the mangas English trantion ispleted though as I read it using the Chinese trantion). Some of you might know of JIN through its Korean remake that is titled Dr. Jin ( ) or Time Slip Dr. Jin, which was not faithful at all to the original Japanese drama storyline and branched out on its own, digressing even further from the Japanese manga plot (makes sense because they would want their own take on the story). I like alternate histories where the main character(s) go back in time because they make me appreciate the modern world more. Its insane how many things we take for granted now that would have been miraculous back then.
The next day, the autumn air was clear and crisp as the people of the two manors of Zhang and Wang began to reap the cereal grains in the fields. The adults were in front tying up the grain crops in bundle after bundle to be transported to the grain drying field.[1] The little kids carried a basket in back to carefully pick up the rice paddies[2] or wheat ears[3] that had been overlooked. The members of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juans two families also went over to put on appearances, which could be considered to be setting an example. Although there was no need for them since others already knew how to do it. Everything seemed to not be any different from before. The only difference was that this years harvesting methods had changed. In the past, every family harvested it themselves and after it had been collected, they went to the manor to pay rent.[4] Meanwhile, the two manors were responsible for providing the food this year. Everyone began together from one plot, gathering the food grainswhichever house they had been harvested from, they would be piled up in whichever houses ce and it would be recorded. The benefit of doing it like this was that when working, everyone had a kind of reference and there would be nobody cking off or taking shortcuts. How much someone worked, they could all tell, ~ne. If they really wanted to bezy, then they would be too embarrassed to open their mouths when it came time to eat. At this time, Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao were also following along and watching by the sidelines as swath after swath of rice paddies and wheat was harvested and hauled away. Everyone was full of hope. Due to that grant of 100 heads, Zhang Manor could subtract 100 heads worth of money and grain from what they had to pay. It was said to be 100 households but it was really 100 people. Otherwise, everyone could be gathered into one household to get 10,000 people. Wang Juans family didnt have this treatment so whatever they needed to pay, they still had to pay. After weve gathered the grain crops, have your family give my family a bit. My family has to hand over a lot, ~ne. Wang Juan felt that it wasnt fair once she thought of this point. Zhang Manor had a better time than Wang Manor because they didnt need to pay for those 100 heads. Shed heard that the Zhang family would collect a bit less and retain a bit more each year. What for? The two manors dont even do their ounts together. I myself have an ount of my own, ~ne. If you want to give something, take it from both of our thingsyou cant use my familys. Zhang Xiaobao immediately expressed opposition. This type of matter couldnt be mixed up just like his money hadnt been touched by his family and it all belonged to him to manage. Then, Ill get 200 bolts of silk from our storehouse to send to my house. Wang Juan said as if in a fit of pique. Take it. How much can 200 bolts be worth? 1 bolt is 200 wen [cash]; 200 bolts are 40,000 wen [cash] or 40 silver taelsIll give it. Zhang Xiaobao appeared like he could care less. Stingy. What are we eating todaystill eating spring chicken? Wang Juan said two words but wasnt willing to get entangled on this type of matter. No, theres something even better today. Look over in thatnd there. Except for food grains, what else is there? There are people. Wang Juan replied. Other than people, ~ne. Look, theyre even flying there, ~ne, one chasing and one jumping. Grasshopperswell eat these today. In a bit, lets have them, the little kids, help to catch them. Ill use soybean oil to trade for them. We can go back and use the oil to fry them with. Itll be fragrant and crispy. Zhang Xiaobao pointed at the grasshoppers that were wildly flying about to and fro in that field there, swallowing his drool as he spoke. All right. Lets wait till the harvest is done and have them go catch them. Release the chicks, too. Yingtao has hatched so many chicksthey can grow out a lot of meat now. Wang Juan wasnt averse to this kind of thing. When shed been training in the past, she had eaten a lot of them before. Dont even mention cooked ones. She had even stuffed raw ones in her mouth that gushed forth a wave of green water with one bite. It had been fine once she got past that disgusting stage. When it was time to eat at noon, there were even more people and it was indeed the men and women, the elderly and young who had all joined in together. Lunch was simpler, being fried shredded cakes[5] with meat and stir-fried radish strips as well as more than enough to drink of the cucumber and chicken egg soup. So it was like this that they busied themselves for three consecutive days before they had finished harvesting the two manors grain crops. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had also specially eaten deep-fried grasshoppers for three days. A swath of chicks had been released and with the crops not even done being threshed,[6] ~ne, there were practically no grasshoppers left remaining in the fields. Little Mister, its all thanks to the manors chicks. Otherwise, much of this years harvest will have been eaten by these grasshoppers. Dont look at how small they aretheyre too many. While we threshed the grains, wed also have to feed the grasshoppers. Xiaohong had also eaten two meals and thought that the taste was really not that bad. She was currently holding one to stuff into her mouth as she reminisced. The speaker had no intent but the listener applied meaning.[7] On the same wavelength,[8] Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan exchanged looks andughed at the same time before Wang Juan spoke up. Xiaohong, go call for Steward Zhang toe here. Xiaohong didnt know what these two little ancestors wanted to do so after running toward the back to call over Steward Zhang, she herself started eating once again. Little Mister, Little Miss, the two of you [honorific] asked for me? The steward was also unsure, ~ne. Unh, after crossing the bridge over there is Ge Manor, right? Have their grain crops beenpletely harvested? Wang Juan pointed in that direction. Yes, they arent like our family with Little Mister and Little Miss in arranging for the people to harvest it collectively. They do their harvesting separately so theyre slower than us by more than a day. Steward Zhang replied. Then, Im giving you a job. Youll herd our manors chicks over there to help. Everybody has it hard. Let the chick eathelp them eat some grasshoppers. Lets consider it doing a good deed. We don''t want any other rewardits free help. Go. Zhang Xiaobao continued speaking and even took on an appearance of sympathizing for mans fate. People who didnt know it would really think that he was that kind andpassionate, ~ne. Of course, Steward Zhang didnt think this. What kind of people were Little Mister and Little Miss, ~ah? They wouldnt do anything without any benefit so upon hearing these words, he understood. The manors chicks had clearly grown over these two days and it had been from feeding upon those grasshoppers. Right then, he didnt hesitate and called up several people. First cing two old hens in front to lead them, the clutch of chicks rushed over there with a hua. As expected, upon reaching the destination, people even thanked him, watching the chicks eat the grasshoppers inside their familys fields as they kept on speaking of the benevolence of the two manors of Zhang and Wang. They werent so afraid of the chick eating the grains. With grasshoppers, ~ne, who would eat the food grains, ~ah? If they used people to catch them, it took too much effort. The chicks gave chase like they didnt know what fatigue was as their two little legs rapidly pumped, eating while they pooped to fertilize the ground as well. The ones who gained the most benefits were these peasants. If the grasshoppers ate the grain crops, their master-family didnt care since however much they had to pay, they still had to pay. So each and every one of them took advantage of their resting breaks toe over and give thanks, allowing Steward Zhang to gain quite a measure of enjoyment. Once the Ge Manors grasshoppers had been pretty much consumed, they herded the chick to other manors. Even if they had finished harvesting, there were grasshoppers while threshing the grains and the fields had them, too. So the chicks ate like this for the entirety of half a month. Each and every one of them ate till they were fat, ~ah. Their heads had nearly receded into their necks and when they walked there, they looked like little balls. While the chicks were gorging themselves, the two families of Zhang and Wang also made their move as they began collecting food grains all over the ce. It was currently the fall harvest and this years yield had been quite good so the price of the food grains tended to be low. Four groups of people separately left the two manors for ces that were distant and nearby, using money to purchase it with, using silk to buy it with, and using other items to barter for it as the price could be slightly higher. Due to the trust gained from the things that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had produced these few times, the two manors had put much at stake. In the end, even if they couldnt make too much money, they couldnt take a loss as this type of trust had also caused Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to be touched. Speak. The food grains have all been more or less collected. There are warehouses everywhere on the manor. What are you prepared to do using these food grains? Wang Juan had been thinking of this matter for quite a long time already. All right, Ill speak. A portion of it, Im prepared to give away for free; a portion to be moved elsewhere and sold for a high price. I estimate that in the end, therell even be a slight surplus remaining. Zhang Xiaobao finally talked. Selling it where, sending it where? East of the Taihang Mountains[9] in the Henan[10] area. Also, the chickenswhen its time, they can be sent over to be raised and theid chicken eggs can be sold for money then and there. We can use the money from selling the chicken eggs to purchaserge quantities of dried seafood in the coastal areas of Shandong.[11] Once the seafood is transported back here, itll be another sum of money. Zhang Xiaobao let it out bit by bit. If you give it away, theyll want it? If you sell it at a high price, theyll buy it? The chickens will be grown by next year, what will they eat when they get there? Wang Juan also followed along with Zhang Xiaobao as she asked one question after another. ording to the historical records, Tang,[12] Year 3 of Kaiyuan, there was drought and gues of locusts.[13] The harvest over there this year should be rtively tpared to previous ones so there probably is already a drought and an increase in grasshoppers. Next year, itll be evident then. Im prepared to use the donated food grains to exchange for an officialmendation. Driving the chickens over there to eat locuststhis should be considered to be a service of merit, right? Selling the food grains will have to be done secretly though. Cant afford it if its just giving it away for free, ~ah. Zhang Xiaobao finally spoke of his own ns as Wang Juan nodded her head. A fine calction. No wonder you were thinking up ideas to make money like crazy just for the sake of getting food grains. In the end, it was to let your family preserve that grant of 100 heads. Impressive. But, Comrade Zhang Xiaobao, my Wang Family busily worked, too. What reward is there, ~ne? This, this You listen to me speak. This requires a process. By that time, your familys reward wont be overlooked. Let me and you go over together. Ill teach you what to say and do. Of course, this isnt swindling. Its only right to be rewarded for doing good deeds. How does that phrase go? Its if good deeds are done without asking for a reward, then that way, people who do good will grow fewer. If there really was a person who wanted a reward, then others would criticize him. Therefore, we have to leave some leeway for others. The words that Zhang Xiaobao spoke were at length and full of usibility[14] but Wang Juan curled her lips: Isnt it just that story of Confucius?[15] Dont even know if theres really such an event. Its just to find an excuse for you to fish for profits. Ill trust you this once. Unh, you absolutely mustnt tell anyone else, especially my Dad. If he knew I was selling food at a high price, he might even have me donate those food grains as well. I sure dont want to suffer a loss. Zhang Xiaobao looked in all four directions like a thief, even though he and Wang Juan were using lip speech. Look at how scared you are. Your heart is uneasy from your thievery.[16] You know that doing this isnt right, either? But I still support you. Why should our familys things be given to people? It was all gained through ourbors. Wang Juan smiled as she leaned against Zhang Xiaobao. Zhang Xiaobaos actions just now really were too interesting. After both of them discussed it over, this matter was considered to have been decided. Then, they called over Song Jing-gong and started making arrangements for the other matter of selling the soybean oil. Little Mister, how should the soybean oil be sold? Im afraid of other people not buying it. Upon hearing this, Song Jing-gong was a bit uncertain, especially since he wasnt allowed to swindle. If its directly, of course there wouldnt be people buying it. Go to Sanshui County, get a stall, make the dough, and then use the oil to fry it to sell it to other people to eat. When theyve eaten it, of course that vor wouldnt be the same. Theyll ask you or you can find someone to deliberately askunderstand? Zhang Xiaobao gave a bit of guidance and Song Jing-gong immediately understood: I know. Then, Ill say that its the oil thats good.
  1. I tranted shai gu chang () literally because I couldnt find an English equivalent for the term. This is the name of a broad and open space where the grain crops would beid out on the ground to dry in the sun before it was to be further processed. Farming households might use their central courtyard as one and farming viges might have amunal space specifically set aside for this purpose. Here are a couple of pictures that show these ces and how people would use them: [1], [2], [3], [4].
  2. Dao sui () means rice paddy in Chinese. Paddy is the term that you would call a stalk of rice by.
  3. Mai sui () means wheat ear in Chinese. Wheat stalks bearing the grain are called ears in English.
  4. The original Chinese used here is jiao zhu () but I think it might be a typo since the Chinese for pay rent is nearly homophonous and is jiao zu (). The reason why I think the original Chinese was incorrect is because zhu/ could refer to currency coins since they were measured in a measurement unit for weight, zhu/, which were ~0.68 grams. For reference, the official currency of the Qin dynasty, a half-tael or ban liang (), was 12 zhu/ in weight. However, as mentioned before in the story, at this time, peasants rarely dealt with actual currency if they could simply trade or barter for it in goods. Most likely, their rent was in the form of a portion of their harvest and they wouldnt need to go to the effort of exchanging their harvest for coin just to pay their rent when theirndlords would ept the goods in exchange for rent anyway.
  5. The Chinese term used here to describe the food is you si bing () but I wasnt able to fully verify what it could be (there are a lot of bing/ in Chinese cuisine). The name breaks down to oil strand cake. A si bing () whose name can be tranted into English as silk/strand bread was the closest I got but might just be a bread or bake with a simr name. I assume that this is a t cake thats fried in oil and made out of strands of wheat flour though.
  6. Threshing in Chinese is da guzi (), which trantes to hitting the grains as that was what threshing grain crops by hand actually entailediling the ear of grain, which wasborious without any automation or machinery and could take hours, if not days.
  7. The author wrote shuozhe wu xin, tingzhe you yi (), which is amon Chinese expression to describe a situation where words can be heard and interpreted by the listener in a way that was unintended by the speaker. Theres no readily attributable source for this expression though. Since it was a fairlypact phrase with two 4-character couplets, I was worried that my truncated trantion wouldnt convey the full meaning. By the way, wordy is possible by switching around or flipping some of the words to mean the opposite and such.
  8. Broken down into its individual characters, xin you ling xi () works out to be heart has spiritual horn. This is a partial quote of a line from an untitled poem by Tang dynasty poet, Li Shangyin (). The full line is which means hearts have a spiritual horn that link at one point. The full poem used animals as metaphors for the emotional link that could be shared between lovers. The reason for this particr imagery is because of the mistaken belief that the Chinese had about a type of rhinoceros with 3 horns where 1 horn was on its nose, 1 on its forehead, and 1 on the crown of its head. They believed that the very top horn on its crown bore a white grooved pattern that connected it to the rest of the body so the Chinese called it a spiritual horn. Thus, this saying is borne from the belief that if the heart had such a spiritual horn, then a connection or link to other hearts could be made. Because it was impossible to convey this in text, I tranted this idiom by recing it with a roughly equivalent English expression.
  9. The Taihang Mountains () are a mountain range that spanned the Shanxi (), Henan (), and Hebei () provinces in China.
  10. Henan () is a province in China whose name means south of the river. However, a quarter of the province actually lies north of the Yellow River or Huang He (). Henan is also known as the centralnds or zhong zhou () as it is considered the cradle of Chinese civilization. Its other nickname of zhong yuan () or central ins can also be a name for China proper as a reflection of its self-image as the center of the world.
  11. Shandong () is a coastal province of China in its eastern region. One of the most revered mountains in Daoism, Mount Tai (), is located here along with many other important Daoist ces. It is also known to be the location of many important religious and cultural sites for Buddhism and Confucianism as well.
  12. Because the first books and thus historical records used to be recorded on bamboo strips that got very heavy with only a few amount of characters written, they tended to be written very tersely for the sake of the historians back (and why Chinese has so many 4-character idioms and so many different connotations for the same characters depending on the context). Xiaobaos speech patterns mimic that brevity even though hes only paraphrasing. So he just says Tang/ which is short for Tang dynasty, the way it would be written in the historical records.
  13. Huang zai () literally means locust disaster. In case people arent aware, locust is how grasshoppers are referred to when they go into their swarming phase. Whats interesting to note is that the character for locust in Chinese, huang/, is a homophone for one of the characters thatprise the title of emperor, huang/. So when you realize that they thought that a gue of locusts was a sign of displeasure from the heavens and that the Emperor of China was considered the Son of Heaven, it only caused people to be even more unreasonably superstitious about locusts in ancient China.
  14. Zhen zhen you ci () is basically a polite euphemism that describes when someone is saying bullshit in a verbose and eloquent manner, which is what Xiaobao is doing right now.
  15. Juan-Juan is referring to one of the many lessons from Confucius (Kongzi/) that spoke of how to be a good person. I cant pinpoint it though so I will need to add it into this footnoteter when I do.
  16. The Chinese expression used here is zuo zei xin xu () which literally breaks down into being thief, heart (is) weak. It describes someone who does something wrong like stealing and is afraid of being discovered or caught. Thus, having a weak heart can mean having a guilty conscience or acting guilty. So this is an idiom that usually applies to anyone being surreptitious or scared when they are doing something they think (or know) is wrong.
Book 1: Chapter 33 Book 1: Chapter 33 Giving A Large Present Deep Into Autumn Idlers Note: Ive decided that letting the content thief make me edit my posts so that the reading experience is affected for the worse is letting them win so I will basically stop doing any hidden text and watermarked images in my future releases. I will also try to take time out to go back and edit my previous chapters to remove the hidden text in them, too. It will also be a good opportunity to go back over my earlier trantions with a fine-toothb me my OCPD activating ? Maybe if I can get myself to my own hosting where I can actually install scripts or plugins, I will have more options to prevent this kind of content scraping in the future. But in the meantime, I will just need to concentrate on making my chapters the best that they can be, especially since the content thiefs scraping bot automatically strips their copied text of hyperlinks and in doing so, halves the usefulness of any of my footnotes that they copy. I will also try to see if I can start creating a reference section on this site, especially for stuff that doesnt have a Wikipedia article but is not easily tranted so I end up having to use pinyin. Because of this background website stuff as well as still needing to section off the time needed to do frence work to pay my bills, I might not be able to do any bonus releases and will need to stick to my schedule of 3 chapters a week for a while. Anyway, time for your regrly scheduled chapter of ! I should probably do a post on why I chose to trante the title of this novel the way that I did Even though no ones asked me the reason why. I just feel like exining it. XD
The fallen leaves had been exhausted; there were already no vestiges of the grass; the verdant pines and cypresses[1] were as old, vividly dyeing the autumn wind. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan already added on newyers of clothing to their bodies. As Xiaohong was idle with nothing to do, shed woken up very early to herd the ducks and geese that Yingtao had hatched towards that pond that belonged to her. The maid who apanied them by their side became Shiliu whose duties had lessened. Song Jing-gong sold soybean oil until he grew addicted to selling and would only return to give a report once every few days. Daniu was still responsible for selling the sauce as well as carrots. Looks like its almost winter. When it snows, what things does winter have that makes money? Wang Juan carried two small sandbags in her hands, lightly swinging them about while she chatted with Zhang Xiaobao. Dont know. At least the manor has kang [bed-stove] so no fear of freezing. Over there, Zhang Xiaobao was holding two sandbags as well. Im actually worried that your familys manor wont get past this year. There were a lot of grain crops everywhere for the fall harvest but there are also people who would remember this ce. Throwing the sandbag far off into the distance, Wang Juan nearly got pulled along with it into a tumble in a moment of distraction. Zhang Xiaobao was rather more careful as the sandbags that he threw were a bit further away than those two of Wang Juans. Trotting over to pick them up, he hesitated for a bit before he said: No fear. If peoplee this year, theres also a way to deal with them. Because they wore a lot of clothing, the two of them only yed for an hour before their bodies got covered in sweat. Over there, Shiliu had already prepared the hot water and seeing that the day had gradually darkened, she suggested next to them: Little Mister, Little Miss, its gotten windy outside. Why not go inside to y? The two of them made a sound in confirmation before turning around to return with Shiliu. It was at this time that Song Jing-gong, who had already returned once yesterday, ran inside the courtyard in a rush and upon seeing Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, that normally calm face revealed a worried expression. For Zijin to run with such urgency, could it be that youve been met with good news? Zhang Xiaobao heard the footstep sounds and turned his head to look. When he saw that it was Song Jing-gong, he asked this with a smile. My little ancestor, how is there good news? Something big hase up. Little Mister, the business over there cant be done anymore. Seeing that Little Mister still had the leisure to banter, Song Jing-gongs expression grew even more pained. Wang Juan interrupted as she said: Could it be that Mister Song has a matter that he cant aplish? Back then, you sure did swindle quite a few people, why cant you handle it today? My little ancestor, ~ah, this time is not the same as in the past. Cant swindle, ~ah! Sanshui County over there has people who im that they had issues after eating the soybean oil sold by Zhang Manor. They found a doctor to check who said that there was poison so business cant be easily done. Song Jing-gong, bearing a face full of frustration, carefully ryed the matter over there. Yesterday, Song Jing-gong had returned to Sanshui County to sell soybean oil while selling tofu there as well. Money could be used to buy them and other items could also be used to barter for them, especially soybeans as 1 catty of soybeans could get 2 catties of tofu in exchange. With such a setup, it didnt allow people to realize that soybean oil was made using soybeans. The evening of that day, when Song Jing-gong had been about to have his people pack away the booth stall, a group of men came by. Song Jing-gong recognized them since several of them were neer-do-wells[2] who were always up to no good. At first, he thought that they came over to forcibly collect money. Only when the men came close did he know that they were buying o total of 20 catties. At the time, Song Jing-gong didnt think too much of it and sold it to the men. Who knew that when he had juste out of Noteworthy House this morning that those men woulde over to find him and even had a doctor in tow to give testimony. They imed that after returning with the oil that they had bought yesterday night, a person had gotten sick from eating it. The men had even carried the one from among them who had gotten ill to ce in front of the stall as proof. Song Jing-gong knew then that he was being extorted. So seeing the people who were looking on in a surrounding circle over there, he spoke out in exnation. But who knew that doctor would insist with a clenched jaw[3] that the person lying there had grown sick from eating the oil that this stall sold. The conclusiveness of his words caused the people to be unable to not believe them. Those men didnt say any threatening words but wanted Song Jing-gong to give them 50 taels in silver ingots. The surrounding people didnt know who to trust. Hearing those mens meaning, they thought that they just wanted more money but to have grown sick from eating it and to also have a doctors testimony, they also grew unsure in that instant. Seeing this, Song Jing-gong also knew that there was no way to do business so he hastily packed up the stall and ordered his people to have all of the items sent back to Noteworthy House. After telling those men toe back again tomorrow, he then hurriedly rushed back to the manor. Oh, so its like that. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan nodded their heads simultaneously but didnt reveal any expression of having been troubled. With illegal appropriation as the purpose, the methods used against the victim are threats or ckmail and is behavior that forcibly demands public or private possessions. This is extortion and racketeering. Xiaobao, its up to you. Wang Juan spat out a string of words before turning her head to look at Zhang Xiaobao. That meaning was to see how Zhang Xiaobao wanted to handle it from now on. Zhang Xiaobao curled his lips as if unwilling to handle this kind of thing and sighed: It looks like well need to spend money again. Little Mister, could it be that you want to give them money? Upon hearing Zhang Xiaobaos words, Song Jing-gong thought that he was choosing to give the money and urged: Little Mister, it cant be given, ~ah! If its given today, then theylle back again tomorrow. Besides, that Sanshui County also has some other street punks[4] whod see that there was profit to be had and wille to the stall in turnshowever much money, it all wont be enough to give. Who said to give them money? For me to make a bit of money isnt easy, either. If it needs to be spent, it should be spent somece useful. Youll return today and ask around to see what people those men have in their families. Then, use your identity as a Juren to go see the Sanshui County Magistrate.[5] Bring 100 taels of silver ingots as well as that spicy sauce from my manor and the soybean oil that youre selling. Zhang Xiaobao naturally wouldnt give people money for free. Considering that Tuqiao Vige was also under Sanshui Countys control, they could be useful next year. Taking care of them[6] first was always better than giving when needed. Song Jing-gong didnt know this so upon hearing 100 taels in silver ingots, he couldnt help trembling. Gulping down his saliva, he said: Little Mister, those men dont really want 50 taels. Theyd be content to be able to extort 10 taels or 8 silver taels. 100 taels? Isnt that a bit much? Promise me 20 taels and Ill be able to have that county magistrate help out. Song Jing-gong didnt speak erroneously here. 100 silver taels were a bit too much. Customarily, a small matter only required 10 taels or 5 silver taels to be given for the county magistrate to be amodating. Without waiting for Zhang Xiaobao to speak, Wang Juan over there had already spoken up and said: Mister Song, do everything ording to what Xiaobao says. Throwing the money out there is to show off an attitude to let those people who are thinking of targeting us know as well as to give the county magistrate a warning. What warning? Song Jing-gong really didnt understand even though hed swindled quite a few people. Let him know that these 100 silver taels can find their way to him for the sake of a petty matter but can also be sent over his head to his superior to find his errors. If it werent because there isnt much spare money on hand and had all entirely been exchanged for food grains, why not throw 200 taels straight at him? Next year, itlle in handy. Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao could be considered to have a tacit understanding so she was clear on what matters Zhang Xiaobao was deliberating over and also knew the methods for dealing with this type of person. Song Jing-gong thought on it for a while before he finally understood and nodded his head: It still is Little Mister and Little Miss whos formidable. Ill go and do this now. That said, Song Jing-gong was anxious over the matters on that side so he hurriedly left, leaving behind Shiliu and the three of them to continue walking toward the room. Little Mister, the matter that Mister Song spoke of just now when he came, I was terrified and didnt know what to do. Its unbelievable that Little Mister has so easily straightened things out. With this sort of matter, Little Mister seems to not be afraid of it one bit. As Shiliu gave the two of them baths, she was also sighing in praise there. Shiliu, you have to remember that any of this type of swindling business thats encountered, Xiaobao wont fear at all. This matter might not be so easily resolved. Its best if that magistrate also dares not handle it. But since he epted our silver, getting him to do things for us will be a bit easier in the future. Wang Juan didnt mind that there were people doing this type of thing, too. With such petty tricks, they were worthless to one such as Zhang Xiaobao. Zhang Xiaobao also spoke out in agreement: Indeed. I even hope that those mens identities are a bit higher. At the very least, that their families have formidable people present. Theres no fear in spending money when you really want to aplish something. Whats scary is to not have any ce to send money to. Little Mister and Little Miss speak profoundly. Shiliu basically doesnt understand, ~ne. After hearing the two little ancestors words, Shiliu felt that she herself was really dumb. Shiliu, you dont need to feel bad, either. From now, listen more and observe more and youll understand. Those matters that you were assigned to do, youve done very well at. Wang Juan was afraid of Shiliu losing confidence so hastened tofort her.
Song Jing-gong left the manor as he rushed back. When it was evening, he finally got back to Sanshui County here. Getting the silver from Noteworthy House and bringing the soybean oil and spicy sauce along with him, he directly went to the county seat[7] without the slightest dy. The county magistrate Cheng Lingxiang[8] Song Jing-gong had met twice before. After giving the gatekeeper several wen [cash] in copper coins and theyd finished giving notice of his arrival, the gatekeeper retreated inside while stating that the magistrate invited him. Passing through two doors, when he arrived at the study, Song Jing-gong directly saluted:[9] Student[10] Song Jing-gong gives greeting to Magistrate. Juren Song needs not be polite. Quickly, please sit. I hear that Juren Song has done several good deeds for the sake of the people[11] of my Sanshui County. Ive wanted to meet Juren Song at least once but unfortunately, the county affairs have been numerous and hectic so I wasnt able to find the opportunity at the time. Ining here today, Juren Song has fulfilled one of my hearts desires. For Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang, their seeing Song Jing-gong was in consideration of his possession of an honorary title so they were also polite. Lord[12] Magistrate really makes Student feel such overwhelming favor[13] to be able to be remembered by Milord. In the future, Student Zijin will certainlyply with Milords teachings and wholeheartedly work for the sake of the people. Student arrived in a hurry and couldnt prepare any decent thing. Only some vegetable oil and spicy saucepoor and shabby. Song Jing-gong hadnt handed over the things that he carried to anyone else and had directly brought them to the study. As he spoke respectfully, he slowly ced thatrge bundle on top of the desk. The oil and sauce was mostly packaged in jars so they made a slight sound. But that silver was 10 taels of 10 ingots. To get such proper silver was really not easy, ~ne. One move and they made such a crisp noise. After hearing it, Magistrate Cheng Lingxiangs eyes brightened and gestured for Song Jing-gong to drink tea. He seemed to feel as if that bundle of stuff was a bit of a hindrance and used his hands to push it to the side. During the process of pushing it, his hands grasped the area with the silver. With this grab, Cheng Lingxiangs face couldnt help changing. Estimating it for a bit, he roughly knew how much silver there was. This much money? What did this Song Jing-gong want to do? Could it be that he had killed someone and wanted him tomute the sentence?[14] That was rather hard to aplish. But since this reason[15] was so great, he could think of a way where appropriate. Good, Ive already heard of this sauce before so I can try it now. Zijin shows care.[16] Dont know what Zijin has been busy with recently? Cheng Lingxiang started to deliberate on how to deal with the matter. In reply to Milords words, Student, feeling that there was no hope in another test attempt,[17] found a reasonably good manor a few days ago to work in as an aide. This oil and sauce was produced by that manor. But who knew Ai~! Its not worth mentioning. Coming here today was to call upon Milord. As Song Jing-gong spoke, his face was rxed at first but afterward, apanying that sigh, it turned into a downcast and crestfallen[18] appearance.
  1. The Chinese used here is song bai (), which can either refer to evergreen trees in general or names two individual types of trees, which are pines or song shu () and bai shu (), a species of tree native to China that is a close rtive to cypresses and junipers whose Latin name is tydus orientalis and which Ive tranted as cypress for brevitys sake since it is categorized under the family of Cupressaceae.
  2. You shou hao xian () is the Chinese expression used here and breaks down to mean y hand, so idle. So this is an idiom used to describe people who are idle and loaf around with nothing to do on their hands so they y around all day by loitering or doing senseless things. Because of the negative connotations of this phrase, I tranted it as neer-do-well.
  3. Ive tranted yi kou yao ding () as insist with clenched jaw though it literally means to bite firmly with one mouth. This is basically an idiom that is used in cases where the person being so described is so insistent that they might as well be a dog thats mped down its jaws after biting something and refuses to let go.
  4. Ive tranted hun hun () as street punks though other possible word choices are hustlers or (neighborhood) bullies or hoodlums. This is a ng term in Chinese thatbels those petty crooks who are small fries in the criminal underworld so it is the most eclectic in terms of demographic since it can include kids who are ying at being thugs and getting into street fights as well as petty crooks who are bottom of the rung in the underworld but still considered actual members in criminal enterprises. This makes sense when you realize hun hun () is literally the character for mixing, bumbling along or hun/ repeated twice.
  5. A xian ling () is the official in charge of a county or xian/ and literally means countymand. I should trante it fully as county magistrate but for the sake of brevity and avoiding redundancy, I am going to be using just magistrate. Other possible terms that it can be tranted as are prefect or governor. However, to avoid confusion for when higher level government officials enter the picture, I chose magistrate to reflect the judiciary role this particr official can y in the local government of ancient China.
  6. Da dian () literally means hit point/bit in Chinese and is ng for bribing or giving money to someone in order to establish a connection to or rtionship with them. Because da dian () can also be used in everyday life to describe putting your affairs in order or getting ready (by hitting each point of your checklist of preparations), it also adds the connotation of using the bribe as groundwork for the future.
  7. Xian ya () refers to the public office and official residence of the county. This was because a ya men () was typically not just the general administrative office where the bureaucratic paperwork and the legitive and judicial proceedings urred but also where the leading government official resided. Since ya/ was the generic character referring to the official administrative office of any government official or mandarin in China, the character that I have tranted as county, xian/, is required to differentiate what level of governmental office it was. For these reasons, I have chosen to use county seat in my trantion.
  8. The county magistrate has the surname of Cheng/ and a given name of Lingxiang (), which is abination of the characters for mountain peak or ridge (ling/) and auspicious or good luck (xiang/).
  9. The Chinese used here is xing li (), which means to perform etiquette/rite, which just means he did an action or gesture that was courtesy but doesnt specify whether Song Jing-gong bows or nodded his head or cupped his hand in salute as greeting. So I had to trante it as a general salute.
  10. Song Jing-gong is emphasizing that he is considered a member of the schr-gentry ss though he doesnt hold a position as a government official by referring to himself in the third person as Student or xue sheng (). It is technically correct since for anyone to pass the civil exams in ancient China, they would have to be schrs that studied the Confucian texts and were considered students of Confucius. Thenguage Song Jing-gong uses here is polite but neutral in tone, being neither arrogant or humble, which you can tell since with humble speech patterns in Chinese, the speaker always ims to be lower in status than they really are as a sign that theyre trying to be modest or submissive. Most likely, Song Jing-gong self-identifying as Student is a subtle but inoffensive way to present himself as a peer to the magistrate who is only slightly lower in rank.
  11. Cheng Lingxiang uses bai xing () which literally means hundred surnames to refer to the people. This is a term thates up often in historical fiction set in Asia because it was the standard way to refer to themoners or the people back then since due to the patrilineal inheritance of surnames, there were only around a couple hundred characters that were in use as surnames in ancient China. Note that this term is also associated with the ssic Song dynasty text thatpiled all of themon Chinese surnames called Bai Jia Xing () or Hundred Family Surnames and was one of the introductory textbooks for Chinese students in ancient China post-Song dynasty. Compare bai xing () to how the modern day Chinese government refers to the popce nowadays, which is usually a variation on ren min (), which also means the people but has an added connotation of citizenry.
  12. Da ren () can either mean adult, grownup or lord in Chinese. Obviously, the meaning of lord is intended here. Sometimes, I will trante this term as Milord for grammatical purposes in English if the speaker is using it as a title to address the person theyre talking to even though there is no my in the original Chinese. Also, just tranting as Lord without a my in there makes it appear like they are speaking of God because of the Judeo-Christian implications in English.
  13. The Chinese idiom used here is shou chong ruo jing () and means to receive such favor so as to be overwhelmed/surprised. Usage of this phrase emphasizes the humility of the person receiving thepliment since they are taken by surprise as well as to praise the person giving thepliment as one whose favor is valued by the one being so praised so it is one of those courtesy phrases Chinese people will say by rote since it rarely offends anyone and gives face.
  14. Gai pan () literally means to change the sentence/judgment but since its usually changing the sentence to a lesser one, I opted to trante it asmute the sentence.
  15. Li/ has different connotations as a character in Chinese as it can mean logic, reason, or truth. The reason why Cheng Lingxiang uses this character is because it is a homophone for the character li/ which can mean gift but can also mean courtesy or ritual. So there is a bit of wordy involved here that is euphemistically referring to the bribery.
  16. You xin () literally means has heart and is another one of those idioms that are spoken as a courtesy in Chinese, which basically says that the person who has heart was conscientious and considerate for taking the time to do or say something. To try to approximate the brevity of the phrase as well as to summarize the meaning, I tranted it as shows care.
  17. Song Jing-gong is referring to the fact that barring anything that disqualified the candidate such as being caught for cheating and being banned for life, a test candidate who didnt pass a round of the civil exams could attempt it again the next time it came around. This applied for all levels of the exams so it was entirely possible for a man who only passed the county level exam to be a xiucai () to keep trying (but failing) until he was an elderly man to progress to be a Juren (). There is a reason why a poor xiucai () is a stereotypical image in ancient China as it was too easy for the families of candidates to grow poor from supporting them through multiple failed test attempts. Song Jing-gong passed the prefectural or state level exam to be a Juren () but obviously failed to pass the preliminary national exam to be a Jinshi (). Once you gained a Jinshi () degree though, you were not allowed to retake the test anymore, which is why some schrs would choose to skip the national test after passing the prefectural level to take the time off to study more in order to try to increase their chances for either passing or getting a better test result and higher rank for next time. This strategy was a calcted risk though since they couldnt guarantee whether the candidates next time would be morepetitive than this time or if they would run acrosspatible test judges or topics. So it was also verymon to have candidates voluntarily choose to stop seeking a higher degree and re-attempt the exam if they decided that it would be too costly in time, money, or effort.
  18. The 4-character couplet used here is chui tou sang qi (), which roughly trantes to hanging head, mournful air.
Book 1: Chapter 34 Book 1: Chapter 34 To Predict Matters First Isnt Strange Idlers Note: Im sorry! The chapter is a littlete as I had a bad case of insomnia and I couldnt focus enough to be able to do the trantion (It probably didnt help that I had to do all-nighters to make the deadline for one of my frence jobs). I can only be grateful to spell-check that I sound coherent at all right now. On a freaky note, it might or might not be a coincidence that today was the day of the Ghost Festival or Yn Pen (). The English name is derived from the colloquial name for the festival, which is Gui Jie (). This is the Chinese version of Halloween and is a day when the dead were believed to be able to visit the living. Since Chinese culture practices ancestor worship, this isnt necessarily as scary as it sounds so long as the dead are properly venerated. An associated superstition with this day is the belief that the Ghost Festival, which is usually on the 15th night of the 7th month (14th day in southern China) of the year is when ghosts and spirits cane out from the underworld since that is when the gates open. This traditionally extends to making the entirety of the 7th month a ghost month or gui ye () and in the past, could lead to some families abandoning their babies who were born during such an unlucky time under the erroneous belief that such children were cmitous and would bring ill fortune to their families. If you can, please consider through Patreon or any of the other methods listed . It would really help me out and would do a lot to ensure that I do have enough time, energy, and motivation to continue with my trantions. Otherwise, my update schedule will probably continue to be vulnerable to the vagaries of my frence work life since I need to prioritize being able to eat and pay my bills. I am currently struggling to support myself and I dont have parents or family who can bail me outI do have an awesome best friend but the most he can do to help me out is by letting me crash at his ce while I pick myself up. I am doing my best to maintain this current trantion pace while still working for a living but it will be difficult to keep doing so without your support, especially since with time, it will grow harder and harder to avoid burnout without some time off to recharge or lowering the number of weekly chapters. You can also send me your positive energy bymenting, liking, or subscribing! Thank you so much! ? Err That is a slightly depressing note to end this on so please cheer up by watching this live stream of kittens!
Of course, Cheng Lingxiang didnt assume that Song Jing-gong didnt wish to speak. It was nothing more than waiting for him to ask about it. So for the sake of the silver, he asked anyway. For Zijin to speak thusly is to see me as an outsider. Is there something thats not going well? Speak of it so we can discuss it in detail togetheritd be better than you suppressing it in your heart on your own. Since Milord has asked about it, Student will naturally obey. Its this vegetable oil. It sold well over these few days but in the end, it attracted trouble. The morning actually had some street punks run over to the location of my booth selling the oil to im that there was someone who had gotten poisoned from eating it and even found a doctor to provide testimony. How could Student have encountered such matters before? Those men insisted on Student giving them 50 silver taels. Student works as an aide for others so just where could 50 silver taels be found? It really couldnt be helped, ~ah. If the money still isnt given tomorrow, perhaps those men will go grab Student to see them in court.[1] Quite a lot of vegetable oil was sold over these past few days along with those deep-fried items in the morning that had been made using this oil. If it really had poison, why is it that only one person was poisoned and the others are fine? Student really wishes to argue but has no words, ~ah. Song Jing-gong spoke while shaking his head and sighing, causing anyone who saw him to think that it really was like that. Cheng Lingxiang nced at the package on the table. The silver there was more than what they were asking for. No money? If theres no money, then how are you bringing it over to me? It was fine though. It wasnt a big deal. It was just a bunch of street punks who wanted to extort some money. I didnt think that Song Jing-gongs temper would actually be sorge and that he would rather take out even more money to give to me than to give it to those street punks though. Fine, at least he himself gained some benefits. Only, this money was really a bit much. Could it be that he wished to let him have these men thrown into jail? Then, sentence them as feloniesthis still required some inquiry to be feasible. Really, how outrageous![2] Zijin, rest assured. This county[3] will decide for you. Today, you go and write an appeal;[4] send it here tomorrow morning. This county will definitely thoroughly put away those men who damage others wealth and reputation. Milord does not need to be so angered. Sanshui County here could be said to be secure and prosperous from Milords administration. Only those few who are blind[5] would even dare to be like this so this sentencing wouldnt be required if Milord could be requested to help with the persuasion. Under Milords governance, it can be assumed that there wouldnt be those kinds of unreasonable people. Song Jing-gong advanced with a retreat[6] and applied pressure with his praise to see just what the county magistrate would do. Zijin speaks truly. Then how about this? Wait for tomorrow so I can send people to find and bring over those men to clear Zijins reputation. Zijin doesnt need to worry. Oh, the day iste. Zijin probably hasnt taken in food yetwhy not eat a bite or two here? Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang naturally understood that to not care about this matter wasnt possible. It was good that they didnt force it too much. From now on, it looked like if they had issues, hed still need to help out, ~ah. Otherwise, epting this much money would scald his hands. Many thanks, Milord. Dinner has already been prepared back home and there are people waiting for Student to return so it would be inconvenient to be so bothersome. Milord is busy so please prioritize the body. Student will bid farewell here. Seeing that the matter was nearly over with and that sending the guest away[7] had already begun, Song Jing-gong stood up and gave another salute before respectfully turning around to leave. Behind him, the sound of Escort Mister Song out for me could also be heard.
The morning of the second day, Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang sought out people to ask after this matter. Finally, those people under him all knew of it. Once the matter was ryed, Cheng Lingxiang suddenly felt a headache. Why did they have to encounter this wastrel,[8] ~ne? It could more easily handled if it were any other person. So he could onlymand someone to go find Song Jing-gong as he had to discuss this thoroughly for a bit. Obeying the summons, Song Jing-gong hurriedly rushed over and upon seeing the county magistrate and his facial expression, knew that this matter was going to be hard to aplish. Without waiting for him to speak, ~ne, Cheng Lingxiang had already begun talking. Zijin, ~ah, Ive already found out yesterday that the person leading them is Zhou Xihu,[9] the nephew [fraternal][10] of this prefectures[11] Military Depot Officer[12] Zhou Kong.[13] I will go call him over to ask today. If he is really missing 50 silver taels, then Ill just give it to him. If its not like that, then Zijin will have to make other ns. Cheng Lingxiang really didnt have any methods he could think of, either. If they really wanted money, then big dealjust hand over half of the yesterdays silver to them. But he feared that their designs were on something else. Then that couldnt be dismissed with just 50 silver taels. Hearing this, Song Jing-gong also knew it was trouble. The Prefectural Military Depot Officer, which was the prefectural division chief[14] who assisted the Prefectural Governor[15] in managing the taxes and warehouse, an official of the 6th full rank.[16] A county magistrate didnt dare easily offend them, either. He saw that he really would need to ask for rification before thinking of another way. So he said: For Milord to tell Zijin the truth, Zijin is endlessly grateful. Here, Zijin will go back to wait for the news. If that Zhou Xihu is only asking for 50 silver taels, Zijin would definitely offer it up. If Zijin will need to return to the manor to discuss it. Kindly request of Milord to please help dy for a dayat most a day for a certain result. Oh? A solution can be had after only 1 day? Zijin, rest assured. No need to be anxious. To dy him for 3 or 5 days is still possible. After all, 1 day is a bit shortonly enough time for Zijin to leave and return. Cheng Lingxiang assumed that Song Jing-gong had grown confused from worry but having taken the money, he naturally had to provide a bit more help. No need. Once Zijin returns to the manor, therell be a solution. To be able to return here straight away, 1 day is enough. Song Jing-gong said with certainty. If thats so, then Zijin should first go back and wait. When Ive finished asking Zhou Xihu, Ill have someone inform Zijin. This official, I[17] can see that Zijin has such certaintycould it be that there is an adept at the manor? Upon seeing Song Jing-gongs gaze was genuinely calm, Cheng Lingxiang had grown rather curious. When Song Jing-gong thought of how he had lost in the first ce and then the money made in deal after deal that he had witnessed afterwards, his face gained more than a hint of reverence as he nodded his head. Correct. This matter would be difficulty piled upon difficulty for Student but for that person, theyd scorn even ruminating over it. When that person is unmoving, they are as a peaceful breeze and gentle sun; when they move, they are like a fierce gale and torrential rain. Student had the fortune to experience it once and then, went over there to be an aide. County Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang knew that this Song Jing-gong had previously swindled some people and his methods were umonly extraordinary so hadnt thought that hed actually ever lose, too. Feeling it to be even more interesting now, he asked: Could it be that Zijin fears that person? Afraid, really afraid. Just once and Student nearly didnt even have the chance of turning things around. Afterward, that person even let me go.[18] Otherwise, I would be inside the county jail at this moment. And the person by that persons sidethese two people gathered together are like the union of the qin [zither] and xiao [flute],[19] the admiration of the world, second to no other.[20] Thinking of Little Mister and Little Miss Juan-Juan at the manor, a trace of a smile appeared at the corner of Song Jing-gongs mouth that even bore just a little bit of pride. If thats so, then Zijin should go back first. Here, I will do this as quickly as possible. Cheng Lingxiang, seeing that Song Jing-gong spoke of the two people over there like they were divine sages, didnt even believe him. But he could still use the incident this time to ask. Within his heart, he already had some considerations. Zhou Xihu wouldntck that little bit of silver and would definitely have a greater scheme so hed just see how that adept at the manor would handle it. Song Jing-gong replied in confirmation before returning to wait. Cheng Lingxiang hastened to order people to go find Zhou Xihu to ask him in person. Zhou Xihu didnt even deny it and directly spoke out loud his own intentions. He wished to acquire the recipe for that vegetable oil. He had used that oil before and for these past few days, hed been using vegetable oil for every meal. The vor was better than any of the other oils and even if it were used to lightmps with, the smoke was lesser, too. Seeing their intentions were like so, Cheng Lingxiang didntment either and had people tell Song Jing-gong of this matter. As for what to do, then theyd have to look to that adept that Song Jing-gong had spoken of. Upon receiving the news, Song Jing-gong hired a carriage and quickly galloped in return. After entering the courtyard house, not even taking care to drink a sip of water, he blurted it all out before looking at Little Mister as he waited. Just as he thought, when Little Mister and Little Miss heard this news, they werent a bit worried. Not only were they not concerned, they even smiled. Little Mister, theres a countermeasure? Song Jing-gong, seeing that Little Mister and the two werent anxious, also began to rx. Xiaobao, youve guessed it right again. This is good now. For the new year,[21] let us eat candied gourd fruit.[22] Wang Juan said as she smiled at Zhang Xiaobao. Zhang Xiaobao, deliberately holding back, also nodded: Unh, have Shiliu take the things out and hand them over to Zijin. Zijin, Ill tell you what to do. Having Shiliu take out the stuff and give it to Song Jing-gong, Zhang Xiaobao then spoke to Song Jing-gong. Song Jing-gongs eyes brightened as he enthusiastically nodded his head: Little Mister, you [honorific] rest assured. Ill definitely handle this matter. So it was originally like this. The matter shouldnt wait. Ill go now. After giving his guarantee, Song Jing-gong, carrying the broth[23] that Shiliu had prepared for him, turned around to exit as he had the coachman drive the carriage back towards Sanshui County over there. When Song Jing-gong had arrived, it was nighttime again. This time, Song Jing-gong was like before as he didnt stop to rest before going over to the yamen [govt. offices][24] here. Once he caught sight of the magistrate, he said his request: Milord, Student has returned and asks Milord to help out by acting as a middle man. Since it is dinner time, Student desires to invite that Zhou Xihu to dine at Waterview House. Cheng Lingxiang, seeing Song Jing-gongs face was colored with pleasure, felt much surprise. Could it be that there really was a way to resolve the issue? Calcting the time it would take for Song Jing-gong to make a round trip, he had just gotten back there when over there, someone had already thought of a method. How was this possible? Zijin has a n? The adept over there thought of a way in a while after hearing your words? Cheng Lingxiang asked with some expectation. No, Student had just entered the courtyard house and finished speaking of the matter when that person had Student take the item that had already been prepared in advance and then instructed Student a few words. Student didnt dare dy and immediately came back here. They seemed to already know. Whenever Song Jing-gong recollected the circumstances of his return, his whole body shook with excitement. Little Mister, they really were too terrifying. Today, he finally witnessed what calctions that overlooked nothing really was. Zhuge reborn could only be like so. Cheng Lingxiang shared in the surprise together with him, too. It looked like that manor really did have adepts, ~ah. Right then, he didnt even hesitate so while he sent over people to go invite Zhou Xihu, he brought Song Jing-gong along with him to walk toward Waterview House. He didnt even ride a carriage or pnquin,[25] walking while he asked. Could Zijin divulge on what idea that person came up with? I am curious here. This time, Song Jing-gong didnt directly reveal it and apologetically smiled: Milord, forgive Student for not being able to tell this time. When Zhou Xihu has arrived, everything will naturally be revealed. Oh? If so, then lets wait for a while. Ive heard it said that several dishes in Waterview House were all produced by that manor of yours. What connection is there with that adept? Seeing that Song Jing-gong wasnt speaking, Cheng Lingxiang didnt force him to, either. In a bit, hed be able to find out anyway. Thinking of Waterview Houses new dishes, he casually asked about it. Milord indeed has eyes bright as torches.[26] The vegetable oil, spicy sauce, and those dishes were really all by that person. As Song Jing-gong conversed with the magistrate, they arrived at the Waterview House. Zhou Xihu had already arrived first and requested a single room so upon seeing Song Jing-gong, he spoke up and said: What? Mister Song has thought it through?
  1. The Chinese expression used here of jian guan () literally means to see the official, which is an euphemism for a court appearance since for most people, seeing a court official is the same as seeing a judge and that implies appearing in court as either the intiff or defendant in awsuit. For these reasons, I have tranted for the gist rather than the literal meaning.
  2. Qi you ci li () trantes to how could there be such logic. You will likely see this as an outburst in a lot of historical Chinese settings, fictional or otherwise, as this is an idiom thats perfectly suited for politely and elegantly saying WTF in Chinese. In order to try to encapste the brevity of this phrase (its only 4 sybles and can be said pretty quickly) along with its meaning, Ive simply tranted it as outrageous.
  3. Cheng Lingxiang literally uses ben xian () or this county to refer to himself because he legally could represent the county itself because of the office he holds.
  4. Ive tranted zhuangzi () as appeal though when you break it down, it basically means form. It is really more of a general term for a legal document or brief that could be submitted to open a case or investigation with the ancient Chinese courts. Since most of the cases that people could request opened ranged in severity from civil issues like inheritance rights or property disputes to criminal matters like a grievance or usations of wrongdoing, the one who submitted the appeal was basically treated as a intiff, even in murder cases. Note that murder cases with intiffs were usually because the intiff suspected the individual who had previously been assumed to have died of natural causes of really being a victim of homicide and/or had a possible suspect who they wished to use so this would be a situation where the courtsbined the investigation and judicial proceedings in one.
  5. I chose to trante this as blind though Song Jing-gong actually says bu kai yan () or not opening (their) eyes.
  6. Advance with a retreat is how I literally tranted this 4-character couplet yi tui wei jin (), which poses the idea of adopting a conciliatory attitude where concessions are made or there is a visible and momentary retreat in order to advance a greater strategy or goal. This is actually an idiom that has its origins in a Han dynasty text called Fa Yan or Exemry Sayings by Yang Xiong (). This text was deliberately modeled to resemble the Analects while posing ideas contrary to Confucianism.
  7. Song ke () basically means to send off the guest and describes the etiquette that a host would follow in order to polite invite a guest to leave. In ancient China, this process could either be exquisitely formal or be just barely shy of unpardonable rudeness depending on the situation. A polite invitation for a guest to leave also relied on the guest being observant and considerate enough to realize the hosts request and then choosing not to overstay their wee. Sometimes you will see a host drink their tea to send their guest away in historical Chinese settings because it was an unspoken cue or hint that the host wasnt avable to properly see to the guests hospitality so they should also be a good guest and leave.
  8. Ive tranted bai jia zi () as wastrel and it literally means defeat family son/child in Chinese. This is a term thats typically applied to prodigal sons who were spoiled and thus had no money management skills and wasteful with their familys resources. Such sons were considered to be the reason for why their families would eventually suffer a downfall (and also for a Chinese saying stating that wealth couldnt be retained past the 3rd generation).
  9. Zhou Xihu () has the surname of Zhou/ with a name that means west (xi/) tiger (hu/).
  10. Zhizi () means nephew and can be used generically. However, if you wish to be specific about its meaning, it is the term that is used for the son of your brother. The term for your sisters son would actually be wai sheng (). However, more often than not, Chinese people will just use zhizi/ universally. I have noted fraternal in brackets next to it though because it is useful information since you can now immediately deduce that Zhou Xihus uncle is his fathers brother.
  11. I am tranting zhou/ as prefecture. However, this character can also be tranted as state in modern day geography since California is Jia zhou () and Texas is De zhou () in Chinese.
  12. Si Cang Can Jun () was an ancient position that had its origins in the Han dynasty and originally was the title for those who served an assistive role as quartermaster and military advisor. As with a lot of ancient Chinese official titles, over time because of the change in bureaucracy, what you see may not be what you get so this position might or might not have anything to do with the military. However, for my sanity, I will be tranting these titles as literally as possible.
  13. Zhou Kong () has a given name that strangely has rather negative connotations as kong/ can mean boorish or ignorant.
  14. There wasnt anymonly agreed upon English trantion that I could find for these official titles so I had to break it down based on a character by character basis to trante them. Chang Si () basically works out to be chief division/management. Interestingly enough, the modern-day incarnation of this title is reversed and called Si Chang ().
  15. Zhou Cishi () technically trantes to Prefectural Inspector as they inspected the prefecture on the Emperors behalf. This is another position that evolved ever since its origins with the Han dynasty government from serving as a form of Imperial Auditor (Cishi/ from the homophonous Cishi/) to be more of a directly administrative government official. To reflect this and to avoid reader confusion as well as for rification purposes, I tranted this title as Prefectural Governor, which I will sometimes abbreviate to Governor since it seems to be the best term to use in order to show that this is a government official who oversees a prefecture, the ancient Chinese version of a federal state.
  16. Zheng liu pin () is an official grade within the nine-rank system or the jiu pin zhong zheng zhi () that was used to ssify the officials within the different levels of the Tang dynasty government. It was first implemented during the Three Kingdoms period with the 1st level being the top tier and the 9th level being the very bottom that could be further subdivided into zheng/ or proper/full and cong/ or subordinate/deputy, shang/ or upper and xia/ or lower.
  17. Cheng Lingxiang is referring to himself in the third person as ben guan (), which I have tranted as this official, I since it is slightly proud in tone.
  18. Song Jing-gong actually says fang wo yi ma () or literally, released a horse to me. This is basically a colloquial idiom to describe going easy on someone or giving them a break.
  19. The Chinese considered the ensemble of the qin/ and xiao/ to be the best matching pair of musical instruments so a duet with them was considered the perfect melodic union. So Song Jing-gongs original dialogue of qin xiao he bi () is a slight modification of the usual Chinese expression for this belief of qin xiao he zou (), which means duet of the qin and xiao. I have noted the qin, a 7-stringed musical instrument that is plucked, as part of the zither family and the xiao as a type of flute. Because the Chinese had more than one instrument that fell under the zither or flute family of musical instruments with their own characters or names for each of them, I resorted to the pinyin rather than tranting as a generic zither and flute in this case.
  20. Wu chu qi you () basically means none appears more right than they are. This makes more sense when you know that ancient cultures including the Chinese considered the right-hand side the most distinguished. So for nobody else to be able to im the right-hand seat means that they are second to none.
  21. Guo Nian () is the colloquial way to refer to the very first day of Chinese New Year, which is formally known as the Spring Festival or Chun Jie () in general, or the act of celebrating the new year. Guo Nian () literally means to pass (the) year.
  22. Bing tang hulu () literally means ice sugar bottle gourd. This is a Chinese sweet that was made by dipping Chinese hawberries (Crataegus pinnatifida) into sugar syrup until it hardened into a candied coating before then being skewered by bamboo sticks. It was called bottle gourd or hulu/ because the stick of candied berries resembled the shape of a bottle gourd. You can see pictures of this treat on the Baidu page here. To try to mitigate reader confusion, I tranted the name as candied gourd fruit. If that isnt a satisfactory choice for you, please let me know what you suggest as an alternative!
  23. Ive tranted qing tang () literally as broth or light soup though it could also be a Chinese dish that is wontons in a clear soup as stated by the Baidu page. However, I cant definitely confirm from the context given whether the author means it is literally a clear broth or if he is referring to this dish.
  24. The Yamen () was the local administrative office and public residence of the areas mandarin or government official. It acted as the centralized court house, main administrative seat, and central records for all of the bureaucratic needs required for governing. In addition, the ancient Chinese form of prototypical police officers were usually attached here as deputies to the officials. In a way, the yamen was the worst ce formoners to have to visit because it was the ancient Chinese version of the police station, DMV, jail, and courthouse all rolled up into one! Because it is hard to fullymunicate its central nature with just the generic government offices as its tranted meaning, I will be resorting to the pinyin and noting its meaning in brackets next to it.
  25. A pnquin or sedan chair is a jiao/ in Chinese. It was a form of litter that was typically an enclosed box that was hoisted on the shoulders of the litter bearers. However, more luxurious forms could be the equivalent in size of a carriage with more prestige attached to the amount of bearers. They were invariably a sign of status and could be apanied by a retinue of servants. You can visit the Chinese Wikipedia page for some pictures here.
  26. Hui yan ru ju () is a bit of a pun here as it literally means bright (smart) eyes like torch. The wordy is in the hui yan () part since it can refer to an uncanny sight that can see the future and past or simply mean perceptive insight. But since hui/ is a character that means both bright and intelligent, using a simile for torches adds to the wordy. So Song Jing-gong is wittilyplimenting Cheng Lingxiang for being eagle-eyed and insightful enough to notice the adepts hand in the subtle new changes Xiaobao is introducing.
Book 1: Chapter 35 Book 1: Chapter 35 A p In The Face & A Sweet Jujube Idlers Note: I tranted the chapters original title of Yi Ge Ba Zhang Yi Tian Zao () literally even though the meaning of it is essentially A Carrot and A Stick with the p in the face standing in for the stick and the sweet jujube (Chinese red date or zao/) recing the carrot in the Chinese version. Hopefully, readers will understand my trantion choice. By the way, Im following nylevas suggestion who was kind enough to take the time to give me feedback so Im going to make an update post in the Novel Trantions subreddit for the first time. Itll be cool since I can get to see the trantor ir that they gave me next to my username there. XD I dont know if its a good thing to do on a regr basis though since it would be adding another task on the list of things I need to do when I release a chapter But we shall see how it goes. It might not be such a chore though it is not automatic like Novel Updates which seems to update on its own whenever Ie out with a new chapter so I dont really have to worry about it on my end. Unless its a kind reader whos doing the update manually there? Anyway, the subreddit is anothermunity devoted to following and discussing novel trantions in general if any of you are interested. Finally, I have chosen to add PayPal as a way to show your support for those of you who would like to help me out financially but dont wish to use the other methods already avable like Patreon and Crowdrise. If you cant contribute financially, you can still like,ment, or subscribe! That is always a nice way of showing your appreciation. Thank you so much for bearing with me as I keep improving my trantions! ?
Song Jing-gong basically didnt heed Zhou Xihu but first respectfully said to Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang: Milord, you [honorific] please sit. Waiting for Cheng Lingxiang to smile and nod as he sat, Song Jing-gong then looked at Zhou Xihu who was standing there with a face filled with arrogance: Mister Zhou, please sit too. To have Milord Magistrate sit in apaniment today, Zijin is much honored. Waiter, have your noble stores signature dishes served up. At this time, Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang was inwardly enjoying this. Just now, Zhou Xihus attitude as if he hadnt even actually seen him made him feel like his face had been overshadowed.[1] He secretly thought that this Zhou Xihu really was too ignorant.[2] What about your uncle [pater-junior][3] being 6th rank? If I really sentenced your case, would your uncle [pater-junior] still dare to overturn the verdict? Song Jing-gong was not bad as he knew who the main focus was, being quick and easy when giving money. From now on, hed definitely need to take more care of him. Zhou Xihu also discovered that he himself had been a bit too impetuous just now and had forgotten to give greeting. Uncle [pater-junior] had said not only once before to be respectful in front of this county magistrate. It was all this oil-selling Song Jing-gongs fault. If it werent for him, how could he forget to first speak with the county magistrate? Thinking of this, he looked at Song Jing-gong with more and more anger. After putting on appearances by pouring tea for the county magistrate, he then didnt even wait to ask Song Jing-gong again as he said: Mister Song knows what I want, right? Zhou Xihu, if you still speak thusly to me, Ill let you be unable to gain anything whatsoever. Song Jing-gongs face had darkened at this time. You, you dare directly speak my name and dare to speak like this to me? Dont forgettheres still a patient whos still down from eating your oil, ~ne. Zhou Xihu stood up in one bound. In this Sanshui County, he had never seen anyone whod dare speak like this to him. Song Jing-gong smiled slight, sedately and leisurely taking out a sheet of paper from his person before casually throwing it out in front of Zhou Xihu. With one look, Zhou Xihu was dumbfounded. The words written on the paper, he didnt recognize any one of them. He hadnt learned them since childhood as he hadnt even memorized the Thousand Character ssic. Uncle Cheng, you [honorific] help me read it. Zhou Xihu had no recourse and could only hand this sheet of paper over into the hands of Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang. Cheng Lingxiang took the paper and slowly read out loud: I am that person who is specifically responsible for selling the oil. Because that person who pretended to be poisoned from eating the oil had a grudge against me, they therefore came over feigning illness to frame me. I knew that the situation wasnt good and afraid of being retaliated against, could only leave Sanshui County to seek a living elsewhere. See? Zhou Xihu, the employee I temporarily hired had a grudge with that person of yours whos feigning illness and theyve already been scared away now. You im that your brother[4] grew sick from eating the oil, then why did the family of that brother of yours not report it to the officials? Song Jing-gong waited until the county magistrate was finished reading before he unhurriedly began to speak. Maybe it was that employee of yours with a grudge against my brother who intentionally poisoned it, ~ne. Zhou Xihu didnt think that Song Jing-gong would reverse the usation back[5] at him so he could only argue by picking and choosing the reasoning. Unh, thats also possible. Then, have your brother report it to the officials and have the authorities issue an arrest warrant.[6] That employee was hired by me at thest minute. I wasnt clear on his background details, either. That vegetable oil of mines already been sold to half of the restaurants and inns in the entirety of Sanshui County as well as to the mansions[7] of various noble personages. Zhou Xihu, you can continue finding people to fake being sick. Ill withdraw all of the oil tonight. If those hotels ask about it, Ill definitely tell them the truththat Sanshui Countys Zhou Xihu cant be provoked so Im selling the oil to other prefectures. I dont know if that uncle [pater-junior] of yours whos helping our prefectures governor can still control me then? Song Jing-gong didnt even spare a nce at Zhou Xihu, gazing at the autumn scenery outside the window while making veiled threats. Zhou Xihu was really afraid. Not only was he afraid, Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang was also afraid. When he thought of so many of Sanshui Countys hotels uniting to exert pressure added on top of those noble personages whod grown ustomed to using vegetable oil, if they really did begin to question him, it would be quite troublesome. Meanwhile, Zhou Xihu discovered that he himself couldnt put forth any pressure. He couldnt possiblyin to the officials to issue whatever arrest warrant. Even if it were issued, itd be no use, ~ah. Song Jing-gong had gotten himself out of it since at most, hed be guilty of being a bad judge of character. If he really did sell the oil elsewhere, how much less taxes would this county receive? How about it, Zhou Xihu, have you thought it through? Song Jing-gong followed up with a question. Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang felt that the person behind Song Jing-gong was indeed formidable. With such an action, Song Jing-gong now had no problems whatsoever. As for himself, hed epted that money so whatever else, he also had to help with the exoneration. Staring at the state of the ink marks on this paper, it had been written well in advance. They really had predicted the events beforehand. But right now wasnt the time to speak of this as he still had to be the peacemaker[8] so he had to talk of something else. Xihu, ~ah, its not Uncle [pater-senior] criticizing you but you didnt even clear up whether it really was poison here, ~ne, and came over to look for trouble with Zijin. This really isnt good. If it were anyone else, they might have already filed suit against you at the Yamen [Govt. Offices]. By then, as an uncle [pater-senior] here, I wouldnt be able to so easily say anything, either. Hurry up and talk it over with Zijin. Zhou Xihu was just now worrying about the consequences of this matter being found out by his uncle [pater-junior] there, ~ne, so seeing that the county magistrate was purposefully helping out, he didnt dare make any more trouble. He feared those people whod already retired[9] to this county finding issue with him after not being able to use the vegetable oil. If it werent for the vegetable oil being so good, why would hee up with this sort of n anyway? At this time, the only thing that could be done was to not let Song Jing-gong sell the oil elsewhere so forcing a smile, he said: [Older] Brother Zijin, Im really sorry. Its all Brothers fault for being deceived by others at one point. I had thought, ~ah, with so many people simultaneously eating the oil, why was it that just one person got sick? With Zijins words, I only just now understood. So I ask for [Older] Brother Zijins forgiveness. Well said, well said. From this matter, it can be understood that [Older] Brother Zhou[10] is also a man who speaks of righteousness.[11] The matters of the past will be overlooked from this point on. Ive observed that [Older] Brother Zhou has an impressive demeanor and is certainly not of themon ilk. This Song has a recipe on hand that can cause edible sugar to change color. If [Older] Brother Zhou has a wish to, this Song is willing to [Older] Brother Zhou jointly go into business. Song Jing-gong, seeing that the other side had admitted defeat, ording to Little Misters instructions, it should now be the time for promising rewards. So while he spoke, he took out an oil-paper parcel from within his sleeve and gently opened it to ce on top of the table. This is sugar? Zhou Xihu looked at the white stuff in the middle of the paper and exchanged an uncertain look with the county magistrate as he asked. Then, reaching out a finger to dab a bit to ce inside his mouth, he rapidly blinked: Its sweet! It really is sugar. How was it made to look like this? [Older] Brother Zhou speaks correctly. This is sugar. This type of sugar and that type we originally ate each have their strengths.[12] If considering vor, it is this sugar thats a bit better. If its for medicine, then that original kind will be required. Wonder if [Older] Brother Zhou is willing to do this business? Song Jing-gong asked, his face covered with a smile. Willing, of course Im willingthis business is good, ~ah! That recipe, Id previously had done some After that matter or whatever[Older] Brother Zijin is still willing to do business with me? Of course, Zhou Xihu understood how much profit could be had from selling this stuff. He was just about to consent when hed recalled how hed previously wanted to extort them. At this time, would they still do business with them? So in his heart, there was such regret, ~ah. For [Older] Brother Zhou to speak like so is wrong. That matter [Older] Brother Zhou didnt know of either and we were all deceived. I saw that [Older] Brother Zhou had such a sense of justice and would certainly be able to do great things from now on. Itd be toote if I wanted to curry favor by then so why reject [Older] Brother Zhous heartfelt intentions? Song Jing-gong spoke ording to Little Misters instructions. Zhou Xihu was in the midst of his excitement while Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang looked and listened on to the side as the sweat dripped downward. This was that persons hand, ~ah. In the beginning, that pressure was only a portion of it as there was hitting and pulling[13] so that they could directly gain the notice of a 6th ranked official. Even he, this 7th ranked county magistrate, had been utilized. Such fine calction. The most terrifying wasnt this though but that person had already known that it would be like this. Could it be that when selling the vegetable oil, theyd already thought of this step? Otherwise, why not open a store? Song Jing-gong was managing two stores over here, ~ne. They gave 100 silver taels just like that so did theyck those several dozen taels of money to buy a store with? The smaller a booth was, the more easily itd be bullied by people. What Cheng Lingxiang most wished for was to meet that person behind Song Jing-gong. He finally witnessed with his own eyes what devising strategies inside themand tent to decide victory from 1,000 li [mile] outside was. Moreover, so many things had all beene up with by that person. That must certainly be a reclusive[14] elder who would sit under a tree when idle to sip at the tea in their hand as their eyes gazed far into the distance; still like a mountain, moving like a thunderp. Song Jing-gong was also thinking of the words Little Mister had spoken. When the final object was revealed, that one surnamed Zhou would have a foolish appearance while the county magistrate would be disturbed in mindit had actually all been predicted by Little Mister. Zhou Xihu indeed had no heart or spleen[15] and basically didnt over-think it that much. With thoughts of using this sugar to make a fortune for himself in the future and getting his parents praise, especially in getting the acknowledgement of his uncle [pater-junior], he felt like his body was filled with vigor as he grabbed a bit of sugar to stuff into his mouth. Zijin, you talkhow should the money made be split? However [Older] Brother Zhou wishes to allocate it, it should be allocated. Even if [Older] Brother Zhou wishes to monopolize it all, I will still hand the recipe over to [Older] Brother Zhou. Zhou Xihu asked in haste so Song Jing-gong also replied with nimbleness. Zhou Xihu deeply inhaled two breaths and was about to speak when Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang suddenly interrupted: Xihu, why dont you thank Zijin? The money gained from this sugar in the future will definitely be a lotwhy not divide it 50-50? If you cant decide, then go ask your uncle [pater-junior]. Cheng Lingxiang knew Zhou Xihu, this child. He really dared to take their recipe for free and get all of the money for himself. But if he really did that, then the results could be imagined. The person behind Song Jing-gong would be disappointed and would then discard this route. Besides, there was also him as the county magistrate here so they might even discard him as well. Yes, discard. Dont look at him being a county magistratehe still feared being discarded by this kind of person. With that person present, he could go begging if he had an issue. But if you were discarded, who would you go begging to? Song Jing-gongughed. He felt like the greatest strategic decision hed made in this lifetime was to cross that bridge, even if hed regretted crossing that bridge before. He really didnt know what words to use tobel Little Mister. Little Mister had said before that even if the one surnamed Zhou didnt know the limits,[16] the county magistrate would also speak up to help out. To follow this type of calcting person, what else could he ask for in this life? Why is Zijinughing? Cheng Lingxiang was puzzled. My houses Little That person said that Milord would definitely handle it like so. At this moment, Song Jing-gong seemed to have entirely changed in a transformation from the inside and out; with a reserved attitude and erect posture, that kind of loftiness had already prated from the exterior appearance into the bones within. Zhou Xihu simply had no room to ponder what the two of them were talking about as all he could think of was his future outlook after getting rich. So to Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang, he said: Uncle [pater-senior] speaks rightly. Ill return here and write a letter to Uncle [pater-junior]. After speaking, he then turned his head: [Older] Brother Zijin, Ill go back first today. Tomorrow, Ill invite [Older] Brother Zijin to the Hundred-vored Pavilion next door to drink wine. After Zhou Xihu had left and the food had also been served, Song Jing-gong picked up the chopsticks: Milord, since the food has arrived, then lets eat. If it cant be eaten, Ill box it up to take away. That person at the manor hates those who order a bunch of food without eating it the most.
  1. Lian shang wu guang () literally means on face, no light. This makes more sense if you consider that brightness of the face is a euphemism for a brightening of the facial expression in a positive way such as when pride is felt, which goes hand in hand with how the concept of face or lian/ and mian/ is a metaphor for pride, honor, dignity, and status in Asian culture. This principle of face motivated a lot of behavior in Chinese culture where appearances had to be maintained, sometimes to the detriment of practicality or reality.
  2. Ive tranted bu tong shi li (), which roughly trantes to unknowing (of)mon sense as ignorant. Basically, Cheng Lingxiang is critical of Zhou Xihu for not knowing how to avoid giving offense while enjoying the benefits of the protection of his uncles status.
  3. Ive footnoted shu/ before but I am doing so again because it is being used as a way to address a blood rtion this time. So I will be noting that it is the fathers younger brother in text as a bracketed aside [pater-junior]. Bo/ will be noted as the fathers older brother as [pater-senior]. If used with non-blood rtives, then the person being so addressed is of the same generation as the speakers father but a bit younger or older.
  4. Id previously footnoted this but since theres so many familial addresses in this chapter, I will do so again here. Xiongdi/ basically means fraternal siblings or brothers in a general sense. So you will only see it used for non-blood rtions like close male friends. It can also be used casually like man or dude or buddy can sometimes be in English. So think of my trantion word choice of brothers like in a fraternity or a brotherly friendship. Since there is no age seniority implied in this term, its also generally used between male peers as well. You will be able to tell that this is a generic term of brotherhood because there wont be any extra notes on it being older or younger.
  5. I had to rece the Chinese idiom with a roughly equivalent English expression as a literal trantion would be rather confusing. Dao da yi ba () literally means to reverse hit a rake and has its origins in the Ming dynasty ssic novel, Journey to the West by Wu Chengen (). The ba/ mentioned in this idiom is short for the nine-toothed rake or jiu chi dingba () that was the personal weapon of Zhu Bajie () or Pig Eight Abstains. This expression refers to an incident in the novel where Zhu Bajie won a fight by reverse striking with his rake. However, the idiom itself tends to be used in cases for when someone is in the wrong but turns the usation around at the other party rather than admit loss or examine their own sins. For a picture of the type of rake (or harrow as it is sometimes tranted as) in general, you can visit the Baidu page here or here.
  6. Ive tranted hai bu wen shu () as arrest warrant even though its literal trantion is ocean capture document. It is basically the equivalent of an ubiquitous wanted poster or an ancient Chinese incarnation of an APB or all-points bulletin that the authorities could issue for suspects wanted for questioning in a case.
  7. Fu/ can mean official residence when attached to public buildings but for private estates, it essentially trantes to mansion. This is different in image from the manor I use to trante for zhuangzi/ which basically refers to the Chinese version of a country estate since fu/ has an extra connotation of luxury and prestige in Chinese so not just anyone could have a fu/ in ancient China.
  8. He shio () literally means peace issue elder so its a Chinese idiom for a peacemaker.
  9. Zhi shi () basically means to resign or retire. However, this term has an implication of a government official retiring after a full career or with honor, which would be different from being dismissed or forced out. Naturally, such retirees would be a lot more powerful and influential than most people of their age.
  10. Song Jing-gong is calling Zhou Xihu Zhou xiong () or Older Brother Zhou not because of age seniority as its debatable whether Zhou Xihu is actually older in age than Song Jing-gong but because this is a way ofplimenting Zhou Xihu since calling him older is verbally granting him respect and acknowledging him as higher in the social hierarchy so it is a subtle way of sucking up. However, since Song Jing-gong isnt using humble speech and freely uses I or wo/ with him, its a matter of trying to simultaneously build intimacy with some rtively meaningless verbal praises while forcing Zhou Xihu to respect him by showing in action and speech that they are equals.
  11. Ive tranted yi qi () as righteousness but I wished to footnote this because the concept is also entwined with the idea of fraternity or a code of loyalty in Chinese culture, which makes sense when you consider that yi/ appears in the Chinese phrase meaning sworn brothers or jie yi xiong di () with the most famous example of which being the three sworn brothers of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms () who went on to found the state of Shu Han (): Liu Bei (), Guan Yu (), and Zhang Fei ().
  12. Ge you qian qiu () trantes to each have 1,000 autumns. Since the literal trantion would be confusing, I chose to trante for the meaning. The story behind this idiom is rted to the background of Peng Zu () or Ancestor Peng, a legendary figure who supposedly lived for 800 years during the Shang dynasty () and is known as a Taoist saint. Legend goes that Peng Zu was one of the second generation grandsons of the mythical Emperor Zhuanxu (). Peng Zus father was Lu Zhong (), considered to be one of the 3 possible progenitors of Lu/ as a surname in China, who had married a woman of the Guifang n () named Nugui () who subsequently fell pregnant for 3 years and then gave birth to 6 sons with Peng Zu being one of them. Since 3 years could be referred to as 1,000 autumns back then, this saying was to illustrate how these sons who had born after a three year long pregnancy each had their strengths or good points. [Baidu]
  13. I tranted you da you () literally because this is an euphemism to the usage of the carrot and stick strategy or p in the face and sweet jujube as the Chinese put it. So the hitting part would be referring to the stick or the veiled threat that Song Jing-gong delivered while the pulling would be the lure as represented by the carrot or jujube such as with Song Jing-gong using the future profit of the sugar deal.
  14. Ive tranted yin shi () as reclusive, which is what it means but I wished to add that it literally means hide from the world and has connotations in Chinese of someone who has willingly secluded themselves from the outside world to seek enlightenment or finding it meaningless because theyve already seen through the illusions of the mundane world, etc. So this is more in line with bing a hermit for the sake or religion or philosophy rather than just entricity.
  15. I tranted mei xin mei pi () literally. It isnt amon Chinese expression or idiom but rather an amalgamation of beliefs. Heart or xin/ tends to be how Chinese expresses inward thoughts or refer to the mind so someone with no heart could either be heartless or brainless. In this case, it is the meaning of brainlessness that is intended. Pi/ can mean spleen or pancreas in Chinese but temper basically breaks down to spleens qi or pi qi (), which can also have connotations of having a character or disposition so not having a spleen would mean not having characterbasically, someone who has no principles. So pretty much, Zhou Xihu is being described as someone whos brainless and spineless if you are looking for a simr analogy in English.
  16. Shen qian () actually breaks down to mean deep, shallow or depth. It can tend to be used as an euphemism for limits so someone who doesnt know depth is someone who doesnt know moderation or the severity and implications of their behavior and actions.
Book 1: Chapter 36 Book 1: Chapter 36 Lighting The Lamp & Recruiting People For Comfort Idlers Note: Sorry for theteness of this chapter! There was a part that I had some difficulty with You will know it when you see it. In any case, I apologize if some of the footnotes suck or might still be confusing or incoherent. I tried my best to proofread it all but I was just all researched out My brain is a bit fried
It was night. The drizzling rain was misty as the charcoal stove in the room spouted fire sparks. Shiliu and Mrs. Zhang-Wangs maid servant who slept next door each took shifts in the evening watch as they sat and lightly napped in a rocking chair[1] by the doorway that Wang Juan had people make. Xiaobao, you asleep? The charcoal is burningits inside the room. Wang Juan used her finger to poke Zhang Xiaobao. If I were asleep, Id still be woken up by you. I was always afraid of being caught so my sleep was also never sound. Dont fear. The doors open, ~ne. The possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning is very low. Sleep. Zhang Xiaobao slightly turned his head, sweeping an eye over the door as he replied. But Im still cold and theres no air conditioning, no central heating, and no underfloor heating.[2] I feel like its difficult to breathe. Wang Juan said. Thats normal. Im the same, too. A childs body is sensitive. Typically during this time, children as big as us would cry as only security could be felt by being carried in an adults arms. With the loss of body heat, it leads to the blood cirction slowing down and an insufficient blood supply to the brain, stimting the heart as the pressure increases too much. You would also have this type of thing happen during your trainings before. Its only that an adults body is stronger than a childs. I was the same way when I had previously been training myself in the mountains as there were times that I wanted to cry. Tomorrow, lets have theme over to set up the kang [bed-stove]. By then, itll be fine. Zhang Xiaobao had learned quite a few things before so of course, he knew what the current state was. Most importantly was that he and Wang Juan couldnt possibly cry. Understanding was understandinghe was also notfortable and had even used self-induced mental suggestion[3] in order to sleep before he had been woken up by Wang Juan. I dont care. I dont want to use mental suggestions. My body will still be ufortable even after going to sleep. You hurry up and think of a way. Right now, I feel empty and helpless. The mental pressure is too much. Even if I can endure it, its still detrimental to the bodys growth. Wang Juan had naturally gone through this type of thing before. But what she needed for her body right now was physical rxation and not mental fortification. Zhang Xiaobao thought on it and felt it was like that. He and Wang Juan possessed tough minds but had no way of guaranteeing normal rest for the body. It was still a bit too early for this kind of physical exhaustion training. Actually, its very simple. Just sleep by your mothers side. That way, you would feel warmth and peace of mind. It has no connection to the nervous reflexes. Its that your bodys muscr control system can form a kind of resonance with your mothers body. The most obvious manifestation is through the pulse. I dont know if my Mom will have any effect on you. At least, I have no problems. As long as I fall asleep, my Moms heart rate and metabolism will unconsciously sync up with my heartbeat and metabolism. This isnt saying that the heartbeats will be the same but is a kind of natural calibration of the frequencies. During this process, even if a child suddenly feels frightened, they would still proactively seek out their mothers embrace. And when a mother encounters danger during their dreams, they will still continue maintaining a protective posture over their child. To give one of the simplest examples, when you really want to pee in your sleep, youll discover that all of the toilets that appear in your dreams are all either especially dirty or clogged up. Or perhaps youre unexpectedly interrupted just as you were thinking of using the toilet until youve woken up from the urge to pee. When a mother hugs a child while sleeping, the same sort of involuntary awareness will be formed. How about you go lie down by my Moms side for a while? It might have some effect. Zhang Xiaobao talked a bunch and finally suggested letting Wang Juan go to another room. But Wang Juan shook her head: I finally understand why was it that some mothers whod given birth to children but would still look so young while some aged faster. The young ones generally didnt raise the children by their side and had others take care of them. The ones who aged faster typically kept the children by their side. They were always consciously cherishing and involuntarily within their subconscious protecting their child. Their bodies and minds were constantly strained at the same time under a prolonged effort. Im not going. You think of a way quickly. Youre an International Criminal Swindlerdont weaken your name. A person such as you is too unreasonable. I currently have no way of telling if youre beingplimentary or derogatory. Fine, Ill talk. Dont kick me. Even if you put me down, you still cant get to sleep. Move the couch against the wagainst the wall of that room my Mom sleeps in. There are two doors here. You stick close to the wall. Ill be fine at your side here. Zhang Xiaobao felt that the rate his brains cells were dying at this time was faster than when he was swindling. At least when he was swindling, he didnt need to get kicked. Wang Juan epted Zhang Xiaobaos suggestion and woke up Shiliu to have her help push the couch to the specified location. When shey down again, Wang Juanughed. Impressive, ~ya! Comrade Zhang Xiaobao, no wonder you could swindle so many people. Not speaking of anything else, in your grasp of human nature, you really are not at the normal level. Talkhow many ignorant young girls have you deceived in the past? Pushed them in the corner.[4] You feel like you can sleep well here, right? Theres a wall on that side. Outside the wall, there are people. This side has me. Calmed down, right? Destroying the bridge after crossing the river,[5] killing the donkey after the milling,[6] cooking the dog after the rabbits death,[7] hiding the bow after the birds are gone[8] isnt right, ~di.[9] What young girls did I deceive? I was working hard to make money. You only think of yourself. Look at Shiliu. Dont you feel pity? Zhang Xiaobao regretted it. What was this called, ~ah? A womans reason had its own reason with no rtion to age. Wang Juan didnt continue pestering him and looking at Shiliu who was sitting in the chair, she really did feel uneasyeven if Shiliu had three proper meals and one midnight snack. Ive decided. Lets find some more people from the manor for three shifts per day and every person at 8 hours each. The money wille from the treasury that we both share. Exploitation isnt the goal; to be able to produce more benefits is fundamental. Wang Juan said shed do it and did. The second days morning, she had people find several clever maids in the manor toe over. They could be assured of the loyalty of these people. The daytime still had Shiliu looking after the children. At night, Shiliuid down to sleep while outside, two maids were positioned inside the room. These two people could quietly talk there and even light an oilmp that wouldnt be quenched for the entire night. It was fine as long as they stepped softly when walking a circuit inside the room every hour. Other ces in the courtyard house also had several additional people to keep evening vigil with the same treatment. It was just that some ces had men and they could drink all of the tea that they wanted to along with little snacks[10] in order to let the manor have enough life[11] at night. After Mrs. Zhang-Wang learned of this arrangement by her own daughter-inw, she didnt understand why she would want to do this as thered be an additional expense. But since they had used their own money to pay for it, Mrs. Zhang-Wang was also not willing to be overly controlling and so let the little guys mess around. The result was that waking up in the morning of the day after sleeping, the people of the manor all discovered that they slept especially wellst night as each and every one of them clearly had a lot more vigor than in the past. This caused Mrs. Zhang-Wang to be astonished as she called over the steward to inquire after the cause. The people inside the courtyard house didnt sleep like she and the others with someone specifically waiting on them at the sidelines. Sometimes, theyd have to worry about problems cropping up during the night so normally, they didnt sleep soundly. Before sleeping yesterday night, the servants learned of the new arrangements. Understanding that there would always be people around nearby and that theyd be woken up if something did happen, they no longer had any worries in their heart. Mistress, Little Mister and Little Miss are indeed extraordinary people. That 6 year old little daughter of mine who would have nightmares every day before actually didnt get frightened awake yesterday night. Getting up today, she even said to me that she wasnt afraid as she knew that there would always be people protecting her. Steward Zhang didnt think that such a simple arrangement by Juan-Juan could actually have such a great advantage as he started singing praises to the side. Mrs. Zhang-Wang was all smiles: Unh, Steward should go busy yourself. Ill call Master to go see the children.
Xiaobao, think quickly. How to make it, ~ne? Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao were sitting together once the both of them had gotten up in the morning. ced on top of the paper in front of them was a bit of white sugar. The two of them were preparing toe out with a new product type but couldnt think of a method so could only futilely re there. What I think is that water should be added. Boil it, ~ah, boil it until the sugar doesnt melt. When its dried, it can be turned into blocks. Zhang Xiaobaos brow had wrinkled up but he still hadnt thought of a good method. Even the words he spoke out loud himself, he wasnt certain about. Wang Juan was just about to speak but instead raised her head together at the same time with Zhang Xiaobao to see Mrs. Zhang-Wang and Father Zhang approaching them together. Both of their awareness levels were rather high. Seeing people had arrived, theyd hurriedly stood up in greetingthat thoughtful and well-behaved demeanor made people like them the more they looked at them. My son, what is this being made? Rock sugar?[12] Father Zhang came over by that white sugar and asked while smiling. Ah~? Dad, theres rock sugar? Then, wouldnt there be white sugar, too? Its over, that sugar of mine wont make money. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were both simultaneously shocked. The two of them hadnt gotten to eat any rock sugar so had assumed that there werent any, ~ne. Father Zhang seemed to know what his son and this future daughter-inw were thinking so he smiled while nodding and then shaking his head. My son has no need to worry. This white sugar and rock sugar is difficult to produce; the price is also high. Moreover, it doesntpare to the fineness that this sugar of my sons has. The sugarcane required to produce 1 catty of white sugar can produce several times the amount of brown sugar. This sugar of yours only needs to be directly ced within the pot; after its thickened, cool it directly into blocks. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan emphatically nodded their heads. It looked like bookworms were rather impressive at times. Such a simple method, why didnt they think of it, ~ne? Mrs. Zhang-Wang and Father Zhang left after staying with the children for an hour. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were also no longer in the mood to make the sugar and prepared to hand it over to that one surnamed Zhou to figure out as their training started up once again.
It was another instance of autumn rain that fell as the weather was a bit cooler than the previous days. Within the Great Hall of Zhang Manor. Master[13] spake:[14] If riches were sought after, even if as a whip hand,[15] then I [archaic][16] shall do so. If unable to seek them, then I [archaic] shall follow my preferences[17] Master used elegant speech:[18] Poetry, Books, and the practice of Etiquetteon all these, he used elegant speech.[19] My son, stop first. When Zhang Xiaobao was reciting the things hed memorized over these past few days, Father Zhang suddenly told him to halt. Does my son remember what your father[20] has taught of the meaning of Master used elegant speech: Poetry, Books, and the practice of Etiquetteon all these, he used elegant speech? Father Zhang here wasnt satisfied with his son only knowing how to recite it. I know. Elegant speech was the official speech[21] of the Zhou dynasty.[22] Master Confucius normally used Lu dialect[23] but used the speech of Zhou officials when reading poetry, reciting books, and in etiquette. Zhang Xiaobao had been studying extremely hard these past few days. And why Poetry, Books, and Etiquette?[24] Father Zhang had actually directly jumped from one question to another question, already at a different ce than that of what had been discussed from the Analects. Poetry, Books, and Etiquette are contained in the Six ssics.[25] The Six ssics: the ssic of Poetry, the Book of Documents,[26] Ceremonial Etiquette,[27] the ssic of Music,[28] the Changes of Zhou,[29] the Spring and Autumn Annals.[30] This time, Zhang Xiaobao didnt wait for his father to ask and straight away listed the Six ssics. Seated in this hall were the elders of the two families of Zhang and Wang and seeing that Xiaobao was able to answer once asked, they all nodded their heads in approval. At this time, Father Wang also grew interested. He hadnt read books in this way like Father Zhang had so he offhandedly asked Wang Juan: Does Juan-Juan know why there are so many people who study the Six ssics? At once, everyone froze, especially Father Zhanghe hadnt even taught it yet, ~ne. Wang Juan had no time to fault her father for his ignorance and blind questioning as she replied after a bit of consideration: A wealthy family doesnt need to buy good fields for there are a thousand zhong[31] of millet within the books; establishing residence doesnt need a frame to be raised for there is a golden house within the books If men wish to pursue their lifelong ambitions, then diligently read the Six ssics in front of the window.[32]
  1. The Chinese used here is xiao yao yi (), which literally trantes to free (unfettered) chair and can refer to either a rocking chair or a lounge chair. Amusingly enough, this name has been coopted as the name for an electric chair that, as far as I can tell, is a literal loveseat that that confusingly looks like an overlyplicated lounge chair but is really used as a sex toy. Oh, you can imagine my confusion until I realized what was going on. Dont believe me? Go to the Baidu page here. There are diagrams. Needless to say, I opted to trante this as rocking chair
  2. Di re () technically could be tranted as geothermal since it is basically the character for earth or ground (di/)bined with the one for heat (re/). However, it is actually likely an abbreviation for di re di ban (), which is a form of underfloor heated flooring used in modern Chinese housing and an expansion on the concept of the hypocaust.
  3. I tranted zi wo xinli anshi () literally but I wished to note that this is actually known as autosuggestion, a form of self-hypnosis, in English.
  4. Juan-Juan says bi qian jiao (), which literally means force (to the) wall corner. So this immediately calls up amon romantic stereotype in Asia, poprized by Japanese dramas called the kabedon (), which is rendered as bi don () in Chinese. It entails the boy trapping or forcing the girl into the corner and using an arm to bar her escape with the don being the onomatopoeia for his hand hitting the wall. Considering that Juan-Juan is teasing Xiaobao here, I wouldnt put it past her to be making this reference. You can see illustrations in Chinese of this stereotype on the Baidu page here (Its a bit surreal to read for me because they are way too detailed about it as they start categorizing the possible types).
  5. The Chinese expression is guo he chai qiao (), which shares a simrity in image and meaning to the English idiom of burning your bridges but not quite. The action of tearing down or removing the bridge after ones crossed is basically used in situations describing someone who discards a person who previously helped them simply because they lived out their usefulness. So its a criticism of those who answer anothers kindness with spite.
  6. Xie mo sha lu () means unhitch millstone, kill donkey. Its another Chinese idiom that describes a person being ungrateful and punishing those who previously helped them. In this case, the image conjured up is to unhitch the millstone from the donkey that had been pulling it after the milling is finished in order to kill it because they are no longer needed.
  7. I tranted tu si gou peng () literally here, too. This is a saying that has its origins in the Records of the Grand Historian or Shiji by Sima Qian () in the chapter recounting the history of the House of King Goujian of Yue (). To exin this phrase, a summary of Goujians life has to first be provided. Goujian was the king of the state of Yue () during the Spring and Autumn period. War between Yue and Wu () had broken out because of a failed marriage alliance involving a Yue princess. Yue was defeated by Wu, leaving Goujian captured and turned into a personal servant of Wu pce. However, the victorious King Hel () had also been mortally wounded. Though Hel left deathbed instructions to his son Fuchai who had seeded him to never forget about the Yue (i.e. keep your eyes on Goujian), Goujian still seeded in making Fuchai think Yue hadpletely submitted to Wus authority by serving him for 3 years before Goujian was allowed to return back to Yue as a vassal king. Goujian was then able to rebuild his kingdom back up with the help of talented advisors like Wen Zhong () and Fan Li () and after 10 years of plotting and scheming, Goujian seeded in avenging his previous defeat and years of humiliation by forcing Fuchai to suicide and engineering the total destruction of Wu. Because of this monumental achievement, Goujian is always the example that is cited whenever loyalists of previous overthrown dynasties try to take back their past glory. Anyway, the idiom has its origin with Fan Lis abrupt disappearance from the banquet that feted Yues victory. Fan Lis outer clothing wereter found by the river so he was assumed to be dead by suicide. However, Wen Zhongter received a letter from Fan Li that advised Wen Zhong to leave Goujians service, revealing Fan Li had faked his death and hidden himself away. One of the analogy Fan Li gives for their situation is that the wild rabbits had all been caught so now, the hunting dogs will all be killed in order to be cooked and eaten. Basically, Fan Li said Goujian was the type to kill them both due to their talents now that he had gained sess in order to ensure that his power would never be undermined since Fan Li and Wen Zhong were two of the key architects who helped Goujian in his n to weaken Wus power before it was ultimately overthrown. Despite Fan Lis astute advice, Wen Zhong still chose to stay behind though he faked being deathly ill to semi-retire from court and show his submission to Goujian. However, Goujian still forced Wen Zhong to suicide. So this is an idiom that specifically refers to rulers who kill off meritorious vassals. The founding emperor of the Han dynasty, Liu Bang (), has also been historically criticized with this expression because of his treatment of Han Xin () who was ultimately killed by Liu Bangs wife, the Empress L Zhi ().
  8. I also tranted niao jin gong cang (). It is from the same letter that the dogs are cooked after the rabbits deaths is from, which Fan Li wrote to Wen Zhong. It evokes an image of putting the bow away in storage as all the birds had been hunted and were gone. So it has the same meaning since it is the other one of the two analogies that Fan Li uses to describe Goujian and his attitude to his two vassals, Fan Li and Wen Zhong.
  9. Di/ is a deliberate typo/mispronunciation of the Chinese possessive particle, de/, which is rather ubiquitous in the Chinesenguage. For the sake ofparison, no/ in Japanese ys a simr role as de/ does in Chinese. The deliberate mistake adds aedic tone and shows the joking or yful tone Xiaobao is probably speaking in.
  10. Dian xin () can be used in different situations in Chinese. They are basically like the Chinese version of hors doeuvres so they can tranted as pastries, desserts, refreshments, snacks, etc. Obviously, dian xin () could be little pastries served to guests as snacks or refreshment like tea biscuits or be served as desserts after a meal or be treated as appetizers. They didnt need to be pastries either but were generally made to be bite-sized or snack-sized dishes. Dim sum is a style of Chinese cuisine that mostly involves dining on these types of dishes whose English name is based off of the Cantonese pronunciation of this term.
  11. The Chinese used here of sheng qi () usually means angry but in this case, it actually is meant literally since it breaks down to life or sheng/ and breath, energy or qi/. Anger as a word in Chinese is arrived at by if you think of it as giving birth to breath since people tend to speed up in breathing rate when angry.
  12. Bing tang () literally means ice sugar in Chinese and refers to rock candy. It can also be tranted as crystal sugar.
  13. Zi/ is a shorthand reference to Confucius who could be addressed as Kongzi/ (since his surname was Kong/), which itself was an abbreviation of the title of Kong Fuzi () or Teacher/Master Kong. Thus, a tradition of appending zi/ to the surnames of great teachers as a sign of respect for their mastery evolved and why you can get Mencius (Mengzi/), Zhuangzi (), Xunzi (), and others.
  14. Yue/ is an archaic way of saying said in Chinese so ziyue/ ismonly tranted as Master said and refers to Confucius. It specificallyes up a lot in the Analects to the point that it might as well have been an ancient Chinese meme. I personally chose to trante yue/ as spake to try to retain the archaic tone.
  15. Zhi bian zhi shi () works out to mean gentleman holding the whip, which I chose to trante as simply whip hand as it is brief and still somewhat retains the meaning.
  16. Wu/ is an archaic form of I in Chinese, which is why I make a note of it in an editorial aside since I couldnt find or think of a way to convey this in English.
  17. The sentence Xiaobao is quotinges from the Analects or Lun Yu (). Thenguage is very dense and archaic so I tried my best here to try to convey the meaning while keeping it as brief as possible. If you wish to see the original Chinese sentence in full, it is: . The Analects are written in Old Chinese, exining the excessive footnotes I have here.
  18. Ya yan () literally trantes to elegant speech and refers to a prestige dialect that existed before Mandarin speech came into being. Technically, Mandarin was based on the speech spoken by court officials which was made necessary to ensure the government could keep running by allowingmunication between officials who came from all regions of China and then evolved to be putonghua () ormon speech. Needless to say,munication in ancient pre-Qin China could be really confusing, motivating the Qin dynastys drive to force the adoption of universal standards, which included reform of the written Chinese character scripts into the Small Seal Script as well as thews, roads, weights, etc. in order to standardize ancient China for the purposes of ruling it though spoken standard Chinese still had a ways to go before it could mature into its own.
  19. I also tranted this myself due to how this sentence is broken down within the story. Again, it is verypact in structure and archaic in tone since it is in Old Chinese so I chose to try to preserve that ancient feeling. Here is the original Chinese: : , , .
  20. Wei Fu () literally means being father and is one of those self-referential third person pronouns that a speaker uses to emphasize their rtionship to the listener. In this case, I have tranted this as your father. It is normally not as arrogant sounding as other possible third person pronouns that speakers can address themselves by as wei/ is softer in tone than ben/ because the rtionship it is normally prefixed to is one dependent on the listener and not on the speaker. I will try to illustrate this with a side by sideparison example. Take ben fu () vs wei fu () for instance. Though there is only a difference of one character, their meanings and tone are wildly different in Chinese. Ben fu () basically trantes to this gentleman, I because the fu/ in this case is referring to Da Fu (), which used to be a court title of the Han dynasty before it became a possible euphemism for members of the schr ss in general. On the other hand, wei fu () means your husband, I because fu/ can also refer to fu jun () or lord husband but it is much more conciliatory in tone. So wei fu () just doesnt have the same arrogant tone as ben fu () does because of the different rtionship dynamic and how the speaker is rting to the listener. Hopefully, this exnation isnt further confusing to readers
  21. Guan yan () or official speech basically refers to the Chinese that court officials and bureaucrats spoke that was the ancestor of the dialect that became known as Mandarin, so named in English because of the mandarin officials.
  22. Zhou Chao () is the Zhou dynasty, which is the dynasty that preceded the Qin dynasty. It is one of the longeststing dynasties in Chinese history and its origins are shrouded in myth and legend. It is significant for the form of feudalism (fengjian/) it practiced which backfired on the rulers of Zhou as their authority copsed since they granted fiefdoms to vassals thatter blocked Zhous expansion but gave free rein to the vassal states to continue expanding territorially. This gradual breakdown of the Chinese feudal system led to the kings of Zhou bing mostly ceremonial figureheads as their subordinate states grew more and more powerful during the Spring and Autumn period before finally degenerating into the hegemonic free for all that was the Warring States period.
  23. The original text uses Lu di hua (), which literally means Lu regional talk and refers to the regional dialect spoken by people of the state of Lu.
  24. Shi Shu Li () is a reference to the first three Chinese ssic texts that are part of the Five ssics (), sobelled because it served as an acronym of sorts with each character referring to one of the books that contained the respective character.
  25. Liu Jing () trantes to Six ssics which is the former incarnation of the Five ssics before one of the eponymous ssics was lost.
  26. Shang Shu () means esteemed book, which is usually tranted as either Book of Documents or ssic of History, was a collection of prose by pre-Zhou rulers and officials whoseption was typically attributed to Confucius. It can also be referred to as simply Book or Shu/ and Shu Jing (), which roughly trantes to ssic of Books.
  27. Xiaobao lists Yi Li (), which is usually tranted as the Book of Etiquette and Ceremony though I have chosen to trante it as Ceremonial Etiquette. This book describes the ceremonies and rites that made up Spring and Autumn period etiquette. Other titles this text is known by are Gentlemanly Rites (Shili/), ssic of Rites (Lijing/), or simply Rites (Li/). Because of the Qin dynastys Burning of the Books, this text has several editions with questionable veracity that are a source of contention. However, the Five ssics tends to lists the Book of Rites (Liji/) in its ce instead. This discrepancy reflects the time period since Xiaobao is currently in the Tang dynasty, whose state-approved curriculum did not have to match up with the texts that were set for the Five ssics as the curriculum forter dynasties. So you can just assume that the Tang dynastys set curriculum for the civil exams are the Six ssics instead of the Five ssics as used inter dynasties.
  28. Yue Jing () trantes to ssic of Music and is usually the sixth entry to the Five ssics except that it was lost by the time of the Han dynasty due to the failure to reproduce it in full due to its loss in the Qin dynastys Burning of the Books.
  29. Zhou Yi () means Changes of Zhou and is a divination text of Western Zhou that formed the core that the I Ching () waster based on. You can tell the rtionship between the two as both titles retain Yi/ or Changes in their names. By the way, I Ching is actually an erroneous transcription since it should be transcribed as Yi Jing, which trantes to ssic of Changes. However, because I Ching is how it was first known to the West, that is the mostmon name the text is known by.
  30. Chun Qiu () just means spring (and) autumn, which by itself can refer to the time period or the book title, which is tranted as the Spring and Autumn Annals. It officially chronicled the history of the state of Lu (). Spring and Autumn as a name for the time period and text was arrived at because the historians who wrote the Annals only noted down significant events by the season so spring and autumn became an abbreviated euphemism for referring to the whole year.
  31. Zhong/ normally means clock in Chinese. However, in this case, zhong/ refers to an antiquated traditional measurement unit for volume that was used by the state of Qi () during the Warring States period. It was initially set as 6 hu/ and 4 dou/ (~350 liters or ~90 gallons) before being set to be around 8 to 10 hu/ (~415-515 liters or ~110-135 gallons). 1 zhong/ could also be divided into 10 fu/, another ancient unit of measure. Zhong/ could also refer to ancient drinking vessels that were used as goblets.
  32. Juan-Juan is quoting the Quan Xue Shi , the title of which could be roughly tranted as Learning Encouragement Poem. This was a poemposed by Emperor Zhenzong of Song () in order to encourage men to take the civil exams to fulfill their dreams and ambitions. He issued this poem officially to the entire country to promote the government as a meritocracy. The most famous idiom toe out of the poem is likely the one that states that there is a golden house within the books. The full text in Chinese is here:
    Juan-Juan only quotes the first two lines along with thest line, which she modifies into referring to the Six ssics instead of the Five ssics that the poem originally mentions. Yes, this means she is kinda taking advantage of the fact that she is in the past before the Song dynasty has been established and giarizing one of its emperors
Book 1: Chapter 37 Book 1: Chapter 37 An Once Abandoned n Turned Into A Good Idea Idlers Note: I have to give an extra shout out to the readers who are sponsoring extra chapter(s) that I will be aiming to release next month. Im basically using the money to pay for the Chinese raw chapters on Qidian so that your money is being passed through to the author. Just wanted to give an update there. Though doing this will likely slow down the ns to move this site to its own hosting since saving up the funds for that have been slow, I figured it was only right to prioritize paying the author first before anything else. If possible, please think about either through Patreon or Crowdrise or PayPal. It would be a huge help! If you just have likes andments to give though, I can take all the motivational help there is, too. Thanks again! ?
Following Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juans answers, the members of the two families of Zhang and Wang valued these two children more and more. Especially after Wang Manor had also imitated Zhang Manor by hiring several more people and discovered that the money spent wasnt that much but the people underneath worked even harder than they had previously. In the afternoon, the temperature went back up. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan brought along Shiliu as they walked towards those fields that had beenpletely harvested. At this time, the fields had patch after patch of short stubble; it was all like this, regardless of whether it was rice, wheat, and millet. Xiaobao, can some vegetables be nted during the winter? Wang Juan picked up a leaf that had been blown by the wind onto her body and felt that for thend in front of her to be empty for the winter was a bit wasteful. Zhang Xiaobao pursed his little mouth as he gazed at those fields. Only after a long while did he shake his head and say with resignation: To want to nt thesends here isnt feasible. Wonder how much is 1 catty of cucumbers in the winter? Shiliu, how much do cucumbers cost in the winter? Wang Juan turned her head around to ask Shiliu who was following closely. Where are there cucumbers? After two more days, the stockpiled cucumbers will need to be eaten up otherwise theyll go bad. If Little Miss wishes to eat cucumbers, the cucumbers can be dried in the shade.[1] Then, use water to soak them with to eat themthe other vegetables are prepared this way, too. Shiliu didnt know what these two little guys were thinking? To even expect to buy cucumbers in the winter. Then if there are cucumbersjust pickedhow much money would you be prepared to buy them for? Zhang Xiaobao subsequently asked. In reply to Little Misters words, I wouldnt buy them. Even if they could be bought, I wouldnt be able to afford them. Shiliu also didnt have anything to do so she went along with conversing on these topics that were impossible to realize. But Wang Juan didnt think so. If Zhang Xiaobao didnt have a way, he wouldnt be so fixated on this line of questioning. She thought on it for a while but discovered that a greenhouse[2] couldnt be built so she could only use her hand to bump Zhang Xiaobao: How do you want to nt cucumbers? Erniu has grown idle. Have him go to Ge Manor to collect firewoodthat is, the stalks from rice, wheat, and millet. This stuff should be extremely cheap as 1 wen [cash] of money should be enough to buy severalrge bundles. Then, well nt the cucumbers. Today, well do the preparation work; tomorrow, well do it. Zhang Xiaobao started nning things out while to the side, Wang Juan still had not figured out how the cucumbers could be nted. Not waiting for her to ask, Zhang Xiaobao exined it for her: In fact, this is a scamone that a subordinate had originally thought up. I thought that it wouldnt be easy to implement so I didnt use it. This method can, in a situation without using any transparent materials, nt vegetables in the north during the winter. Theoretically, its possible but the reality of the process is that it doesntpare to just shipping it over from other summer seasonal countries. The investment isrge but the gain is small so the revenue wouldnt make up for the deficits.[3] Over on this side, some of the materials are cheap and you dont even need to ount for the time orbor; on top of that, winter has no cucumbers so it should be able to make money. Tomorrow, get busy along with me. Wang Juan, seeing that Zhang Xiaobao had spoken of it in passing but still hadnt pointed out the matter, didnt hurry to ask as she would know by looking at how he prepared today. With business to be aplished, the three of them didnt linger much outside as they turned around to go back and Zhang Xiaobao started setting up the arrangements. Picking out a plot ofnd that was 40 meters by 40 meters in the back, he and Wang Juan did the rough measurements together, digging out a square trench located every 5 meters by 5 meters with the trench being 1.5 meters deep. Subsequently, a wall was built on top to surround that area of over 20 square meters. It was the kind that was hollow-shelled[4] in the middle with a wall height of 2 meters. Near the top of the interior, holes that were as thick as a small childs arm were drilled in ce at every 1 meter interval. The manor was currently not busy and had a lot of people. The master-family took care of the meals so that they could even save up some of their own familys food grains. So they all came over to help. Once the holes on the wall had beenpletely bored out, another hole was drilled in each exterior surrounding wall that was slightlyrger. It was only when night came that these could all be considered to be finished though it had not dried yet. Erniu brought over firewood to start baking the walls during the night as a stove[5] had been connected to the bottom hole and firewood ced within the stove so that the hot air could travel along the area in between the two walls to move to other ces. During this one night, there were a lot of people lighting the fire so it was rather lively. The little kids of the manor were all too excited to sleep as they wandered back and forth. Morning, the next day. Zhang Xiaobao had people go and collect matsthose types that were the cheapest. They could be mats[6] woven out of grass and could also be woven out of reeds. Bamboo wasnt considered as they were a bit costly. They did purchase countless bamboo poles that were as thick as a little childs arm and at least 2.5 meters long, which was around 6 chi [foot]. Dont just see how the stuff wasnt worth any money. To buy everything had even cost Zhang Xiaobao 100 bolts of silk along with 20 silver taels, causing Steward Zhang who had been looking on from the side bad heart pains. For Little Mister whos been busy these past few days making money, it hasnt been so easy either. Mess around once and 20 taels were gone. The spicy sauce, vegetable oil, and borrowing on credit for the past two days had to be resorted to make up for it. And the money from Little Mister selling the carrots has even been used. Of the money of the two manors added on top of the money that Little Mister made, 3,900 taels of silver has all been exchanged for food grains. This even includes that portion originally from Mister Song. The chicks have grown up quite a bit but selling them isnt allowed and theyll only be able to produce eggs next year. After paying the taxes in grains,[7] the manor wont have any extra money[8] to spare. Right now, all of the expenses of the manor are even being supported by the money from Little Misters daily sale of the oil and sauce. Mistress, how about persuading Little Mister? Steward Zhang muttered for a while at Mrs. Zhang-Wang who was also watching themotion. 20 silver taels, ~ah! It was enough for the courtyard houses overhead for a single month. Steward Zhang, Xiaobao wants to do this and hes even using his own money so bystanders shouldnt mind. Xiaobao has his own ns. Mrs. Zhang-Wang was rather indifferent. There were still hundreds and tens of guan [strings of cash] in the house and when she looked again at those food grains that had been piled up into hill after hill, she basically wasnt worried. Moreover, that vegetable oil would have daily revenue and even after subtracting the two manors expenses, there was still a surplus left over. When it was night, several people remained here to light the fire and keep watch as Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao also came over to see. Xiaobao, youre thinking of nting cucumbers in the middle here. If its cold, just light up the fire a bit. During the daytime, open up the shed and connect the hollowed out bamboo so as to preserve the interior temperature. If two bamboo poles are joined together, their two ends would meet up just right. Then, cover it up with mats at night. Then, what about the moisture level for winter here, ~ne? Wang Juan understood. No wonder Zhang Xiaobao said that it was a scam. Wasnt that so? If ced in that time, this stuff would require a lot of moneyitd even more expensive than building a greenhouse. Cucumbers could be had elsewhere and basically couldnt be sold for too much money. How much money would be needed to ship it over from the south to the north? Maintaining the moistures easy. Just spraying water on the mats covering it would be fine. The mats consumed will be a bit more but its good that theyre inexpensive. The most important consideration for winter is the snow. If there really is heavy snow, then people will need to get up to brush it off at night. Thend fears the chill so the trenches were dug out so that it could be baked with fire every few days. Under this kind of sunlight, the cucumbers will grow slowly. Its the middle 10 days of the 9th lunar month[9] right now, ording to the calctions on this side. With another 2 and half months, itll be the New Year, which is about when theylle down. Then, well earn a big sum and have a good New Years. The secrecy needs to be protected well when its being artificially pollinated. As the words slowly came out of Zhang Xiaobaos mouth, Wang Juan gazed at his calm expression on his face and felt that this was the style that International Criminal Swindler of before should havejust like a patriarch[10]manding their subordinates to knock down one after another one of their enemies with a steadfast and profound bearing that allowed their subordinates to forever be filled with confidence and hope. Didnt expect it, ~ah. Something that was originally meant to scam people with could actually make money on this side. By that time, eating a bite of cucumbers would be more expensive than eating a bite of meat. Lets go. Tomorrow morning, Mister Song will be returning to give us the money from selling the sugar in cooperation with that Zhou Xihu. The peasants from your and my two families manors needs people to go renovate their houses as well as to set up the kang [bed-stove]. Its all counting on this sum of money, ~ne. Wang Juan pulled on Zhang Xiaobaos hand as she turned around to walk towards the residential area, the two small little figures growing longer and longer under the firelight. The morning of the second day, Song Jing-gong rushed back as he first took out the money from the oil that had been sold yesterday. It wasnt much, being only 900 or so copper coins and not even reaching 1 silver tael. However, carrying it wasnt light or easy. The main thing was that a lot of people had used other things in exchange. ording to Zhang Xiaobaos instructions, if these things could be preserved, they were aggregated before being sold off in bulk while the ones that couldnt be preserved were basically some edibles such as 3 catties of dewy spinach that were used to exchange for 1 catty of tofu. The spinach would be directly brought over to that small eatery that had been purchased. The ounts were recorded separately and then, would be settled at the end of the month. Little Mister, this is the money that Zhou Xihu gave. Based on what you [honorific] said, I initially asked for 30% of the money, lowering the 50% by two levels on my own. That Zhou Xihu was so badly delighted. This is 120 silver taels. Carrying them on my person along with those copper coins almost crushed me to death. Song Jing-gong ced a bundle hed been carrying on his back in front of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. He pulled open the knot to reveal inside the gray-white color of silver12 ingots, each ingot weighing 10 taels. Zhang Xiaobao nodded his head. Having this money would be enough. Song Jing-gong saw that Little Mister didnt have any expression of surprise so he himself couldnt be so excited, either. So he asked as if wishing to y a guessing game with Little Mister: Little Mister, why dont you [honorific] guess why over 100 silver taels were gained in such a short time? This requires a guess? Zhou Xihu has been spoiled and pampered since birth and he hasnt evene of age yet, ~ne, so hes still considered a child. Hes the same as me and wants to have the people in his family be happy. So in the end, he used quite a few tricks to transport over arge amount of brown sugar to make into white sugar and then sold them using the connections that he found. I can guess that within the prefecture, any ce that sells sugar will have his white sugar. What youve brought over will only be the first sum of money; the next sum of money will soon arrive. Yesterday night, I told Erniu to leave the prefecture today and go elsewhere to buy brown sugar. Before the New Year, itll increase greatly in pricethe money that needs to be made still has to be made. Zhang Xiaobao used his hands to caress the silver, feeling the coolness of the surface while he talked. Little Mister, Ill go back first. Tomorrow, Ill return in the afternoon and bring over the second sum of money here. After Song Jing-gong finished listening to Zhang Xiaobaos words, thest trace of excitement also disappeared from his face as he stood up, leaving behind a sentence before he listlessly and dispiritedly left. He suddenly felt like his constant swindling in the past had been meaningless. Facing Little Mister, he was like a small child who had just learned how to walk. It was only when he asked these types of questions that he thought were rather difficult that Little Mister would always be that nonchntly s,[11] always with a smile on that cute face that made him feel chills from the inside out the more that he looked at it. Xiaobao, youve scared him. Wang Juan knew as a matter of course what Song Jing-gongs mood was like. It was just like when she had first seen Zhang Xiaobaos data. When you were faced with this type of genius who you couldnt deny, there was a sense of powerlessness. I didnt scare him. Im giving him confidence. Hes a conceited person who thinks that hes smarter than other people. Ill keep him tightly in check and then, hell think it through. He himself is already that impressive and behind him, theres an even more impressive personso what does he have to fear when hes doing something? Hell then utilize all of his abilities and not need to think of a path for retreat and will let him be self-confident. This is the position that he should be in. Zhang Xiaobao provided Wang Juan a one-time analysis of the motivational theory behind human nature and talented personnel.
  1. Yin gan () basically means to dry in the shade and refers to a type of food drying. This would be an ancient way of dehydrating food for the purposes of storage preservation where the food is ced in a cool and dry ce for a period of time so that the water contents can naturally evaporate. The ancient Chinese did this for a variety of foods that included vegetables and fruits as well as medicines and herbs.
  2. Da peng () literally means big shed but usually refers to a greenhouse or a building/covered awning under which nts and crops are grown.
  3. I tranted for the meaning of the Chinese expression used here of ru bu fu chu (), which breaks down etymologically as entry (intake) not sufficient for exit (expense) and is generally tranted as unable to make ends meet.
  4. Technically, it is described as jia ceng () in the original text, which literally means foldedyer and can either refer to a mezzanine-like middleyer or a double-decker setup or a structure whoseyers are folded around a hollow center. Based on the description and to avoid reader confusion, I chose to word it as hollow.
  5. The kind of stove that they are talking about here is slightly different in structure and design than the ones most people have in mind as they share the same function as modern stovetops but had different designs. In Chinese, it is called a zao tai () and was a structure that was thebination of a hearth and stove. For a picture, go to the Baidu page here.
  6. Xizi () just means mat in Chinese and described mats that were typically woven out of straw or reeds as ones that were woven out of cloth were usually described as rugs or nkets rather than mats in Chinese. For reference, the xizi () would closely resemble Japanese tatami mats or reed mats from India and Thand.
  7. The original Chinese of xiang shang mian jiao wan liang () literally trantes to giving the food/grains upwards, which would sound confusing to readers. To rify, upwards is an euphemism for the government which rules over all of them. So in this case, Steward Zhang is speaking of paying taxes to the government using food grains in exchange rather than hard currency.
  8. The term Steward Zhang uses here is huo qian (), which works out to mean live money but it essentially means spare cash.
  9. Zhong xun () refers to the time period within a month that is specifically the 11th to 20th day. Jiu yue () means 9th month and it is more than likely that Xiaobao is using the traditional Chinese calendar so the 9th month would probably not be referring to September but the 9th lunar month.
  10. Jia zhang () normally means parents or childs guardians in Chinese and you will see it being used within the term that is the Chinese equivalent for a parent-teacher conference. However, it literally means family elder/chief and in this case, it is being used for its connotations as the head of the family (i.e. the patriarch or matriarch). Since Juan-Juan is using it as an analogy for Xiaobao, I have chosen to trante it as patriarch in this context.
  11. Qing miao dan xie () is actually a Chinese idiom describing the act of filling in the colors of a painting as it literally trantes to lightly draw, shallowly write. It is generally used as an euphemism for delicate actions or subtle and understated emotions that are airy andposed. In order to try to convey the connotations of the usage here, Ive tranted this expression as nonchntly s.
Book 1: Chapter 38 Book 1: Chapter 38 Life Still Has Hope Idlers Note: Having an impacted wisdom tooth sucks. Having an impacted wisdom tooth and no insurance or the money to pay for a dentist sucks even more. ?
When the first heavy snowfall descended upon the great earth, the surrounding scenery color had all changed. Whether it was the nakedly bald tree branches or those still lushly verdant pines and cypresses, they all stood there bearing strips or patches of white. The ducks and geese didnt go to the pond in the morning anymore. Only when it was midday did they honk as they rushed towards the location with water. As they left behind a mess of chaotic footprints on the snowy ground, Xiaohong held a bamboo rod in her hand while following from behind, those guys in front seeming to all be her subordinates. Yingtao was leading a manservant from the manor that was carrying the chicken feed as she made gu-gu sounds with her mouth in order to summon the chickens that were hiding in their nests. At once, over 1,900 hens along with 100 roosters pped their wings as they ran out in session. Erniu inspected the brown sugar that had been piled up like grains of sand within the warehouses before turning around to lock the door in order to go help Shiliu take care of those earthworms. Lifting away the disordered mess of stuff that had been piled on top of the earthworms to check and not let these things start smoking, he then finished up by stacking the surrounding snow back on top again. He could now go find Little Mister. Shiliu followed Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to the back to check to see if there were houses that had fallen over. The cucumbers in thatnd there had already started growing creeping vines. To have even a single one die would make her heart hurt. When theyd reached the location, the sight before their eyes was a swath of yellow-brown color with not a trace of the white-colored snow to be seen. The peasants didnt need anyone to inform them and had proactivelye over to help clean up the umted snow. Building after building of little houses were all pristinely standing there and the snow that had fallen on top of the houses curtains had also been cleaned off. When those peasants saw that Little Mister and Little Miss Juan-Juan had arrived, they one after another came over to give greetings as each and every one of their faces bore a sincere yet respectful smile. This was unrted to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juans own identities. Uncle Wang, is your familys house leaking snow? Is it warm inside? Wang Juan softly asked when one of the people asked after her. In reply to Little Miss words, warm, really too warm! The house isnt leaking snow, either. Its sturdy, ~ne! This is all thanks to the manor paying to repair the house and build the kang [bed-stove]. Otherwise, Ill have to be affected this year again. This old man, Ive never seen such a good master-family before. Upon speaking of his familys matters, this Uncle Wangs eyes had squinted until he nearly couldnt see. As he spoke, he tried to pull his son by his side to kneel down and kowtow, which was naturally held back by Shiliu. Unh, thats good, then. In less than a month, it''ll be New Years. How are the preparations for the New Year goods[1] in your family? For New Year this year, the manor will be giving every person 2 catties of pork, 1 catty of vegetable oil, and 6 chi [foot] of cloth to let the fellow vigers[2] have a good New Years. Zhang Xiaobao said with a smile; he liked this type of feeling of being a single family. Little Mister, we cant ept this many things, ~ah! You [honorific], this is Uncle Wang didnt know what he should say. Im buying people''s hearts here. In the future, some things will appear on the manor that outsiders cant be allowed to know about. So buying people''s hearts is to help me keep it secret. Zhang Xiaobao blurted out the truth. Little Mister, dont say people''s hearts, this old mans life is all yours [honorific]! Whatever things Little Mister wants to do, this old man will help you protect it. Whoever wants to ruin it, this old man will stake my life against whoever. Uncle Wang eximed as the other people around him also followed suite in echoing their agreement. Everybody all knew in their hearts that the hearts of people were gained in exchange. You treat me well and Ill treat you well. Other than the two manors of Zhang and Wang, they hadnt ever seen any master-family buy people''s hearts like sorepairing houses, building the kang [bed-stove], not to mention giving money for their work and to even have meat with every meal as well as warm wine to warm the body when it was cold. It was nearly New Years and they were giving out things again. People''s hearts were all made of flesh. Zhang Xiaobao gave a Wang Juan look as the two of them could both feel warm tenderness. Wang Juans lips twitched slightly and Zhang Xiaobao nodded before Wang Juan finally said: Fellow vigers, this year is still a bitcking. Wait until next year, Yingtao over there will have even more chicks being hatched. By that time, whichever family wants to raise them cane over to fetch them. Once theyy eggs, the manor will collect them and let every family have more spare cash to use. Once these words were said, the peasants were all happy. Some even cheerfully yelled out twice to give vent to the joy in their hearts as this snow didnt seem to be that cold anymore. Only a few little kids who hade over from Ge Manor to y didnt have any happy thoughts at all. They werent people from the two manors of Zhang and Wang. Anything else, they werent clear on but the items given for the New Year, they did know about. If one person would get 2 catties of meat, then wouldnt one family be able to receive quite a lot? If they wanted to wrap dumplings,[3] they could wrap dumplings; if they wanted to pan-fry t cakes, they could pan-fry t cakes. And that vegetable oil could fry a lot of things to eat. The cloth was also enough to make an outfit of new clothes. Comparing the two, the little kids all were a bit resentful of the adults in their familywhy didnt they go to the two manors of Zhang and Wang back then? Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, seeing that this side had no problems whatsoever, were also reassured. After speaking two sentences with words to motivate people, they left under escort of the crowds respectful gazes. Why did you tell the truth, ~ne? Wang Juan asked Zhang Xiaobao on the return path. I did want to speak of theory with them and I was even prepared to recite a portion from the Analects or Thousand Character ssic or whatever but would they be able toprehend it? The things that the peasants need are extremely simplebe fully fed, be clothed warmly, to live safely, and to be able to show off some in front of the other peasantsthese are thergest spiritual and material needs for a culture. Yes, ~ya! Theyre all good folks, ~ah! Treat them a bit well and theyll remember it for a lifetime. Ive decided, when its a bit warmer, to build a school and let the little kids of our two manors be able to learn to read. Wang Juan started getting emotional over there. Not only from our two manorsalso have to attract the children of the surrounding manors. The children of the other manors would only have to bring some food themselves, the rest Ill cover. Zhang Xiaobao was thinking even further. Are you sick? You have medicine, ~ah? Not joking with you. With my allowing the children of the surrounding manors toe and study, the reputation will get out there. Once the disaster over there starts up next year, Ill freely give away food grains over therelets see who will dare take back my familysnds? Ill use popr opinion[4] to crush him to death. Up to now, I still dont understand what kind of person you are. This many operations with each making a bit of money, all for the sake of that piece ofnd with a grant of 100 heads in the end. Is it worth it? Wang Juan had been constantly trying to figure out Zhang Xiaobao, wanting to know what his inner heart was actually like but kept on failing. Zhang Xiaobao nced at Wang Juan next to him and smiled: Dont go guessing men. At the same time, I also never think about how women actually think. Sometimes, we ourselves dont even understand ourselves, much less understanding others, ~ne. To tell the truth, I really dont care. To lose or to gain are as nothing in front of meIm talking about money. But I also care very much. I know that my Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma all hope to keep maintaining this family legacy. What I can do is to give them a hand. The material gain and spiritual gain are separate. Its just like if you gave money to a beggar on the street. Even if you dont admit it on the surface, you subconsciously still treat yourself as a good person. For those animals to not be able to win over humans is not only because humans can use tools but its most fundamentally because at a given time, humans will take pity and sympathize with the weak and go on to ally with the weak. Dont speak of this with me. I dont understand. I only know that this world is an existence where the strong prey on the weak.[5] I learned so many things for the sake of my family n.[6] Give and take its just that simple. Wang Juan felt like her own thinking had followed along with Zhang Xiaobaos at this moment and was extremely ufortable. Fine, lets not talk anymore. Since your family n over there is no more, then lets remake a new family n over here. We dont have impressive ancestors so let us be the next generation of impressive ancestors. Its snowing. One of the manors oxen froze to death so theres ox marrow to eat. Zhang Xiaobao really didnt wish for Wang Juan to obey him on everything so seeing that Wang Juan had reacted quickly, couldnt help butugh. When did it freeze to death? Howe I didnt hear of it? Wang Juan used her tongue to lick her lips as she really did crave it. An ox from the family of the manors Chen Hao.[7] It really was too old and couldnt move to work anymore. Once the snow fell, it froze to death. Im prepared to give him 6 guan [strings of cash] and hell go report it. Once we return, we can eat beef. Thats not right? I still remember that his familys ox was still living. In the morning, it even passed by in front of the courtyard house, ~ne. Besides, today isnt even that cold. Once the snow fell, the temperature would have risen. Wang Juan asked, wrinkling her brow as if recalling this mornings events. Zhang Xiaobao sadly shook his head: Yes, ~ya. It was still fine this morning, ~ne. Who knew that in a while, itd freeze to death here? If it didnt freeze to death, then it was scared to death. The ox looked and such heavy snow, ~ah! It was over. It drank a mouthful of cold water and it suicided. You craved it to this degree? To insist on butchering someone elses ox to eat? Wang Juan figured it out now. Of course, she wouldnt go ask as to why an ox could die from drinking water. She could imagine that Zhang Xiaobao would definitely counter her by asking that since people can die from drinking water, why cant an ox? This matter was impossible to debate. 6 guan [strings of cash] is enough to buy a young ox. The money that the official wille over to request, Ill pay. If a half-grown ox is bought, it can still be used when its spring plowing time. When we get back, Ill make beef ligament for you to eat. Its tender and chewy so it wont ruin the teeth. Zhang Xiaobao chose to use bribery. I want to eat tendons that have a bit of spicy vor to it.
The wind blew the drifting snow on which it relied, dressing the green mountains with some white clothing. Once it got closer and closer to the New Year, the price of brown sugar doubled. Erniu obeyed Little Misters instructions and immediately acted, transforming 20 silver taels into 60 taels. The money hadnt even been warmed up, ~ne, when he once again received amand from Little Mister to gomissionrge quantities of t little bamboo baskets or little bamboo cases that were required to be made through weaving. Once the first batch of bamboo baskets had been sent over, the cucumbers in the back of the courtyard of Zhang Manors main house were already 3 cun [inch] long. Waiting for two or three more days to eat them was the best. If it were three or five days, then theyd be considered to have grown. Shiliu, heres three cucumbers. Let us three each have one per person. You help us peel the cucumbers. Wang Juan went to go pick three cucumbers that were,paratively speaking, bigger and handed them over to Shiliu. Shiliu woodenly epted them and nodded her head: Cucumbers, winter cucumbersjust the smell is nice. This single one needs how much money, ~ah? Just some time before, they looked to still be vines; here now, theyve matured. Dont mind about how much moneyjust eat it. Quickly, Xiaobao and I are waiting, ~ne. Wang Juan hadnt eaten any vegetable greens for a month or more so seeing Shiliu was still in a daze, could only begin prodding her. Shiliu finally recovered and began peeling. The three of them ate with great gusto. Five dayster, Song Jing-gong ced the bamboo case filled with six cucumbers that were still bearing flowers and thorns on the table in front of Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang.
  1. Nian huo () literally means year goods and specifically refers to the objects purchased in preparation for Chinese New Year. It is simr to all the paraphernalia that would prepared to be ready for the holidays in the West like Christmas trees, ornaments, decorations, food, presents, etc. Some of the items you would find in a shopping list for Chinese New Year are brown sugar (remember that it is called red sugar in Chinese so it would be good luck to eat since red is considered a lucky color in Chinese culture), fish, fruits, snacks, red-colored decorations that might include spring couplets or chun lian (), along with any other things that would differ depending on the region since they each had their own traditions and take on what was considered necessary for a New Years celebration.
  2. Xiang qin () literally trantes to vige rtives and is basically a way to address those belonging to the same vige as many viges in ancient China were established by members of the same family so the vigers would all end up being rted to one another as one big extended n, leading to marriages being a form of alliance between nearby viges to prevent inbreeding. Even viges that had been initially settled by several families would have the vigers consider each other like an extended family since after generations, a degree of intermarriage would have urred and due to the familial feeling that would have been nurtured from living in cooperation together for so many years. This sentiment would be simr to people hailing from the same city or state tending to feel amonality to each other inparison to those who are from a different part of the country.
  3. Dumplings show up in a lot of different cuisines. Jiaozi () are a form that dumplings can take in Chinese cuisine. For those that dont know, jiaozi are made by wrapping up a prepared filling in dough skin. The content of the filling varied depending on personal preference or regional variety so they could consist of meat with minced vegetables or be wholly vegetarian. The way that the dumpling was wrapped could be an art and changed how the jiaozi looked. The act of wrapping the jiaozi was a group activity that served as a way to strengthen bonds in a lot of families in China and is a tradition that still persists today. After the jiaozi are made, they can be steamed, fried, or boiled. Jiaozi are amon dish eaten for Chinese New Year and are also considered a traditional dish to eat for winter. Since other types of dumplings in Chinese cuisine actually have their own names, I will be tranting jiaozi as simply dumplings in English. For foodies who just want to drool over the pictures, go to the Baidu page here.
  4. Min xin () is a term that cane up frequently in Chinese fiction that has ruling or governing as a theme. It literally trantes to citizen hearts, which is rted to ren xin () or peoples hearts. However, the former is more specifically rted to governance and popr sentiment while thetter is more general in connotation. Thus, I tranted min xin () as popr opinion here.
  5. The Chinese expression used here is ruo rou qiang shi () and literally means weak meat, strong eat. Equivalent English sayings might bew of the jungle or survival of the fittest but it is basically an idiom to exin what the Chinese viewed as a cruel world where the weak served as food for the strong. This outlook is understandable if you consider the institutionalized upheaval that ancient China would regrly endure for several millennia with the rise and fall of dynasties that lead to great chaos and misery as well as loss of life for the popce.
  6. I am footnoting jia zu () because it is quite noteworthy that Juan-Juan says jia zu () rather than simply jia/ or family. This word choice on her part means that her family has enough status in enough numbers or generations that they are considered a n even in modern day China. This term can also be tranted as house as in Great House. To differentiate between a normal family and a n where its justrger extended family as well as avoid the connotations of nobility thate with house, I am tranting this as family n. Also, note that a Chinese n can have some other requirements tied up with it other than a shared surname and blood rtions.
  7. Chen Hao () is surnamed Chen/ and his name of hao/ means brave or bold.
Book 1: Chapter 39 Book 1: Chapter 39 Give Cucumbers To The County Magistrate To Sell Idlers Note: Sorry about the dy with the chapter! The frence job I was doing took a bit longer than I expected toplete so I didnt have as much spare time to devote to trantion like I thought. We are nearly a third of the way through the first volume though. Please bear with me as I continue working at improving my trantion quality and speed! I hate to have to ask but please think about contributing help either through Patreon or the other methods listed . If enough people help out just a little, I would be able to trante full-time, which would mean faster and more frequent chapters at a regr rate. However, if you can only help by giving me motivational support through likes orments, I am also grateful to receive that, too. Thank you so much! ? P.S. In the process of doing the research for my footnoes, I somehow came across an old Shaw Brothers movie that had been uploaded to Youtube from Youku. It was a bit of a mind-blowing WTFery for me because I was just not prepared for it. My brain nearly exploded! D: Watch it here (it has English subtitles though they kinda suck). Its also super weird for me to see the movie itself use Traditional Chinese characters with the calligraphy on screen but the Chinese subtitles that were added onter are Simplified
These are cucumbers? They are cucumbers. Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang looked at the six cucumbers in front of him, confusedly raising his head to ask Song Jing-gong. He didnt understand what intention Song Jing-gong had to so hurriedly rush over here to give him cucumbers? Could it have something to do with a murder case or evidence? Milord is indeed impressive to be able to recognize with one look that these are cucumbers. Thats right. Milord, try them and see if the taste is ptable. Song Jing-gong assumed that the Lord Magistrate had been frightened, ~ne, as he pointed at the cucumbers and bade him to try them. These I, this county, have already eaten a lot of before. Zijin should bring it back to eat on your own. Cheng Lingxiang carefully looked over the cucumbers again but didnt discover anything special[1] so now, he was unhappy here. Song Jing-gong understood this time. So Cheng Lingxiang hadnt considered what season it currently was and was only waiting for himself to give him the good stuff, ~ne. Cucumbers had always not been worth money so thinking of this, Song Jing-gong wasnt angered either and gave a slight smile. Milord speaks rightly. After returning, Student will get some spicy sauce, then warm up some wine to taste the cucumbers and drink the wine while enjoying the snowy scenery outside. That really would be a great pleasure of life, ~ah. As he spoke, Song Jing-gong made ready to stand up. Cheng Lingxiang was also following along and thinking of that kind of scenery, ~ne, but then kept feeling like there was somece not right. It was only until Song Jing-gong spoke to take his leave that he finally realized and hurriedly called out: Wait, Zijin, how did you get fresh cucumbers here in this deep winter? After asking this question, the gaze that Cheng Lingxiang redirected toward these cucumbers was no longer the same. The thorns on top were also good looking and the flowers were pretty as well, being a glittering green. The more he looked, the more he liked them. He even leaned his head over them to take a gentle sniff. The clear aroma unique to cucumbers entered his nose and was exceptionally pleasant. Song Jing-gong, seeing this sort of behavior from the county magistrate, didnt hurry to answer and only watched over there. Cheng Lingxiang looked for a while and then stretched out a hand to touch them. The cucumbers had been kept warm so they werent cool and werent hot. At this time, the six cucumbers were no longer cucumbers in Cheng Lingxiangs eyes but silversix silver ingots that had been neatly ced there. Lushly green and nearly of equal thickness, perfectly straightthis silver was good looking. Milord, how about it? To eat this kind of cucumber in the winter, it is fairly enjoyable? Song Jing-gong asked, finding the correct timing. Cheng Lingxiang vigorously nodded his head twice: Good, good stuff! Zijin has taken care. I didnt think that with the snow already falling, I could still be able to eat fresh cucumbers. Dont know how Zijin found these six cucumbers? In an instant, Magistrate Cheng thought of a lot of things. If these cucumbers were given to his superiors,[2] then his superiors would definitely acknowledge his merit. He just didnt know how many cucumbers could be had. Student didnt know if Milord wanted to eat them. Hence, in this trip here, six were brought over. If Milord feels that they are rather good, Student will send some more over after returning. Itll be enough for Milord to eat for a winter. Song Jing-gong had actually brought over quite a few this time, even preparing to sell them, ~ne, so deliberately spoke thusly. Whered the cucumberse from? To eat for a wintercould it be that theres a technique to allow summer cucumbers to be kept until now? Magistrate Cheng was the most curious in regards to this. Song Jing-gong shook his head slightly and replied: No technique. If summer cucumbers were picked, they could only be kept for 20 or so days at most and they wouldnt even have flowers or thorns. The cucumbers were nted and grown. Two months or so prior, they were grown by that person at the manor up until today when it is just right for eating. Magistrate Cheng had originally been fixedly seated there but upon hearing that theyd been nted and grown, he stood up at once and firmly fixed his gaze at Song Jing-gongs eyes, wishing to know if he was lying or not. Seeing that Song Jing-gongs gaze was clear with no trace of evasion, he knew that it probably might be true. Zijin, quickly tell me how the cucumbers were nted and grown? Was it that adept again? Great ability! If this method was taught to our Great Tangs people, then wouldnt everyone be able to eat fresh cucumbers in the winter? Moreover, these cucumbers on this side as well as over in that northern area wouldnt take up any othernds in the winter so the people would have an extra stream of ie. Great deedthis is a great deed! Zijin, that person from your manor will certainly bemended and rewarded. How about this? Tomorrow, Zijin should return and bring back that person. This official, I will make my report. After standing up, Magistrate Cheng didnt sit back down either as he paced there with his hands behind his back, speaking as he walked without noticing at all that helpless look of Song Jing-gongs. After a while of hearing Song Jing-gong make not a single sound, only then did he stop to look over. Song Jing-gong wryly smiled: Milord, ~ah, the manor also needs to make money, ~ah, with that many people who need to be fed, ~ne. That person treats the peasants well. Today, every peasant was given a lot of things for free. And they were even afraid of the heavy snow badly crushing the houses so specifically spent money to renovate the houses and build kang [bed-stove]. Milord knows how much money these cucumbers in the winter are worth, too. The manor is waiting on these cucumbers being sold off to better get some money, ~ne. Milord wants Student to tell but Student doesnt dare to. If that person were to be provoked, it would be of no use even if Student were to run to the ends of the earth.[3] Milord, you [honorific] may not know of that persons methods but Student has already experienced them. Eh~! Right, ~ya! It wouldnt be expensive at all for one of these cucumbers to be sold for over 10 wen [cash] so there would naturally be those wealthy families whod go buy them. In addition, its nearly New Years. To be able to eat a cool and refreshing bite of cucumbers on New Years Eve,[4] that mood would certainly not be the same. With Song Jing-gongs exnation, Magistrate Cheng also realized it. Who would be willing to tell others this type of method? Since they could be grown, then theyd certainly be continuously eaten for several months. How much money could be earned in one winter? Just thinking about it was scary. But if this stuff wasnt given away, then it wouldnt be so easily solved if they got noticed by people. He himself could know of the value of winter cucumbers; other people were also not stupid. By then, if even more formidable people were to be roused, then what to do? Cheng Lingxiang pondered this kind of matter as he slowly sat down. Then, ncing over at Song Jing-gong again, he finally opened his mouth to caution: Zijin, ~ah, these cucumbers arent easy to do, ~ah! They easily attract the cmity of murder. Why hasnt the adept from that manor of yours not thought of this point? If you sell them, then thered be people whod know. If you really arent willing to give up the method, then Ill pretend that I didnt see this today. Milord is indeed a good official who is able to be considerate of the people under their governance. Milord, rest assured. Beforeing, that person instructed Student that if Milord spoke thusly, to speak of the solution in response. If Milord had wholeheartedly wished to request credit,[5] then Student would immediately return to uproot those cucumbers. In his heart, Song Jing-gong only had a single type of feeling towards Little Mistera mountain peak to be looked up to.[6] Oh? This was even predicted? What is the solution? Magistrate Cheng was also afraid. Was this still human? Each step was followed by another step to take. In reply to Milord, that method isnt difficult, either. Its to have the cucumbers transported over here and have Milord help to sell them. Milord need not rush. By then, if there are people who inquire, Milord can say that the Heavens sent down an auspicious favor[7] and theres a manor where the cucumbers vines actually bore new fruit. Its nearly New Year at this time so nobody would investigate closely at this time. When the New Year has passed and the money has been more or less made, the manor wont continue selling them but will give some to Milord for Milord to gift to other people. If there are people checking and insist on asking Milord for the manors location, then at that time, the cucumbers vines will naturally be destroyed by people. Song Jing-gong spoke out loud the solution. In fact, there was another point that theyd mentioned so it could be said that hed lied. What Zhang Xiaobao instructed him was this. There was another point. If this county magistrate didnt caution him, then he had to immediately return topletely harvest this batch of cucumbers, dig out the other cucumbers, and transport far away the harvested cucumbers to sell elsewhere using another identity to still be able to make arge fortune. This wasnt the area that made Song Jing-gong most impressed in feeling but that Little Mister had said at the time that the county magistrate would help him to a veryrge extent in terms of considering the matter over. The alternative preparations were only for just in case. Of course, Song Jing-gong wouldnt know how much psychology Little Mister had previously studied and that based on the several times that hed had contact with the county magistrate, had spected as to the county magistrates temperament. He just assumed that Little Mister knew how to fortune-tell.[8] Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang sighed once. There was no way to re-evaluate that person at the manor. This was not only to get the cucumbers sold but to give himself a meritorious credit. Auspicious favor, ~ah! With the cucumbers as evidence, they caused people to be unable to disbelieve it. They said that it was to let him gift to others, was it even necessary to ask who he could be giving to? He couldnt possibly reject such a good deal. A promotion, ~ah! Once the auspicious favor appeared, whatever his superiors thought, they would all follow along in asking for credit. By then, a future of his own could be had for the taking. Having thought of it here, Magistrate Cheng nodded his head as he said: Thats fine. While its before the New Year, pick a few more cucumbers. Wait until its close to two days before the New Year and Ill sell them off. Zijin hasnt eaten yet, right? Perfect, lets use three cucumbers to make two dishes. Zijin can try them with me together. Magistrate Cheng no longer treasured them. Since there was more, then the several other cucumbers for his family wouldnt becking. First, eat three. The other three could be sent to the back and his family members could try them, too. Song Jing-gong didnt hurry to leave this time and dly obeyed.
The chilly wind blew past from time to time. Even so, it still didnt cause the people from the two manors of Zhang and Wang to feel anything. That old ox belonging to Chen Haos family was killed. Also, one of the several oxen that Zhang Xiaobao had previously made people buy and bring back was killed, too. This ox really couldnt avoid being killed as just after the one from Chen Haos family had died, it actually fell into a ditch and broke its leg. Once the two oxen were killed, the meat was plentiful. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan discussed it for a bit and had the people of the two manors eat a meal together. It could be considered to be promoting the good qualities of the master-family. They naturally couldnt eat just beef as the meat from the two oxen really werent enough to serve. Besides, some of it had to be kept to be eaten for New Years. So they could only add somerge radishes inside and make several cauldrons of beef with simmered radishes to call over the people of the manor to eat together with wotou [cone bread][9] made out of millet flour. Then, several kinds of pickled vegetables[10] were prepared along with some lightly vored stewed vegetables to be eaten while hot, which was not so bad in this winter. This way, the two oxen werent needed. A single ox, not counting the tendons, ligaments, and other assorted things, was enough with just the meat. Add a bit of beef tallow and a pot of stewed vegetables didnt require too much beef. The peasants werent picky, either. To have something to eat was good. That aroma from within several of the cauldrons didnt even wait for the meat to be done, ~ne, and had already drifted outward. The adults were a bit better and could endure it but the little kids sniffed up their snot while anxiously gulping down their drool. There were some who had more daring that even moved to the front of the pots to see. For the sake of not letting everyone freeze, several fires had been piled up in the empty space outside. The peasants of the two manors surrounded them as they talked andughed until the meat was ready. Then, they rose to do stuff to help out. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, the two of them had also rushed over here by this time, intending to eat a meal together with everyone. Wang Juan was even holding a bit of dried parsley in her hand while Zhang Xiaobao was carrying spicy sauce.
  1. The Chinese text says that Magistrate Cheng didnt see that the cucumbers as having any qian kun (), which is likely based off of an idiom nei you qian kun () or inside has qian kun. Qian Kun () itself is usually tranted as universe or heaven and earth because it is a term derived from the name for 2 of the 8 trigrams of the Bagua () with qian/ representing heaven and kun/ representing earth. So qiankun/ itself has a broad range of possible interpretations and meanings depending on the context it is used in. The idiom of nei you qian kun () usually applies to objects or people whose external appearance are contrary to their interior or contents like a bag of holding that looks like a normal bag on the outside but is really a pocket dimension on the inside or Xiaobao who outwardly looks like a pure and innocent toddler but in actuality, possesses the mentality of a middle-aged con man with a heart of gold. In this case, qiankun is being referred to as being absent so I chose to trante for the meaning.
  2. Simrly to Steward Zhang using shang mian () to euphemistically refer to paying taxes, Magistrate Cheng uses shang mian () or upperyer to refer to his superiors since they are literally above him.
  3. Tian ya hai jiao () literally means sky shores, sea corners and is used to describe the extreme reaches of the earth and the very boundaries at which it meets the sky and sea. This expression actually has its origins in an eulogy Tang dynasty essayist Han Yu () wrote for his dearly beloved nephew who died just before Han Yu was about to reunite with him. The nephew died far away from Han Yu who still insisted on traveling there with the funerary offerings though the distance was intimidatingly long for the time. [Baidu]
  4. Nian Ye () literally trantes to Year Night but it basically refers to the night before Chinese New Year. Traditionally on this night, families will dine together on symbolically lucky foods and stay up all night to greet the new year.
  5. Biao gong () is actually an abbreviation in Chinese for showing off ones exploits. So its essentially an action that is asking for credit for ones meritorious service. Since Chinese officials get graded on a yearly basis, usually as either one of three choices of exemry, passing, andcking, officials would make reports asking to be given credit for their good deeds and then the political struggle to ensure that they receive all the credit is an integral part of ancient Chinese politics (some might argue that it is still a part of modern Chinese politics).
  6. Gao shan yang zhi () is actually an idiom with a y on words as it is literally evoking the image of a mountain whose full height cant be seen as well as the image of someone gawking upward in awe at said mountain because yang/ can mean to raise ones head or to admire, rely on. Since mountains are considered symbols of strength and dependability in Chinese culture, this only deepens the dual metaphor of this expression.
  7. Xiang rui () is the term given to things that were believed to be auspicious signs in Chinese culture that Confucian schrs tended to consider to be ways that Heaven can signal its approval and were of benefit to people. Thus, natural phenomena such as rainbow-hued clouds, double-eared rice paddies, a natural spring of sweet-vored water, the appearance of various star formations, or exotic animals with different associated meanings such as giraffes (exining why an old Chinese name for giraffe is qilin/ which are only supposed to show up when a sage is about to be born/die or if the current ruler is enlightened) and white hinds that are also a sign of Heavens favor to a ruler could be considered to be signs of fortune. The reverse could be true as well though with other phenomena likeets or meteors.
  8. Neng qia hui suan () breaks down to mean can pinch, knows how to count and since a lot of 4-character couplets actually separates and rbines two 2-character wordbos to make a new meaning in Chinese, this expression intersperses neng/ or able and hui/ or know how in between the characters making up qia suan (). Qia suan () itself needs to be exined as it literally means to pinch count and describes an ancient Chinese behavior where they counted using their fingers by bending them in a pinching motion. This behavior can go hand in hand with Chinese astrology and fortune-telling as numerology and arithmetic calctions makes up arge portion of these practices. Chinese fortune-telling itself is called suan ming () in Chinese, which literally means to calcte life. So a stereotypical image of a Chinese fortune-teller or astrologist is one who makes these needed calctions by pinching their fingers together in this fashion. Especially intelligent and cunning strategists who can make uncanny predictions of the future to the point that their side business might as well be fortune-telling could also be portrayed as having this mannerism as it fits the traditional Chinese stereotype of such a character. So if youre watching a Chinese drama or movie that has some ult subject matter of some sort and youre wondering why the Daoist priest, mystical formation expert, or cunning strategist is making those weird hand gestures, thats why. To see a picture for an example, go here. Sorry, I couldnt find a specific video of an instance where you could see the gesture in action but the gesture appears a lot across a wide variety of genres in Chinese dramas and film because it serves as excellent visual shorthand for the Chinese viewer. Anyway, because of the reasons that Ive exined above, I tranted neng qia hui suan () as know how to fortune-tell.
  9. Wotou () or wowotou () literally means nest head and is so named because of the conical nest-like shape this bread has. It is a steamed bread that is typically made out of wheat or millet flour and was a staple food for poor Chinese peasants. When corn waster imported into China, cornmeal was used to make wotou, exining why it is sometimes tranted as Chinese cornbread. Itter became an imperial delicacy during the Qing dynasty () when by happenstance, Empress Dowager Cixi () got to taste them and liked them enough to order the Imperial Kitchens to reproduce them with richer ingredients, causing them to be a food that was no longer just consumed by the impoverished. I chose to use the pinyin with [cone bread] in an editorial aside because its perfect as ame pun as well as reminding people of their shape. For pictures, you can visit the Baidu page here.
  10. Xian cai () literally means salted vegetables, the name due to the fact that salt is necessary for the pickling process. Chinese cuisine usually treats pickled dishes as appetizers and they are more of a staple of northern Chinese cuisine since they would need to preserve vegetables for the winter. They can also be used as part of the raw ingredients of a cooked dish, too.
Book 1: Chapter 40 Book 1: Chapter 40 Several Rounds of Consideration, Winter Has Already Cooled Idlers Note: Whoo! I made it through this month without interruption to the overall release schedule of 3 chapters a week. Now, I dont know about next month but I will certainly try to make sure I can keeping out with more chapters regrly. However, my budget is probably going to be pretty tight in September so I might end up having to take a small break to offset that. It might not end up happening though so it might not be a big deal but I just wanted to give a heads up just in case it does happen. In any case, if I do end up missing any releases because I had to temporarily focus on frence working for a living, I will make up for the chapterster as I had previously done before. Hopefully, that wont actually be an issue though and I will end up being really good at my time management for September. Lets cross our fingers! ?
Tasty, really tasty! Come on, Xiaobao, help me tear apart this meat. You pull on that end. The beef with simmered radishes was done. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, the two of them used a bowl to start eating there. What Shiliu found were those kinds of meat without any tendons that were smaller pieces. It was like this yet it was still a struggle for the two of them to eat as they had to use their hands to tear it into little strips to slowly chew on. Wang Juan had discovered a piece that wasrger and that her hands on her own werent strong enough so she called over Zhang Xiaobao. Zhang Xiaobao on that side had already used both of his hands while Wang Juan on this side was also like so before this meat could be ripped apart here. This meat clearly isnt entirely mushy, ~ne, and they actually said that it could be eaten. Didnt even consider us two. Zhang Xiaobao dipped that half piece of meat into the spicy sauce and shoved it inside his mouth toboriously chew on as heined. When others eat meat, they eat it for this chewiness. If its all mushy, then what bite would it have? Im not eating meat; its too much effort. Lets drink some soup and eat some radishes. Wang Juan, having not so easily swallowed down that meat, opted for a change in pte. Shiliu wasnt willing to eat together with this many people and just stood by the sidelines to wait upon the two little ancestors. So upon hearing Wang Juans words, she went todle out from the pot some radishes and soup, sprinkling the pieces of parsley that had already been chopped up in advance on top. To drink a mouthful, the taste wasnt so bad at all. A little kid from the manor, seeing that the two most treasured people of the two manors were actually just eating radishes and not eating meat, was moved at that moment and said to his parents next to him: Dad, Mom, Little Mister, they are only eating radishes and leaving the meat all to us. If I tell Ge Manors Xiaogou-er[1] this, he definitely wouldnt believe me. But this is true. His parents were also touched. They werent moved because Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan drank soup and ate radishes. They also knew that a little child that big basically couldnt bite into beef. What they were moved by was that Little Mister and Little Miss didnt take on any appearance of superiority from a lofty height but ate together with them. The outdoor weather was sure cold, ~ah! And this meal had also been specifically prepared by them. They were this little and they were like this, which only proved one thing and that was that those members of the master-family all usually taught the children like this. With such a master-family, what else did they themselves as such peasants have to be dissatisfied about? They both had rushed back here from outside. When they had arrived, they had also encountered questions from Ge Manors people. Once they said that it was the master-family who was treating them to beef, even now they couldnt forget the looks from those of Ge Manor. Xiaobao, you see how happily the fellow vigers are eating? In the future, if we can regrly have a meal together with the fellow vigers, thatd be good. Pity that the amount of beef is too little. This time, we were actually fined 12 taels of silver. Why isnt this gang of officials even considerate of us? Wang Juan drank a few sips of soup but was too hasty in eating so sat there to rest for a bit whileining to Zhang Xiaobao. Zhang Xiaobao originally wanted to reply: Indeed, there arent any good people whod be officials. Its all the same no matter the dynasty era. But his words changed upon reaching his mouth as he didnt wish to let Wang Juan recall the matters of the past. Everybody was all happy, ~ne. Why bring up the memories? So he could only say: With oxen, this thing is valuable after allthey can be used to plow thends, ~ne. This only shows that they pay close attention to agriculture. Actually, horses would do as well but theyve all been used for equipping the troops or to pull carriages. Dont know if there are any curved plows[2] right now? Wait till we get back to ask. If there are, then never mind. If not, lets make them ourselves. I remember that several ox bones had been ced in the pot. Lets eat the bone marrow. Not eating it. Give that bit of stuff to the children to eat. Theres still quite a few at home, ~ne. What are you doing, grabbing their stuff? You know how to breed oxen? The kind where each birth can be guaranteed and can also have one pregnancy every year. Wang Juans eyes lit up upon hearing about eating the bone marrow but then her eyes dimmed as she thought of doing animal husbandry. Zhang Xiaobao scooped up a piece of beef tallow that had been floating on top of the soup to send over in front of Wang Juans mouth: Dont know. Didnt learn it back then. In prison, there was a person who was a specialist in this area a real specialist. He wrote a dissertation that had been snatched away by someone else so he had wanted to prove that it had been written by him. In the end though, their familys influence wasrge and got him locked up. At that time, he saw that I was eager to learn and really wanted to teach me. Unfortunately, I didnt have any thoughts to learn it at that time and only listened to him endlessly introduce some things about agriculture and animal husbandry next to me. The amount of times that he mentioned curved plows was a lot and I remembered it in response since he would always praise this type of plow. I remember I had been following along and learning stuff from a criminal thief next to me at that time. I learned how to pry open doors and locks from that person. That isnt only about knowing the principle that would work; it also requires training of the listening ability and sense of touch. Later on, I would always carry on my person some iron wires of different widths along with various sized mas. Mas? What did you need mas for? Prying open security vaults seems to not require them? Wang Juan was gradually hooked by Zhang Xiaobaos words. As one who specialized in catching thieves, she was interested in this area. What security vaults? It was for door locks. Some door locks require the use of mas to work. Those keys itself were maic with some attracting the other and some repelling the other. The mas I carried not only had to be different sizes, they must also have to have two types of maism on this end. It was technical work. I think that if I were able to be awarded a degree, whatever was said, Id be a masters degree. The one who taught me, that one was absolutely a doctorate. Zhang Xiaobao poured away the soup that had cooled down and while he had Shiliu continuedling, he spoke to Wang Juan as if telling a joke. That is to say that youprehend the principle behind locks? You can make locks? Wang Juan began to ask curiously. Thats a matter of course. If you want to pry them open, then you must know how to make them. Then, you make locks to sell. Wang Juan suggested. No, theres no springs so what would I use to make them with? Eat quickly. After were full, well go back to sleep. Zhang Xiaobao directly rejected it. Wang Juan was only asking randomly so seeing that it wasnt possible, she didnt speak anymore. Eating up the soup and radishes, she patted her belly. She was full. After those two had left, the speed that the people on this side ate with also elerated. Before, theyd been controlling it, ~ne. After finishing off a meal, the leftover bones could all be brought over to give to those who had children being fed milk in their families. When they returned, they could cook them twice or more so that the bone marrow inside could either be fed directly to the child or given to the mother to eat, whichever was fine.
They were eating at the manor. Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang here was also eatinga total of six dishes and one soup with four meat dishes and two vegetarian. One of the vegetarian dishes was dressed[3] cucumber strips with mashed garlic[4] added, which had a refreshing taste when eaten. The other one was chicken eggs with stir-fried cucumbers, the clear fragrance pleasing to people. The soup was cucumbers and green garlic[5] soup with an even bnce of saltiness. Song Jing-gong engaged the county magistrate in conversation while drinking wine. The dishes he ate were all basically those four meat dishes and the cucumbers were essentially not touched. After he returned, he could eat however much he wanted to eat so he had no need to struggle against the county magistrate over this mouthful. One and a half of the cucumbers had been dressed, one had been stir-fried with eggs, and half had been simmered into soup. Upon seeing the county magistrate make such calctions, how could he dare eat them? Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang didnt think that much on it as with a beaming face, he said some words on schrly study andposed a poem that he considered to be rather good on the spot. After receiving ttery from Song Jing-gong, he picked up two cucumbers strips to ce into his mouth and carefully savor its taste before he finally broached the main topic. Zijin, ~ah, that manor of yours isnt far from here, right? Yes, Milord speaks correctly. Its not considered far as one day is enough to be able to rush back and forth in a round trip. Song Jing-gong toasted him with wine as he replied. Not far is good, ~ah. Since its not far, have the adept from that manor of yourse over. I wish to meet this person. Magistrate Cheng in fact wanted to get an assistant. If he really could recruit that person by his side, then he himself wouldnt need to worry anymore. Song Jing-gong was frightened as he shivered. To get Little Mister and Little Miss toe in this cold weather, what to do if they were frozen? Moreover, with two little kids that small, if they were really pushed forward, wouldnt that be harmful? Whatever else was said, this couldnt be consented to. Milord, this wont do, ~ah! That persons temper is entric and its only since that manor previously saved his life before so that he arrived here. Student has also never seen his face before. Each time, the talking was done while separated by a screen.[6] How about this? If Milord has any instructions that need to be told to that side, Student will help ry it. Of course, Song Jing-gong knew what the county magistrate wanted to do. The meaning of these words was also clear. Magistrate, if you have something that you need help with, Ill help you go over there to ask. When theye up with an idea, then Ille back here to tell you. Magistrate Chengs expression had a trace of regret. Nodding his head, hedled some soup into his own bowl and drank it all down in one breath before he said: Thats fine. Then, itll be hard on Zijin. Is Zhou Xihu still secured over there? This person Mister Zhou is not bad. Only, there is a shortage of brown sugar in the surrounding area recently. Why doesnt Milord persuade him? If theres too much white sugar, it wont be easy to sell either. After all, the price is high. Oh, Student recalled another matter. That person said that when its New Years, Milord might wish to bring some food and oil to see to the impoverished families within the county. After all, Milord loves the citizenry like his own son and causes the people under Milords governance to also feel the benevolence of the Imperial Court.[7] The manor can take out 1,000 dan [stone] of food and 100 dan [stone] of oil for Milord to spread his virtue. Following this, Song Jing-gong mentioned another matter. This was also previously arranged for. Magistrate Chengs eyes brightened and he certainly understood the meaning of these words. This was to let him political achievements, ~ne. If they really did this, along with the cucumbers that had been sent over, then this years evaluation would certainly be high-grade.[8] That adept really did understand how the world worked. A pity that they couldnte to his side to help him out. Right then, he said: Good. This county, I know. It isnt easy for the people either, ~ah. Especially the families that have those who are ailing. For that manor of yours to do as such, this county, I will remember it all in my heart. I trust that the people will also be endlessly grateful, too. Come, Zijin, eat. Waiting until after theyd more or less eaten their fill, Song Jing-gong took his leave and pledged that two days afterward, arge amount of cucumbers would be sent over so he let Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang set his heart at ease.
The day gradually grewte as each family and household all started to prepare their food. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, the two of them also got busy again as they took up station in the kitchens tomand them as tonights staple food was to be made ording to the intentions of the two of them. The prepared dough was rolled into thin sheets, one after another, and then sliced into string after stringthese were noodles,[9] an item that this side originally already had. Then slicing the well-sauced beef into pieces, they were fried using oil in a pan together with spicy sauce and chicken eggs. cing ayer of cucumber strips and parsley on top of the beef slices and the noodles that had beendled out from the ox bone soup, a serving of beef-fried sauce noodles[10] was finished being made. This time, the beef wasnt cooked to be nearly so tough so the two of them could also eat some as well. Sesame oil[11] was sprinkled on just before it was ced on the table to serve and without even needing any vegetables, it could be eaten withfort. Xiaobao, does anything need to be prepared for New Years? Wang Juan ate together with Zhang Xiaobaos family members so after gulping down a mouthful of noodles into her belly, she asked this using lip speech. Lets make some firecrackers. Make simpler onesuse the proportion of 1 saltpeter to 2 sulfur to 3 charcoal to make them with. Just hearing a bang is fine. Dont want that kind thats 75% but 10 or 15. Zhang Xiaobao hesitated for a bit before he spoke of this idea.
  1. Xiaogou-er () basically means little dog (puppy), child. It is most likely a nickname that was chosen by his parents to confuse any spirits from taking the child away.
  2. Qu yuan li () is the name for the Tang dynasty era improvement made to the heavy plows that had previously been used in ancient China since the Han dynasty. The name itself means bent till plow and refers to the curved mouldboard that made it easier for ancient Chinese farmers to plow thend. Since the mouldboard being curved is the reason for its name, I am tranting this term as curved mouldboard plow or curved plow for short. For diagrams, go to the Baidu pages here and here.
  3. Liang ban () is the Chinese term for dressing a food item (usually vegetables) in sauce and serving them uncooked. This exins why the term basically means cool mix and is basically the closest version of a sd in Chinese cuisine. For some pictures of different types of these dishes, visit the Baidu page here.
  4. Suan ni () literally means garlic mud but basically refers to garlic that has been crushed until it is like mud. It was used medicinally as well as for consumption purposes. For a picture of what it looks like, go to the Baidu page here.
  5. Suan miao () literally means garlic sprouts though the sprout or stalk that grow out of garlic bulbs are referred to as scapes in English. They can be tranted as leeks due to the close rtionship that garlics have with them being from the same genus but these are specifically garlics that have been allowed to grow past the bulb stage and into the scallion stage (scallions tending to be a generic term for the immature shoots of the bulbed vegetables of the Allium genus). Because of this, they can also be referred to as green garlic or qing suan (). To avoid confusion with cong/ which specifically refers to the Allium fistulosum that Id previously tranted as scallion, I will be tranting suan miao () as green garlic.
  6. Ping feng () literally means shield wind and is usually known as folding screen in English because of how many of them were designed to fold like ordions. Screens first originated in ancient China as a single-paneled version during the Zhou dynasty before their folded version were invented during the Han dynasty. A few centuriester, this furniture design was then exported elsewhere in Asia before being imported into Europe starting in the 17th century as part of the Chinoiserie movement. Chinese screens could be made up of single panels but the type that grew popr during the Tang dynasty were the folding type screens where several single panels that were beautifully decorated were hinged together. Screens were typically used as room dividers and/or privacy screens in Asia. These screens were usually made from either wood or paper and silk with thetter two materials causing the screens to have some degree of transparency, causing the screens to be more art pieces than full-on privacy screens. The paper and silk screens tended to serve as canvases for schrs in disying their calligraphy and painting skills. Screens were also amon way to disy embroidered art. Byoubu (/) are the Japanese incarnation of folding screens. You can see different examples of Chinese screens on the Baidu page here.
  7. Chao Ting () literally means dynasty court and refers to the seat of government for ancient China. This is a term that can be used to refer to the imperial government in the abstract sense (i.e. decrees orws that affect the entire nation down to the local level) or specifically to point at the highest levels of authority that included the Emperor, Chancellor, and senior ministers. Technically, local authorities were considered part of the imperial government but were also separate from it because they were the hands on governors but not the ruling administrators. This is simr to how the local or state government in the U.S. can be representative of American government in general but thebel of the U.S. government tends to refer specifically to only the federal level of government.
  8. Magistrate Cheng is referring to the yearly evaluation all officials were subjected to that formed arge basis for deciding whether theyd get promoted, demoted, or continue serving. Naturally, a lot of politics and behind the scenes string pulling was done before the results were decided on since it was usually a subjective assessment done by the officials superiors. This is why bribery and toadying were part of the usual operating procedure for officials in ancient China.
  9. Mian tiao () literally means dough strings and generically refers to Chinese noodles that are typically used in soup noodle dishes. There are regional variations on the recipe, leading to different specialty noodles, but this is general name that they would be categorized under in Chinese. Sometimes, noodles can be referred to as simply mian/ which can be confusing because that is also how the dough or flour can be referred to in Chinese. For pictures, you can visit the Baidu page here.
  10. Zhajiang mian () is a Chinese dish that is made using noodles topped by a deep-fried sauce or zhajiang (). The sauce that is fried can vary depending on the region and is traditionally one that uses beef or pork in the preparation though vegetarian or seafood versions exist too. Other ingredients can be added to the dish in addition to the sauce. In this case, cucumbers were added on top of the sauce being fried up with some beef. Jajangmyeon (/) is the Korean version of this dish.
  11. The Chinese text uses xiang you () or fragrant oil, which is another name for sesame oil or zhi ma you ().
Book 1: Chapter 41 Book 1: Chapter 41 Selling Vegetables By The County Seats Entrance Idlers Note: First post of the month! Im toying with making a Discord channel but I dont know if it would be useful or needed. What do you guys think? Also, I will be clearing out the chapter queue so keep your eyes peeled for an extra release courtesy of the kind readers who contributed to sponsor it!
The sky was ck and the clouds dark as the flying snow flooded the air with the blowing wind tinting their appearance. Kaiyuan year 2, the 26th of the 12th lunar month,[1] three days after the Little New Year[2] had passed, winters fourth snowfall floated downward. This snowfall was a bit heavier than the several ones prior as sheet after sheet fell down like scraps of paper. Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang was the busiest these days as not only did the affairs of the yamen [govt. offices] have to be arranged for, he also had to help sell the cucumbers as the over 5,000 catties of cucumbers that had been umted had to be sold off over these next few days. These had all been transported over here by Song Jing-gong sessively for these past few days. Other than these cucumbers that had to be sold off, there were also 200 catties that had been left solely to Magistrate Cheng. As for who he gave them to, that wasnt anything anyone else should control. When it had reached noon, Cheng Lingxiang donned his official robes[3] and led a group of his subordinates to the site of a warehouse in the county. These people from the yamen [govt. offices] up to now still didnt know what the Lord Magistrate wanted to do. They had all gone on holiday here but they had still been called out here. Following the warehouse door opening with a squeaking zhi-ya-ya sound, countless baskets that had been woven out of bamboo appeared in front of their eyes. Cheng Lingxiang knew that there were cucumbers that had been processed using some preservation methods and the older ones were all over a dozen days old with the fresh ones having just been shipped over here this morning. Milord, you [honorific] called us over here just for the sake of looking at these baskets? Sanshui County Deputy Magistrate[4] Zhang Mingsheng[5] asked what everyone else was thinking in their hearts. Cheng Lingxiang enigmatically shook his head and used one of his hands to point at one of the baskets: Someonee and open up the basket. Over there, person naturally came forward to carefully open up one of the baskets in front of them. What appeared in front of their eyes was ayer of silk. Turning their head to look at the Lord Magistrate, they with his encouragement lifted away thisyer of silk only to suddenly cry out uncontrobly in astonishment. Only to see that under this silk were cucumbers bearing flowers and thorns on top that had been neatly stacked in ce one after another. They turned their head around to look at the snow that was still drifting about outside. This person felt like they themselves hadnt gotten the season wrong as it really was winter. But the cucumbers in front of their eyes were also not fake. Mi-Milord, cucumbers, this, these are all cucumbers? This person turned his head to look at the Lord Magistrate, stammering a bit as he spoke yet still seeming to wish to receive confirmation from the county magistrates mouth. Unh, they are cucumbers. These are all cucumbers with a total of over 5,000 catties. The Heavens sent down an auspicious favor, ~ah. There is a manor that actually had those cucumbers vines that originally should have died bear new cucumbers. Yesterday night, this official, I already wrote the imperial report.[6] After a while, I will have someone send it out. What Cheng Lingxiang wanted was this kind of result. Back when he first saw the cucumbers and was clear on which season it was, he was also like this. Seeing this, his own surprise back then wasnt so excessive; other people were also the same way. The other people from the yamen [govt. offices] also stepped forward in session to look as each and every one wanted to use their hands to touch them but feared that theyd knock off the thorns and flowers on top of the cucumbers. So they all deeply inhaled there to enjoy the aroma that the cucumbers brought along with them. Deputy Magistrate carefully used his hand to pinch the bottom part of a cucumber to raise in front of his face to take a closer look. Then, sticking his nose closer to smell it, he nodded: An auspicious favor, it really is an auspicious favor. Just dont know which manor has had an auspicious favor appear? Which manor is not urgent at this time. By then, everyone will naturally know. Right now, help this official, I carry the cucumbers out; well take to the streets to sell them at 1 catty for 30 wen [cash]. At most, 5 catties can be bought at one time. If they wish to buy more, they will have to line up in the back. Magistrate Cheng didnt wish to let other people know of Zhang Manors location right now. There, some cucumbers could still be produced, ~ne. If there were to be people who went investigating right now, that side would immediately make all of the cucumbers vines die off. Itd be a pity. At this moment, what needed to be done was to help with selling them off. 30 wen [cash] for 1 catty was the price that the adept over there had set. Theyd initially agreed that people with no money wouldnt enjoy this stuffeven if you were to sell them at 10 wen [cash] for 1 catty, thered still be no one whod be willing to buy them. People with money didnt care if it was 10 wen [cash] or 30 wen [cash]. This was still the price for a single day today in order to allow some of the people buying them to take them back to try first. Only the earliest 2,000 catties had been brought out to sell today. If they werentpletely sold off, then tomorrow itd be for 50 wen [cash]; the day after would be 80 wen [cash]; the next day after that would be 100 wen [cash]. The closer it got to the New Year, the higher the price would get. Milord, to do this doesnt seem to be good. Were all government officials of the Imperial Court; if we go selling vegetables, this will get us impeached[7] by others. Deputy Magistrate, upon hearing that he himself and these people would need to personally sell cucumbers, felt that it was a bit difficult on his face so tried persuasion beside him. How is it selling vegetables, ~ne? What were selling are auspicious favors. Quickly go get the scale.[8] That kind that can measure up to 1 qian [mace] in weight is needed. Carry out 2,000 catties for this official, I and move them to the yamen [govt. offices] entrance. This official, I want to promote the auspicious favors there for the sake of the Imperial Court. Cheng Lingxiang had already considered this point well in advance so he simply didnt even mention the matter of selling the vegetables. But Milord, this price is also a bit too expensive. Deputy Magistrate was still a bit hesitant. Cheng Lingxiang red at him: Whats to say its selling? Speaking to you guys, its selling but to the outside, its not selling. Its givinggiving auspicious favors. Those people spending money are requesting auspicious favors and at 30 wen [cash] for 1 catty, they can receive them. Understood. The other people all understood. The Lord Magistrate here was ying a pretty handhed have the reputation as well as the fortune. The Deputy Magistrate also couldnt deny it that this truly was a good excuse. So he focused his attention on the saleoh, nothe matter of the gifted money. Milord, dont know the money gained after theyre all given away, will it? Will it be fine to just give that manor a little bit? When Cheng Lingxiang heard the Deputy Magistrates words, he instinctively retreated a step as if afraid of being implicated by the Deputy Magistrate. How could he dare touch that sum of money? He didnt fear that manor; he feared that adept. This money added up was several hundred taels. They were waiting for the New Year, ~ne. If it really got embezzled, those consequences Upon thinking of this, he red at the Deputy Magistrate and said: This money all has to be given to that manor. We are government officials who are promoting the benevolence of the Imperial Court a little and only have auspicious favor. Wait until the day of the 30th; everyone will still have to go out with me. That manor is virtuous and took out on their own 1,000 dan [stone] of food and 100 piculs [hundredweight][9] of vegetable oil to let us all show kindness to the impoverished families of the county. Milord, we understand. Deputy Magistrate had finally cleared it up here now. The Lord Magistrate had already talked it over with that manor; by then, theyd help the countye out with an auspicious favor and even gave a chance to political achievements. Once the matter was decided, the people of the yamen [govt. offices] began to act as they moved basket after basket of cucumbers to ce into the horse carriage outside that had followed them here. A basket was around 50 catties and they moved a total of 40 baskets. They didnt need other people to remind them and were consciously careful. 30 wen [cash], ~ah! A single cucumber could be exchanged for several dou [gallon][10] of rice. The snow outside didnt show any signs of stopping though it did allow the weather to not be so cold. Fourrge carriages hauling the cucumbers returned to the front of the county seat where someone had already taken out the scale and prepared to start selling. Everyone was rather not concerned about them not selling. Dont just look at how scarily expensive they were. To eat cucumbers in the heavy winter, that was a rather unique thing. People with money were plentiful; what fear was there that they wouldnt spend the money to buy them? It was only that these people were all thinking that since the cucumbers were so expensive, if their own families were to buy 2 catties, whether theyd be willing or not. Really wanted to eat them, ~ah! Unh, the person from that manor said that everyone here and this official, I have managed the people in the county with hard effort and high merit so wait until the selling is finished on the 29th of the 12th lunar month and every person will be able to bring 5 catties of cucumbers home. Its New Years so try something fresh. Cheng Lingxiang seemed to understand his subordinates thinking and began to leisurely speak there while at the same time, he sighed over Zhang Manor knowing how to act.[11] Last time when giving him silver, they were like this. This time, they were also like so. When everyone heard this, they all grew happy while being simultaneously surprised at the generosity of that manor. The entire yamen [govt. offices] added up was a hundred or more people, ~ah! And they directly gave away so much. Theyd wait until after they found out which familys manor it was; when there were problems, whatever help was needed, theyd have to help out with. Cheng Lingxiang observed his subordinates expressions with satisfaction as he continued to speak: That manor also said that to just have vegetables isnt enough. Every person will also bring home 3 catties of vegetable oil and 5 catties of carrots. After returning, those carrots will need to be fried using oil as they said that they are good for the body. Dont eat them together with other radishes and they also shouldnt be eaten when drinking wine. Everybody nodded their heads in session. Of course, they knew of those carrots and vegetable oil, especially how the carrots were to be eaten. Earlier, the people selling them had already advised that eating them when drinking wine, it actually was nothing. It was just that there was a possibility of getting sick. At the same time, the prices of these two types of things were all not cheapespecially those carrots at 20 wen [cash] for 1 catty. Only a little was sold to the restaurants each day. Looking at it here, this vegetable oil, cucumbers, spicy sauce, and carrots all should have originated from one family, Zhang Manor. This time, they had all guessed it but when they looked at the Lord Magistrates eyes and the good stuff that they got from this time, each and every one of them all chose to be oblivious. They werent foolish, either. They knew that once this matter was spread, then Zhang Manor wouldnt do well. If the manor wasnt doing well, then did they still want to get any stuff in the future? Magistrate Cheng regretted it after he finished speaking. Theyd already told him in advance to speak of the matter of the carrots and vegetable oil on the final day. In the end, he hadnt been able to hold himself back at the moment. So seeing that each and every one of his subordinates all seemed to understand, he could only add: The people of that manor also dont have it easy. Wait until the 29th, the items will be given to you all together then. When you go home, bring them out to let your family members taste them. If you have close rtives and good friends, you can have another sort of dish when dining, too. These words were spoken extremely clearly. When you go home, you can show off but you cant speak of the manor even to friends and rtives. Everybody naturally nodded and agreed. Finished with these dealings, a basket full of cucumbers was opened. The constables[12] of the yamen [govt. offices] didnt require instructions and straight away began to call out: Auspicious favors! Our dynastys auspicious favors! Winter cucumbers! Fellow vigers should alle and see! Just 30 wen [cash] for 1 catty and you can invite it into your homes. Selling cucumbers in heavy winter by the entrance of the yamen [govt. offices]this was something new. Just after a voice yelled out, quite a few people suddenly gathered around with a hua sound to watch.
Xiaobao, add a bit less gunpowderthe strength is too much. Come over and help me make the wicks. Within Zhang Manor, Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao both found an extremely isted room and were currently inside making firecrackers with Shiliu. It was snowing outside and the sky was overcast so it was a bit dark inside the room but they all didnt dare to light even a singlemp. All of the tables, stools, and other things inside the room had been moved out so that it was empty with only four walls and a t ground. On the ground, paper that had already been cut was ced. There was also some powdery stuff evenly mixed out of the three items of sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal. Shiliu wrapped a bit more powder inside therger papers while on that side, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan packed these powders into some narrow papers. Once one was packed, some more powder was rolled onto the exterior. Zhang Xiaobao helped Wang Juan make several pieces before going over there again to roll firecrackers. Inside one, quite a few had already been rolled up and more was still being ced. When he was pulled back over again by Wang Juan, he continued to make wicks.
  1. La yue () means sacrificial month and refers to the yearly ritual in which sacrifices are made to the ancestors that urred around this time period. La yue () is the name for the 12th lunar month within the traditional Chinese calendar, which is also known as the farming calendar or nong li (). This is also the month that the Laba Festival () is celebrated, which is on the 8th of the month and exins the Chinese name since it means sacrificial 8. Laba congee () is traditionally prepared (with recipes that varied depending on the family and region), shared, and eaten during this festival.
  2. Xiao nian () means little year as in Little New Year because it is a celebration that is only surpassed by the one for New Years and usually refers to a traditional Chinese holiday that marks the beginning of the festivities for the uing New Year, which is simr in nature to the Advent of Christmas in the West. It can be tranted as Preliminary Eve for this reason. In northern China, the date of this holiday is set to be the 23rd of the 12th lunar month while in southern China, it is the 24th. This is also when the Kitchen God (Zao Shen/) or Kitchen Lord (Zao Jun/) is worshipped as he is believed to protect the household and family. Most importantly though, this is when he is known to leave for the Celestial Court in order to make his annual report on the familys deeds to the Jade Emperor (with the help of his wifes notes) so a part of the celebrations for the Preliminary Eve or Little New Year usually entailed offering food and incense to him as well as smearing honey on the lips of his paper effigy in a ritualistic act of bribery. This holiday is thus also known as Ji Zao Jie () or Kitchen Offering Festival.
  3. Guan Fu () or official clothes are the robes that served as uniforms for the government officials and made them easy to tell apart from the popce. The mandarin squares or rank badges signifying the officials level would not be on Magistrate Chengs robes though as they only started appearing during the Yuan dynasty as decorations before being formalized as official insignia in the Ming Dynasty. Gwanbok (/) are the Korean adaptation of this kind of attire. For some pictures of what the official robes might have looked like over the ages, go to the Baidu page here.
  4. Xian Cheng () literally means county assistant/deputy and is the position that is second inmand to the county magistrate. They were normally in charge of clerical work and supervising the county warehouses. Hence, I have tranted this term as deputy magistrate.
  5. Zhang Mingsheng () is surnamed Zhang/ (the same as Xiaobao) and his given name of Mingsheng () means brightness rising.
  6. Zou zhe () were formal reports sent by the official to the Emperor. The name literally means imperial memorial/report, folded/bent because these papers were usually folded for the sake of the Emperors reading convenience. Other names in Chinese that they could be called by were zhezi (), zou zhang () and zou tie (). Technically, this was a Qing dynasty improvement on the existing historical system of zhang biao () or essay report, which were a way for feudal vassals to either thank their lord for their benevolence in essaypositions (zhang/) and/or to inform their lord of something in reports (biao/). The Han dynasty implemented them as formal essays that were written in ssical Chinese to be submitted to superiors that was ostensibly a right avable to anyone since it was meant to serve as an alternative way of providing oversight and reporting grievances against corrupt officials. However, more often than not, these reports were controlled or monitored by a corresponding bureaucratic office and prevented this petition system from being open to the public. The Qing dynasty implementation provided the Emperor with an alternative source of information that came directly from all levels of the government tobat the excessive filtering of information that urred with normal official reports that traveled up the bureaucratic chain. These reports are typically tranted as memorial to the throne/Emperor but for the sake of brevity, I will trante them as imperial reports. I will just assume that the author is referring to the pre-Qing version and is only using the term that modern Chinese people would be more familiar with to refer to it
  7. Tan he () is the process through which officials of ancient China could be used of wrongdoing by their peers, which could not only include currently serving officials but also those who had retired from political life in good standing and thus still retained the ability to petition the Emperor or Imperial Court. There were also schr-gentry members and nobles who received high enough honorary titles to gain the ability to submit imperial reports or petitions though they might not have ever served within the government. The crimes that an official could be used of or impeached for could range in severity since they could be for petty mistakes or crimes that were outright treason so the level of punishments given if the official was found guilty could vary as well. The least severe punishment might be a sry fine but the worst sentence might result in not only the officials execution for a capital offense but also the death or exile of their extended family and/or n. Because it is more of a judicial and legal process within the system that serves police government officials and thus separate and different from the process through which court cases were opened due to a petition by amoner, I will be tranting this term as impeachment. Note that because of how the process is reliant on a peer starting it, situations where innocent officials were falsely used could ur, especially since innocent until proven guilty wasnt really a basic principle of the Chinese legal system. The nature of ancient Chinese politics meant that the user starting the impeachment process could be motivated by a number of reasons such as being part of an opposing political faction, a preemptive strike to prevent their own impeachment, getting rid of a rival, for personal profit or gain, etc. This provided great fodder for a lot of drama in Chinese historical fiction.
  8. Cheng/ (or cheng/) was the traditional Chinese bnce scale that wasmonly used in the markets. It typically had a hook at one end from which the item being weighed would be suspended with the other end reserved for the counterweight to use to determine how heavy the object was. A lighter handheld rod version might be used when weighing herbs for use in traditional Chinese medicine. These type of scales are called steelyard bnces or Roman steelyards in English. For pictures of what they look like, click [1], [2], [3], or go to the Baidu page here.
  9. Dan/ is usually tranted as picul, which is a word with Javanese origins. This is a traditional Chinese measurement unit for mass and it is usually equated to equal 100 catties (50 kilograms or ~110 pounds). Because it is close to 100 pounds, it is also known as the Chinese hundredweight. Confusingly, a dan/ or stone can also be used simrly as a volume/mass unit and is usually equated with 120 catties (~160 pounds or ~70 kilograms). Since the author previously used dan/ to list how much vegetable oil is involved, he likely made a typo here. It is just that I am not sure as to which unit he ultimately intended to use here.
  10. Dou/ is a traditional Chinese unit of measure for volume that was typically used to measure items like cereal grains. Since the traditional dou/ was around ~10 liters or ~2 gallons, itter became standardized to equal 10 liters and 2.64 gallons (U.S.) or 2.20 gallons (Imperial) as the market dou or shi dou (). Ive noted gallon in an editorial aside in text as a reminder for its purpose since conversion of Chinese traditional units is usually a bit difficult to pin down.
  11. Hui zuo ren () basically trantes to knows how to be a person and is one of those Chinese expressions that doesnt seem to have a specific literary origin though I did find a bunch of Chinese self-help books on how to be a sess with this phrase as part of their titles. Its basically a descriptor for someone who knows how to function well as a person and as a member of society because they havemon sense, know how to read the mood, knows the rules, etc. For brevitys sake, Ive tranted this as knows how to act.
  12. Ive tranted ya yi () as constables due to the rudimentaryw-keeping roles that ya yi () had so they can be considered an ancient Chinese version of police officers. Both terms have simr service origins in their etymology since the word of constable evolved from the name of a job position that worked the stables while ya yi () literally trantes to public servant. These were positions where men were hired to do a number of tasks that included being couriers, running errands for the officials, patrolling the area, acting as bailiffs when a court session was held, being wardens of the local jail, guarding the officials and offices, or serving as makeshift troops and riot police for times of unrest or attack. Basically, they could be responsible for any of a broad range of rtively unskilled or physicalbor needed outside of their main job of acting as servants and assistants to the officials. So they are sometimes referred to as runners or gofers. However, since ya yi () were not part of the army in ancient China and their level of organization were highly dependent on the officials in charge, I opted not to use officer or service man as the trantion choice. For pictures of what they might have looked like, go to the baidu page here. The fictional character of Zhan Zhao () would probably be considered an heroic version of a constable before he received the title of a 4th ranked Imperial Guard (For pictures of the different adaptation of this charcter, go to the Baidu page here or image gallery here).
Book 1: Chapter 42 Book 1: Chapter 42 People Are Buying Astronomically Priced Cucumbers Idlers Note: This is an extra chapter that was generously sponsored by Jacques L. and Alex T. so please thank them for their contribution and making this chapter possible! Thank you so much! If you are interested in helping me out so I can devote more time out of my schedule to tranting additional chapters, please look at the different ways you can contribute . You can alsoment, like, and subscribe as well as share and rmend to people who would enjoy reading it.
Little Miss, what item are we making right now? The skys so dark, why cant we light amp? Shiliu ced some powder into the paper before cing it inside the little strip that Little Mister and the both of them had already made over there, rolling up the paper ording to how Wang Juan had taught her. For this entire morning, nearly 1,000 had already been made and they were still continuing to make them so this caused Shiliu to be confused. Itll be used for New Years time; its to rece the exploding bamboo.[1] They dont need to be thrown into the fire. Just light them up for a bit and theyll make a pi-pa sound. Shiliu, these things that you went to go buy, you must not tell anyone else, ~oh. Once this stuff meets with a bit of fire, itll instantly burn up. Lighting amp will get us all burned to death. Wang Juan made another string of wick and ced it gently to the side as she exined it to Shiliu. She knew a bit more about gunpowder than Zhang Xiaobao did. If she was willing to, she could even make an improvised bomb[2] of great power. Shiliu only knew a bit here and hadnt been able topletelyprehend it as shed never had any contact with it before so she nodded and pledged: Little Miss, you [honorific] rest assured. I definitely wont tell anyone else. Not even to my family members will I say anything. This stuff has an even bigger sound than exploding bamboo? Bigeven bigger than an exploding bamboo thats had salt added and been thrown into the fire. If this stuff is made bigger, it can blow up and kill people. Zhang Xiaobao also finished making a strip and ced it together with Wang Juans. His face and head as well as clothes were all stained with gunpowder but he didnt dare reach out a hand to brush it off and even more, didnt dare use his hand to scratch his head. Xiaobao, do all of the peasant families need to be given cucumbers? Will they talk? Wang Juan also felt like this work was too dull. If it werent for her and Zhang Xiaobao and it had been any other child, they wouldnt be repetitively doing a single thing for an entire morning. Giveof course, they have to be given. They already knew early on what was being grown there. Its the Great New Years[3] so they all want to eat something fresh. If they really were to b, would they be able to wait till now? Im looking at them as all not that badpopr support can be used. Wait until next year. Well work hard together to make their lives even better. Right now, Zhang Xiaobao was extremely envious of the people in this day and age. Those who nted thend really were too honest. If you gave them a little reward, then they would remember it; if there was just a little hope in living, then they would stake their lives on doing so. Each and every family and household of the two manors all actually didnt lock their doorshe really didnt know how the people of the two manors had been selected before theyd arrived. Wang Juan, seeing that the wick had been more or less done, also stopped to rest. Thinking of the two families having so many people and yet didnt have any disagreements, she also felt like happiness wasnt anything more than this. Thinking on it for a bit, she then asked: Xiaobao, that curved plow has already been confirmed to not exist yet. Youre expecting to use this thing to increase productivity? Think of some more ideas. Are there any better ways? Yes. Zhang Xiaobao sank into thought for a while before he finally spat out a word. Then, he said: We can have them save the seeds for some of those individual nts with good yields. After a few generations like this, high-yield variants will be able to appear and not be that unstable. Theres also another way. Wait until after New Years and have Erniu bring two people to go on a trip to Shandong, which is over there in the Henan Circuit.[4] Buy some stones back here and ce them in the fields. We can also use them to drink water and bathe with. They can even be fed to animals like oxen or horses. Just dont know if Erniu will be able to find them. What stone? They can be ced in thends and can be eaten, too? Wang Juan really didnt know what stone had this many capabilities. Wheatrice stone.[5] I remember there are three cesthe other areas I cant remember anymoreShandong, Liaoning,[6] and Mongolia.[7] This stuff is just like saline solution. Dont just look at how small of a proportion it has but the effect it produces is quiterge. This I do know about. So it was this kind of stone. In the past when I showered, they had this specific sort and the ces that make mineral water also had it. Dont go to Mongolia as its too dangerousthe Gokturks[8] are upying it, ~ne. Lets go to Shandong. Whats it called? Henan Circuit? There a more specific location, ~ne? Wang Juan was familiar with it once she heard this name. The ces it could be used were indeed very much so she rather agreed to it. Dont know. Who knows the specific location? Originally didnt think of this stuff and asionally learned about it so that I had a bit of an impression here. Whenever I was outside, I drank only natural soda water, the taste of which when its drunk isnt even that goodits not even as tasty as the water from that river in back of the orphanage before it was polluted, ~ne. Zhang Xiaobao exasperatedly curled his lips as he thought of that river back then and felt a little uneasy in his heart. The water had been polluted;ter, the factory had also closed down.[9] Fine, if you dont know, then you dont know. Shiliu, lets stop for a bit. Lets eat. Today, make some more cucumbers and dip it in sauce to eat. Also, dont forget the meat broth. Wang Juan wasnt ready to continue thinking on these matters either as she gave an order before going outside with Zhang Xiaobao. Shiliu put down the work in her hands and exited the roomst to lock the door. After arranging for Little Mister the both of them to wash up, she then went to the kitchens to make the arrangements.
Cucumbers, cucumbers in the winter! Our dynastys auspicious favor! Everyone quicklye over to invite it home to eat! Its the New Year! Eat some fresh cucumbers! In Sanshui County, located by the yamen [govt. office] entrance, the constables were still taking turns shouting. In the beginning, there was nobody buying it as the people who came over to watch themotion werent affluent so when they heard that it was 30 wen [cash] to buy 1 catty of cucumbers, they had all been fearfully shocked. It really was too expensive. During the summer, 1 wen [cash] money could buy 3 catties and one chicken could get quite a few in trade so who would be willing to use 30 wen [cash] to buy several cucumbers? Magistrate Cheng and these people were in no hurry though as they hadnt expected for thesemoners to buy it. As long as they came by to surround them, it was fine. By then, thered naturally be a few servants from the other families who would learn of the news. Sure enough, after yelling for an hour, there were two people who walked over here. From the attire on their bodies, one could tell that they were servants of wealthy families. The two people squeezed up front and looked at the cucumbers, nodding their heads before shaking their heads. One of the people said: Its all right. Its not missing the flowers or thorns. Just feel like its not that green. 30 wen [cash] for 1 catty is a bit expensive, ~ah. As they spoke, this person raised their head to nce at the constable selling the cucumbers, their eyes containing a different sort of content. The constable understood it with just one look. This was to let him lower the price for them so that they could keep that portion of the money. The constable had this kind of insight as well. Without even needing to turn his head to ask the Lord Magistrate, this constable straightforwardly said: 30 wen [cash], you can only invite 5 catties at one time. Auspicious favorshow can they be haggled over? The constable essentially disregarded that demeanor of this person like they were a superior person of the first order. The other people next to him was also like so. Furthermore, there was a constable to the side who chimed in and said: This type of thing isnt something that can be invited by ordinary families. Auspicious favor, ~ah! Can ordinary folks withstand it? These words were to deliberately belittle the identities of these two people. Sure enough, once the two people heard these words, their expressions changed. This was just like theyd been insulted. That person who hadnt spoken yet spoke up at this time: Dont presume that you guys are of the yamen [govt. office], do you guys know what people we are? What people? People who arent even able to invite auspicious favorswhat people can that even be? Of this countys auspicious favor, Milord has already sent up a report. Not to mention you but whoeveres here, its all at this price. Only 5 catties can be invited at one time. You want more? Line up. Normally, the constable would be a bit worried but today, he basically didnt even need to think. Whod dare to look for trouble at this time? Not talking about anything else but the people above would also know all the same. Kaiyuan year 2, the current Holy Highness[10] was waiting for the good news, ~ne. Magistrate Cheng hadnt gone inside and had continued standing outside. It wasnt that it wasnt cold outside. Since it was an auspicious favor, then it would only do for him to set an example. At this time, he also opened his mouth to speak. How can such auspicious favors be bargained and haggled over? Truly such profanity! Today, no matter how much money you offer, inviting it wont be at all possible. Seeing that the county magistrate didnt even bother to ask what both of their identities were, the two people were ratherpletely deted. They originally had thought to get some benefits but who knew that itd be like this? The two of them werent people who expressly went out to purchase supplies and had simply run across this. When the people in supply procurement for the mansion came over and bought it back, then once the Master of the mansion ate it, there definitely would be a reward. It wouldnt do to just miss such an opportunity in vain. The attitude of the person who had spoken first changed as a smile appeared on their face: Auspicious favorit indeed is an auspicious favor. Before, we two were kidding with everyone for augh, ~ne. How could we bargain? 30 wen [cash] for 5 cattiesinvite, we certainly must invite it. Load us up with 5 catties first. Seeing him speak like this, the constable also didnt know whether to sell it or not and turned their head to look toward the Lord Magistrate. Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang also considered it for a bit. Just before, the words had already been spoken out loud so it wasnt good to just sell it right away. But if it wasnt sold, theyd genuinely offend people and furthermore, these two people were the first toe buying. So thinking on it slightly, he said: Unh, since you two sincerely wish to invite it, then stand to the side and wait for someone to finish their inviting. Lets see whether or not under the snow, you two people are sincere and then, well talk again. Once those two people heard this, they finally rxed in relief. They also understand that those words that had been spoken just before had been too absolute[11] so naturally, it wasnt possible to instantly change their minds. To have the two of them stand in the heavy snow to wait was the best way to deal with the matter of the auspicious favor and them. They no longer dared to say anything more. The second one to buy was the second one to buy. It was always better than giving the opportunity to another. So they docilely stood by the sidelines, allowing the heavy snow to continuously drift down on their bodies. Here were people who wanted to buy it so the surroundingmoners also didnt wish to leave either as they wanted to see just how many people there were whod buy such an expensive thing. Or rather, it could be said to invite. Things really did stack up. Before, there had been two people who wanted to buy it and following afterward, there was another person who came over to inquire after the price. They were probably a maidservant as their body was actually d in silk clothing all over. Once they squeezed inside, they saw that there were actually cucumbers being sold; then hearing the price, they didnt even say a second word and threw out 1 silver tael. Good. The auspicious favors good. Ill first invite 20 catties. Just this much money. The surrounding section eximed in amazement. This truly was too much money to be had. Theyd actually used 1 silver tael to buy 20 catties. The constable also hesitated again, unsure whether it should or shouldnt be sold. It was Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang who had a solution: Here, Miss, only 5 catties of these auspicious favors can be invited at one time. Miss can first buy 5 catties and wait till other people line up to buy it before Miss buys more. During the time it took to speak, the constable had already weighed out 5 catties and also weighed 5 catties for those two people. He waited for those two people to leave before he then weighed 5 catties for the maiden. After asking if there was anyone who was inviting it and the surrounding people didnt reply, it was easier to do this now as he gave 5 catties twice in session to this maiden and that was considered as having lined up. Taking the cucumbers, the maiden gave a slight smile: Many thanks. To still be able to get cucumbers in winter, Milord Magistrate indeed has good abilities. Wait until I return to inform Master Yu.[12] The surrounding people didnt have any more people saying anything about whatever high price at this time. There really were people buying it and even people who overpaid in price. Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang gave a look at the constable and the constable once again began to shout: Auspicious favors! Winters auspicious favor! Our dynastys auspicious favor!
  1. Baozhu () literally means exploding bamboo and though it now refers to firecrackers in modern Chinese, Xiaobao is using this term literally here though because before firecrackers were invented along with fireworks and gunpowder during the Tang dynasty, ancient Chinese people would heat up bamboo so that itd make exploding sounds. This predecessor to the firecracker then got phased out and supnted by the firecracker once it got invented though the name itself was retained over time. Obviously, the author is using artistic license here so that Xiaobao and Juan-Juan are now the first people in China to make firecrackers instead of when it was supposed to be first invented.
  2. Tu zha dan () literally means earth bomb and is actually an abbreviation for tu zhi zha dan (), which means earth-made bomb. This makes more sense once you realize that tu zhi () basically means primitive or improvised in Chinese as it is used to describe making something using makeshift materials or methods. Since tu zhi zha dan () is actually a synonym of the Chinese term for IEDs (), Ive chosen to trante tu zha dan () as improvised bomb.
  3. Since theres a Little New Year, the actual New Year would sometimes be referred to as the Great New Year or Da Guo Nian () to differentiate the actual day of the New Year.
  4. Henan Dao () or the Henan Circuit is an administrative division of ancient China during the Tang dynasty. These circuits were inspection areas that imperial officials patrolled and whose boundaries were determined based on the ease at whichmunication with the imperial capital could be maintained. The Henan Circuit epassed arge geographical area and included what is now modern-day Henan (), Shandong (), northern Jiangsu (), and northern Anhui ().
  5. I tranted Maifanshi () literally because there is no real equivalent name in English for this type of stone. It was likely so named because of its appearance and use as it is a rock that is dappled in appearance due to its heterogeneousposition and was also suitable for human consumption. It was made up of several types of minerals, which include feldspar, hornblende, biotite, and others. Other elements these rocks contained were calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, copper, and seleniumall essential nutrients for humans. So it is actually a type of rock that contains a mix ofponents that are considered beneficial for medicinal or nutritional use in Asia, which is why such stones are used in water filtration or for health purposes. They are also made into various tools and utensils such as cups, pots, or bowls, etc. For pictures on what they look like, please visit the Baidu page here. For the sake of limiting the pinyin used for Chinese terms and since there is no existing technical/scientific name in English for it, I will be tranting the Chinese name for this stone as wheatrice stone.
  6. Liaoning () is a modern-day province of China that was the southernmost part of Manchuria and is also known as the Golden Triangle in Chinese due to its strategic location (though that is a nickname shared by a number of other geographical ces). Its name is derived frombining the character of liao/ from the river that flows through it, Liao River (), and the character of ning/ as in pacified because of the conquest required to im this area due to its turbulent history. Liaoning is a geographical area that has belonged to many different parties in the past before as it was territory belonging to the Zhou and Han dynasties as well as subsequently part of several Korean kingdoms such as Gojoseon (/), Goguryeo (/), and Balhae (/) in addition to having once been ruled over by the Khitan, Jurchen, and Mongols before it ultimately returned to Chinese control in the 20th century.
  7. Menggu () is the Chinese name for Mongolia, which is sometimes referred to by the name of its historical predecessor Outer Mongolia or Wai Menggu () in contrast to the Chinese autonomous region of Inner Mongolia or Nei Menggu ().
  8. Tujue () is the Chinese name for the group of people known as the Gokturks who are also known as the Celestial Turks, Blue Turks, or Kok Turks. The Gokturk rulers, the Ashina n, established the Turkic Khaganate, which controlled a great expanse of the Silk Road, before it got split apart into the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates. They eventually got subjugated by the Tang dynasty under the rule of Emperor Taizong leading to his gaining an additional title of Tian Kehan () or Heavenly Khagan. Though they ended up seeding in rebelling against the Tang dynasty to form a Second Turkic Khaganateter on, they were ultimately defeated and supnted by the Uyghurs and the Uyghur Khaganate.
  9. The Chinese used here was huang le () or yellowed which is referring to green nts yellowing, withering, and then dying. So anything that is referred to have yellowed in Chinese like a deal or a business, it basically means that it died or failed.
  10. Sheng shang () is one of the styles that the Emperor of China might be referred to by and literally means holy up as in holy on high so it is usually tranted as Holy Highness. If youre wondering why it sounds like something you would call the Pope, this is because the Emperor of China was considered to be the Son of Heaven or Tianzi () who ruled by divine favor, which is in turn based off of the Mandate of Heaven or Tian Ming () that determined whether a dynasty had the right to rule and exined the rise, fall, and subsequent session of different ruling houses in ancient Chinas history.
  11. The words used in the original text are spoken dead as in the words were spoken dead or shuo si () which is a Chinese idiom for speaking with absolute certainty and leaving no wriggle room or space to bargain with like it was set in stone and inescapable as death.
  12. Yu Laoye () is surnamed Yu/ and Master is the title that servants or members of a household would use to refer to their patriarch or a master of the houselike how the Zhang Manor servants address Xiaobaos father. However, she is likely name-dropping that she works for someone who has enough status for Magistrate Cheng to take note of here.
Book 1: Chapter 43 Book 1: Chapter 43 The Sound of Firecrackers For A New Year Eve Idlers Note: The title of the chapter likely has some wordy since it is Bian Pao Sheng Sheng Yi Sui Chu () with Sui Chu () being another way to refer to Chinese New Years Eve while Yi Sui () can possibly mean either one year (old) or a single year which could refer to Xiaobao and Juan-Juan being a year old or that this is their first New Years Eve. Also, is apparently listed on Manga Updates now. To the anonymous kind reader that added it on there, thank you! Its always cool to see something you worked on being shared and linked by people who take the time and effort to do so. Of course, it is lessplimentary when the content itself is outright taken without permission or asking but the less we say about that particr website that I refuse to name or link to, the betterI dont wish to demoralize myself any further and fall into a deep dark spiral of depression where I curl up and dont do anything (including tranting) but wait to die. ? Anyway, moving on! Thank you all for visiting and reading. Please like,ment, and subscribe if you can~! Of course, I wouldnt say no to people contributing financially since that would help pay for the VIP raws and funnel the money to the author as well as save up for moving this site to its own web hosting. If you are interested in helping out, you can do so through Patreon, Crowdrise, or by sponsoring a chapter through Paypal and any of the other methods listed . Thanks again! ?
The 29th of the 12th lunar month, night. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juany on top of the kang [bed-stove]. Shiliu was lying next to the two people as the three of them were all wide-eyed and awake. Xiaobao, tomorrow will be New Years. Well be bigger by a yearnominal age.[1] You have any ideas? Wang Juan couldnt sleep and her eyes used themp light inside the room to look at the ceiling. No ideas. Passing the New Year is just passing itgot used to that long before. You lean towards me on this side; dont be up against the wallthe heated wall[2] on that side is scalding. Zhang Xiaobao also wasnt asleep as he was thinking on other matters. Noon today, news had been sent over from the location of the Sanshui Countys county seat that thest of the cucumbers had already been sold at 150 wen [cash] for 1 catty. It was estimated that by the afternoon, they would all be able to be sold off. This now could be considered to have made money. Tomorrow would probably be able to have 300 or more silver taels of ie so the cucumbers hadnt been nted in vain. Adding up theter cost invested in there of the money for the straw curtains, it was only just 27-8 taels so the profit had been tenfold. It had all been given to the people of the manor as well as some other ces so it was rather a lot. Over there, Wang Juan also felt that her sides were hot and moved a little bit towards Zhang Xiaobao here as she said: I didnt say to let you have any ideas about the New Year. I was saying if you had any ideas about the manor for next year. Its only proper that we should have an overall n. Unh, have ideas. This year was a special year, a harmonious year. Under the efforts of all of the people of the manorsthe two families of Zhang and Wang manorthey all achieved good results on top of the establishment of a mental and material culture, upholding to our manors constant Talk for real. Seeing that Zhang Xiaobao was going to speak these types of words, Wang Juan impatiently interrupted him. Shed really heard too much of these so she had long grown numb to them. It really is too difficult. No money. Next year, how to live, ~ya? I need to think of some way. Zhang Xiaobao estimated his own money for a bit. There were still some carrots that could get 1,800 silver taels. The soybean oil had been more or less sold off over these several days. The spicy sauce had just stopped selling yesterday as all of it had been bought out by people who hoped to have a good New Year. Overall speaking, to be able to have 1,600-700 taels as ready cash on hand was quite a lot as many people couldnt earn that much over a lifetime. But this didnt leave him satisfied since next year, the roads had to be repaired, the sites had to be plotted out, and arge amount of things had to also be purchased. Added on top of that was the money for bribing the local authorities so nothing could be missing. Hed also heard that next year, thered be people auditing thends. Then, have you thought of any yet? Wang Juan helped Zhang Xiaobao tuck[3] in that part of the nket by his neck. Zhang Xiaobao himself also moved a bit as the Northwest here wasnt good on this point since in the winter, beneath was the kang [bed-stove] and if it was fired up too much, itd be scalding while above would be the chilly wind, causing suffering on two fronts. It was as well that a furnace had been lit inside the room, causing the temperature to rise a bit but they could still feel that there was a wind blowing at them from somewhere unknown. Talk, ~ya! What good way did you think of? Wang Juan urged. Its not some way or anything. Just wait when everyones done working at the start of spring, Im ready to do a market fair in that area by the small bridge. Theres quite a few things that were gained from barter in our storehouse. At that time, well take some out every day and ce them there to offer to the people of the two manors to trade with. The things we get in exchange can then continue to be traded. Every type of item will be priced by the people within our courtyard house, which is the same as an exchange value or else supplemented for by using other money. By then, the surrounding manors nearby will also have peopleing over. At that time At that time, youre prepared to collect taxes? That cant be good? As Wang Juan listened to Zhang Xiaobao speak of it bit by bit, she suddenly asked in interruption. Collect what tax? As long as the market fair is set up and we have the price-setting right, then we can get quite a bit in benefits. We can build some small warehouses to let them store things while we provide the protection and can even set up two food stalls or snack shops in that ce. Whatever else, a little can be earned. There would be an additional ie stream and it wouldnt even require sparing too much effort, either. Zhang Xiaobaos voice gradually grew faint as it looked like he got sleepy or he was about to sleep after saying all this. Wang Juan seemed to be infected too as she followed him in letting out a yawn. Her head bent over, she leaned against Zhang Xiaobao to fall asleep as well. The topic just now was considered to have been settled. Shiliuid there, fully clothed, to watch Little Mister the both of them finally go to sleep. Getting up to check once again whether or not that stovepipe that extended to the exterior was outwardly expelling smoke, she sshed some water on top of the connected area. Seeing that no bubbles appeared, only then did she rx and turn around to leave the room. Going outside to inspect for a bit those two who were sitting there reading a book together, she instructed them to pay more attention to the furnace at night before she returned to lie down and also slowly fall asleep.
Sanshui County, behind the yamen [govt. offices] where the county magistrate resided. Cheng Lingxiang hugged the little concubine in his arms as he momentarily couldnt get to sleep so he estimated how much help he would be able to get with the cucumbers that he would be giving out this time. The cucumbers had been sold off over the past few days so the news had already been transmitted to the ears of those people who would care yet there was not one person who had sent over to people to ask about it. That document that had been submitted didnt get a reply up until now either, as if it was a rock sinking into the great sea. Master, those cucumbers really are delicious. Dont send any more to other people. Lets keep them all. The face of the little concubine in Cheng Lingxiangs arm was still rosy in the passionate aftermath as she extended an arm to continuously move on top of Cheng Lingxiangs body as she spoke. Cheng Lingxiangs brow wrinkled: What do womenfolk know? Dont giveif I dont give, then where do I go to find my future? Isnt it simple if you want to eat it? Tomorrow, Ill send a person over to send money over there. By then, they can get some cucumbers back here. The little concubine had also grown docile and didnt ask after matters in this area: Its still Master who is impressive to have gotten cucumbers that are normally worthless sold off such a price. Unh, Master is also impressive in other things, too. With this praise, Cheng Lingxiang rubbed that sleek body of the little concubines and felt a bit ready for some more action again. With a flip of the body, passion once again reappeared.
Morning the next day, the person sent out by Magistrate Cheng set off while carrying that heavy silver in tow. There were a lot more people out in the streets today in particr as they all wanted to take advantage of the morning period to buy all of the things that hadnt been prepared in their houses yet as quickly as possible. Also, the couplets[4] for their house hadnt been prepared yet either so at this time, they were also urgently seeking people to go write them. When Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had gotten up, all of the people in their house were busy, especially in the back where the cucumbers had been nted. The people of the courtyard house were picking the cucumbers that were still covered in dew to pile up to the side in preparation for sending it to each of the houses of the manor peasants after a while. This is New Years. Its this side thats rather lively. I dont know if I should go back or stay at your house for New Year. Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao now no longer drank milk as drinking porridge was fine and then eating two bites of pickled vegetables made using tofu was sufficient for all the nutrition that the body required. But thinking of the New Year, Wang Juan didnt know how to arrange for it. To speak based onmon sense, you should go back. But there are still exceptions to the rule, didnt they say that ever since we opened our eyes, there was no way to separate us and that once separated, wed cry? So this year, youll just pass it at my house. If that really isnt fine, then on the night of the 30th, lets go back and forth between the two houses. Zhang Xiaobao understood Wang Juans meaning. She wanted to spend the New Year together with himself and this could be considered to be her havingpletely abandoned the matters of the past. He also thought like this. Ever since hed arrived over here, the two of them had been fated to need to work hard together. Fine, then lets do it that way. When will Erniu be sent out? The time of the 15th is also taken seriously over here, ~ne. Wang Juan lightly pushed a string of bone marrow into her own mouth as she nodded in agreement. The 15th wont do. Itll be toote so the New 6th.[5] Itll be a bit tough now but in the future, itll get better. When the location is found, have the wheatrice stones hauled back here and take advantage of when thend has all thawed to ce them in there in advance. Lets see what the yield will be like. Zhang Xiaobao drank thest mouthful of porridge as he decided. The New Year was naturally not the same as usual. Mrs. Zhang-Wang was busy together with the steward so she had no time toe over to see her own child. The people of the courtyard house who still had family members in the manor had all returned so the decrease in staff was obvious as all of them were a single person being treated like they were several and were directed to and fro in circles around the whole of the courtyard house. Though each and every one of them were all so exhausted that they didnt wish to walk anymore, their faces were still filled with a festive joy. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan ate and didnt train for today as they had five strings taken out of the ten firecracker strings theyd finished making several days ago to be sent over to the Wang Family by someone. They also busied themselves with Shiliu in tow. Among the anticipation of countless people, time slowly passed by. Zhang Xiaobao both ced their flour-filled hands into the water basin to rinse off as the dumplings were now considered to have been finished wrapping in advance. For the sake of the New Years vigil[6] at night, they would first sleep for a while. They had the willpower for it but a little childs body wouldnt be able to withstand it. With the arrival of nightfall, every family and household all lit up a pile of fire outside of their houses and took out the prepared bamboo poles to throw in there with pi-pa sounds that didnt stop. Slightly more well-off families would even add a bit of salt to let the noise be a little louder. The two families of Zhang and Wang had also prepared quite a few bamboos. Zhang Xiaobao both first went to the Wang Family before returning over here. So seeing that there were people who were throwing bamboo into the pile of fire, they also took out those five firecracker strings. Tonight, theyd first set off three strings; for tomorrow at midday and night, 1 string each would be set off. By then, theyd still need to go make some more to be held onto until they were lit up for the New 5th[7] and the 15th. Mrs. Zhang-Wang, Father Zhang, Old Madam, and Old Master also stood within the courtyard house to listen to the sound as they hugged the two children in their arms and enjoyed this type of familial feeling. When Shiliu lit up the firecrackers over there to then cover her ears and hide as an even greatermotion of noise erupted, the entire family were all astonished. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didnt tell anyone else about making the firecrackers as they had wanted to give everyone a surprise. The result here was just great now. Not only had there been a surprise, they had even frightened people. Such a loud noise! Everyone was all dazed there and didnt react until Shiliu went over to light up the second firecracker string. Xiaobao, what is this stuff? Hearing it, the noise isnt little. If more are made, it can be sold for money. Mrs. Zhang-Wang was rather economically-minded so upon seeing the situation after this stuff was lit up, she thought of business. Mom, this stuff is called firecrackers. Its not easy to make and could even cause trouble. If too many people know of it and were not careful, the form might get leaked. There are lots of trades that make money so lets first not do this one. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didnt wish to have firecrackers be well known by everybody right now. Thinking on it, that Wang Familys reaction at this time would probably be like this, too. My son speaks so. Lets go. Its time. Lets go eat dumplings. Mrs. Zhang-Wang considered it and thought him right so no longer had any ideas as she entered the house with her family. The dumplings had already been put in the pot to cook and a hot pot had even been ced on top of the table. The younger generation first kowtowed to the elder generation in a New Years greeting and received red envelopes.[8] Only then did they start eating. Watching the adults eat there in a merrymotion, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan both could only select a few items that they could chew on such as ducks blood,[9] tofu, and smaller pieces of mutton. After eating a few bites, the two of them nearly simultaneously put down their chopsticks to say to each other: Its Kaiyuan year 3. Happy New Year.
  1. Nominal age is usually how xu sui () is tranted. Xu/ basically means false, unreal. The reason for this is that East Asia has two ways for calcting age. One is the xu sui () and the other is the zhou sui (), which meansplete age, or shi sui () for real age. The real age is the age you would arrive at if you were calcting it based on the Gregorian calendar and Western sensibilities so no confusion there. The real confusion is with the nominal or false age. The nominal age is set to begin at year 1 at birth as they start counting it from the time of conception (and then someunless it was a longer than usual pregnancy) so a newborn baby would be considered 0 months age with the real age but 1 year old using the nominal age system. However, unlike with the real age where it increases on the next year of the persons birthday, the nominal age is incremented with each start of spring of the Chinese calendar. So depending on where a persons birthday falls in the lunar calendar, they might end up having an unevenly higher nominal age than their real age. For example, a person born during the 11th or 12 lunar month would have been 1 year old at birth under the nominal age calction system and then after 1-2 lunar months, immediately be considered to be 2 years old because they were born just 1-2 month before the nominal age is set to increment by a year with the Chinese New Year. So even though they are really more like 1.5 months old with their real age, their nominal age is considered to be 2 years old. A simr type of situation with age discrepancies that you can see in the West in regards to age calctions is someone who was born on February 29th and has a leap year birthday. This East Asian convention in regards to age calction is also likely part of the reason for the confusion behind the age controversy of the Chinese gymnasts at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
  2. The Chinese term of huo qiang () literally means fire wall so it can lead to some confusion because the technical term of firewall in Chinese is fang huo qiang () or anti-firewall. However, in this case, it is a term referring to a short and hollowed out wall that was built and connected to an interior stove or furnace that served to provide a form of radiant heating since the hot air produced by the stove or furnace would heat up the wall to warm the room. So it works simr to the idea of a hypocaust except instead of it being an underfloor heating system, it is a wall heating system. This is not to be confused with the concept of a physical firewall in English, which is a wall that is built to passively prevent fires from spreading if a fire breaks out in the house. To avoid confusion, I didnt trante the Chinese term literally and opted to trante it as heated wall.
  3. The author wrote ye/ but this is likely a typo since it means to ridicule or tease so he probably meant the homophone of ye/ which means to tuck in or fold up.
  4. Dui zi () can also be referred to as Dui lian () in Chinese and refers to paired Chinese poetry couplets that are written in matching counterpoint to each other ording to Chinese poetry rules. So think of dui zi () as being simr to two poetry lines that rhyme with each other in English, often with opposite orplementary meanings. This is actually a reference to the spring couplets or chun lian (), which are a special type of couplets that are written especially for Chinese New Year so the content of the phrases will usually wish for luck, fortune, prosperity, or good health, etc.
  5. Chu Liu () actually means initial 6 because the first 10 days of a month in the Chinese calendar will always be referred to as the initial plus whatever date it is. For days after the 10th such as from the 11th onward, the date is simply numbered ordingly. However, the first days after the New Year has begun tend to have different activities associated with them just like the 12 Days of Christmas. The 6th day of Chinese New Year is also called Ma Ri () or Horse Day because this is when Nwa (), the Chinese creation goddess, is believed to have created the horse. To differentiate this 6th from other 6ths, I will be tranting it as New 6th.
  6. Shou ye () in Chinese normally means to keep watch at night. However, it can also refer to the tradition of staying up all night on the 30th, the eve of Chinese New Year. The legend goes that the Nian Beast or Nian Shou () would attack on this night so people would stay up all night for fear of the attack until daybreak when there would be no more danger since it would leave with the onset of daylight. The Nian Beast is also the reason for why so much red and loud noises are part of the Chinese New Year festivities as they would scare it off. It is questionable whether the Nian Beast is the reason for why a year is called nian/ in Chinese or vice versa but there is an amount of wordy in its name since it was supposed to make an annual visit, came on Chinese New Year, and its name basically meant Year Beast.
  7. Chu Wu () means initial 5 and is how the 5th out of the first 10 days of a new month is referred to in the Chinese calendar. However, this is also how the first 10 days of the New Year are called in Chinese as well. For this reason, I have chosen to trante it as New 5th. This date is also called Po Wu () or Broken 5 and is a day where people would light up firecrackers in order to scare away any evil spirits and bad luck by using the loud noises to make them break and flee. The name is also a reference to the aftermath when after the bad luck had been driven off and purified for sure, the superstitious restrictions that they had to keep in observation of Chinese New Year such as staying indoors for fear of contaminating friends or family with misfortune and vice versa, not doing any heavy cleaning for fear of getting rid of the good luck inside the house, etc. were lifted. There are a number of other little assorted tradition and beliefs associated with this day but thats the general gist of it.
  8. Red envelopes or hong bao () can also be called ya sui qian () or weighted age/year money in Chinese. This is money that was wrapped up in red paper envelopes and given by family elders to theirter generations. It was originally in the form of coins tied up with a red string to represent luck and fortune before it evolved into money that was ced into red envelopes. Typically, you are eligible for receiving the money as long as you are considered a child in the household. So yes, this means that if you are still unmarried in your 30s (marriage being a significanting of agendmark), you could be considered to be a child since you hadnt left the nest to establish your own in Chinese culture. Although dont expect stingy Chinese parents to try to pressure their unmarried children into marriage by rewarding them with money They are smart enough to know not to do that unless it would work. Anyway, the reason for why New Year money can be referred to as weighted age/year money is because the Chinese believed children to be especially vulnerable to injury from spirits as an exnation for the high child mortality rate back then, so the money was meant to weigh the child down (preventing their being taken away) and act as a good luck talisman that bore the well wishes of the family elders that cherished them. Money can also be gifted to family elders by their younger generations as well to signify their hopes that their elders will be long-lived in age. Other than Chinese New Year, red envelopes can also be given on happy asions such as marriages or graduations although red envelopes have also be an euphemism for bribery as well, especially in recent years.
  9. Ya xue () or ducks blood is consumed in Chinese cuisine as it is considered to be good for enriching the blood and detoxification. For the sake of reference, you can look at ck pudding or Juka, a type of blood soup, for simr dishes in Western cuisine. Congealed blood that is consumed is generally referred to as blood sausages in English and can show up in a number of world cuisines as well. For pictures of what ducks blood would look like and some of the dishes it can be made into, you can go to the Baidu page here.
Book 1: Chapter 44 Book 1: Chapter 44 Thereby Comes Peasant Loyalty Idlers Note: My first chapter upon my recovery! I will be doing my best to make up for the chapters that I missed while I was out feeling poorly. Please bear with me as I try to get back into the rhythm of things. Also, I had a brain fart that I only just now caught because of this chapter. Basically I transcribed Ge/ as Mu in my working trantion glossary because my stupid brain had its wires crossed at the time and mixed it up with another surname that uses the character Mu/ so the neighbor for the two families of Zhang and Wang is actually surnamed Ge. Then, because I usually consult with my glossary to ensure consistency in my trantions, I kept repeating the mistake every time it came up. Good thing I was double-checking pinyin transcription (because I kinda suck at pinyin especially when trying to figure out if a character ending in a -n sound is transcribed as -n or -ng in pinyin). I have corrected the previous chapters for the sake of reading consistency but I just wanted to note it here in case people are wondering what the hell Ge Manor is all of a sudden. I messed up. Sorry!
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan both indeed didnt sleep for a whole night. Zhang Xiaobao even went with his family members to make offerings to his ancestors. Early on the New 1st,[1] there were peasants from the manor who came over to wish a happy New Year[2] to the master-family. Yesterday night, everybody had been burning exploding bamboos and they had all heard that the noisesing from the master-familys courtyard house werent the same so when each and every one of them were giving their New Years greetings, they also inquired after it as well. Wang Juan discussed it for a bit with Zhang Xiaobao and decided to take out a firecracker string to let everybody see themotion. Yesterday night, it was Shiliu who lit the fire. So today, they still had her be responsible for doing it. Shiliu finally had a chance to appear in front of the peasants here now so she excitedly ran to get the firecrackers. Returning in not a long while and hanging the firecrackers on a tree in the courtyard, she grasped an incense stick to ignite that wick that was extending outward for as much as 1 chi [foot]. The other people still didnt know what was going on when the ring of pi-pa sounds began to reverberate throughout the entire courtyard house. Now, this was just too much. Yesterday night, everybody had also been burning bamboo sticks in their homes and had heard the noises from the master-family, which were all in a row and were much louder. So they were standing nearby at this moment while watching those things suddenly fall down and turn into confetti one after another as their ears rang till they were buzzing. A firecracker string was all gone but everybody was still in the middle of their astonishment. What exactly was this thing that was only that big yet each and every single one of them was like a thunderp? The master-family was really amazing. Mrs. Zhang-Wang had been frightened once already yesterday night so seeing the expressions of awe on each and every one of the peasants faces at this time was as if this stuff called firecrackers had been made by her. As she listened to the sound of the crowd talking and then looked over at her rtively unconcerned son and future daughter-inw, she nodded her head in satisfaction. It was at this time that Wang Juans parents arrived here together. Hearing themotion from outside the courtyard, they knew that it had been the firecrackers that had been sent over to their house yesterday. Today, the two of them had alsoe over for the sake of this matter. Yesterday, when it had been lit up, the entire family had been frightened. Afterward, they had been happy since with such a hugemotion, it could be considered that the ox demons and snake spirits[3] wouldnt dare to harm people. Once the two people entered the courtyard house, they first gave each other New Year greetings. After the excitement had passed, Wang Juans mother grasped Mrs. Zhang-Wangs hand as she said: [Older] Sister, after our family over there lit up this thing called firecrackers yesterday night, the noise was that big, ~ah. Today this morning when the peasants came over to give New Year greetings, they had even asked about it, ~ne. Knowing that stuff was all made by Xiaobao and Juan-Juan, we hurried over here to see. While Mother Wang sighed over the wonder of the firecrackers, she was also a bit worried. Yesterday, one of the people who went over to light it initially didnt know the power of the firecrackers. So even though hed been told to take cover when the firecrackers had been sent over, he still stood right next to them. The firecrackers had made a crackling pi-li-pa sound and the person who had lit the fire had been scared silly at that moment and stood there in a daze. One of the firecrackers that had been sted out went flying over by this persons hand and exploded so that persons hand immediately swelled up. Early this morning, the Wang Familys steward saw that this person wasnt working so agilely and only learned about this after asking before theyd hurriedly went to inform the patriarch. Here now, Mother Wang was scared. A single item sting onto someone was that powerful so when they were being made, piles of them were made. If there was a bit of a spark of fire here, then wouldnt the two children have been sted to nothing? In the beginning, Mrs. Zhang-Wang had been smiling as she listened to this future inw talk there but as she listened, she also became scared in hindsight. Hurried pulling her inw to go over to the two children there and not saying any words, they carefully inspected one for each person, touching their faces and pinching their hands for fear that anything was missing. Mom, what are you [honorific] doing this for? Zhang Xiaobao had been pinched to the point of bafflement as he looked up and asked. Xiaobao, tell Mom. Can those firecrackers st people to death? Tell the truth. Mrs. Zhang-Wang worriedly asked. Zhang Xiaobao nodded and thinking for a bit, he replied: They can. They can if theres a lot. Not only can they st people to death, they can even destroy mountains and crack the earth. The ones we made dont have that much power. Itll be fine if were a bit careful. What a bit careful? Yesterday, there was someone from the Wang Family who had been injured from the st. Their hand is all swollen. When you guys were making that ten-string, if there were to be a mishap, then what to do? From now on, you and Juan-Juan arent allowed to raise a hand. Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhang-Wang got frightened. This son and daughter-inw really werent ordinary people, ~ah. To destroy mountains and crack the earthwerent those actions of immortal sages? Both of them gave the two children a lecture and had them guarantee that they wouldnt do such a dangerous thing anymore before they then began to discuss family affairs. As they chatted, Mother Wang suddenly said to Mrs. Zhang-Wang: [Older] Sister, the sound of these firecrackers is big. If any family was holding a wedding orrge event, itd be lively if even one string were to be set off. Why not have people make some more and take it out to sell? Itd be another way to make money. [Younger] Sister, this matter doesnt seem to be doable. What if it causes people to learn it? By then, what to do if they use this stuff to harm people? Mrs. Zhang-Wang had already considered it yesterday morning so she was a bit concerned. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were also listening to the side. Seeing that in meeting someone who would think of how to make money from this, they could only exim over the effect profit had on people and didnt know whether or not the form should be given out. Xiaobao, looks like my Mom has seen that your familys daily life is getting better and better and is also a bit anxious. What do you say we should do? Wang Juan herself couldnt decide. Zhang Xiaobao was also a bit hesitant and wanted to reject it but afraid that Wang Juans mother would be unhappy, he wanted to promise it. But if he wanted to promise it, then he was also worried about the form being leaked. [Older] Sister, [Younger] Sister has a method that can let the form not be leaked. Over here, [Older] Sister can make ready those things and [Younger] Sister will find people to transport it back so at that time, it can be made at Wang Manor. With two portions divided, the people making it would basically not even know the form. Mother Wang was eager to make money so in a sh of inspiration, she thought up this idea. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juans eyes also lit up. Initially, the two of them had kept on thinking of the consequences of it being leaked so hadnt given any thought to this area. Mrs. Zhang-Wang also inwardly agree and called over Shiliu who was at their side and instructed Shiliu to specifically make the stuff inside those firecrackers from now on so that by then, they could be sent over to Wang Manor. This matter could be considered to have been decided upon in this manner. Over there, the Wang Family would dispatch people over here to learn how to make the firecrackers while Shiliu would individually oversee the raw ingredients. That day, people from over there arrived. The process of manufacturing the firecrackers was simple. The issue of safety was the part that required the most attention. Shiliu emphasized over and over various kinds of details and had the people do it ording to the requirements, not allowing for any error. The morning of New 5th, starting from Wang Manor over there, they went house to house to give firecrackers to the peasants of the two manors. Each string had 100 heads and wasnt made to be that long unlike the ones that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had made. When a family was given firecrackers, the family would be told of the areas to pay attention to as other people mustnt be injured and fire also had to be prevented. Every one of the peasants epted the firecrackers in joy while giving thanks to the master-family. What they were thinking of was rather simple since if their own family set off the firecrackers, themotion would be great, ~ah, and those ox demons and snake spirits wouldnt dare visit their own homes. Amidst this anticipation, night arrived. Normally, this one day of the New Year would no longer require burning the exploding bamboo but the people of the two manors still lit up the firecrackers. Several households set them off at the same time with one household following after the other. For an hour, those sounds from the two families of the Zhang and Wang Manors didnt even break off. The people of the two manors were happy but the people of Ge Manor over there became anxious. Listening to the activity on that side of the river, each and single one of them were on tenterhooks as they didnt know what was the matter since it was just like those thunderps. The little kids allid belly-down on the couches and covered their heads, not daring to poke their heads out. Early on the New 6th, when Erniu left leading two people along with him while bearing the expectations of Little Mister, the people of Ge Manor couldnt hold back froming over to make New Year greetings. They said it was to pay a New Year visit but it really was to ask after the yesterdays matter. The result was that after inquiring about it, the peasants of the two families of Zhang and Wang manor began to talk. They talked of how the manors master-family was that so and so good by giving them things for New Years and even gave them this type of ything called firecrackers for them to set off in order to drive away all those dirty things[4] hidden away in the dark ces. This caused the people of Ge Manor to be envious and jealous while at the same time, also frightened. If these two manors drove away the dirty things, then wouldnt they all run over there to their own side? Not good. Whatever else was said, they had to get some of these firecrackers to better get rid of the bad luck.[5] After asking around, they finally learned that they were sold within the general goods store that had been set up by the two manors over here two months before and rushed over there in session. With one look upon reaching the ce, they saw that they really did have them. This had been discussed in advance by the two families of Zhang and Wang. If they wanted to sell firecrackers, then they had to let even more people know of them. Thus, they had given one string to every family on the manor. Ge Manors people asked after the price. Each string of 100 heads was 3 wen [cash], each string of 500 heads was 12 wen [cash], and each string of 1,000 heads was 22 wen [cash]. They could be purchased using ready cash and could be traded for using items. When setting this price, Wang Juans mothers breathing grew a bit strained. Shiliu had told them the upfront money and an individual string of 100 heads didnt even reach 1 wen [cash]. As for thebor costs, it was all people bought by the manor who normally were working anyway. So to let you have a bit more grease in your dishes when you ate, that was considered to be not bad. When Ge Manors people saw this price, they were also a bit undecided in their hearts. 3 wen [cash] could only hear a single bang like that so they really were a bit unwilling. But upon thinking that this stuff could repel dirty things, they then felt like it wasnt that expensive. To be able to make such a loudmotion, they thought that the original cost to make this stuff shouldnt be too low. Amongst them were two of those whose families could be considered to be making an adequate living so they gritted their teeth and returned home to take out several brined chicken eggs that had previously been pickled to bring to the general goods store to exchange for a firecracker string in preparation to be set off in the evening. With someone taking the lead, the other people also felt that this money was worth spending and they all returned home to get things in session. They normally also came to this general goods store to buy or trade for items and knew that this general goods store epted anything and was fair when it came to pricing, giving them quite a bit of convenience. This was due to the two master-families of other people who especially set this up for the peasants. Whenpared to their own manors master-family, they couldnt say anything other than to sigh. In turn, there were people from Ge Manor bringing things over in exchange. And they didnt even use money to buy it as there were ones who used rice grains to trade, ones who used salted meat to exchange, ones who used some of the staple foods that had been steamed for New Years to barter, and there were even people who pushed arge cart of paddy and wheat stalks to trade for it. The general goods store weed all visitors. Those paddy and wheat stalks could be made into firewood,posted into manure, or sent over to Wang Manor there to raise earthworms. As long as they hadnt gone bad, the edible items were fine as the servants of the two master-familys courtyard houses could eat them. There were also some handicrafts that, if more were umted, could all be transported to outside areas to sell as the prices of prosperous ces were a bit higher. The people of Ge Manors constant activity elicited their master-familys notice. This generations patriarch was Ge Familys eldest son called Ge Yingxi.[6] Standing by the doorway and seeing the peasants were all carrying objects to go towards that side of the river, he finally couldnt help stopping a person to ask: Wu Familys Xiaosan,[7] where are you going here to do? In reply to Masters words, Im now preparing to go over to the general goods store on that side to trade for some thingsa new thing, firecrackers, that can drive away those dirty things. When that ything begins sounding, its just like thunder.
  1. Chu Yi () is the generic way of referring to the 1st day of the month in the traditional Chinese calendar and literally means initial 1 as the first 10 days of a month are referred to as the initial 10 days before every following day is just referred to by the number of its date. However, because this is referring specifically to the 1st day of the new year, I am tranting this as New 1st.
  2. Bai nian (), which literally means to greet year, is the catch-all term in Chinese used to describe all the social festivities associated with Chinese New Year, especially since tradition expects the younger generation to pay their respects to the older generation within the family as well as to visit rtives along with friends and neighbors. It can also refer to the time period that includes New Years day as well as the first month of the New Year as every day had associated activities in the Chinese culture. The New Year greetings were all well wishes for a good year, fortune, health, etc in an atmosphere not unlike the one that the Western world has with Christmas. Drinks and refreshments as well as gift giving during these visits are a custom and exin a great deal of the expense involved in celebrating Chinese New Year since even the poorest of families would wish to keep up a certain level of appearances for visitors.
  3. Niu gui she shen () basically refer to ox-headed ghosts/demons (which look simr to the Minotaur of Greco-Roman myth) and gods/spirits with the bodies of serpents as representatives of the kind of monsters that are representative of bad luck and disaster. Niu gui () is shorthand for niu tou yuzu () or ox head jail guard which is briefly described in the MahayanaBuddhist text, the Surangama Sutra or otherwise known as Leng Yan Jing () for short in Chinese, as a ghost or spirit responsible for guard duty of Diyu (), the underground jail that was the Chinese underworld/afterlife. It is often paired with a horse-headed demon/ghost and most Westerners probably know of the ox-headed demon through the Japanese version known as the ushi-oni or gyuki (). She shen () might refer to nagas, which are beings that can take the form of giant cobras and described in Buddhism and Hinduism to possess varying degrees of malevolence or ambivalence to humanity, as well as other simrly serpentine spirits. Snakes also tend to be viewed in very different extremes in Chinese mythology. The more positive portrayals can be seen in the river deities as well as the two sibling gods of Nwa () and Fuxi () who were together responsible for creating humanity and are described as having human faces with the bodies of snakes ording to Chinese folklore. However, snakes are also considered one of the Five Venoms or Wu Du (), which include scorpions, centipedes, geckos (sometimes reced by spiders in the list), and toads as well. In any case, the ox demon and snake spirits together are a popr expression to symbolize the evil and misfortune that people wish to keep away from their lives so the symbolic exorcism of Chinese New Year signifies a new year without any bad luck.
  4. I tranted zang dong xi () literally. It is being used as an euphemism to refer to all the secret and hidden devils and spirits out there that might cause harm to people. The peasants are avoiding outright naming individual ones out of superstitious fear that they get summoned by name, simrly to how the word for bear came about as the etymology is derived from a ceholder term people used to refer to bears that means brown one.
  5. The Chinese believed that luck or bad luck had a physical presence in the air so hui qi () or unlucky air had to be repelled as part of the New Year festivities. This is also why sometimes people down on their luck were avoided because it was believed that bad luck could be contagious.
  6. Ge Yingxi () is surnamed Ge () and his name, Yingxi (), means weing joy.
  7. The Chinese text is Wu jia Xiao San () which means Wu family little three and is probably a nickname rather than a given name. It can be inferred then that this guy is the third child or son of the Wu family. A funny fact is that xiao san () can also be ng in Chinese for a mistress or other woman since they make up the third side of a love triangle.
Book 1: Chapter 45 Book 1: Chapter 45 Taking In Four Dogs In Front Of The General Store Idlers Note: Again, I apologize for the long absence. I dont want to keep giving excuses because in the end, it doesnt change the fact that I didnt end up releasing anything for a long time. But in case anyone is interested for the exnation for the hiatus, you can read my post about it . The chapter was finishedter than I expected, partly because it took a while to get back into the groove and partly because I was being a bit down on myself because I was looking back at the chapters Id already tranted and found myself wishing the quality was higher. So it took a bit of internal pep talk on my part to motivate myself to continue tranting. I also had to resist the urge to redo the previous chapters all over again I will be putting in the maximum effort to pick up the pace so you guys can have a steady stream of chapters. I will also be making up the chapters that I missed in my time away. So please bear with me while I catch up. Id also like to request help if possible through contributions. The money Ive received before now was all spent on getting the official VIP chapters and tipping the author while I still paid for my living expenses through my frence work but this arrangement has caused quite a few interruptions already to my trantions. So this time Id like to request help so I can offset some of my living costs and be able to devote more time to tranting rather than on my paid frence work. I will still be doing my best to prevent the the interruptions to the schedule since I dislike them just as much but right now, it cant be helped because frencing is the only way for me to financially support myself. If people could chip in to help relieve that pressure so I dont have to keep constantly shifting focus (especially because it is mentally very tiring for me to do so), I would much appreciate it. For the various ways to contribute your help, you can go . Thank you so much!
Firecrackers? Ge Yingxi grew confused. Yes, ~ya. Master, could it be that you [honorific] didnt hear themotion at the two manors of Zhang and Wang yesterday night? It was the sound of those firecrackers. Once the noise starts up over there, those dirty things dont dare to stay over there so wouldnt they alle running over to our side over here? So I also want to trade for some. Wu family''s Xiaosan was anxious to leave yet also didnt dare to offend the master-family so he could only use the quickest speed to ry the words. Ge Yingxis head dipped a bit: The general goods store has them to sell? Yes, quite a few, ~ne. There are ones with 100 heads, 500 heads, and even 1,000 headsthats how many of those firecrackers are in a string. Wu Family''s Xiaosan continued to reply. This time, Ge Yingxi didnt say anything and waved his hand, allowing Wu Familys Xiaosan to leave. Meanwhile, he stood there on the spot as he gazed at the river on that side in a trance as he thought over matters. Before, the two manors of Zhang and Wang were more or less about the same as his own Ge Manor here. Slightly better off was that Zhang Manor. After all, of the food grains that they collected, there were the portions for 100 people that they didnt need to hand over. But he didnt know why in these past few months? In the manors, the chickens and geese had grown into flocks. During the autumn harvest, they had evene over to help him eat the grasshoppers. Later, the spicy sauce appeared as well. He also had people go to the general goods store to buy some. It really was quite good. Then eventer on, they hauled back so many carrots, which were reportedly all now 20 wen [cash] for 1 catty with the price to be had with no supply for it.[1] Following that, they produced vegetable oil, which was cheaper than rendered fats.[2] It really was tasty when used to cook food. With one business after anothering out here, the days were a lot better, ~ah. Looking at his own manors peasants here and then looking at theirs, there basically was noparison. Whenever the two manors of Zhang and Wang were mentioned by his own peasants here, they were all awash with envy. He himself also rather wished to manage the manor well but he didnt have that ability. Then, look at those two master-families as they gave the peasants that object called kang [bed-stove] that was warm to sleep on top of and even helped to repair their houses and gave things for the New Year. He also wanted to do so but didnt have that money. He did build a few kang [bed-stove] within the courtyard house. When he slept, it really wasfortable, ~ah. As Ge Yingxi considered these matters, he had a sort of feeling of powerlessness. Then, seeing that there were people walking toward that general goods store again, he was even more miserable. The peasants of his own manor needed things yet had to go to someone elses general goods store to buy them. In the past, everyone was about the same, which appeared to be nothing. Now, how the two manors over there treated the peasants underneath could only be said to be the best. With aparison to be had here for his own peasants on this side, the peoples hearts would grow unstable, ~ah. This wouldnt do. If it continued on like this, the manor would be finished. He needed to think of a solution. Ge Yingxi had a sense of urgency so he turned around to return to the courtyard house to find a person to talk to. He also prepared to produce some new business here. Then, hed treat the peasants a bit better. Ge Manors peasants didnt know the master-family also wished to let their days be a bit better and was currently thinking up a solution. Right now, they were all carrying items as they lined up by the doorway of the general goods store and waited to trade for firecrackers, ~ne. As they waited and waited, there was a person among them whose mind was lively. As they looked at the prices, they discovered that the more that was bought, the cheaper it was. 1,000 heads were only 22 wen [cash] but if switched with 100 heads instead, it would require 30 wen [cash]. Like this, it was fewer by 8 wen [cash] money. This person used his mind a bit and nudged the person next to him: Wu family''s Xiaosan, which kind are you prepared to buy? Sigou,[3] what, youre buying it too? I want to buy 100 heads. Wu family''s Xiaosan was still inwardly griping about having been detained by the master-familys Master just now so that by the time he had arrived, he needed to line up in the queue for a period of time. From time to time, there were people from the two manors of Zhang and Wang that entered. They didnt need to line upwho let this general goods store be opened specifically for their sake, ~ne? Just when he wasmenting this, he heard the person next to him speak. Unh, Im also buying 100 heads. Why not ask the people next to us? If there are 10 who want to buy 100 heads, we can join up to buy 1,000 heads and it can be even cheaper by a bit. Then, take it apart to get 100 heads each. This one called Sigou began to discuss things with Wu family''s Xiaosan. Once Xiaosan listened to him, he also felt this way was cost-effective and nodding his head, he began to ask the people around him. The result was that after a few sentences of effort, the surrounding people also all understood. Several dozen people all grouped up into 10 to a team, handing over items to one person in front to have them go inside to buy it so that after it was bought, they could then split it. In such a way, not only was it cheap but the queue had also shortened with the speed having elerated by several times. At this time, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were also wandering around while being apanied by Shiliu and a manservant, ~ne. They had arrived at the general goods store just then to see the scene in front of their eyes. The two of them exchanged a look, both surprised. These people were smart, ~ah, to know how to gain the greatest benefit. Huzi,[4] go ask. Whats going on over therewhy did they all think to buy it in this way? Zhang Xiaobao turned his head to give an order to that manservant. Huzi immediately walked over and after a moment of effort, figured it out and returned to report. Little Mister, there is a person called Sigou over there. It was his idea. This way, those lining up will be fewer and they can even save some money. One family can save about 1 wen [cash] in moneythat could buy a chicken egg right now. During the chicken eggying season, the money saved would be 2 chicken eggs. Little Mister, will it be necessary to raise all of the prices on those 500 heads and 1,000 heads? Good, talent, ~ah! No need to raise the prices. Sell it like this. Our firecrackers werent meant to be sold mainly to the people of Ge Manor but to a few big buyers. You, call Sigou over for me. Zhang Xiaobao was inwardly happy. Dont just look at such a little idea. If it were him and Wang Juan, they could think of it in an instant. But amongst that many peasants, not a person had thought of it and only this person named Sigou had thought of it. This had to be said to be a bit special. Sigou had just traded for the firecrackers and was currently splitting it there, ~ne. Everyone elses items were also there. Their values werent the same so they had to be carefully exchanged to work out well. He had just given two people their share when Huzi came over to this side and said to Sigou: Sigou, yes? My familys Little Mister wishes for you toe over for a trip. Whos your familys Little Mister, ~ya? Im busy here, ~ne. If theres a problem, have hime over. Sigou had been patiently counting out the number of firecrackers and upon hearing a voice, he didnt even raise his head as he began to unhappily talk. Once the people next to him raised their heads to look, they all recognized this person to be someone from within that courtyard house of the Zhang Manor. Considering the words he had spoken once again, their eyes looked toward that other ce and sure enough, the Zhang Manors Little Mister and Wang Manors Little Miss were both over there. Next to him, a person hurriedly nudged Sigou and said to him: Sigou, hurry up and go over there. Its the Zhang Familys Little Mister calling you over. Hurry up and dont let Little Mister wait too long. Ge Manors people all knew that the two families of Zhang and Wang here had a child betrothal. This was nothing. After all, no matter how powerful you as the Zhang Manor are, you cant control me as a person of the Ge Manor. But they had all heard that those benefits that had been given to the manor peasants had alle from these two children. One could tell from hearing the name of the general goods store: Bao Juan[5] General Goods Store. They also frequently heard about some of the good qualities of Little Mister and Little Miss from the lips of the people of the two manors like when encountering people outside, they would greet people, treating them with politeness and kindness. This caused them to have a type of respectful attitude within their hearts. Thus, they urged Sigou in this way. Upon hearing it was actually the Zhang Familys Little Mister, Sigou instantly stood up, apologetically smiled at this Huzi who had called him over, and with no words spoken, he walked towards where Zhang Xiaobao was located. Not even waiting for him to approach nearby, ~ne, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan came forward in wee while holding hands. Once they were face to face, not waiting for Sigou to speak, Zhang Xiaobao first said: You were still busy over there, ~ne, and I had peoplee over to interrupt. If I have given offense, pardon me. As he spoke, he even cupped his hands in obeisance to Sigou. Over there, Wang Juan also cooperated and made an obeisance. Overwhelmed by such favor, Sigou discovered that his nose was swelling up[6] so he vigorously blinked twice before he felt a bit better. He rushed to kneel down but was held onto by Huzi next to him. The corner of Sigous mouth twitched as he didnt know how he should speak. When had he, Sigou, ever received such treatment? Even more so, in front of him were the little ancestors of the two manors. No wonder the peasants of the two families of Zhang and Wang had such respectful faces whenever these two people were mentioned. Listening to these words, seeing their obeisance, it was winter yet he truly felt like his body was warmed up. A lot of Ge Manors people were also all watching, ~ne. Upon seeing that another familys two kids acted like this, each and every one of them sighed once within their hearts. Look at them. They were this small yet could be so understanding. This could only be exined as their familys adults having taught them to be like this. Then, look again at that Little Mister of their own manor. This year, he was already 6 years old but whenever he encountered the peasants, he basically put on airs of being high above them. When he gave orders, it was like he was cursing at livestock. While the people of Ge Manor werementing over this, Zhang Xiaobao spoke up again: Si Do you have a formal name?[7] In reply to Little Misters words, this little one, Sigou, has a single cheap lifehow could I have a formal name? Since I was little, I didnt even know my own surname. The person managing the household register[8] randomly assigned this little one a surname of Xu. Little Mister, just call this little one Sigoua cheap name is easy to raise.[9] Sigou finally recovered a little bit though when he spoke, his voice still had a slight tremble. Oh, then itll be fine to call you Xu Si.[10] What contract did you sign with Ge Manor? Zhang Xiaobao asked. This contract was divided into two greater types. Each type also had two lesser types. It was sorted into the two greater types of people andnd, which was tenant farming or indentured servitude.[11] The two lesser types were living contracts or death contracts. Once a living contract reached its time, they could leave. If it hadnt reached its time, leaving required paying the master-family money in reparation. Death contracts were pretty much for an eternity and cases where one left were rare. In reply to Little Mister, this little one signed a tenant farming living contract that was signed for 5 years. Theres still thest year today before it has to be renewed. Sigou replied, his demeanor growing more and more respectful. A single greeting of Xu Si had given him a kind of urge to cry. If you leave now, how much do you need to pay in reparation? Im missing a person to work by my side and I would like to ask you toe over to help out. Zhang Xiaobao began winning him over. Real, really? Little Mister, you [honorific], you [honorific] really want this little one to work for you [honorific]? If leaving now, this little one has to pay 1 silver tael in reparation or 160 dou [gallon] in food grains. Upon hearing that the Zhang Familys Little Mister wished for him to go over there, Sigou was so excited that his entire body was trembling as he hurriedly ryed the amount of the money to be paid. For him, to pay this money was really too much as he himself couldnt pay it. Huzi, go to the general goods store to see if theres any ready cash. Take 2 taels back to give to Xu Si and have him cancel the contract there. The remaining money, Xu Si, you look and see for yourself what expenditures you need. Once done with the matter,e to the manor to seek me out. Zhang Xiaobao gave Huzi an order and then after saying another sentence to Xu Si, didnt stay on this side for too long as he turned around and led away Wang Juan to leave. After Huzi finished getting the money, he handed it over to Sigou and also left. Only Sigou was left behind as he stood there and held onto the money in a speechless daze along with the envious looks directed over at him by the other people of Ge Manor who had heard of this incident.
  1. You jia wu shi () literally means has price, no market. There are several interpretations for this Chinese idiom depending on the context. The first interpretation is the one that I tranted for and basically is a situation where the price has risen really high but there is still not enough supply to meet the demand even at the astronomical price that buyers are willing to purchase the product at. The second possible scenario this expression would be used in is if the price is so high that there are no willing buyers or market for it. The third possible way to use this phrase is for a product that has a price or value that is rising but either the market is not there (i.e. not mature enough) or there is no stable pricing index for the product (i.e. it isnt frequently purchased enough to be able to set a standard price). So the meaning of this expression is highly interpretative and requires contextual cues as to what the speaker or writer is trying to convey.
  2. Hun you () or meat oil is the opposite of vegetable-based oils in that its cooking oil derived from meat or animal fat. Animal-based cooking oils are usually found in the form of rendered fats with the English term that specifically applies to rendered pig fat and tallow to rendered beef or mutton fat. In order to be concise but still keep the meaning clear on the origin, I have tranted this term as rendered fats.
  3. Sigou () literally means four dogs, which makes the title of this chapter a y on words.
  4. Huzi () means tiger child/son.
  5. Bao Juan () is basically a portmanteau of the characters found in the names of Zhang Xiaobao () and Wang Juan (). It would essentially mean treasure cuckoo to those who dont know the reason behind the stores name.
  6. The literal trantion would be that his nose grew sour which is an idiom in Chinese describing the act of tearing up and getting a runny nose before a person cries or bursts into tears.
  7. Because Sigou means Four Dog and being named a dog is rather insulting and demeaning in Chinese, Xiaobao assumes that it is a milk name purposefully chosen to disguise the person from devil and spirits that might cause their early death as a child. Da min () or the formal name that Xiaobao is asking for is usually a persons true name that might only see use on legal documents. In a lot of cases, a peasant man who is the third born son might be referred to as Third Boy or San Lang () by everyone he knows instead of by formal name.
  8. Hu ji () is also called hu kou () and refers to the household registration system or hukou system that first developed as a way for the imperial government to more easily manage taxation, conscription, and census data. The core of this system is the family or household register, which recorded the marriages, births, and deaths of the household as well as its members and their individual information. Because of this feature, individual identification is inextricably tied to the household register itself meaning if you wanted to marry, you really did need the permission of your parents or grandparents because they were usually the ones in control of the household register as the head of the household. This also meant that family and n membership was a lot more important and serious business in China than in the West, reflecting the emphasis on the value of filial piety. The household register was also another way to enforce the ve/servant caste system since servants that sold themselves to a family were treated as a member of the household in the register although they werent recorded as free citizens unless they were formally released by the household to form their own family register. The closest Western equivalent to this system is the civil registry though it is not a centralized system like the huji/hukou system. Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thand, and Indonesia all have or had a form of this identity registration system.
  9. Sigou is referring to the Chinese superstition, which stemmed from the high infant and child mortality rate, that being named cheaply or after distasteful objects made it easier for the child to grow up into adulthood since it confused the spirits that might harm the child.
  10. Xu Si () is basically arrived at by removing the gou () or dog from Sigous name to be a more polite Si () or Four.
  11. Mai shen () literally means to sell body so this can either refer to prostitution or selling yourself into indentured servitude. Indentured servitude as it was instituted in ancient China was a prototypical form of contracted wage very. Hence, this is why I will usually choose to trante such cases as servant rather than as ve.
Book 1: Chapter 46 Book 1: Chapter 46 Firecrackers Resound Again At The Restaurant Idlers Note: I have made some adjustments to some of the terminology and phrasing in my trantions but the edits should be self exnatory. However, one change I made that I should point out is that instead of using yamen [govt. offices] as the name for the physical offices of the local government, I now trante it as constabry mainly because the offices were mostly staffed by the constables who assisted the officials and were essentially the local headquarters for keeping the peace andw though they covered a wider range of affairs than their European counterparts. Also, I will likely be going over the chapters I previously tranted to try to increase the quality, ensure the level of consistency given my edits, and improve the readability. Its part of the process of improving my trantion and keeping everything straight in my head so I dont confuse myself and make stupid mistakes. I will probably be reviewing some of previousnguage choices I previously made so I might end up creating reader opinion polls if I really cant decide one way or another.
It was like a spring day with an endless stream of carriages and horses bustling about[1] as if it werent frosty winter and the haulers[2] were busy as they came and went in a morous rush in the middle of the day. In the 1st lunar month[3] on the New 10th,[4] Sanshui County was busy with activity over here. Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang used his tongue to lick up some of the sauce that had been identally smeared onto the corner of his mouth when he was eating cucumbers dipped in spicy sauce just now. After savoring for a bit that clean aroma, he brought along two constables to slowly and leisurely roam the streets. For the sake of appearing close to the people and also to not be a bother to the people, he didnt wear official robes. Dressed in casual clothing from which a belly that wasnt yet toorge hung out, he asionally stood for a little while in front of a market stall but didnt mention his identity. In this way, he gave an appearance of being a good official. In consideration of resolving any unexpected issues that came up, two fully equipped constables followed after him and even loudly called him Milord Magistrate. Cheng Lingxiang walked very slowly, immersed in the midst of the sound of this kind of spontaneous greetings from the people. His face had a constant smile but his heart was thinking that idea that adept came up with really was good as his good reputation had spread and he made appearances as much as possible within the county to let people know which county magistrate had gone door to door to give away grains and oil to impoverished families without resting on the 30th. 1,000 dan [stone] of food grains, ~ah! It was not a small amount. Giving a family half a dan [stone] was enough to eat for a month. It had all been doled out to 2,000 families and he hadnt kept even a grain of food for himself. Also, that oil was like this, too. Originally, when he had gone to give them, that demeanor that each family had was so full of gratitude and appreciation that it made his heart sofortable, ~ah. It was all thanks to Zhang Manor. Otherwise, how could such a good reputation be gained? Listening to his subordinates talk, a lot of the people were all praising the Lord Magistrate. If it continued on like this, it seemed like being promoted up one rank also wouldnt be such a difficult matter. Magistrate Cheng thought as he walked, asionally making an obeisance in return to those people greeting him, his personable image increasing greatly at once. As he walked, he arrived at the busiest street within the county, which had both sides bristling with shops and the pedestrians were heel to heel. Bustling, ~ah! This is what this official, I look forward to. Magistrate Cheng sighed. The two constables in back immediately came forward to tter him. The way the three men acted wereplementary to each other. Just as they were walking, ~ne, a deafening crackling sound suddenly burst out from the ce in front of them, scaring Magistrate Cheng and the people in the street with a jolt. Once this noise started up, it seemed to have no end and caused the ears of the people hearing it to keep ringing. Lets go. Follow me, this official, up front to see exactly what person has produced suchmotion. Magistrate Cheng really had quite a lot of guts as hearing the noise, he didnt retreat to the constabry to get people toe over but directly brought along the two constables to quickly walk towards over there. Once they arrived at the ce, the noise still hadnt stopped. Quite a few people had already stopped to observe here. There were people there loudly shouting something, trying to beat back that continuous noise. What is this ce? Tell me, this official. Magistrate Cheng asked the two constables as he pointed at the 3-story building in front of him. Milord, what did you say? The constables essentially couldn''t hear him clearly. Im asking you what ce is this? Magistrate Cheng also started shouting. It should be a restaurant opening. Heard people talking yesterday that there was a person who bought up a lot on this side intending to open a restaurant called the Thousand Taste Town Water House.[5] The constables heard him clearly this time and also loudly replied. What is going on with this activity? Dont know. Milord, I see that Mister Song is also standing in that ce, ~ne. Ill go find him. The constables were also unclear so after yelling once and spotting that Song Jing-gong was there by that ces entrance, they hurriedly ran over to pull Song Jing-gong over by the county magistrates side. At this time, the noise finally stopped. The noise was gone but the uproar it had caused was ratherrge as quite a few people were all discussing what this object was that made such noise. It truly was too big and really gave a shock to peoples hearts, ~ah. Zijin is actually present too. Could it be that this restaurant was opened by Zijin? Magistrate Chengs ears were still ringing, ~ne. So when he spoke, he was still shouting. In reply to Milord, this restaurant was certainly not opened by Student but by a person who came from elsewhere. When one hears that name, one knows that Thousand Taste Town Water House wishes to beat down the Hundred-vored Pavilion and Waterview House. Song Jing-gong also pressed on his ears. He had been close to that area previously so right now, his ears were still echoing from the din. Oh, does Zijin know what was going on with thatmotion from before? Magistrate Cheng saw that it was someones business opening up[6] and no problems hade up so it wasnt good to find fault with them. But he was rather interested in that noise. Song Jing-gong nodded his head: I know. Those are firecrackers. Student gave some to them to use for opening up100,000 bursts. What are firecrackers? Magistrate Cheng felt like his surroundings right now was all chaos so he led Song Jing-gong to an area with few people before asking. His speaking volume was also not as loud as before. Theyre items that Zhang Manor made for the sake of some festive matters to be lively and can even help with the publicity. Song Jing-gong was also a bit morefortable than before as his ears werent ringing as badly. Oh? Its Zhang Manor again? If this whatever 100,000 bursts of firecrackers were given by you, Zijin, how much money would have to be spent? Originally Magistrate Cheng was still astonished, ~ne, but upon hearing that it was Zhang Manor, a person appeared in his mind above all. With that person, anything that appeared was within reason. He was rather surprised at that persons generosity though. With so much, how much money was it? Milord, not that much money. Its only just 2 silver taels. This stuff is cheap. To spend 2 silver taels or more on an opening is a bargain. This time, Student gave it away for free to better let other people know that there is such a thing. Then, they can go buy it. For Song Jing-gong to exin it, this was both Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juans idea. If it was sold directly, people might not buy it. So first give away some, wait for it to have an effect, and then other people will buy it. It was being sold for 2 or more taels of silver and the cost wasnt worth much money. After he finished exining this, Song Jing-gong saw that Magistrate Cheng also nodded in agreement so he continued to talk: Also, this thing can deter evil[7] just like the exploding bamboo that is burned for the New Year. This year, Zhang Manor used this for the New Year. Oh? Theres also this function? Right, ~ya! Exploding bamboo, ~ah! This stuff is louder than exploding bamboo. Evil deterrentit certainly deters evil. Before, there was a lucky auspice and afterward, an evil deterrent appeared. That person is indeed powerful. If thats so, then Zijin should also sell some to the constabry. 20,000 burstsitll be perfect to be able to use for when its time for Yuanxi (the 15th).[8] Magistrate Cheng worked his mind and thought that in this way, it would be even livelier. 5 silver taels would be enough for 20,000 bursts. Itd be worth it to produce such a singrlyrge activity. Milord doesnt need to spend money to buy it. The manor is currently having many people rushing thebor, ~ne. Itll be sent over to Milord the day after tomorrow. Song Jing-gong didnt need to go back to consult with Little Mister for this sort of matter as he understood how he should operate. Several silver taels from the constabry werent worth asking for and to be able to use this little bit of stuff to give away as a favor was still rather not bad. Magistrate Cheng thought for a bit and didnt continue insisting on wanting to give money. Their manor had already given away plenty of stuff and they didntck this little bit. Just that 1,000 dan [stone] of food grains needed 100 or more taels of silver, ~ne. The things the manor did were really generous. With the firecrackers, Magistrate Chengs mood was even better so he didnt resume his stroll and brought the two constables back with him after speaking a few words with Song Jing-gong as he wanted to prepare well for how the 15th was to be passed. This year wasnt going to be merely a matter of antern. Magistrate Cheng returned to the constabry in a good mood. He originally assumed there wouldnt be any problems but who knew that once he entered, the Deputy Magistrate Zhang Mingsheng inside rushed over to find him. Milord, our prefecture sent out an urgent document stating that our prefecture has already sent up a report on the lucky auspice and for the sake of separating the truth from falsehood, they will send the Merit Advisory Officer[9] to Sanshui County on Yuanxi (the 15th). Oh, I know. Today is already the New 10th of the 1st lunar month and only now did they have someonee over. And 5 dayster too. The cucumbers will all be eaten up. They just recalled the lucky auspice. Come on, fine. Two dayster, Song Jing-gong wille to give firecrackers to the constabry. Ill tell him to have him handle it there. Those cucumbers should have grown bigger by quite a lot. The harvested crop that can be eaten, well eat. By the time they arrive, therell be no more. Magistrate Cheng listened to the deputy magistrate finish speaking and then took the document to look at it before curling his lips while replying. He really was a bit dissatisfied with the people from above. To think of rushing it at this time, what were they doing earlier? He didnt even know if those cucumbers that had already sent up had been eaten by them or had been given away to other people. Milord, must it be necessary to kill off those cucumbers nts? Can a portion be transferred away? Its only the beginning of spring here. Therell still be a good long period of time without cucumbers. Deputy Magistrate Zhang Mingsheng was a bit reluctant. He had an elderly mother in his home whose health had never been that good and liked to eat one or two light bites. The cucumbers he brought back were basically given to his mother to eat. Seeing that his mother was able to eat a bit more food, he was also happy. If these cucumbers were suddenly no more, then what would Mother eat, ~ne? If it really wasnt feasible, then hed ask Song Jing-gong for some carrots. If stir-fried, that stuff was not bad to eat. Magistrate Cheng thought this way as well but he had no solution. He couldnt sell out Zhang Manor as based on that ability of theirs, there might be even better thingsing outter on. Plus with those two adepts, he might have to make a request of them by then. So hearing the deputy magistrate mention it at this time, his mind worked and he thought that it seemed like it was feasible. Produce some fresh cucumbers for the people to see when they arrive. When they went to look at the cucumbers nts, move a portion away first. A few should be able to survive. By then, he could also eat some. Thinking like this, he didnt wait any longer for Song Jing-gong toe over but arranged for a person to go to Zhang Manor to notify them. To let them believe it, he even had the person bring along the document that had been sent down from up top and even disclosed his own idea. The one who went to Zhang Manor was that constable who had gone there before. Once he heard he was to go to Zhang Manor, he was immediately overjoyed. Thest time he went, the hospitality they had given was not bad. When he was about to return, he even received a bit of money. So to have another opportunity this time, he didnt dy any bit after consenting and actually rode a horse, leaving in a galloping rush. This horse-riding speed was sure quick. It usually required half a days journey driving a carriage. On a fast horse, not nearly 4 hours was needed to reach the destination. Upon seeing such a rapid paced horse, the people who were unaware of why even assumed that it was a 600 li [mile] urgent report, ~ne. When the constable arrived at the manor, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan both were studying with their father, ~ne. The two of them quite admired Father Zhang. Once he began speaking on schrship, thered be a literary quote within a phrase that was pulled out. Within the literary quote would be another phrase and then within that phrase would be yet another literary quote. This was with both Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. If they were like other children instead, theyd already be terrified into tears by so many things. Here now, Father Zhang had enjoyed himself. If teaching students could be this easy, then the teacher probably was already famous. With these two children, only once was needed to teach whatever was taught. After 2 days, the two children would ask a few questions. Once he exined it, then they had learned the taught subjects.
  1. Che shui ma long () is a 4 character couplet that is nonsensical when tranted literally since it means carriage water horse dragon. However, it actually abbreviates the sentence which means carriages like a flowing stream, horses like a roving dragon and is used to euphemistically describe heavy traffic and busy streets.
  2. Ive tranted jiao () as hauler instead of using its literal meaning which is pull leg since it is a colloquial term to describe people who make a living by hauling goods or passengers to and fro on a predetermined route. For passengers, this was one of the prototypical forms of semi-public transportation in ancient China but was not standardized since routes and their stops were decided by the individual driver or hauler. In terms of the transportation of goods bynd, this could be considered to be a form of a private delivery service by coach or carriage.
  3. Zheng yue () is the first lunar month of the Chinese calendar and the first half of the month is devoted to Chinese New Year festivities and rites. The name means main moon since it is the month that marks the beginning of the year.
  4. Chu Shi (), which I have tranted as New 10th, is the 10th day of the celebrations for Chinese New Year and can also be referred to as the stone holiday () or Millstone Day (). The superstitious taboo of this day is also the reason for its name as it is believed to be bad luck to handle anything to do with rock or stone on this day so it is discouraged to build houses with stone or touch the millstone. Since stone and the number 10 are homophonic in Chinese (both spoken as shi), this might be the reason why stones got associated with this day in the first ce.
  5. I literally tranted the name Qian Chang Zhen Shui Ju () character by character as it is hard to convey the total meaning of the name in brief. Basically, the name of the restaurant is supposed to convey the image of a residence by the waterside that is a town of a thousand vors. Also, there is likely a connotation of suppressing thepetition within the word choice as the character of zhen/ can also mean to crush.
  6. Kai zhang () literally means to open up but it has the implications of a business opening up for the first time ever and not just referring to a store or business starting work for the day. So think of a ribbon cutting for the ceremonial opening of an establishment versus simply turning on the lights for work.
  7. I tranted bi xie () literally but it is also noteworthy that bixie is the name of a Chinese mythological creature that could drive off evil and had an exorcising effect on it. Other than being associated with the eponymous divine beast, bi xie is a quality that can be applied to various items like jade essories, talismans, etc. that were known for their protective purity as well. In this case, the cacophony that firecrackers make are considered to deter evil since it was believed the sudden explosions of sound would scare away things like the Nian monster, ghosts, devils, and bad spirits. There is a certain poetic contrast in the mention of bixie here since xiang rui () or lucky auspices simrly shares an association with divine beasts like the qilin ()
  8. Yuan Xi () literally means original evening and is short for evening of the original/first lunar month. This refers to the 15th of the 1st lunar month of the Chinese calendar which is the first full moon of the new year when a is held in celebration of it. Other names that this date or holiday is moremonly known by is Yuan Xiao Jie () or Shang Yuan Jie (). This day marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations and some of the festivities can includepetitions over thenterns like winningnterns by solving riddles and so on and so forth. Thenterns usually symbolized luck or love so thentern festival itself had a romantic matchmaking association as well, exining why it is sometimesmercialized as a holiday simr to Valentines Day in modern times.
  9. Its difficult to literally trante Si Gong Can Jun () into an official title that makes sufficient sense on its own mostly because historical Chinese titles could be wildly variable for what is essentially the same position depending on what level of the government or political circle it was at since sometimes the names evolved from different points in history and sources. So literal trantions sometimes are misleadingthink of how prime minister, chancellor, or premier can be titles that are applied to a modern head of state and used interchangeably but not always as it depends on the system of government and their traditions. This is a position that started as a staff position that handled the administrative work for the military before it evolved to be a civil advisory role in general. Starting from the Sui dynasty, it specifically denoted an administrative official at the prefectural level who oversaw the subordinate officials, managed the ceremonial rites, and other matters in which merit or demerits had to be verified and recorded.
Book 1: Chapter 47 Book 1: Chapter 47 Transnting Cucumbers To The County Seat Idlers Note: I am tranting the honorific you as the respected you from now on since I think the editorial aside is probably distracting while reading. But let me know if there is a better suggestion or if you prefer it not be changed. I am also considering the word choice for the kang [bed-stove] since I dont know if I should change it to be more easily understood. Im still proofreading theter chapters so please hold on. Thank you!
Father Zhang was currently speaking with enjoyment, ~ne, when the constable dashed inside with his head full of sweat. In this not so warm weather, this really was hard for him to do. Once he came in, he offered that document up and then recounted the county magistrates words as originally spoken like he had been instructed to. After the arrangements were made for the constable to withdraw, Father Zhang looked at the document and, assuming that the two children couldnt read it, exined it to them. This lesson could only stop then as Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan both returned to their own room to consider ways to deal with this. Xiaobao, that county magistrate said to have us transfer a portion. What do you think? Wang Juan contemted the consequences of doing this. It seemed that those cucumbers nts that were transferred wouldnt easily survive. I agree. Transfer them away. Have the cucumbers in one room be moved away and transnt them to someone elsesnd with cucumbers from the summer. Do it today. Dont pick the cucumbers and just ce them like that. Zhang Xiaobao assented. Theyll be frozen dead. Right, ~ya, let the cucumbers nts freeze to death. That will be the lucky auspice. Those that are remaining, well continue eating and we can even eat for quite a long time, ~ne. Zhang Xiaobao said while blinking his eyes at Wang Juan. Smart! People who can be swindlers are just not the same. If that house is seen by the person, then itd need to be broken down. But its toorge of a project. Shifting away nts from a portion of thend will mean less money is lost, ~ne. Right now, its the time when there is no yellow or green to be seen.[1] Wang Juan understood here now as she reached out to pinch Zhang Xiaobaos face while she praised him. Zhang Xiaobao didnt move one bit, his face expressionless as it was pinched. It was only after a good while that he did open his mouth to speak: Tell those peasants of the manor to not leak this in spite of challenges,[2] threats, or bribes from other people. You make the arrangements on this matter since youre an expert at it. All right. But that day, there were also children from Ge Manor watching there, ~ne. What to do? Wang Juan was actually rather familiar with these matters and suddenly thought of those people from the outside manors on that day. Zhang Xiaobao also smacked his head in regret. What apse. Back then, he hadnt been making so many calctions. Those children would definitely talk to other people upon their return and the adults would then also know. What if the peopleing to investigate were so idle with nothing to do that they went off and asked the people of Ge Manor? Then what would they do? This was all very possible. So what to do? Wang Juan also couldnt think of a solution. Yeah, what way is there, ~ne? How should it be dealt with, ~ne? Buy up Ge Manor? Not easy, ~ah. Got it. Those cucumbers nts had already been brought over to the constabry in advance by the Lord Magistrate so just nt them there, ~ne. Lets do it like this. That small hand of Zhang Xiaobaos continually tapped his leg. This was a habit of his. Whenever he encountered a difficult issue, he was like this. Finally, he thought of a solution and Wang Juan also nodded in agreement. The county magistrate has already? Fine, understood. Then, just do it like this. Have that one housepletely moved over there. Prepare an extra two carts. Right now, there are ces where the snow has started to melt. Have the county magistrate find a better piece ofnd to stick the cucumbers in. Pay attention to keeping them warm. Once the people from above have arrived and there are still cucumbers nts surviving, then thatd be even better. The entire matter will have no rtion to our manor. If there really are peopleing over to the manor to look, then Ill burn it all up in a fire. Whatever else is said, this method cant be leaked unless it can be exchanged for a gain that can tempt us. Not only cucumbers can be grown with this method. After the two of them made the decision, they had people go seek out that constable. Today, they wouldnt treat him to a meal but gave him 2 silver taels and had him immediately return to ry this matter to the county magistrate and have the county magistrate make all of the arrangements on this business. The constable also knew that this matter was a bit hard to do. So taking the money and drinking a belly full of water, he mounted the horse that still hadntpletely recovered to hurriedly dash back again. After the constable had left, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan also began to get busy. There was no way to predict on this matter, especially under the precondition of Zhang Xiaobao not having any acquaintance with the peopleing down from the prefecture. One bundle after another of firewood was piled up on the side on thend in back. If there was any bad news that was ryed, then this firewood would be lit. Also, someone had already ced some logs up against the wall so that by then, the wall could be demolished. Once everything had been properly prepared for, the sky had already darkened. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan both could be considered to have released their breaths as theyy down on the kang [bed-stove] and didnt even read but took an early rest. Inside the constabry of Sanshui County here, Magistrate Cheng also learned of the events over there. After thinking on it, he outlined a portion ofnd in the area by the river. He first had people get rid of the snow and then dig out the soil underneath. Using fire to warm up the frozen soil on the very bottom, the soil that had been dug up was processed slightly before it was reced back again. Only then was everything considered to beplete. The second day, the peasants of Manor Zhang here all began to move out as they helped to carefully dig up one cucumber vine after another from within the dirt with the bottom still carrying soil. The frames up top were repositioned like new and ced into carts that had cloth wrapped around them to block the view. Then one cart after another began to be hauled towards the county seat over there. The items on the carts were as precious as gold so the speed that the carts travelled at was slow and even slower still. The result was that after an entire day, they hadnt reached their destination yet. When night had fallen, they even had to look to see if there were any people in the surrounding area before lighting a fire to keep the cucumbers nts on the carts warm. On this mission, Song Jing-gong and the Wang Familys steward personally came to hold down the line. The two of them also didnt dare to sleep and could only sit by the fire to keep the evening watch. Steward Wang, thirsty? Eat a cucumber. Song Jing-gong picked 2rge cucumbers from within one of the carts. Not even washing it and simply using his hands to rub on it to get rid of the thorns, he opened his mouth to take a bite, chewing on it with a loud gaba-gaba sound. Steward Wang received the cucumber but also looked in concern at that cloth-covered cart that Song Jing-gong had just opened so thinking for a moment, he asked: Mister Song, will the wind chill get inside that cart? Who cares if it will, ~ne? Actually, for these things to be brought over there, transporting them back again isnt to be expected. Its for the sake of dealing with a few people. Its fine as long as several survive. Song Jing-gong spoke without a care as he continued chewing on the cucumber. If one didnt listen carefully, his voice was unintelligible. Steward Wang contemted it for a bit before nodding his head: Mister Song speaks so. In the end, since it wont be brought back, then thats perfectly fine. The coachmen will get one each. That cart that had just been opened up by Song Jing-gong was once again opened up. The coachmen used the quickest speed to find and pluck therger cucumbers before handing them out. These people surrounded the fire, chatting as they ate. After waiting for the horses to rest up a bit, they were kitted out once again and herded in front of the carts. It would be the middle of the night before theyd reach the location. Song Jing-gong and Steward Wang originally assumed that theyd have to stay outside for a night before talking the next morning, ~ne. But who knew that once the cart team arrived, there were people from the constabrying to receive them as one torch after another lit up to go directly towards where thatnd by the river had been plotted out. This side already had people waiting there. Magistrate Cheng had also personallye over. He had never really seen cucumbers nts before though he had eaten quite a few cucumbers these days. Seeing that the cart team hade over, he bade people to have the surrounding area properly watched over and to not permit any other people to approach. After the cloths of one cart after another were rolled up, those cucumbers nts appeared in front of their eyes. Eating cucumbers and seeing nts sprouting with cucumbers were two separate matters. Upon seeing the nts with so many cucumbers still hanging down from them, other than the people who brought them over, everyone else including Magistrate Cheng all disyed expressions of surprise. It surely isntmon. Just the sight of them isfortable and makes a person eager to personally pluck one to get a taste of it. Magistrate Cheng said with feeling. The surrounding constables and the deputy magistrate also all nodded their heads, especially the deputy magistratehe had already decided that he would bring his mother over to see them tomorrow when it was light out. This kind of exuberant vitality in the midst of snow really gave people too much of an impact. After amand from the county magistrate, the constables began to ce one nt after another into the holes that had already been dug out. They lightly sprinkled on top some water that hade from indoors and wasnt that cool, then used the cloths that had been brought over with the carts to wrap around them so that the top was also blocked from view. After doing all of this, they still werent done as a circle of fire had been lit up outside of the cloth and a person had been assigned every 5 paces to keep watch to ensure that the fire didnt burn the cloth. Milord, its already done here. The chill is heavyte at night so one should return to rest for a bit. The deputy magistrate found two articles of heavy clothing to wrap himself up in, having decided to keep watch here as he urged Magistrate Cheng to go back. Cheng Lingxiang nodded and made ready to leave. After taking a few steps, he then returned: Never mind. If I go back, I still wont be able to sleep. Have someone go get a bit of something to eat and drink. Ill wait here and keep watch. Cheng Lingxiang really couldnt rx. Today was only the 11th and there were still 4 days time. The most worrisome was this first night. If they made it through, then everything was easy to deal with as theyd just act the same ordingly tomorrow. If they didnt make it through, then thered be a bit of trouble when the people from above came by. Song Jing-gongs group was rather uncaring as they each found a ce to rest. After having continuously rushed on their journey, their people were sleepy and the horses were fatigued. The second day, when that dazzling sun that had no way of letting people feel much warmth from it rose, Magistrate Cheng rubbed both of his bloodshot eyes and pulled open the cloth a crack to look inside. Even after a few nces, he still couldnt tell if they had seeded or not so he could only call over a person who knew about the farming trade. This person simply swept it with a nce and was clear on its rough status. Milord, estimate that 3/10ths of the nts will die within 3 days or so. Its not so easy to tell for the remainder. For roughly 2/10ths to be able to survive over the next 10 days would be quite good. This person considered carefully before speaking to Magistrate Cheng. Good, good, thats good. If 3/10ths die, then let 3/10ths die. By that time, for whichever one is about to die, pluck all of the cucumbers on top. Keep therge ones to make dishes with while the small ones will be pickled. Upon hearing that there were nts that could still endure for a very long time, Cheng Lingxiang could be considered to have his mindpletely set at ease. Halfway shutting his eyes, he had people send him back to the residence in back of the constabry and handed all other matters over to the deputy magistrate. Seeing that he was the highest official here, Deputy Magistrate Zhang Mingsheng was reassured enough to nap for a bit, too. Once the sun was a bit higher, he would have someone return to bring his mother over to see. After a while of work, Mother Zhang arrived. The olddys age wasnt high as she wasnt even 60 yet, ~ne, but her health wasnt that well. She was helped down from the carriage by Deputy Magistrate Zhang Mingsheng. Then, looking left and right, she asked: My son, for what matter have you called Mom over for? Have you caused trouble? Rest assured. Mom is here. Mom will take care of it for my son. If it really isnt fine, Mom will go begging to your uncles.[3] From these few words, Song Jing-gong, who had alreadye over by their side, knew that this olddy came from a schrly background.[4] Thinking of how he had no rtives at all, he couldnt help sighing. If his own Mom were still here, she would definitely protect him like this, too. Mom, your child didnt cause trouble. Its good news. Mom, the respected you should follow your child. Your child is bringing the respected you to see something good. Deputy Magistrate supported his mother to walk bit by bit towards that area that had been blocked off with cloth and lightly pulled it open a crack to allow his mother to see inside. Cucumbers, so many cucumbers. My son, how can this be real? Who has such great ability to nt cucumbers in this season? It is the blessing of our Great Tang, ~ah. Once Mother Zhang took a look inside, those eyes that had originally been muddy immediately brightened up a lot as she spoke excitedly.
  1. Qing huang bu jie () literally trantes to green and yellow not connected with the green referring to crops that have yet to ripen and yellow to crops that are ripe. This idiom refers to the time of year when the fields are fallow and nothing is growing at all. It can also be used to refer to a shortage in general without referring specifically to food or greenery since it can denote a sudden break in a connected flow of events or things like ack of heirs in the line of session.
  2. Ive roughly tranted ji jiang fa () as challenge or dare but its an imperfect word choice since it is referring to behavior where an implicit challenge is issued by the speaker when they make a im deliberately designed to goad the listener into action to disprove the speakers ims to the contrary. In this case, Xiaobao is likely describing a possible situation where the peasants could be tricked into letting something slip by being told that they dont really know anything important so that in defending their pride, they do reveal something that they otherwise wouldnt have. The term literally means incite general method because it has its origins in a quote from Journey to the West that basically trantes to inviting a general doesntpare to inciting a general (to action) ().
  3. Jiu jiu () is the way to address ones maternal uncles. Contrary to the terms used to address paternal uncles, maternal uncles are addressed the same way regardless of whether they are older or younger than the mother. But simrly to how the terms for paternal uncles can be confusingly modified to be the term that brother-inws or a husbands brothers are addressed by the wife, jiu/ can also be used by a husband to address his wifes brothers. So context can greatly modify terms of address.
  4. I tranted shu xiang men di () as schrly background but that doesnt fully trante the connotations of this expression. This term literally means book fragrance pedigree with the characters of men di () for pedigree or status literally breaking down to mean door rank as a residences doors or gates visually represented the face of a family and reflected their social rank. There is the implication that such families had a history so steeped in schrship that the fragrance of books wafted from their doors or gates. So considering the history of the civil exams and an ideal of a meritocracy through education as well as the sheer difficulty in acquiring books back then before printing en masse was invented, someone born and raised in such a family would be highly ranked or respected.
Book 1: Chapter 48 Book 1: Chapter 48 The Great Fair Has Xu Si At The Lead Idlers Note: I have a faint outline of a n of action to avoid . I will be doing my best to resume regr updates while I scramble to pull everything together for this. Sorry for all of the melodrama!
Mom, this wasnt done by some powerful person. Its a lucky auspice. Theres a family whose summer grown cucumbers actually bore one cucumber after another upon wintertime. The Lord Magistrate has already sent up a report. On the 15th, someone will be sent down from above that day to investigate. Mom, which cucumber do you [honorific] think is good? Pluck it to take home to eat. Deputy Magistrate Zhang Mingsheng was rather scared of his mother blurting out this matter. If that were to be the case, then they wouldnt be able to even think of eating cucumbers from now on. The other benefits would also disappear. Wouldnt the Zhang Manor people hate him to death then? Mother Zhang froze for a moment before she thoroughly examined the cucumbers inside again. Then turning her head to look at her own son, she reached out a hand to rub her sons head and said: Oh, Mom had wondered how there could be so many cucumbers? So it was a lucky auspice, ~ah! Rest assured, my son. Mom understands. Mom understands it all. This is a lucky auspice. Its not easy for the people to make a living. From now on, one must remember that cutting off peoples road to fortune shouldnt be done. Wait a few years until the lucky auspice of our Sanshui is enough and then the other ces of Great Tang will also get lucky auspices. Next to them, Song Jing-gong was scared silly upon hearing this. This olddy wasnt simple, ~ah! Through such simple words from the deputy magistrate, she actually understood everything. It was good that the olddy was not bad and knew to help cover it up so he could rx here now. The deputy magistrate himself knew that his mother couldnt be deceived so helping his mother inside, he said as he walked: Mom speaks rightly. Your child will certainly remember Moms teachings and definitely not do those things that harm people and their financial fortune. Besides, my Mom also loves to eat these cucumbers. Mother Zhang smiled: You, ~ya, sure know how to coax Mom into being happy. Pick it. Pick an extra two more to bring back. Mom will eat by dipping into that spicy sauce. If only a bit is eaten, then theres no fear of it being too spicy. Mother Zhang really did walk inside. It looked like she did understand that as long as the people who came down to investigate did see living cucumbers, then that was the greatest sess. As forter on, these cucumbers would have no use so the cucumbers that she ate wouldnt decrease. As he watched the two people enter, Song Jing-gongs mission wasplete and he also needed to return soon as over there, he didnt even know what matters he needed to be busy with over there, ~ne, especially with the firecrackers. It looked like hed have to go selling them. He was at least a Juren [prefectural graduate]never mind bing an advisor but he actually even had to go out to do business as well. Song Jing-gong and Steward Wang both led the carriage train back. There were some carts that had been borrowed yet the people were not as the coachmen driving the carts were all peasants who had this skill from the two manors of Zhang and Wang.
At Zhang Manor within the small courtyard house belonging to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, the two of them were practicing the Military Fist[1] here. Looking at the single moves and individual stances was really not so bad. It was just that there was no power whatsoever. It wasnt even 1 hour and sweat had already appeared on both of their brows. Afraid of getting a cold from the wind outside, they temporarily practiced it up to here. Returning indoors for a change of clothing and to wipe away the sweat, it was already time to eat a snack. The deep-fried carrot strips were eaten like French fries and the cucumbers were treated like fruit while a bowl of egg soup was ced off to the side. The two of them ced the stuff into their mouths and then slowly chewed, striving to munch them into pieces so that would be beneficial to the body in regards to digestion. Right now, the two of them basically ate 7-8 times a day in order to replenish whatever their bodies expended. Inparison to children of the same age, the two of them were clearly a bit taller and were also a bit sturdier. This was all a result of exercise and diet. Erniu has gone out for a few days. Dont know if he can find the wheatrice stone. Its only a few more days before the summer plowing. The wheat has already been nted and will soon sprout. Do you think well have a drought over here this year? Preparations will have to be made in advance. Ive already asked around. Noria[2] already exists. Having several would be enough to supply the water for the two manors. Wang Juan finished off two carrots and then drank a mouthful of soup, leaning back against the chair shed ordered made toy down infort as she nonchntly asked this. This stuff isnt difficult to find. Ive told him the general appearance. By then, he can have someone draw it, spend some money, and therell be a lot of people helping him to find it. I dont remember if there will be a drought this year over here. Shandong over there seems to not have had any waterfall since winter of this year. The spring and summer was also the same as well. The current chancellor[3] seems to be surnamed Yao. Hes a pretty formidable person but was forced down. He handled that drought disaster quite wellthe locust gue was, too. If we go, it would only be to seek some advantage for ourselves. If its possible over there, then Ill hand the method of growing cucumbers over to the government. Zhang Xiaobao was still eating cucumbers. In this while, he ate two entire ones. It wasnt until he felt that his mouth was sour that he stopped to drink some soup while he made some judgments and choices regarding a few matters. Wang Juan didnt speak out over there so she could be considered to have silently acquiesced to Zhang Xiaobaos decision. If it were her instead, she wouldnt have an even better idea. In reality, she also knew that based on that brain of Zhang Xiaobaos, there was no problem whatsoever if he wanted to get a bit morend. It was only that he didnt wish to give up on that 100 heads of shiyi (honorary tax exception) as this wasnt simply an issue of money or fortune but was rted to status. She and Zhang Xiaobao could disregard this kind of status but Old Master couldnt. Nor could Father Zhang. Once this kind of status was lost, thered be a high possibility of an issue appearing with the Old Masters health and body. This definitely was not a thing that Zhang Xiaobao wanted to see happen. Zhang Xiaobao drank thest mouthful of soup and patted his belly before he also rested for a while. Waiting until he felt fine, he opened his eyes and said: Should give an assignment to Xu Si. Lets first see what his ability is like. Then, give him a position based on his performance. Unh, a person who you discovered. Without you mentioning it, Id forgotten. Hes been kept fed at the manor for these two days. He should be a bit fatter. He was originally a bit too skinny and gave people an impression that he wasnt a reliable person. What matter are you prepared to assign him to? There seems to be nothing to do on the manor. Wang Juan also opened her eyes. If Zhang Xiaobao hadnt spoken of it, she pretty much had forgotten about this person Xu Si. There is, ~ah! The matter of the market fair will be given to him, especially price-setting. This position is very important. If he does well, Im prepared to set up a merchant group next year for him to be responsible for. Well pull ourselves out. In the future, Ill have to take the civil exams, ~ne.[4] In this world, it wont do to not have any power, especially in the area of authority. What are you prepared to doter on? Talk about it and Ill help by giving you advice. I normally dont do this type of thing for just anybody. Zhang Xiaobao didnt even forget to kid around with Wang Juan for a bit. Im also going to be an official. By then, lets see who gets promoted the fastestthere are female officials over here, right? Wang Juan basically didnt pay any attention to Zhang Xiaobaos teasing as she loftily spoke. Hearing this, Zhang Xiaobao started: Youre pulling my leg.[5] What work would female officials do? Youre not suited for it. Right now doesntpare with the time a bit earlier. It isnt women in charge anymore. Li Longji even knocked his aunt down and you are still thinking of getting ahead?[6] How about this? Ill hand the affairs of the house over to you and itll be fine as long as you manage it well. I dont want to stay at home all day. I want to have my own career. Wang Juan clearly didnt agree. You assume a house is easy to manage. In the future, there will only be more and more people in my family. Youll have to clearly understand all the different kinds of rtions and also have to protect all aspects of the rted interests. Didnt you want to train people? By then, therell be plenty of people for you to train. Lets first not discuss this issue as its currently a bit too early for it. Lets go. Go take a look at Xu Si. Seeing that there was no way to persuade Wang Juan at the moment, Zhang Xiaobao gave up. Sliding down from the chair, he waited for Wang Juan there to also get down before they walked out together. For Xu Si, these two days were passed in a not so bad manner as he stuffed himself each day. This was instructed by Zhang Xiaobao in the beginning. He was too skinny and had to eat more so that he could work hard in the future and not wait until a critical juncture to copse from exhaustion. Xu Si had no objections whatsoever and he really had put all his effort into eating. He slept for at least 10 hours each day, hoping to get himself to fatten up a bit more. After a few days effort, it really did lead to some results as his face had obviously grown a bit rounder. Today, he got up extremelyte as usual. He had just eaten and hadnt decided on what he was going to do today, ~ne, when Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan arrived together. Little Mister, is this little one going to be given something to do? Upon seeing Little Mister, Xu Si grew excited. He had been waiting all the while to be assigned some work to do as he wasntfortable just being tended to like this the entire day. Zhang Xiaobao exchanged a look with Wang Juan. It was Wang Juan who said: Yes, youll have work to do. Do you know how to read and write? In reply to Little Miss, this little one doesnt know how to read and write. Xu Si had no solution regarding this point. He felt that Little Mister and she both seemed to require a person who could read but he couldnt just blindly lie. Unh, not knowing how to read and write is no matter. From now on, you can slowly learn how to. Then at the very least, you know what things the peasants in this area need in their life, right? Wang Juan was slightly disappointed but still gave some encouragement. This time, Xu Si enthusiastically nodded his head: Know, this little one of course knows. Could it be that this little one is to go tend to that general goods store? This little one will certainly tend it well. Tend what general goods store? That little ce isnt suited for you. Wait until after the 15th, you will set up a market fair at the bridge over here. Right now, you have to purchase the items that the peasants need. Go outside to buy them and discuss the price. From now on, youll be responsible for setting the prices for all of the goods brought over by the peasantsing over to buy and sell things. The stuff that cant be exchanged for over here can also be epted. By then, theyll be sold together to therger prefectural cities.[7] Beginning from now on, all of these matters will be done by you. Tell Shiliu about the types and quantity of all of the items that you want to buy and get money from her there so you can buy them. The others wont interfere. Zhang Xiaobao spoke at this time, speaking a bunch of words that nearly caused Xu Si to go into a faint. He had never done this type of thing before and they were actually having him handle it on his own today. He wanted to reject it but knew that if he really didnt ept this work, then he wouldnt be able to continue following Little Mister in the future. Gritting his teeth, Xu Si finally nodded his head and promised: Fine, Little Mister. You [honorific] rest assured. This little one will definitely get this matter done. This little one will go think on it here and then go find Shiliu. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didnt speak anymore, turning around to leave. It didnt matter whether they lost or gained anything. The main point was they wished to see Xu Sis ability. Then, they could properly adjust his position. Several days time passed in just a blink of an eye. With this one day, the 15th of the 1st lunar month had arrived and the people once again began to grow busy. The Wang Manors firecrackers were sent to each location as the staff had been increased several fold over these past few days so quite a few firecrackers had been made. The person overseeing it was currently Song Jing-gong. On the same day, within the Sanshui County constabry, Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang also led everybody inpleting their preparations to better wee the peopleing down from above to investigate and verify the lucky auspice.
  1. Jun Ti Quan () literally means military body fist and refers to the military variant of sparring fist that is a self-defense andbat-oriented mix of the Chinese martial arts version of boxing/kickboxing known as san da (), which means loose sparring, and wrestling (shuai jiao/). There are several different forms and stances which depend on what principles of the various Chinese martial arts it is a distition of. To get an idea of what Xiaobao and Juan-Juan are doing, here is a demonstrative video of the Hong Kong version of the military sparring form with the 16 stances portrayed separately. This is a video of an instructor from the Peoples Liberation Army doing the Maind Chinese version for his students, which would be closest to what Xiaobao and Juan-Juan are practicing.
  2. Tong che () literally means bamboo tube car/machine and is the Chinese version of noria, which is a water wheel that has buckets or containers attached to the rim and acts as a water-powered conveyor belt to mechanically fill and carry the buckets in order to water the fields and/or irrigatednds. Noria is an Arabic loanword and is still in use in different areas around the world. A rted device is the chain pump.
  3. Ive tranted zaixiang/ as chancellor but it can also be tranted as prime minister and some other possible titles. It can also be referred to by simrly varied names in Chinese such as cheng xiang () and xiang guo (). However, unlike its modern-day counterpart, a chancellor or prime minister was not the head of state of the imperial Chinese government since that was the Emperors role but was usually the leader of the officials, serving as the bureaucratic head of a Courtprised of the ministers that led the various departments of the government and advised the Emperor. The specific details and responsibilities of this position varied over the ages but during the Tang Dynasty, the Chancellor was usually the head official in charge of the executive bureau and served as the Emperors trusted right hand in the Imperial Court.
  4. What Xiaobao is saying makes sense to people aware of the Chinese historical context but in case it is unclear, ancient Chinese society was roughly divided into four major upational sses with the schrly gentry (shi/) ranked first, followed by the peasant farmers (nong/), then the artisans or craftsmen (gong/) with merchants (shang/) deadst. Simr to the prejudice the upper sses or nobility of Europe generally had towards those who went into trade at the time, merchants were treated with disdain in China and depending on the era, certain restrictions were ced on them. In this case, Xiaobao is referring to the Tang dynasty restrictions on the merchant ss, restricting them from participating in the civil exams and gaining official titles. That is not to say that there werent gray areas to this rule. Hence why Xiaobao is obliquely referring to pulling out (i.e. not being directly responsible and probably setting up something like a shareholder situation since that isnt looked down upon aspared to directly operating a business or store).
  5. Xiaobao actually says dao () or literally pull down which is a colloquialism that I decided to rece with a simr sounding one in English.
  6. Xiaobao is referring to Emperor Xuanzong by his personal name of Li Longji () which, again, is kind of taboo and disrespectful sphemy to do so in Tang dynasty China, and the historical event in which Xuanzong forced his aunt, Princess Taiping (), out of the power she had previously enjoyed at court due to her status and time as the daughter of Wu Zetian (), Xuanzongs grandmother and Chinas first and only female Empress-Regnant. Technically, it was already possible for women to act as officials but only as inner pce officials and could be understood to be one of the Emperors women but with Wu Zetians reign, it marked a zenith in female aplishments in ancient China in which women were able to take on more overt roles. However, a whish effect against women urred after Wu Zetians death and rule passed back to the Li family so Xiaobao is using Princess Taipings fate to tell Juan-Juan that she shouldnt get her hopes up about being a career women here.
  7. For the sake of reference, a zhou cheng () or prefectural city is simr to the capital city of an U.S. state. However, a prefectural city can also refer to an area that includes the viges and towns surrounding the city proper.
Book 1: Chapter 49 Book 1: Chapter 49 A Moon Round In The Starry Skies For The 15th At the morning suns first rising, the newnterns were already hanging. Just as morning came, the children from some families rushed to hang up their own familiesnterns. Once hung up, it was typically for 3 days. As long as there was a bit of money to spare within the household, they wouldnt allow for thenterns to be easily extinguished. The people with better craftsmanship would make thenterns themselves, constructing them into different sorts of shapes and then gluing colored paper on the outside andmp oil or candles inside. At night, hanging them under the eaves or carrying them in hand made them appear like a river of stars entering the water, following the flow. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan both changed into new outfits for today, getting up early to work together with the household. The two of them had already plunked down 100 silver taels for today, wishing to forge an irond rear. Xiaohong, have the clothes that the clothier was asked to make been sent over? Spread out in front of Wang Juan was arge sheet of paper. On it, a roughyout of the two residences of Zhang and Wang was illustrated. Wang Juan held a slender ink brush in her hand, asking as she dabbed it next to an option. On there, the two characters for clothing were written. Xiaohong, Shiliu, and Yingtao, the three of them had already handed any trivial matters over to other people to do and they were all standing in front of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. Six-tenths has been sent over. Theres still four-tenths that need 2 more hours before they can be sent over. All of the servants and peasants of the two manors of Zhang and Wang total 763 people altogether. 763 sets of clothing and shoes have been tailor-made to measure without missing a single person. Xiaohong had already be ustomed to Little Misters rules as she stepped forward in response. When taking the size measurements, the two families of Zhang and Wangs identities as the vige chiefs[1] were used though they hadnt mentioned that it was in order to make clothes and shoes for the people of the manor. These things were typically made by the families themselves and having them made to order from without was rare. Good. In a short while, go and pressure them again. Yingtao, has antern and a roasted chicken for every family been prepared yet? Wang Juan used the ink brush to make a check mark after the two characters for clothing before she asked Yingtao. Yingtao also stepped forward: The two manors have a total of 234 households. 234nterns and roasted chickens have all been prepared and can be given out at any time. Also, the 3 days worth of candles that can be supplied to every household for theirnterns has already been prepared. Wang Juan made another check mark after the written item ofnterns: Shiliu, how long until the meat-filled dumpling balls[2] are done being wrapped? In reply to Little Miss, every person will have 10rge meat-filled dumpling balls. Before, we were still 400 short. Now, theyre almost done. The 3 strings of 1,000 burst firecrackers for every household have all been ced in the storeroom. Shiliu also stepped forward in reply, her face bright red with excitement at the thought of Little Mister and Little Misss ns for today. Wang Juan also checked off this item. A manservant, Huzi, was still remaining in the room. Not waiting for Wang Juan to ask, Huzi started speaking on his own. The two manors have already dug out the pits, guaranteeing that the torches that are nted on top wont fall down and cause a fire. Altogether, its 790 pits and 790 torches. Every person from our two manors will each have one. The grease that has been prepared will ensure that they wont be extinguished for this one night. Good, everyone should go and prepare. In the afternoon during the rooster hour (5~7PM),[3] hand all of the items out. Stick the torches in and light them up once it gets dark. Wang Juan said a sentence in instruction and the four people left in quick session. The two of them, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, were the only ones remaining in the room. They were still waitingwaiting for Xu Si to return. The 100 silver taels that had been spent couldnt all have been used just on the clothes, food, and other things. There was another portion that had been ced with Xu Si here. I heard that the personing down from above this time doesnt have such a good rtionship with the prefectural Depot Advisory Official Zhou Kong or rather, Zhou Xihus uncle. What if he deliberately makes troublehave you thought of a way to deal with it? Wang Juan put the brush away to ask while facing Zhang Xiaobao, who was next to her and also holding a brush to write things down on his own there. Zhang Xiaobao was a bit dissatisfied with his characters aspared to Wang Juan, they werecking by a lot. But who let Wang Juan practice this since she was little? Other than the things that had to typically be learned in the ssroom, the other things like dance, brush calligraphy, musical instruments, and other misceneous kind of things had to all be learned too, ~ne. This was the gap between the poor and rich. Families with no money also had genius children. Every time one appeared, there would be a great deal of news coverage, as if these children were the most formidable. But the result was that in the proportion of the poption that upied the leading positions in society, it was still those people who had grown up being trained in all areas of expertise since they had been little who ounted for the greatest amount. After slightly reflecting upon this for a bit, Zhang Xiaobao also put down the brush to rub his wrist and give a reassuring smile to Wang Juan. Its better to have conflict. The peopleing down have to go back. Therell be a deadline. If the rtionship is good, theyll help cover it up. If the rtionship is so-so, thats when itll the most difficult. That way, theyll deal with the affair impartially. If the rtionship is not good, thats easy. That Works Advisory Official[4] will verify the auspicious favor on the one hand and on the other hand, make a bit of trouble for the Depot Advisor''s nephew. Then, let him go find some. It wont even do if he didnt make troublewell force him to put all his focus on suppressing Zhou Xihu and the county magistrate and ce a whole bunch of troublesome little ws in front of him. Just this? Nothing else? Then, what if hes finding fault on the one hand but are seized by a whim on the other hand and want to go up to the manor? What to do then? Wang Juan kept thinking that this was a bit unsafe. This did not seem to befit the conduct of this International Criminal Swindler, Zhang Xiaobao. She herself was responsible for the logistics on the 15th while assigned to Zhang Xiaobao was dealing with the peopleing. When did he ever only have the one idea? Didnt finish speaking, ~ne, Im thinking of the details. Oh, thats more like it. I was saying, if you really only used a single idea with no guarantee, then it wouldnt be you, Zhang Xiaobao. Wang Juan was reassured now. Zhang Xiaobaos hand tapped his leg a few times: Song Jing-gong still has things to do over there. ording to the intel, our prefectures Merit Advisory Official Chen Yong, Chen Jinian[5] likes posing as a lover of culture.[6] Sanshui Countys county seat there has three big restaurants. If you walk further north, theres even the Luo River. That river isnt part of our county as its part of the territory for Luochuan County.[7] A one-way walk typically needs half a days time. Lets think of the poems of this era and write them down to send over to Song Jing-gong. Then, lets take out some of the amusing things this side doesnt have and some new recipes. Have Song Jing-gong tightly pin Chen Yong down at the three restaurants and the Luo River there; make him reluctant to leave the red-light district.[8] Youre too wicked. Tell me, how many people did you corrupt back then? Upon hearing this, Wang Juan understood. It was a simple yet practical measure. After thinking of how many high officials who had gotten swindled but still helped to cover it up afterwards back then, she understood why. A fly does not bite an uncracked egg. Besides these, well also have to spend more money again here and let some citizens bar the way to cry for justice.[9] This requires Magistrate Cheng to cooperate for a bit. Itll all be matters as trivial as chicken feathers and garlic skin. Let Chen Yong enjoy the experience of being able to make judgements for the people. After enjoying this experience, lets have the people give him amendation like a silk banner.[10] Invite him to a farming household to eat a farmers meal and experience being close to the people. If these are not enough, then well make him sick. I cant believe hed have the energy toe and care about us here then. Zhang Xiaobao spoke leisurely as Wang Juan listened to Zhang Xiaobao while staring at him. Wicked, a belly full of wicked water. But he was wicked good. To have such a wicked person to live with from now on would be very rxing. Little Mister, Little Miss, this little one has returned. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan both had finished discussing how theyd manipte people when Xu Si hurriedly ran in from outside. Usually, he couldnt casually enter this courtyard house. Todays circumstances were special. Its good youve returned. Has everything been taken care of? Today, everything here were being managed by Wang Juan, so Wang Juan was the one to speak. Its done. This little one has already found people to do the lion dance.[11] 50 people will being this time. Theyll be dancing by that area by the bridge. Itll be a lively night. This little one has even prepared some goods. Theyre all goods that can typically be of use. And there are several kinds of snacks. By that time, theyll be set out at that ce by the bridge. This little one has been thinking. Tonight, these goods wont earn profits. Itll be fine to just cover the costs. I didnt discuss this point with Little Miss and Little Mister. So if its not fine, then this little one will raise the prices. Xu Si had been horribly busy for these two days. The market fair originally was going to be done by him after the 15th was over but he was doing it on the night of the 15th as Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao had only had him find people to perform the lion dance. Upon hearing these words of initiative from Xu Si, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were not only happy, they even smiled. Xu Si saw two children with pure smiles. While he thought it cute, he was a bit afraid at the same timeafraid that he had made a mistake. Good, Zhang Xiaobao said a word. Good, Wang Juan also echoed him in saying one word. Xu Si didnt know what he should do. There was something a bit off with both their expressions and the words they spoke, ~ne. Xu Si, dont worry. It really is good. Since the matter of the market fair has been handed over to you, then however you want to do it, we wont interfere at all. In a while, you can go to Xiaobao and my storeroom to select things worth around 20 silver taels to give out as well. There are also several kinds of snacks in the courtyard house that cant be found out there. Go to the kitchens to get them and find people to make them. I want this years 15th to be etched in everyones memory. Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao were really too satisfied with this Xu Si. Xu Sis grasp of business opportunities and consumer psychology was really a rare talent. As long as business was done at cost for several days, this market fair would naturally grow. Give him some more guidanceter on and in the future, hed be of great use. Having just received praise and been granted authority, Xu Si left full of gratitude. The fatigue from being so busy for these few days seemed to disappear at the blink of an eye. He, Xu Si, also had today. He could also do great things. Back then, he had also sought out the Ge Manors master family, wishing to speak his inner thoughts and suggest some ideas. But the result was he had been thrown out. From then on, hed lost heart and just stuck to honestly farming thends. But to think, ~ah, I, Xu Si, finally have found a good master family. This is trust. To hear people say it, there was that really formidable person back thenforgot what it was called. They would not suspect people who were used and not use people who were suspect.[12] Unh, he must do well with the market fair. Let the people of the Ge Family see that I, Xu Si, am no longer that Sigou (Four Dogs). As Xu Si thought this, he clenched his fists tightly. After having just left this courtyard house of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juans, he stopped and turned around to kneel down while facing the house where Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were located before kowtowing 3 consecutive times. Only then did he stand up, leaving inrge strides with his chest up and head high. Old man, look at that good grandson and granddaughter-inw of ours, how is their skill at leadership? Near Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juans courtyard house within another courtyard house diagonally across, Old Madam smilingly asked the Old Master who had also been watching Xu Sis actions as he left. The Old Master nodded his head slightly: Unh, this one generation of my Zhang Family has seeded. This daughter-inw Qiao-er is good as shes controlled this household so there arent any mistakes and even given birth to such a good grandson for us. From now on, well just enjoy the quietforts.
  1. The exact Chinese used is Cun Zheng (), which literally means vige just(ice) alluding to the positions typical duty of managing petty disputes between the vigers. This is worthy of mention because vige chief or vige head is usually referred to as Cun Zhang () in Chinese and searching for Cun Zheng () online will bring up Muramasa as the Kanji reading for these two Chinese characters are identical to the name of the famed Japanese swordsmith. The vige chief was usually not a formal position given any official authority by the government back then, though there might be some informal version of elections since the position was usually filled by someone the vigers considered worthy or venerable enough to act as the leader and spokesman for the vige. In many cases where the vige was established by a n or house, the vige chief would also be the n chief or house leader. In this case, because the manors also double as viges, the head of the manors are also the vige chiefs.
  2. Rou xian tang yuan () literally trantes to meal filling soup round. Ive tranted tangyuan as dumpling balls as they are essentially dumplings made out of glutinous rice flour that are formed into balls. They can be made to have no filling, hence why it is specified in the text that they have meat fillings. This food actually has different names ording to the region of China and tangyuan is actually the Southern Chinese name for them. The use of the name itself is likely anachronistic for the Tang dynasty though since the legend for why they are called tangyuan is rted to Yuan Shikai, a warlord from thete Qing dynasty. However, this is a food item traditionally eaten on the 15th of the first month of the Lunar New Year and for other festivals as well. You can see more pictures on Baidu (recipes in Chinese are provided but dont ask me to trante them because there are a lot!).
  3. Ive tranted you shi () as the rooster hour since thats the Earthly Branch associated with the Rooster from the Chinese Zodiac. As a reminder, the Chinese divided the days into 12 2-hour segments representing the 12 Earthly Branches that was then assigned to an animal from the Chinese Zodiac. The rooster rules over the time span from 5:00~7:00PM.
  4. The trantion I used si kong can jun () will make sense if youbine the trantions for si kong () meaning Minister of Public Works with can jun (), which means staff or advisory official. Thus, since these are titles for prefectural officials, it bes Works Advisory Official (to be part of a matching set with the Depot Advisory Official and Merit Advisory Official I have already tranted). That or this could be a typo since si gong can jun () or Merit Advisory Official is close in pinyin to si kong can jun ().
  5. Chen Yong () is the surname of Chen, meaning old, with the given name of Yong, meaning eternity. His style name is Chen Jinian () with ji nian () meaning sessive year, which could refer to his familys hope that he will live long (matching with the meaning of his given name). When making introductions in ancient China and the style name is mentioned, it often is added after the given name. This would be simr to making introductions in the West that include the nickname such as Jillian Smith, Jill Smith. If the style name is given as part of a self-introduction, there is an implied invitation that the listener can use the style name, which grants a degree of familiarity. In this case, Xiaobao is just being thorough, giving the impression that he is simply recalling the intel that had been collected.
  6. Fu yong feng ya () can mean following the trends of elegance and essentially refers to the behavior of those members of the schr-gentry and literati who liked throwing parties to discuss poetry, paintings, and other topics. However, they could be drunken affairs with just as much debauchery since they sometimes took ce in brothels or involved courtesans and dancing girls, only dressed up elegantly. So depending on the context, this idiom could be praise or criticism of such activity.
  7. I havent been able to find information to verify the geography of Luochuan Xian () although there is a Luochuan County that uses different characters () with the same pronunciation.
  8. The Chinese Xiaobao used here were poetic euphemisms for the red-light district, which probably adds a sardonic tone to it all: feng yue chang suo, yan hua zhi di (, ). It literally trantes to ces of the wind and moon,nd of the smoke flowers (or fireworks). This makes more sense when you realize that the wind and moon or windy moon (fengyue/) refers to matters of love, specifically seductive love, so its normally used to describe the love found in brothels, which is like the wind or moon, ephemeral and untouchable. Thend of the smoke flowers or fireworks was already addressed in a previous footnote back in Chapter 26.
  9. There is a certain legal tradition in ancient China of an exception to the normal appeal process, poprized in many historical dramas, where those who are wronged can seek justice by barring the way of a traveling official to petition them to redress their grievances. So han yuan (), which literally means cry injustice, describes this action. Some dynasties will legite punishments for those who bar the way of officials, which can also be seen as a fair price to be paid for their insubordination by not pursuing the regr legal process since the local officials authority could be great. In this case, because of their modern day influences, Xiaobao and Juan-Juan are using this tradition that is normally used as a desperate recourse as a dying tactic like in aedy. Some amusing wordy that I have seen used in Chinese dramas before is an official who sees a rabbit with a crown and immediately knows someone has been wrong and an injustice has been done because it is a visual depiction of the character for injustice or yuan ().
  10. A jinqi () or silk banner can either be given to the victor of a race or to a person to show they did something worthy of respect. Itd be the equivalent of giving someone a trophy or award for phnthropy.
  11. The lion dance is a traditional Chinese dance where the dancers mimic lions while in a stylized lion costume. It usually requires at least 2 people to do a lion dance, one for the head and the other for the tail. It is usually performed at special events and asions like weddings, business openings, or anything else that needs to be celebrated in a lively way. People who have seen some of Jet Lis Once Upon a Time in China film series will likely remember a pivotal scene in one of the films where a martial arts fight broke out involving a lion dance.
  12. This is an 8 character long saying whose first 4 characters are normally quoted as an idiom to in an abbreviated reference to the full sentence. I tranted yong ren bu yi, yi ren bu yong (, ) as literally as possible to try to convey the inherent rhyme found within the sentenceposition, which is symmetrical but both ends are the opposite in meaning. This is also the advice given to leaders regarding how to treat their followers and subordinates, which was key in imperial China where trust between the Emperor and his officials could be fraught with tension.
Book 1: Chapter 50 Book 1: Chapter 50 The situation in Chengshui province, Sanshui country was not as rxed as Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Jun right now. Cheng Xianling had been standing outside, leading a group of people to wait for more than half an hour. Most of the snow had yet to melt. The cold wind blew and the people standing outside feltpletely frozen. Cheng XianLing knew the person who wasing down this time was Chen Gong, who had joined the army and was not sympathetic to his colleague Zhou Yi. He was closer to Zhou Yi. After all, his nephew was here. We originally agreed to meet at Chen time but its almost noon (Wu time). Looking at the current situation, they are doing this on purpose. Cheng XianLing endured the rage in his heart and could only continue to wait here. The difference of a level (1 ping), not to mention that he was sent here regarding a special issue, if he really dyed them, they might send a report to censor him saying that this side is slow and inauspicious. Daren perhaps you should first enter the carriage to warm yourself up a little. Ill wait here and watch over the situation, its not toote toe out when the people reach here. The county magistrate Zhang Ming Sheng who was at a side noticed that Cheng XianLings expression was bad, gently whispered. Cheng XianLing did want to go in the carriage to get warm but as he looked at country Magistrate Zhao Xiang besides him, he suppressed the idea. Zhao Xiang is the Magistrate and there are some restrictions on him. Usually their rtionship is neither close nor distant. Fortunately, Zhao Xiang has never done anything bad. Usually this Zhao Xiang is rather impartial. Who knows that at this time he has entered the scene, will he impeach him? Seeing him standing so straight without speaking, giving off the impression that the weather wasnt really that cold. It was almost noon already. Other than Zhao Xiang who is expressionless as usual, the others were already a little impatient and shuffling around. People pass by time from time, knowing that they are waiting for someone. They spected hat SanShui County has encountered auspicious things. If it was another time of the year they would stay to look at it but today was the 15th, none of them stayed. After waiting for a quarter of an hour, there was finally a team of people in the distance. There was a g bearer in the front and a carriage in the back. They are finally here. Sanshui Countys people started getting more active, preparing to see the ceremony in a little while. As the team is getting closer, Cheng XianLing dismissed the idea of waiting there and instead led people to meet up. The moment they met, Cheng XianLing said: Cheng XianLing, the provincemander of Sanshui County wees inspection officer of the auspicious case, State Secretary Chen Yong. After a while, the carriage door was opened and one person came out. It was the State Secretary Chen Yong. Chen Yong was expressionless as he exited, he nodded slightly and said: Cheng XianLing, I was ordered by the emperor toe verify the auspicious sign case. The weather on the road was bad and there was a dy. I will set off to go take a look now. I heard that the auspicious sign originated from a manor. Hearing this, the province magistrate was secretly cursing in his heart. What weather is bad. August 15 Last year was a bright sunny day. Hence this years should also be the same. Want to go to the manor? Are you dreaming? How could the manor still have cucumbers inside? How can I let you go? Although he thought this is in his heart, he maintained a smile on his face. Chen daren, the auspicious sign is no longer in that manor. It has already been moved to a ce on the banks of the LuoShui River that belongs to this county. If daren wishes to see the auspicious sign, it is better to just go there. State Secretary Chen Yong heard the words of Cheng XianLing and faltered for a moment. He didnt think that they would act so fast and move the cucumbers over. He originally intended to head towards the manor. After-all, the manor would only have some ordinary people. As long as the countymander had any little mistake, he could criticise Cheng XianLing, censuring his for being slow and inauspicious. But now that it has been moved, he can no longer go to the manor. Else Cheng XianLing could censure him, questioning whether he was here to examine the auspicious sign or to examine the manor. In that case, take this officer (himself) to see. Seeing that his initial ns could no longer be used, Chen Yong didnt say much. The procession of people did not have time to eat a bite before they had to proceed there. Although it was said to be a ce on the banks of LuoShui River, in reality it was near a tributary of LuoShui River, the ordinary people called this the little LuoShui but the Cheng countymander did not like this name. The little LuoShui was not as far away as the real LuoShui. It wasnt that close though. It took more than an hour before it reached the ce, a pedestrian stopped and saw the location which was engulfed in cloth. This is the auspicious sign, the cucumbers? Chen Yong pointed as he asked with a calm countenance. Exactly so, daren you maye in to take a look. The country magistrate Zhang Ming Sheng came to answer, opening the cloth. countymander Cheng XianLing, do you know your crime? Chen Yong did not ept the county magistrates words but instead looked at the countymander in the eyes and questioned. This subordinate officer does not know what crimes he hasmitted? Cheng XianLing was no longer smiling. You simply came here to pick faults! What crimes? The crime of giving you too little cucumber to eat? The purpose of State Secretary Chen Yong this time is very clear, to leave the benefits of this auspicious sign to the state (Zhou li), to find fault with the prefectural order. When the time came, to me him of a crime and consign him to death. He simply had to use Cheng XianLing of a crime and his merits would be offset by his crimes. Hearing Cheng XianLings questioning response, he pointed to the river in front while saying coldly. As the springes, the snow thaws and the river is getting higher. You moved the auspicious sign here. What is your motive? Did you want the river to wash away the auspicious sign? Weakening our country? This statement was grave and the crime implied could lead to mass execution of his n. If it was another person, this would be the time to confess that we have not done enough. Cheng XianLing was simply not concerned. Since they were no longer keeping up appearances, then juste at me! He also made a dismissive noise. Chen Yong, are you trying to interfere in the affairs of water conservancy? Do you understand more about water conservancy? If you are talking on this topic, Chen Yong seems to be more experienced than you. Now, if you want to be a provincial governor, yes, then you can ask everything. You You are ndering me! Chen Yong was given a fright, he was now even more frightened than Cheng Xian Ling. It was impossible for his superiors to agree to the crime he wanted to push onto Cheng Xian Ling, he just wanted Cheng Xian Ling to retreat. But now Cheng Xian Ling managed to turn the tables and use him of a crime. This was a much smaller crime. But the many followers beside him could hear and pass this on to the provincial governor. He could predict the future consequences of that. And it would not have been just the governor that was unhappy. His other colleagues (wu shi) would also find him unpleasant, especially regarding this issue of interfering with water conservancy. If the governor is really angered and wants him to govern then he will be in big trouble. When Chen Yong was still thinking about the consequences, Cheng Xian Ling continued: Since State Secretary intends to help manage the water conservancy, I will definitely lend a helping hand, and send up a report so that the division will join the army regarding the water conservancy project. At that time I will have to trouble these daren here to testify. The daren he spoke to were naturally those who followed Chen Yong here. They were not all from the same faction. They each had their own backers and factions. Among them were those who opposed Chen Yong. Cheng XianLing, Brother Cheng, dear brother those were all joke, just jokes. I learnt that this ce was auspicious under your jurisdiction and was happy for you and feared that you would be negligent and lose the royal grace. Thus I used jokes to remind you. Chen Yong no longer cared about his dignity. If Cheng Xian Ling really submitted such a report up, the first victim would be him. Desperate he could only coax him, calling him intimately even addressing him as my dear brother. He even started smiling. As for the thoughts of others, he could not control it. As older brother said, it is a joke. Please head inside, first examine the auspicious sign. Cheng XianLing also had to step back at the moment, first establish the veracity of the auspicious sign before anything else. He was also troubled. How to stop this person who was deliberately picking at ws from going to the Zhang manor? This was really difficult to do. Should this Chen Yong insist on going to the ce where an auspicious sign appeared. What excuse should he use to block it? Good, good, please go ahead dear brother. Chen Yongughed and agreed. He ordered a person to go in front and lift up the cloth revealing a green expanse of sulent cucumbers. Many of the cucumbers sent by the county magistrate had been eaten by the people here. The feeling they got when they were eating and the feeling they got when seeing the cucumbers hanging from the vein was another feeling. It was such a cold day, seeing the green cucumbers hanging there, they got a sense of joy. No wonder they said it was auspicious. Even if the emperor himself came and saw, they believed he would also feel the same sentiment. Everyone was watching, like the people who saw this for the first time. They all wanted to personally pluck one down, without even washing it, rubbing it lightly before taking a bite. That feeling would definitely be different. Surrounding darens, please take a look. This is the cucumber that fell from the vine some time ago, some of the cucumbers have already fallen and their vines have withered, some are still growing. Yesterday, when I was here, this cucumber here was only two inches long but today it has grown to three inches. I believe this is an auspicious sign of the new dynasty. The countymander Cheng XianLing introduced this to the crowds. The people quickly nodded their heads and no one dared to say anything. ording to Cheng XianLings words of the auspicious timing, it was Kaiyuan Year 2 and hence was the new dynasty. Chen Yong originally still wanted to find some ws but listening to Cheng XianLing exining it as such, he could only give up. The auspicious sign has been verified and hence this matter has been settled. Some people wanted to take some away and Cheng XianLing agreed. It is still unknown how many would survive, regardless of who wanted to use this to advance their careers, as long as he survived, its good. Since things have been set, then lets eat. Everyone is hungry. Cheng XianLing originally intended to move to the GuanShi Pavilion. Before he could speak, Song JingGong ran over breathlessly. He just arrived riding a horse, only first contacted the QianChang Pavilion. The store was opened by people from other ces. It is clear that the store is not only willing to arrange ces, but also does not need a penny. ZiJin (Song JingGongs schr name), What matter has you in such a hurry? Cheng XianLing saw Song JingGong run over so hurriedly and felt anxious. Daren, this student hasplied with your orders and reserved a good ce in the QianChang Pavilion. Song JingGong replied respectfully. Oh, yes, this is the case. If ZiJin had not said it, this officer would have forgotten it. Darens the ce to eat at has been chosen, it is best to go with them. The countymander made a sign of relief, and headed towards the QianChang Pavilion. Book 1: Chapter 51 Book 1: Chapter 51 Cheng Xiang Ling led at the front. At the same time, he gave the county magistrate Zhang Ming Sheng a wink. Zhang Ming Sheng slightly pointed his head down to indicate that he understood, following the group from behind and looked for Song Jing Gong. Song gong zi, has there been any changes? Zhang Mingsheng was not too anxious, he felt that since the Song Jing Gong had already arranged the ce, it shows that he had already made preparations, pulling Song Jing Gong to the back to whisper. En, this time, no matter what, we must dy the people over here. When the timees, they will have. Song JingGong said softly. How can we dy? I can see that Chen Yong has bad intentions. Simple, you just do this Song JingGong ryed Zhang Xiaobaos methods have been told. He himself admires Zhang XiaoBaos n, the little guy is really too amazing. Zhang Ming Sheng had not had much contact with Song Jing Gong. He had asionally heard that this Song JingGong had an expert (adept) advising him. Since Song JingGong came today, Zhang Mingsheng felt that this matter must be rted to the adept and he listened carefully, he wanted to know what kind of ideas that adepte up with. Zhang Mingsheng found that after listening for a short while, the more he heard, the more surprised he was. Later, his mouth fell open, uncaring about the breeze poured into the stomach, waiting to hear till the end. Until Song Jinggong rushed two steps to the front, only then did Zhang MingSheng react. It was only then that he reacted. That adept really was not simple. No wonder themander said that it was necessary to keep the manors secret. It wasnt afraid that the manors information would leak out, but he was afraid that the adept would be angry. Thinking of this, he looked with pity on Chen Yong, who was walking in front and talking with the county chiefs. He shook his head and followed him forward. He wanted to find a chance to say things to the countymander. After all, this situation was rted to the countymander, such as there might be some shorings or the final imperial report to submit, the countymander must be prepared. Since the pedestrians do not have a ride, they slowly walk away. Seemingly as though they areparing their patience and concentration but also seems to be the using this time to consider future events. Waiting till the moment, everyone to reach the door of Thousand Water (Qian Chang Zhen Shui) Pavilion. Thousand Water Pavilion lit up 50,000 heads of firecrackers, thunderous crackling filled the air. Chen Yong and others who didnt know the truth were frightened to the point they didnt dare to take another step. Even when the firecrackers were finished, everyone could still hear ringing in their ears. Cheng Xian Ling, what is this? Why is there such as loudmotion? Is there anyone trying to act against the auspicious sign? Chen Yong shouted at the countymander. Actually, what he meant was, will there be anyone trying to act against me? darens dont have to worry about this. Its called a firecracker. It was made by a businessman. It was designed for festive asions. It can also be used for the townhouse and the hospital, just like the thirty-sixth firecrackers. The Cheng Xian Ling euphemistically exined. Chen Yongs group understood it instantly, so there was actually so many benefits to this thing. He didnt wait for Chen Yong to speak. The next person interrupted and asked: Cheng Xian Ling, is it that this firecracker is only made in your county. I havent heard of it elsewhere. If it is really unusual, the sound is louder than the usual firecracker. It is so. This thing that is only present in this county. If you all want to bring back some things, the official will prepare for it. The Cheng Xian Ling knows what to do with the firecrackers, should spread it out there. The people from the manor are still expecting to make money from this. Thus the more people know of it, the better, but he still did not say who, just say a businessman, he is afraid these people will go to see. Hearing him say this, Chen Yong was also tempted by the crowd. They did wish to use it for celebration, but they thought of another use. Chen Yong also spoke up. Cheng Xian Ling, I do not know the value of these things? If it is too expensive, I must not collect, we must not do things that rob the wealth of others. darens can rest assured, the firecrackers are cheap. We only heard that it was 50,000 heads. This county has prepared 200,000 heads this year. It will be set off today. It will be a full moon on this years 15th. Then, we still wish to invite darens to enjoy viewingnterns, sharing the joy with themon people. Cheng Xianling replied. He still didnt say much money. He didnt know how much money Zhang manor was nning to set when they were going to sell, and he feared that once he set the price, he would end up sabotaging them if they wanted to sell at a high price in a future. Chen Yong and these people no longer asked. If you say it is cheap, then it is cheap. Even if it is expensive, you buy I also pretend it is cheap, but in their hearts, these people have given the firecrackers a high price. Looking at the fifty thousand heads of firecrackers, could not have produced those sounds without burning through dozens of dors. At the invitation of the restaurant owner, the party went to the third floor and the tea was poured first. They did not have to say anything. The restaurant started serving. The eight cool dishes were served first. There was a dish of cucumber, mixed with mushroom silk, the important point was the restaurant did not find any golden mushrooms. Eating a bit here, there would be a hot dish over there to match the dish here. Dishes were sent one after another. Only counting the cucumber dishes, there were three cucumber hot dishes, cucumber stir-fried with dry bamboo shoots, cucumber scrambled eggs, cucumber with river fish, there was even a cucumber soup that has yet to be served. Other than the cucumber, there was also plenty of carrots. A full four courses, two side-courses were made, the rest was made from the other dried vegetables, the whole table did not have a pure meat dish, this was also instructed by Zhang Xiaobao. Just after thepletion of the new year, everyone just ate meat. Who would still like to continue eating, only light dishes would be delicious. The reality was as he said. Everyone sat down in several tables. Before the hot dish was served, the first thing they ate was the cucumber, munching on cucumber and mushroom silk throughout the meal. In the end, the pleasant and light feeling lingered in their mouth, a scent of fresh cucumber, it was even better than the cucumber they ate. Clearly, this cucumber was just picked. When waiting for hot dishes, carrots were served, everyone was surprised. Everyone did not dare to put start eating. What is this thing? Cheng Xian Ling had toe forward and introduce Darens, this is called a carrot, the food of the northerners. It tastes quite good and its good for the body. This country still has some, and when you get there, darens can bring back some to enjoy. Having finished speaking, Cheng Xian Ling himself first ate a carrot to prove that there was no problem with this item. With him taking the lead. Others were naturally relieved. One by one, they were openly started eating. Till they werepletely stuffed. Some waiters swapped out the food, putting out some dried fruits, and the most important, a big te of cucumber slices. There was also a dish ced in front of every person, a fishy aroma rose from the dishes. Cheng Xian Ling also has not seen this before. He nced briefly at the waiter, and the waiter immediately came towards him and he said to the Cheng Xianling: This is what Song GongZi just brought in, it is called shrimp paste, for darens to dip the cucumbers in before eating. In a moment, we will serve a hot sauce, two kinds of sauces, and two tastes. En. Cheng Xian Ling slightly waved his hand dismissing the waiter and was quite satisfied with the waiters diligence. Once the waiter left, he picked up a piece of cucumber from the dish in front and dipped it in the container, when he lifted it to his mouth, he said: Darens, this is a shrimp paste, and it is eaten by with cucumbers. It is crispy and delicious. Try it. Someone took a demonstration. Others followed suit. It wasnt that they were afraid of being poisoned. They were afraid that they wouldnt know how to eat. They would be made fun of. One by one, try this, it was indeed different and delicious. People who originally felt full seemed to have an appetite again. While drinking wine, while eating, they conversed on neutral topics. This was also Zhang Xiaobaos arrangement. In order to dy these people, Zhang Xiaobao took all the details into consideration. The amount of alcohol, they drank was not a lot. But the alcohol takes up a lot of space. After they have finished eating, their stomachs are not really full. Since it is so, give them time to digest and expel the water., Good, this auspicious shrimp sauce is delicious, the light smell of this shrimp paste is not fishy, only fresh. But once it is dipped with the auspicious cucumber and eaten, this feeling instantly disappeared, and then it is refreshing and delicious. This shrimp paste is on a whole other level than just dipping it in the simple sauce. What do you all think? One person eats the cucumber with shrimp paste and praises it there. Others originally just think its good to eat. Listening to him, this is really the case. All of them are full of praises. Immediately afterwards, the hot sauce was also brought in. The hot sauce was also brought by Song JingGong. This special production was even spicier. The spicy food was really satisfying. The cucumber was brought in again on arge te and it was finished in a short amount of time. They also gradually drank more wine, the water can be discharged, usually this would not cause any problems with the human body, the wine will be expelled too but instead will remain in the blood, the alcohol slowly umted, then there would not be many that could still think about doing work. The meal was eaten for four whole hours and by then nothing could be done. Only had time to wait for a slight sobering before going to see how Sanshui Countys Yuan Xi (festive date) passed. When the officers were eating with Cheng XianLing, they were also having their meal at the Zhang manor. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juns bodies now needed more than just milk. Both of them took the initiative to wean themselves, eating dinner together. Mostly eating cake, and some slowly boiled meat porridge. The people in the yard all know that the two young ancestors have arge appetite and they are often hungry. In the kitchen, there are people avable during the twelve hours. Before lunch, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Jun ate the cake made from 3 eggs, then went to the outside for two quarters and returned for lunch. Thick rice cake was cut into pieces. The shrimp sauce, plus a bit of cucumber and garlic was the meal for two people at noon. This time, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Jun ate slowly, especially the meat, they must chew more. If it was just for growing, they would not eat so much, the protein content of egg white is too high, but they are plotting all day long. Not just their studies, but also managing their own assets, the energy expenditure of the brain was veryrge. Xiaobao, everything is prepared there. In a while, are we going to hand out things in person or let others send them? Wang Jun drank the bowl of porridge in front of her, was a little stuffed andy there as she asked. Let my mother do it. This is not suitable for us toe out. We dont know what happened to Cheng XianLing. This fifteenth day of the first month is exhausting. Zhang Xiaobao also had enough food andy thereining. Fifteenth, some children feel that time is slow, some were hot and feel the time was too fast. Seeing that it was almost time, Steward Zhang personally brought a group of people to the outside. Those people were carrying many things in their hands. Book 1: Chapter 52 Book 1: Chapter 52 Madam Zhang-Wang brought two people to the closest residence. This was also the abode of the oldest resident, Zhang Sheng. This year, he is 65 years old, living with his son and his two daughters and a 9-year-old grandson. His wife passed away early. Madam Zhang-Wang intends to go to him first to give him these things. In the end, before she has walked there, a group of people have gathered before her. Madam Zhang-Wang was not frightened, she is after all on thends of Zhang manor, it would not be easy to hurt her here. She stood waiting for the crowd in front to approach. It was only once they saw the people approaching clearly that the people next to Madam Zhang-Wang rxed. Just now, they almost shouted for help to the entire manor. As long as they shouted, someone woulde out to help. In front of her was Zhang Sheng, whom Madam Zhang-Wang was intending to visit first today. There were many people following behind him, each carrying antern in their hands. It looked to be a significant number of people. Theirnterns were framed with red paper. Looking out, it looked like a red expanse. The two people met on the road, without waiting for Madam Zhang-Wang to say that she was going to Zhang Shengs home, Old man Zhang Sheng waved his hand, and the people behind him carried theirnterns and came over. Madam, where are you going? Zhang Sheng asked, hunching over. Looking at the Zhang household, I was originally prepared to go to Uncle Zhangs home first. What is Uncle Zhang doing? Madam Zhang-Wang was confused. How did these people get together? Madam, everyone has been receiving benefits from the lords family during our usual days. We would like to repay but we dont have much money. Since it is the 15th of the first month, all 106 of us who usually do such crafts and works decided to each make antern. This old man made two extra, in total we have a hundred and eightnterns, an auspicious number. We were just about to send these to the lords manor. Hearing this, Madam Zhang-Wang stood there so moved, she was speechless for a long while, until the person beside her nudged her. She took a deep breath and said: Uncle Zhang, this is perfect timing. My yard stillcksnterns, many thanks to you folks. The things you are giving to the manor, we have received, now I want to give you folks a few things. As she said these, with a wave of her hands, the people in the yard took the things they were holding and gifted them. A hundred individuals gave it first, and the others went to the house. Uncle Zhang, these are the clothes and shoes for your family of six. This is a chicken, I picked the biggest for you. These arenterns and candles and these are dumplings and firecrackers. There are so many things, you cant carry all of them. How about we help carry them for you? Xiao Hong came out with his wife this time, letting the person who was pushing the wheelbarrow behind him,e out in front and pass the items to Zhang Sheng. So many things, as more and more were passed to him, he couldnt quite carry them all. Even though thentern was a foldable silkntern, he still couldnt carry it all. This this these things, madam, are you giving this old man to deliver things? Zhang Sheng has lived for so many years, he didntck this bit of insight. He watched the people in the main house holding things and pushing the wheelbarrow. The things piled up in the car like little hills, and he immediately understood. Not for delivery. This is a holiday. Everyone is happy. On the other side of the small bridge, at the Xu time, there will be people performing dancing lions, and there will be some things to sell. Those things will be cheap. Everyone should go to watch the fun. I originally wanted to go from house to house to inform everyone. Madam Zhang-Wang tried to control herself and try to make her tone calm. She has never seen a resident take the initiative to bring things to the main house. Other than paying the grain, if she wanted a resident to do something, she needed to send people out to look for them. Looking at the hundred and eightnterns shining brightly in front of her, Zhang-Wang felt that her heart was also shining brightly. The surrounding vigers were also listening. Hearing about lion dance, they also know that this is the paid by the main family. Otherwise, will the lion performing troupee to this ce? The roast chicken, the silknterns, the dumplings and the clothes etc. How much silver did the main house have to spend in order to give all these? The people on both sides did not know what to say. They were all dazed there, lingering beneath the pomegranate tree cultivated under the training of Zhang Xiao-Bao and Wang-Jun. When their hearts had calmed down a little, they said: Madam, why dont we all go to each house to check, one shichen (2 hours) would be enough Madam Zhang-Wang looked at the pomegranate tree briefly and nodded with appreciation. She said, Even better, folks, apany me to see the families first and then send thenterns to our yard. A group of people, under the guidance of Madam Zhang-Wang, walked towards Zhang Shengs home, put things down and went to the next house, and told these vigers to go to the little bridge, and the vigers all wanted to kneel down and kowtow. With such a lord, this life is truly worth living. It was only when thest house was done, that Madam Zhang-Wang returned to the yard with a hundred and eightynterns, and hurried to ry her moving experience today to the olddy and the olddy. Wang manor naturally had Madam Wang acting, at the same time, their residents seem to have followed the residents of Zhang manor. The two manors vigers seem to have discussed well, and the Wang manor vigers also sent a hundred and eightynterns. Causing Madam Wang to also be moved to tears. At Xu hour, all the people from both manors came out. Each family was carrying antern of silk. All the people were wearing new clothes. As long as they were women, whether they were young teens or olddies, they wore light green clothes. The men wore light grey. The clothes of the servants of both household also changed. The women all wore red, the men all wore white, they looked very dazzling. Without waiting for the viges to reach the little bridge, one could already see that all the torches set in the manor were all lit up. Both manors formed a bright expanse of light,parable to the moon up in the sky, bright like the stars. In their hearts, some of the vigers counted. Once they counted clearly, they could see that the total of these torches is equal to the number of residents within the two manors, seven hundred and ny. Waiting for these people to go to the small bridge, they could see that the area around the small bridge was also shining, lights dancing with the wind, many stalls were ced there, the lion dancing performers were ready. In an instant, it was full of excitement. The shopkeepers wearing new clothes were watching there, picking up what they needed, and the firecrackers asionally sounded. These firecrackers were paid by Zhang Xiao-Bao and Wang-Jun and was given to the residents too. Once they go back, theyll light up their own. The festive atmosphere of the Zhang and Wang manors were so boisterous that the people of Ge manor couldnt help but notice. They also wanted toe out with theirnterns at night, as a result, they could see the river shining bright with the light reflecting off the other two manorsnterns and the continuous beating of the drums on the other side. The people of Ge manor were curious and they came to the little bridge to take a look. As a result, when they saw the ce, they all didnt know what to say. Lion dance, there was actually a lion dance. How many years has it been since they have seen Look at the people of the two manors over there, all the clothes they wore was the same, thenterns were all silk. Xiao San, can you see? Look at the other two manors! In addition to the things that the two main families gave in the New Year, they even gave things on the fifteenth. New clothes, new clothes, silknterns and even torches shining across the manor! Sigh! One person said to the child next to him and finally could only sigh. Xiao San obediently nodded. I know that their days are better than us. Didnt the Si Gou go there? Other people directly bought silver, when can our manor do the same? Others looked enviously at the other end of the bridge, only daring to look at it, but not daring to go over, their heart can be described as a mixture of five vours. Wu Housesd, Seventh aunt, you all have finally arrived! Quicke over, I made a stall here, the things are cheap, not really making much of a profit. If any of them meets your eye then go ahead and buy, oh and there is the performing lion. At this time, Si Gou whom Ge manor had just been mentioning came out, his body d in a set of white silk, an iid crown cap on his head, even his waist was not as bent as it used to be before. His face plumper than before, his smile was unchanging. As he spoke, he pulled a few peoples hands, while talking he led them over the bridge onto the other side. These people originally did not want to go but could not resist the excitement over there and the enthusiasm of Si Gou. Half pushing, half cajoling, they were led to the other side by Si Gou. After a short while, they adapted, looking at the performances here and looking at the stalls there to see if there was anything they wanted. Casually picking something up and asking, they found that the price really was too cheap. With other people pioneering, other people from Ge manor also came over and looked around. Suddenly they saw that the two lords of Zhang and Wang manor were all out andughing with the vigers. The olddy of the Zhang family was sitting with an olddy in the vige, watching the excitement in front of her, chatting enthusiastically andughing a few times from time to time, revealing that two teeth were lost, letting others to see as if they didnt feel ugly. The Zhang and Wang manors were so boisterous on their side, naturally, the Ge manors main family was also alerted. Ge Ying-Xi heard the loud sounds outside and was puzzled. He was currently appreciating the moon and drinking with his family. He ordered the person by his side: Er Gou, go to that side and take a look. What is happening? Er Gou, who had been serving the people at the side came out and was equally curious in his heart. When he could see the situation over there, his mouth fell open, and gradually opened bigger and bigger. It is so lively over there ah, he pinched himself hard to see if he was dreaming. The pain helped him realise it was all true. Is this still the most remote manor in SanShui County? This may be how festive it is in the SanShui town. As he watched, Er Gous feet were as if they were not under his control, moving forward little by little when he saw the people of their own manor on the bridge, his legs moved even faster. Er Gou, you came too? Quick,e on over here, I prepared some good food over here. You see, today, anywhere with the signs of the two manors, Zhang and Wang, all the snacks can be eaten as you wish. Eat as much as you want. Come, lets drink a bit, the money for the wine has to be paid out of our own pockets, I paid already. Si Gou was acquainted with Er Gou. They were usually on good terms. Si Gou was super alert, once he saw Er Gou, he hurried to pull him over. Er Gou couldnt control himself already and was dazedly dragged to a small table by Xu Si. The two benches were ced and he was pressed onto one by Xu Si. Two dishes were ced on the table. Er Gou didnt even know that the two dishes were called spicy aromatic pig ears and dried phoenix skin. ***** Trantion Notes: Si Gou was renamed to Xu Si by the Zhang Manor a while back but the people of the Ge Manor might still think of him as Si Gou. Interestingly, Si Gou = Four Dog and Er Gou = Two Dog. I think it was prettymon for naming conventions to go by birth order in the past for peasants in ancient China. PS: Sorry for the slow updates, I got used of poaching (another novel) and it was kinda off-putting, especially since Im just tranting because I enjoy it. I am not dropping the trantions though I wont mind if anyone else wants to pick this up. I do tend to update in irregr bursts. (_ _ Thanks for the readers thatmented! Yourments remind me that people were still interested in new chapters and motivated me to trante this (/^^)/ Book 1: Chapter 53 Book 1: Chapter 53 Er-Gou watched as Si-Gou poured a bowl of wine for him before naturally picking up another to toast him. He subconsciously followed raising his own bowl of wine, draining half of its contents in a gulp, then he finally woke up and thought of his manors lord waiting for him back there. Not daring to eat the dishes on the table, Er-Gou stood hurriedly to go, hesitating for a moment, before he turned back, gulping down the remaining half bowl of wine before running away. During this process, Er-Gou did not day a word but Si-Gou could still see the gratitude and envy in Er-Gous eyes. He understood Er-Gou, back when they were wandering and destitute, he signed the field contract while Er-Gou signed a life contract. Er-Gou would only be freed upon death. After pondering on this, Si-Gou searched for Zhang Xiao-Bao. When he saw the little master and the little mistress apanying their family, he was a little scared and did not dare to go forward. Lost in indecision, he was once again reminded of the look in Er-Gous eyes as he left. Turning back, Si-Gou drank a bowl of wine to give himself courage beforeing back to the main house again. *Pu Tong* (The sound of kneeling) Xu-Si did not speak. Instead, he first knelt before Zhang Xiao-Bao and Wang-Jun. Xu-Si, whats the matter with you? Did you drink too much? If you dont have much tolerance for alcohol then drink less. In the future, remember, dont drink so much, youll dy matters. Hu-Zi, help him up. Zhang Xiao-Bao was just in the middle of reciting poetry for his parents, At Night blows the East Wind, Thousands of bloomingnterns are seen; Before he could continue with What is this sorrowful ce? Xu-Si interrupted him. Looking at Xu-Si, who was kneeling in front of him. Zhang Xiao-Bao couldnt understand what was the matter with him, feeling that perhaps Xu-Si was drunk? Drunk people tend to act oddly, there was no need to pursue this. Little master, this lowly one did not drink too much Xu-Si brushed aside Hu-Zi who was helping him up. I know, I know. Those who are drunk all say the same. Like how you never see a crazy person say that their mind is unsound. Zhang Xiao-Bao muttered under his breath. Wang-Jun could still make out his words by reading Zhang Xiao-Baos lips. She blinked at him with her big eyes and spoke Xu-Si, is you have anything to say, just say it, dont do this. After all, today is the 15th of the first month, we should celebrate together. Many thanks to little mistress, this lowly one has a request to make of little master and little master. Xu-Si felt that doing this was too shameless of him but he couldnt keep his words to himself. What request? Dont be anxious, tell us slowly. Get up first. // Hu-Zi you cant even lift up a single person? // Xiao-Bao, what do you say? Wang-Jun disliked it when others acted so subserviently to her, she spoke to them one after another, eventually turning to Xiao-Bao. Yes, yes, get up first. Everyone is meant to be happy today. You are doing things for the manor. Your business is the manors business. Quickly get up. Zhang Xiao-Bao also spoke. Hu-Zi was about to lose all his face already. Exerting strength with both of his arms, he pulled Xu-Si up onto his feet. Hu-Zi was on a whole other level. Even if Xu-Si wanted to resist, he was not his opponent. Say it, what kind of trouble is it? Where you cheated out of money or cheated out of feelings? If it was just being cheated out of money then just forget it, remember this lesson in the future. If you were cheated out of feelings then just tell me who cheated you, I will let him regret for a lifetime. Zhang Xiao-Bao felt as if Xu-Si had suffered some blow to his heart, and these words flowed out from his mouth. These words that he said, only the family members and the people in the manor would understand. The one that was clearest of his meaning was Wang-Jun, if there really was someone who cheated Xu-Si, they should start praying. Whether it was to the gods of the East or the gods of the West, they should quickly start praying. Hearing the little masters words, Xu-Sis mood recovered some, he bowed his head. Little master, this lowly one would like to beg one thing from you, could you get Ge manors Er-Gou released too. Er-Gou that guy is obedient, sensible and loyal. In the past, when I was begging for food, Er-Gou helped me many times. Ge manor? Er-Gou? Xu-Si, who are you talking about? Wang-Jun was dumbfounded. So Xu-Si didnte because of his own issues. To reply to little mistress words, he is a person who sold himself to Ge manor. He just came over and this lowly one pulled him over for a drink. He then hurried away, this lowly one knows that he was ordered toe take a look at the situation on this side by the Ge family. It could be because Xu-Si and Er-Gou have spent a long time together. Er-Gou had only juste over for a short while, but Xu-Si could already understand his reasons foring. Wang-Jun nodded but did not speak, looked at the Zhang Xiao-Bao by her side. Zhang Xiao-Bao also did not know how one could be released from a very contract. He looked at Xu-Si and asked: How can you get your brother out? Xu-Si hesitated for a while, but still did not dare to speak. At this time, Madam Zhang Wang, who was holding Zhang Xiao-Bao, spoke. If you want to redeem a person under a very contract, you must firstpensate the owner for all their expenses in that ce. You also need topensate for the amount of money the person sold themselves for, the 9 out of 13pound interest type, calcted on a monthly basis. Oh, thank you mother, it turned out to be like this, this can be solved with money. Now its simple, Xu-Si, for that brother of yours, Er-Gou to be redeemed, How much does it cost? Zhang Xiao-Bao had thought it would be very troublesome. He didnt expect it could be resolved with money. This was a relief. Wang-Jun was not anxious anymore. She knows what kind of person Zhang Xiao-Bao is. Any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem. Xu-Si was currently worrying about this sum of money. It was simply too much. When he heard the little master asking, he timidly replied About seventy to eighty Liang of silver. At that time we were a group of three, one died from illnesses, Er-Gou wanted to bury that brother hence he sold his self, it is possible that redeeming him would cost even more than this. Little master, this one is willing to sell myself to you, I dont want a penny, you can write as much on the very contract as you want. Xu-Si spoke and as he spoke, he began to tear up. What are you crying for? Isnt it only this little bit of money? Xu-Si, tomorrow, take one hundred Liang of silver, send it to Ge manor on my behalf, redeem your brother out. Dont cry in front of me, first handle this market for me well, in the future I will give you more matters to handle, remember to learn to write and calcte sums. Many of the surrounding families are watching. Zhang Xiao-Bao has no other choice at this time. He must let people know that he is willing to pay any price for his own people. In fact, even if there are no other people, Zhang Xiao-Bao will be like this, talent is hard to find, this Xu-Sis is smart enough to be of use, isnt it only a hundred Liang of silver, he can easily earn it back if he wants, while some natural talents cant be cultivated. Hearing Zhang Xiao-Baos words, Xu-Si was dazed, and the surrounding families were also dazed. Even the rtives from the Zhang manor and the Wang manor were both speechless. The only one that wasnt moved was Wang-Jun. Seeing the people around her all silent, Wang-Jun said: Xu-Si, did you not hear Xiao-Baos words? If you want to repay us, just handle more things for us in the future. *Pu Tong* Xu-Si once again fell to his knees. Dont even know where he suddenly gained this much strength, even Hu-Zi was pushed back several steps. Little master, from now on this one and Er-Gou are willing to work like an ox, to work like a horse for you. If you want to hit, just hit. If you want to scold, just scold. Even if I am being beaten to death, I will not hide. Xu-Si really didnt know how he could repay little master. At this time, Zhang Xiao-Bao jumped from his mothers arms and walked to the front of Xu-Si. He reached out and helped Xu-Si, and said: Xu-Si, get up, I found you. Just like the vigers of this manors, you are my rtives. If my rtives are encountering trouble, how can I not help? If I encounter trouble in the future, I will also be needing help from you all. Xu-Si did not dare resist against the little master. Zhang Xiao-Bao helped Xu-Si up. Looking at the little child in front of him, Xu-Si wiped his eyes and said: Little master, you can rest assured, regardless of who wants to hurt you, this one will protect you with his life. Me too. A family nearby suddenly shouted. The other surrounding vigers who understood the situation also shouted, the atmosphere suddenly picked up. Zhang Xiao-Bao had to calm them for a while before these people went on to continue having fun. Impressive, Comrade Zhang Xiao-Bao, this person haspletely been won over by you. I think you should change your name and call yourself Napoleon. You can recruit so many people with just your personal charm. Wang-Jun looked around and saw the surrounding people doing their own thing, thus she mouthed these words to Zhang Xiao-Bao in lipnguage. Napoleon? Do I know him? I, Zhang Xiao-Bao have always been like this to my friends. My orphanage director grandfather said this once, I am a human, not a beast. I cant abandon everything for the sake of benefits. Can that still be counted as a human? Zhang Xiao-Bao inner heart is still different from some people. When he heard Wang-Juns words, his face sank. Wang-Jun didnt think Zhang Xiao-Baos reaction would this extreme. Thinking of that time he exchanged himself for that child hostage, she had to admit that Zhang Xiao-Bao could be imprisoned, but could not be sphemed. He may not be the good person many would picture but he is definitely not a bad person. Xiao-Bao, I was just joking, dont be angry. Wang-Jun and Zhang Xiao-Bao still mouthed to each other in lipnguage. Well, I will not ept this kind of apology, unless you let me kiss you. Zhang Xiao-Bao replied. Zhang Xiao-Bao, you are a first-ss hooligan, be careful,ter when you are sleeping I will pinch that part of you till it shatters. Wang-Juns little hands pressed against each other, creating a resounding sound. Xu-Si had the backing, now he went to other ces to make arrangements. The vigers said this to each other in the two viges. For the sake of a servants wishes, one hundred Liang of silver was thrown down. These are the two little masters of Zhang Wang. Two little ancestors of the Zhang Wang families. Wearing new clothes, stepping on new shoes, wearing silknterns, and therge Yuan Xiao with meat stuffing, roast chicken, etc., all of this was because of the youngest generation of Zhang Wang families. All of the vigers are present felt that their lives will not be like in the past. What they see before them and what they feel now, that is really living. They must protect the little master and the littledy. ****** Master, this little one looked around and understood that the Zhang Wang two families on the 15th of the first month of this year, arranged a lion dance for the vigers and gave them a lot of things. clothes, shoes, satinnterns, Yuan Xiao meat stuffings Not knowing that his brother had redeemed him, Er-Gou immediately went to report to Ge Ying-Xi once he returned to the Ge manor. What? The two manors actually gave their people so much? Ge Ying-Xi, who was originally still sitting there firmly, heard the words of the Er-Gou and stood up in amazement, eximing in surprise as he looked in the direction of Zhang and Wang manors. Yes, Master, not only that, everyone in the Zhang family and the Wang family came out, and they are happily celebration together with the vigers. Most of us in Ge manor has also gone over. Er-Gou continued. What? My manors people have also gone over? No, this is absolutely uneptable, Er-Gou, you are to immediately call all the guards in the manor out, I will personally go out to lead our people back. Once Ge Ying-Xi heard that the people on their side have gone over, he became flustered. He is now afraid that after the people in his manor knows how things are like over there, they will leave his manor. Book 1: Chapter 54 Book 1: Chapter 54 Ge Yingxi panicked. He let Er Gou go first and then went out himself. Looking out at the moonlight, Ge Yingxi sighed because at first, he nned to have a drink while enjoying the glorious full moon, but he didn''t expect to be preupied with this kind of thing. Before Ge Yingxi had gone far and reached the ce where he was heading for, he saw the brightly-lit view on the other side of the bridge. If it was not because the peasants under his charge were all over there, he would really like to enjoy the scenery. It was beautiful, very beautiful. Zhang Family and Wang Family must have spent a lot of money this time. Ge Yingxi kept walking for a while and finally arrived at this side of the bridge. He thought Er Gou had already gathered all the people there long ago, waiting for him toe. Unexpectedly, there was no one there. On the contrary, it was very boisterous on the other side of the bridge, and Er Gou had disappeared. Holding back the anger in his chest, Ge Yingxi walked to the other side of the bridge. The sounds ofughter, selling things and cheers came to his ears from time to time. A special atmosphere was formed here, making him feel better. "Vige Head Ge, you''re here too. This way, please." While Ge Yingxi was looking around to see what his tenant peasants were doing, Xu Si came up. Xu Si was in charge of the fair, so it was natural that he was the one who greeted him first. There was a head in each of the three little viges. At usual times, this title was useless. Ge Yingxi was stunned when he saw the people in front of him. Just when he was about to reply politely, he suddenly realized that the man standing in front of him turned out to be Si Gou, the peasant who had just left Ge Family a few days ago. Ge Yingxi suddenly felt annoyed and asked, "Si Gou, what are you doing here?" "Vige Head Ge, I am working for the Zhang Family now, taking charge of the management of the local fair. Vige Head Ge might as well take a good look at the fair. Everything in the fair today is sold at cost, but the price will rise in a few days," hearing Ge Yingxi called his nickname, Xu Si became less respectful. Ge Yingxi heard the change in his voice. When he was just about to question Xu Si, he remembered all of a sudden that Xu Si was no longer a tenant peasant of his family. Therefore, Ge could only suppress his anger and said, "What kind of good things you have got here? Does our Ge Familyck such ordinary things?" "Vige Head Ge is right. Ge Family is much richer than the ordinary families, let alone you are the master of the family. Please continue to take a look around. I shall return and report to my master." Xu Si himself got a lot of things on his te, so he had no time to apany others. Besides, his status was a little inferior to Ge Yingxi, who was the master of Ge Family and a vige head authorized by the government. With Xu Si''s departure, Ge Yingxi felt much angrier in his heart. He refused to wait there for someone from Zhang Family or Wang Family toe; instead, he went straight to the boisterous ce ahead. Ge Yingxi was nning to find Er Gou first and then asked him what was going on. While he was walking along this road, though he had not found Er Gou yet, he saw many peasants of his family buying and trading things there. Every one of them was joyful. At ordinary times, he would be happy to see them as happy as this moment. But today he could feel no happiness at all. "What are you doing here, Junior Wu of the third?" Ge Yingxi finally couldn''t help asking. When he caught the sight of a peasant crouching there, talking with a man on a stall andughing, Ge stepped forward and asked in a low voice. "Master, you''re here too. I am trading things here. You see, I have just exchanged for a thimble, since the one in my home is broken. The things here are cheap today. With a salted duck egg, I traded a thimble and two rolls of thread, one ck and one white. Look, these are all I got today. When I go back to home, I''ll sew the clothes that I identally tore a hole in it. That''s my best clothes and it is decent to wear. Junior Wu of the third did not seem to feel the master''s anger. Holding the things in his hand high, Junior Wu of the third talked happily over there. When he looked at the peasants of Zhang Family and Wang Family, there was a trace of envy in his eyes. They were all wearing new clothes and the cloth they used was much better than his own. The cloth was gifted by their masters and their clothes were tailor-made. Ge Yingxi was distracted for a moment. By the lights around him, he saw the look in the eyes of Junior Wu of the third. Ge Yingxi did not speak out what he wanted to scold Junior Wu. He looked at the peasants of Zhang Family and Wang Family, their well-fitting, neat and clean clothes were catching people''s attention. Then Ge Yingxi took a look at thenterns made of silk cloth, they invisibly gave him a feeling of oppression. Gepared them with the ones of his own family, the difference was really big. "Head Ge, I didn''t expect you would have time toe here for a walk. How about this fair? Not bad, right? A few dayster, after all the goods are ready, it will be more convenient for people from surrounding viges toe here to buy and sell things, and then it will be more bustling. Just when Ge Yingxi was making theparison, a voice suddenly appeared. Ge Yingxi took a good look at the person and found it was the current master of the Wang Family. Hence, he could not treat him in the way he treated Si Gou and forced out a little smile. "Hi, Head Wang. You and Head Zhang are very generous. I heard that the peasants in the two viges got a lot of things from you two. But if you want to earn money by collecting taxes at this fair, it''s necessary to report to the government. It''s not easy to deal with them." "Collect taxes? What tax?" Father Wang was stunned, and thenughed. "Vige Head Ge misunderstood. We have never thought about collecting any taxes here. With this fair, it is easier for people to buy and sell things. I am going to build some houses over here, put up some shelters, and then make some food. Those whoe a long way from other ces can take a rest here. The money earned will be used for the maintenance of the surrounding areas. In summer, when it rains heavily, the river will flood. Then we can use the money to fix this problem. The road also needs to be repaired. Head Ge, why don''t you also make a contribution?" "Oh, well, since Head Wang has ns, you can keep it going first. The road in my vige is still fine, so there''s no need to repair it. Vige Head Wang invited the lion dancers for the peasants this time. All of these must have costed you a lot of money, right? There are many torches lit in the vige, making it easier for people to go back home in the evening." Ge Yingxi did not want to do it with the other two viges because he would have to listen to what the other two families said. Hence, he refused it politely and talked about something else. Father Wang did not continue to talk about this matter. He followed Ge Yingxi''s words and said, "It doesn''t cost much money, just eighty to one hundred liang of silver. A year has passed, and it is not easy for all the vigers, so we want to make them feel the happiness too. Those torches are good, making the surroundings bright. There are seven hundred and ny torches, neither more nor less. It is exactly the number of the peasants of Zhang Family and Wang Family plus the number of their masters. People should be reunited when the moon is full. Though the stars are dull, then let the torches that represent all the people of Zhang Vige and Wang Vige lighten the night sky together." As soon as these words were finished, the peasants who heard them all quieted down. Tears were welling up in the eyes of some peasants from Zhang Family or Wang Family. That was what those torches mean. The masters treated them as family members. Yes, they belonged to the same family. The eyes of those peasants from Ge Family became dull. At the old times, everyone was the same and people felt fine with that. Now Zhang Family and Wang Family had be rich, and they began to treat their peasants kindly. They spent the Mid-Autumn Festival together,ughed together, and lit up the night sky together. If they were them, they would feel satisfied for the rest of their lives. Ge Yingxi also be silent. He did not have the courage to call back the peasants of his own vige. He was afraid that if he did so they would be out of spirits at the spring sowing this year. And he felt nothing but only inferior to Vige Head Wang when standing in front of him. The bustle and hustle here suddenly seemed to be far away from him. After thinking about it, he said, "Head Wang, your fair is very impressive. I also feel happy for you. You can go on with what you are doing. Something needs to be dealt with in my family. I shall say goodbye first." After Ge Yingxi finished speaking, he turned around and left before the others could say anything. A sullen look appeared on his face. But before he reached the bridge, Er Gou came to him and said, "Master, there is something I want to discuss with you." "Er Gou, where have you been? What''s the matter? Spit it out," Ge Yingxi was not in the mood to scold Er Gou at the moment, and his voice was much lower. "Master, I want to redeem my freedom. I just ran back via the path and asked the steward. The steward said I have to give you ny-two liang of silver. Is that right?" Er Gou asked carefully. Ge Yingxi was shocked, but at the same time he also understood why he could not find Er Gou just now. He stared at Er Gou and said, "Yes, if the steward said that, that is absolutely right. You have ny-two liang of silver?" Ge Yingxiughed when he said that. Was Er Gou insane? That was an irrevocable deed. Ny-two liang of silver! How could he dare to ask? Er Gou, however, showed a happy face and took out a parcel from his bulging clothes. After thinking about it, he ran away without even notifying Ge Yingxi. Though Ge Yingxi intended to leave, he was too curious about that and stayed. After a while, Er Gou ran back again and opened the parcel. He held it up in front of Ge Yingxi and said, "Master, here is ny-two liang of silver. Take a look at it, if the quantity is correct, you can give my deed back to me, right?" Ge Yingxi looked at the heavy grey-white silver with his eyes wide open. He did note back to earth until Er Gou asked him again. "Where did you get the silver, Er Gou?" "Si Gou gave it to me. We grow up together and have been friends since childhood. He is now in charge of the fair of Zhang Vige and Wang Vige, and he wants me to help him with that." "Where did he get the money then?" "The master gave it to him. Si Gou said he asked the master of Zhang Family for help and got a hundred liang of silver. The master said that he was willing to give Si Gou the money because Si Gou is worth the money and good at making money, and that one hundred liang of silver is not that much. I also feel the same way. It only took a few days for Si Gou to organize this fair. Master, you take this money and return the deed to me. After that, I will work very hard here and I will not bring shame to you. Si Gou let me help him with the pricing. While Er Gou was speaking, he sent the silver forward. Er Gou just went back and exchanged ten liang for two liang. It was unexpected that the master gave him the remaining eight liang of silver. "You said Sigou organized the fair all by himself? And pricing? Ok, ok, ok, I don''t me others but myself. One hundred liang of silver It is worth it, really worth it. This is such arge fair, no wonder they gave him that money. It turns out that they have the pricing right in hand. Why didn''t I find out that Si Gou has such kind of abilities? I let him go for one liang of silver." Ge Yingxi''s eyes were full of puzzlement. He was murmuring to himself there, as his voice was getting smaller and smaller, lowering his head, with his waist bent. He knew how many things need to be done to organize such a big fair and how much benefit it could bring to Zhang Family and Wang Family. All of these were done by Si Gou, the person that he looked down on before. "Never mind, just go, all of you. Er Gou, you go back with me and I will give the deed back to you right away. You should take care of the peasants of Ge Vige when you have a chance." Ge Yingxi felt so tired that he was even unwilling to walk. He left a few words to Er Gou and moved back step by step. Book 1: Chapter 55 Book 1: Chapter 55 Spring Thunder Came When people in Zhang Vige and Wang Vige were watching the lion dance dly together, Sanshui County Town was much more bustling. State Secretary Chen Yong, who suffered from headaches, was awakened by the noisy sound outside. In a daze, he was invited by the County Magistrate Cheng to enjoy with people. When they came out, there were huge crowds of people on the street, the county was illuminated by countlessnterns and it was as brightly lit as in daylight. The firecrackers of 200,000 were divided into several parts, which was set off every once in a while, making the county noisier. Besides, people were amazed by several groups of lion dancers and a variety of jugglers from time to time. However, Chen Yong and others following him had no interest in participating in this joy at all. Surrounded by various sounds, they only had a splitting headache. But they had no choice but persist. Being blown by the cold wind, they felt their stomachs twisted, retching several times. Both their noses and eyes were ufortable. "Your Excellency, look! This ce where the auspicious sign urred is busier than usual, isnt it?" County Magistrate Cheng looked at them, knowing that they were reluctant. Even so, he did not intend to let them go, continuing to talk with them to consume their energy. Chen Yong gave a reluctant smile. What County Magistrate Cheng said is indeed right. Thanks to the effective governance of our emperor, our people could have such a happy life. County Magistrate Cheng has done a lot of things. You tter me. Its what I should do to administer the ce and let people here live in peace. Come on! Set off another 50,000 firecrackers, County Magistrate Cheng modestly said, asking others to set off firecrackers. The loud sound of firecrackers was around them. And those who drank too much felt that they were about to vomit. At the critical moment, someone handed a cucumber. Holding it, they took a bite in turns, which made them feel better. But before they felt much better, someone presented wine. Cheng first picked up a bowl, made a deep bow in the direction of the capital where the emperor lived, and said, "Everybody! Its the infinite royal graciousness that makes our people so happy. Ill toast the emperor first. After that, he finished the bowl of wine first. Looking at the scene, others had no choice but follow Cheng to drink although they didnt want to drink. Having finished it, they were trying hard to prevent themselves from vomiting. After all, this bowl of wine was for the emperor. Of course, they couldnt vomit. Someone sent the cucumber with some hot sauce to them. Eating some, they finally felt better. Waiting for a while, County Magistrate Cheng raised another bowl of wine, and said, Everyone! Today is the full moon day. I wish that our people have a family reunion. Then he drank it. Chen Yong and others really hated him at this moment. Later on, they take a deep breath and emptied the bowl, trying not to vomit. Looking at Cheng, they were afraid that he would pick up the wine bowl again. Fortunately, he did not continue to do it this time. Instead, He began to chat with the people. Having chatted with others for a quarter of an hour, Chen Yong wanted to go in for a rest. Suddenly, a few people from the happy crowds came up to them, some holding bowls and others holding a wine jar. When they got close, an old man with white beard and hair walked out, asking someone to pour wine. Then he held the bowl of wine and said, I am just an ordinary people in Sanshui County. Thanks to the governance of you, we can live in peace and happiness. So, let me propose a toast to you on behalf of our people in Sanshui County. After that, he emptied the bowl. Following this old man, Cheng took a bowl of wine and drank it without hesitation. Obviously, Cheng knew this person, so the wine would not be poisonous. Otherwise, Cheng would never drink it. Now that the wine was proposed by the people, they had to drink it. So three bowls of wine had been drunk by them in just a moment. Now, Cheng thought most of their energy must have been consumed. Then, he proposed returning to the Yamen (the government office in feudal China) to enjoy the moon or have a rest. Chen Yong and others, as if they had been pardoned, turned back. When they arrived at the Yamen, all of them declined to drink and enjoy the moon. Instead, they returned to their own room and fell asleep. The servant wasmanded to burn the incense in everyone''s room and close all the windows and doors. The drunken went to sleep ufortably, as if their stomachs were stirred. With the smell of the incense, they couldn''t control themselves and began to throw up. Being taken care of, they drank some water after they vomited. They couldnt stop vomiting even though they had thrown up everything in their stomachs. Cheng was ufortable too. As soon as he came back, he threw up everything. But after vomiting, he did not lie down immediately. Instead, hemanded a servant to prepare a bucket of hot water. And while he was having the bath, he had his head rubbed and drank hot soup. With sweating and passing urine for a few times, he finally felt better. Then, enjoying a full-body massage, he fell asleep. Besides, there was someone wiping the sweat from his face with warm towels from time to time. On Lunar January 16th, Cheng woke up at about 10 a.m. He shook his head and didnt have any headache now. Then he had a little millet congee, some cucumber pickles, and two meat buns. Knowing that Chen Yong and others were not able to wake up at this moment, he went back and slept for an hour. At noon, hemanded servants to prepare the carriage. Then, he woke them personally one by one. With a terrible hangover and the hunger for such a long time, these people from the state felt that their heads were about to split when they opened their eyes. Having wiped their faces with hot towels, they followed Cheng to the Water-watching Pavilion in a daze. When they got off the carriage, they found that it was a restaurant. Originally, they didn''t want to eat anything. But they were indeed hungry. And it was clear that they would feel worse if they didnt have breakfast. When the dishes were put on the table one by one, they found that this was a banquet with 16 different dishes made of chicken. Cheng urged them to drink again. After all, he had been fine. But they didn''t want to drink again. Cheng revived, but he didnt eat too much food. However, they had to drink under this circumstance. When they had the chicken, they found that the chicken was sweet and greasy. Before they could relieve from the hangover, some of them were drunk again. Then, if someone urged them to drink or eat, they would do as they were asked. Besides, if anyone else drank less, they would urge them too. Like that, they spent four hours having the meal. Except the people and servants from Yamen, all of the others were drunk. Cheng didn''t send them to the Yamen, but put them in the carriage, taking them to the real Luoshui River, where the ice had melted, and a ship was ready. Sitting in the bumpy carriage, they continued to throw up. They didnt arrive at the destination until midnight. Then they were put on the ship one by one. And then they spent their night on the ship. Song Jinggong also followed the queue. He wanted to remember the poem written by his little master, ready to offer another round of entertainment tomorrow. ... On Lunar January 20th, with the spring thunder, the first spring rain fell. It has been the fifth day. It looks like that Cheng has stalled those people. In a few more days, they would leave, right? Wang Juan said with rxation, listening to the sound of falling rain on the window. "Yes. Its said that they are drunk every day. Song Jinggong should be famous this time. Its a good thing. After all, with the reputation, he can work more smoothly in the future. It seems that its not a heavy rain. I am afraid that there will be drought. After the rain stops, we can go out for an inspection in order to find out a ce in our vige, which is suitable for digging holes and storing more water. This year, in the east of Taihang Mountain and Henan Province, there is full of locusts and drought. If we suffered from them too, we will be in trouble. " Zhang Xiaobao was still worried that although that was what was written in the history book, who could guarantee that the person writing the book had written down everything. The real thing could be known only if it was experienced personally. You are right. Even if there is not drought, it can be kept for growing other nts. I have a map here, which I drew ording to their description. But I dont know whether it''s urate or not. When it''s warm, you can walk around the vige with me. Then I can draw an urate map. As Wang Juan spoke, she took out the map, which was originally drawn for arranging the torches. She looked at it and pointed to a ce, How about this ce? My house is not far from the river. If we dig a ditch there, we can lead the water over while the snow is melting. Zhang Xiaobao looked at it aside and nodded. He thought this ce should have been settled. Only through inspection could he know whether it was appropriate or not. ... On Lunar January 25th, it was a fine day, with a balmy spring breeze. Cheng Lingxiang, the county magistrate, waved his hand to the team gradually fading away until he could not see it. Then he put his hands down, and exhaled a deep breath. Looked back at the people in the Yamen, he smiled, with his body stumbling. Finally, hepleted the task, stalling those people here for ten days, He spent the ten days as long as ten months. Everyday he had to arrange new things for them to enjoy. Only the county magistrate''s assistant was left alone in the Yamen to deal with the government affairs. During the period, Chen Yong and others mentioned that they wanted to go to the vige where the auspicious sign urred for several times. While, they were stalled by Cheng. After all, as soon as they were drunk, all of them forgot this thing. Only Clerical Officer Zhao Xiang made him surprised. At first, Cheng was worried that Zhao would handle things impartially and take people to inspect the vige. However, Cheng didn''t expect that Zhao would help him to entertain people when he was drunk on the sixth day. He was such a big drinker. Even if others were drunk, he was still awake. Cheng had never heard that Zhao could drink like so, and had never seen him drink before. As the saying went, a wise head made a close mouth. Jifang, thank you! If its not you, they will probably go to the vige. I really want to know why you would help me? Although Cheng felt tired, he still asked Zhao Xiang. Hearing that the county magistrate called his courtesy name, Zhao Xiang frowned ufortably. But he didnt say anything about it. He said, Your Honor, I also want to eat cucumbers. After saying this, he stopped talking and turned around to go back first. Everyone else was stunned. Zhao Xiang, who had been rigid all the time, should crack a joke today. Others also went back. Zhao Xiang walked in front of them. He knew why he didn''t expose the vige to those people. He had a little daughter and two sons. His daughter was five years old, and she was weak. When she was born, she didnt enjoy good food. Since then, she ate less. Zhao always wanted her to eat more. But the daughter was a picky eater, and there was anything delicious for her to eat in winter. But since there was the cucumber, his daughter ate half a bowl more than usual. This made him grateful to the Zhang Vige. Of course, this was not the only reason. The most important thing was that he worried that if the secret recipe was revealed, there would never be anything new in the future. It was a great loss to Sanshui County. These days, a lot of things had been produced in that ce. He wanted to help them. Book 1: Chapter 56 Book 1: Chapter 56 Leaves of the big locust trees on both sides of the river began to sprout, and flowers by the paths began to put forth their blossoms. ___ The ice and snow were gradually melting, The spring breeze was kissing people''s faces. Clouds were floating and the sun was shining. The river set the residual cliffs off to advantage. Yesterday people looked forward to the rain in the Waking of Insects (3rd sr term). In the next morning, vigers began to be busy with farm work. Thanks to two consecutive showers of rain, the people in the Tuqiao Vige were finally relieved. Since the end of the Spring Festival, they had been suffering fromck of water. Without the rainst night, the present water storage was not enough for the spring ploughing. In Zhang''s yard, looking at the farmers preparing for the spring ploughing, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan gave a silent smile to each other and nodded at the same time. "It seems that there will indeed be drought this year. Fortunately, another pool has been dug, which can deal with the drought for a while. Shall we have the poultry sent to there? If we really should do that, enough food should be prepared for them." Wang Juan, with half a steamed bun in his hand, said to Zhang Xiaobao worriedly. While, Zhang Xiaobao were holding a bowl of milk, drinking it calmly. Then he said, "Take it easy. We can take action when the poultry grows older. Now it''s just the beginning of the drought, and the grasshoppers haven''te out. Even if this thing must be done now, we two viges should not take the lead on this issue. Instead, we need to visit County Magistrate Cheng in Sanshui County and give the opportunity of making contributions to him. Also, we can inquire about the matter that the government of higher level has sent someone to check the field." "Well, the Curved Ploughs arrived the day before yesterday. Shi Liu, ask some servants to send them to our farmers; as for the cattle and horses we have bought, just distribute them ording to the arrangement made inst autumn harvest." After responding to Zhang Xiaobao, Wang Juan turned her head to Shi Liu next to her and said. Shi Liu got the order, and then turned away. Of course, she knew the matter of the autumn harvestst year. Instead of reaping their own crops respectively, the two viges reaped all crops of two viges together. So they would conduct spring ploughing together. The servants in the yards of the two viges were asked for helping to plough. Usually, it was menservants who were sent out for farm work. Arriving at the ce where the Curved Ploughs designed by Zhao were ced, Shi Liu asked, "Is there anyone here", and then immediately two menservants came. "Find a cart to carry what little master and Lady Juan made. Send them to farmers with me." As the servant girl of little master, Shi Liu also put on airs. As the two menservants prepared the cart, they looked curiously at those things which looked like ploughs, but they had never seen such a plough. When the cart arrived, one of them could not help but ask, "Sister Shi Liu, what are these? Are they for ploughing?" "Hm!" Shi Liu made a reply with her nose, and then she said, "Of course. Little master thinks that farmers plough a little slowly. So, he made the new ploughs. With it, ploughing will be several times faster than usual." In fact, Shi Liu did not know whether this thing was so useful like she said just now. But she believed little master and Lady Juan, because everything they made was the best. The two menservants nodded. In their mind, no one could take the ce of little master and Lady Juan. Without the order of keeping all things about little master and Lady Juan secret, they would have bragged to others about these things. These curved ploughs were carried by the two menservants to the cart. When it was filled, they drove the cart out. Sitting on the shaft and looking ahead, Shi Liu were thinking how useful the thing named curved plough would be. One of the menservants who was driving the cart turned his head back and asked, "Sister Shi Liu, it''s little master who paid for these ploughs?" "Of course," Shi Liu answered with two words. "I knew it! Since little master and Lady Juan can speak, our farmers have had a better life than the farmers anywhere else. Perhaps in the whole Tang Dynasty, there was never such a great master." When it came to this, both of the two menservants were proud. Rolling on the muddy road, both wheels of the cart were stained with dirt when they got to the field. The farmers were tilling with the former ploughs in the field. Suddenly, they saw a carting, with Shi Liu sitting on it. The people close to the cart thought there was something needing them to do. So they immediately put down their work and went to the cart. Without waiting for the farmers to speak, Shi Liu first said, "Folks, these are new ploughs made by our masters. You can try to see if they are better than what you are using now. And some cattle and horses have been bought for you. And our little master has said that the way of the spring ploughing is same with that of thest autumn harvest. The two viges will work together." As soon as these farmers heard that there were new ploughs on the cart, they became curious. In recent months, everything little master had done helped them a lot. So, they guessed that the new ploughs should also be great. But thest two things Shi Liu had said made them pleasant the most. After all, with the help of the cattle, horses and the joint cultivation, it would be an easy thing for them to do spring ploughing faster. At present, having called other farmers who were still working, they helped unload these new ploughs from the cart together. They gently touched the new things with their hands, feeling that little master were considerate and so kind to them. Some impatient people had put the new plough on the farm cattle. At first, they were not used to it. After a while, someone could not help cheering, "Look, it''s so fast! Unbelievable! It''s several times faster than the plough we used before. Come on, go to put it on your cattle! Sister Shi Liu, what is this plough called?" "This is called Curved Plough. Don''t worry. There are still a lot. Later on, the horses and cattle which are quite strong, will be sent here too." Hearing that someone had praised the plough, Shi Liu was very happy. Having found that the new plough was so amazing, all of the farmers began to remove the original ploughs and put the new one on their own cattle. "Folks, just a moment, please. Allow me to say something. This curved plough is given by our little master. We must make sure that it wouldn''t be stolen by others." Seeing the new plough, an old man said loudly to the people around him. After hearing it, all of them nodded. Of course, they did not want the good things made by their little master to be stolen by others. With the curved ploughs, the cattle and horses, people began to work together, ording to the autumn harvest, no matter who the field belonged to. In the evening, they found that what they had done today could almost equal what they had farmed in the previous days. Seeing that, they seemed not to feel tired. While they were putting away their tools and going home, Shi Liu appeared again. She said, "Folks, food have been made in the yards of Zhang and Wang. Although it''s spring, it''s still cold. And we also prepare some wine for you. Now go to your own masters'' yards to enjoy the food and drink." As soon as these farmers heard this, they cheered up and headed to their masters'' yards respectively. ... At sunset, having worked for a whole day, farmers of Ge Vige nned to go home. And some people close to the river incidentally nced at the fields of Zhang Vige and Wang Vige. Then he was struck dumb with astonishment by what he saw. Before, the farmers of Wang Vige did not plough the field from the side of river to the inside. Instead, they ploughed from a reverse direction. So, people of Ge Vige didn''t know how fast they ploughed. Until the evening, they had ploughed so many fields, which usually took them three days at least. The farmer of Ge Vige didn''t expect that he could faintly see the fields which had been ploughed. Surprised farmer didn''t want to go home right now. He hurriedly ran across the bridge to thend belonging to Wang Vige, trying to look at the situation carefully. Then, what he found shocked him again. Actually, farmers of Wang Vige had ploughed thend in a day, which should have taken them a few days. Driven by curiosity, the man stopped a farmer of Wang Vige who walked behind. "Brother Qiu Shu, is that ploughed by you in a day? Or you have found someone else to help you?" the farmer of Ge Vige wanted to find out what was wrong. The man called Qiu Shu squared himself. Then he smiled and said, "Oh, my little brother Sun, it''s you! Is your work done today? Go back to have dinner, or the dish will be cold. Sure, all of these fields are ploughed by us. Large number of people made us work fast. We didn''t find anyone else, which was a waste of time. Everyone is busy during the period of the spring ploughing. I''m gonna have dinner, which has been prepared by our little master. When ites to our little master, we feel so grateful. Considering the cold weather in the spring, our little master has prepared the wine for us. I''m gonna have a drink. See youter." When speaking, Brother Qiu Shu dumped the dirt on his feet, walking to the house of his little master. Watching Brother Qiu Shui going far, the farmer of Ge Vige still stood there. Until a gust of wind came with the smell of soil, he shivered, tightly wrapping his clothes around himself. Then he slowly turned around, with his head down and his waist bent. He sighed from time to time. At night, the news that farmers of Wang Vige had ploughed thend, which should take a few days, in a day spread. At first, some people of Ge Vige did not believe it. Someone who was curious went to find out the truth with torches in the middle of the night. After he saw it, he went back to tell others. Then an uproar was caused. Of course, Ge Yingxi also heard the news at night. But he didn''t believe it, so he asked the butler to make it clear. The next morning, the farmers got up again. Having eaten breakfast early, Ge Yingxi took the butler to go out. When he came to the side of the bridge which belonged to him, he stopped and watched the other side. Then, he was amazed. He wondered where the farmers of Wang Vige got so many horses and cattle to plough. There were still a lot of people pulling the ploughs on hisnd. "Master, look! It seems that the farmers of Wang Vige plough together like the way they used inst autumn harvest. Besides, the ploughs they are using are different from those we often use," Ge''s butler pointed to the other side and said to Ge Yingxi. With his eyesight not as good as his butler''s, Ge could not see exactly what the plough was like but the way of ploughing together. Thinking for a while, he said to the butler, "Ask our farmers to plough together. I will go there and have a look at the plough." The butler said "yes" and left. Ge Yingxi walked across the bridge as if he was seeing the scenery. As he went on his way, he stared at the plough, trying to see more clearly as he approached. Before he could see it clearly, a person came to him, greeting him in the distance. "Head Ge, how is it going recently? Why are you free today toe here?" Book 1: Chapter 57 Book 1: Chapter 57 Hearing the voice, Ge Yingxi shifted his gaze to the person. Then he recognized this man, who was the butler of Wangs. Then, Ge smiled, Butler Wang, are you busy now? I''m just walking around here. As he spoke, he was ready to go closer. **** Well, Butler Wang took a step towards the side of Ge Yingxi, standing in front of Ge Yingxi, and said, "Vige Head Ge, the field is muddy due to the spring tige. Why not go to the riverbank for a walk, where the scenery is much better than the field. And these farmers have not seen too many big shots. They might be frightened if they saw you. Under this circumstance, Ge Yingxi had to stop, with his smile full of embarrassment. Noticing that Butler Wang was going to the riverbank with him. Ge Yingxi hesitated for a while, then followed him. Butler Wang, the spring tige of your vige is much faster than that of mine, but the number of farmers this year seems same with thatst year. I wonder what method you have used. The farmers in our vige are indeed living a hard life. Ge Yingxi asked as he walked, sighing and trying to find out something. Of course, Butler Wang understood what Ge Yingxi wanted to know, but he would never tell the secret. How could others get the thing the little master and the littledy made? Then he said, Zhang Vige is the same with our vige. There is not any special way. Well, the only way is to treat the farmers well. If so, the farmers will surely work hard. Just likest night, our masters prepared some food and some wine for them, which is enough for them. Ge Yingxi was quite embarrassed, which clearly meant that he didnt treat the farmers well. But he had no choice. After all, Zhang Vige and Wang Vige were rich, but it was too hard for him to afford the expense. But he understood what Butler Wang had said. Especially those fields which hadnt been rented, he had to be responsible for them as the master. But if the farmers could finish the work which usually costed a few days within one day, he would never believe it. Well, the key of this problem must be the plough. Or why didn''t the butler let him go over there to check it? Ge Yingxi wondered the difference of that plough. He still looked over there when he walked by the river. This time he finally found out the difference. The plough used by his farmers was definitely not as fast as the one farmers of Wang Vige used. Butler Wang, is it really that simple? Is there anything else? Ge Yingxi did not worry any more whether Butler Wang was unhappy about his question, just asking. Butler Wang smiled, Head Ge is really intelligent! Actually, there are indeed some differences. Besides, sincest summer, the two viges have bought cattle and horses for ploughing. Look, there is no one plough pulled by people anymore. Ge Yingxi nodded and stopped talking about it. He knew the key was the plough. Now that they did not want to talk about it, he could not continue to ask. Thinking about trying to figure it outter, he talked with the butler for a while, and then went back. Butler Wang sent him to the bridge. Seeing that Ge Yingxi gradually went away, he took a deep breath and turned back. ... Ten busy days passed, during which Zhang Vige and Wang Vige had ploughed all thend. Ge Vige had to spend another half a month on this. The people of Ge Vige couldnt believe the speed, which made the people of Zhang Vige and Wang Vige get more confident. Some farmers found that there were still a few days avable. After a discussion, they went to the master''s house, and advised to put fertilizer on the soil to nourish the fields first. Then, they would have the fields ploughed again. Since the farmers were willing to work more, the masters would not stop them and just needed to prepare more food for the farmers. This winter Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had made a lot of money. So it was easy for them to spend some money on this part. Shi Liu, dig out the earthworms and move them to another ce. Then put the soil where they lived and the rotting things above it into the fields together with other manure. Well, let me see. Leave it for a while. Ask Little Hong to take the chicken to the fields first. There are a lot of pupae, which could be the food of the chickens,ing out after the fields are ploughed. Zhang Xiaobao was instructing Shi Liu, with worry on his face. After listening to the words, Shi Liu left. Then Wang Juan sighed. It has been so many days. Why isnt there any news from Er Niu yet? That doesnt matter if he didnt get any medical stone. I just hope he is safe. "Yes. Themunication here is really bad, and the transportation is not convenient. So it will take a long time on the way. We really need to recruit more servants; with theirpany, we could be at ease about the safety of the person we have sent out. These days, some people from the Ge Vige have been sent over here, trying to peek at us or getting some news from our farmers. When Zhang Xiaobao was worried about Er Niu, he was also dissatisfied with the master of the Ge Vige. But he indeed understood it. After all, everyone wanted to live a good life. But he couldnt share the such a technical tool casually. Take it easy! No one would say it. Yesterday, a farmer came with a liang (1 liang =50 grams) of silver and said that someone wanted to buy him over. The person who gave him the money is a farmer from the Ge Vige. Obviously, there is no one but Ge Yingxi arranging it." Wang Juan didn''t care about it. She was very satisfied with the performance of the farmer who came here yesterday. Zhang Xiaobao shook his head and thought about it for a moment. Then he said, Its impossible to keep the secret of the Curved Plough. Ask Song Jinggong to send one to County Magistrate Cheng. Besides, send one to Zhou Xihu, asking him to learn how to make it as soon as possible. Later on, we can make a profit by selling it. Tell him that he should finish it before the end of the spring tige. But why? Only if we didnt talk about the curved plough, it would never be known by others. It couldnt be that simple! Tuqiao Vige has three hamlets and three heads. In fact, it belongs to a li (an organization unitrger than a vige). If Ge Yingxi couldnt figure it out, he might report it to the manager of li, the reputable old guy in the township or even the county magistrate. They wille here to see if they know the news that there is new kind of plough which can elerate spring tige. We couldnt deal with a senior official. Why not take the initiative in sharing the benefits with each one. They will have to pay back in the future. Last time, the people who came here to check the matter of the auspiciousness were sent away without finding anything by our dtory tactics. See, this is the society. In the society, we should constantly exchange interests with others, and unit with others ording to the situation. Zhang Xiaobao thought about all of this clearly. Ge Yingxi didnt seem intelligent. If Zhao Xiaobao was him, he would have done what he had said. Wang Juan felt helpless. However, she knew that she had to abide by the rules of the game if she couldnt set up a game. Well, as the fields are ploughed twice this year and have so many good fertilizers, the yield could be increased to some extent. We have some rice, some wheat, and some millet. Among them, how should the rice be nted? Slinging or transnting rice seedlings? Sling them, though it may waste some rice seedlings. The fittest will survive in natural selection anyway. Then we could keep some fish fry in the fields. After all, there is so muchnd. With fish, we could earn more ie although they are cheap here. Even if they couldnt be sold for money, we could make salted fish for our farmers to eat. The only thing I worry about is how we shall exin when someone from the upper governmentes here to check the situation of nting thinks the way of slinging rice seedlings would cause a low yield, and forces us to change it. After all, this is an era of power. By that time, we will have to ask County Magistrate Cheng for help. Lying on the bed, Zhang Xiaobao looked at the ceiling, and said slowly. After a discussion, they settled the matter. Then they told this to Song Jinggong, who agreed with it too. Then, Song went out in a hurry with two curved ploughs, which were respectively sent to County Magistrate Cheng and Zhou Xihu. And Zhou Xihu was regarded as a partner, sharing the bonus with them. ... Hurry up! We''ll be there soon. Ill give you extra twenty copper coins per person when we arrive at the ce. In less than four hours after Song Jinggong left, a group ofrge carriages came from the distance, with stones in it. The man sitting in the first carriage kept shouting at those carters of other carriages. In fact, those carters were worried about their horses. If they were in such a hurry, their horses might get exhausted and be unable to work for a few days. However, when they heard that this man named Er Niu said that he would pay extra 20 copper coins per person, they didnt care about their horses any more. If the horses were tired, they could have a rest for several days. It was likely that they couldnt earn twenty copper coins in those days. Besides, Er Niu indeed had paid them a lot. The sound of shouting and whishes were mixed together. And they moved faster than before. Er Niu had left the vige since the 6th day of the month. It had been a long time for him. He was suffering from pronounced homesickness though he was approaching hometown. He kept drinking water, as if he tried to let himself breathe more smoothly. Passing by a few viges, he knew that spring tige had begun. But he did not know what had happened to his vige. When the team arrived at Ge Vige, he was amazed that Ge Vige ploughed quicker than before. Well, they also followed the way of ploughing his own vige had used duringst autumn harvest. Now all farmers worked together. Junior Wu of the third, your field looks great this year. By autumn, there must be a good harvest. I didn''t expect you to plough so muchnd these days. Er Niu said to the busy man as he passed a field. Junior Wu of the third was pulling the plough there. Hearing the voice, he turned back and found it was Er Niu. In the beginning, he thought that Er Niu was deliberate to say so. Later, he saw that Er Niu seemed toe back from outside. Only then did he understand that Er Niu did not know what was going in his vige. He squared himself and shouted at Er Niu. Er Niu,e on! Go back to your vige and have a look. All thend had been ploughed yesterday. I guess they may sow the dung and plough thend again. We couldntpare with you. Junior Wu of the third, are you kidding me? Is that true? As soon as Er Niu heard it, he asked again. Junior Wu of the third still had to work. There werent too many cattle and horses for them to plough. He just nodded, bent down, and then continued to work. At this time, Er Niu really hoped that he could fly back, urging the carters to be quick again. When they arrived at the bridge, Er Niu stood up and looked over there. It was true that thend had been ploughed, and there were a lot of chickens pecking at things in the fields. This must benefit from our little master. Well, those little insects in the fields will suffer, Er Niu said to the people who went out with him. The two men nodded too, feeling quite happy. If they really ploughed thend with fertilizer again, of course a good harvest would be obtained. As soon as the team crossed the bridge, Er Niu could not help shouting, I''m back. Get some people to help unload the stones. Book 1: Chapter 58 Book 1: Chapter 58 The ones that were the most excited by Er''niu''s return were Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Yuan. Upon hearing the sound of happy greetings grow louder as they came closer, the two of them grabbed each other''s hands and ran out. When they arrived at the door of the outermost yard, Erniu was walking with a crowd of people around him. The curious farmers were asking him nonstop, inquiring all sorts of questions like what kind of ce did the three of them went to? Were there any odd events? Other than a few people in the small vige, no one knew about Er''Niu''s departure before he left. Er''niu was in a rush to meet his Young Master so he didn''t bother to reply back. He walked more and more hastily until he arrived outside of his master''s yard and saw that his Young Master and Young Miss Yuan''yuan came out to wee him. Only then did he loudly shouted out, "Young Master, I have returned, I" "It''s good that you''re back, no need to speak now. Come on in and rest. Zhang Xiao''wu and Zhang Xiao''liu, stop standing out there. Ask some people to help move the load off the vehicle and just pile them up at the entrance." Seeing that Er''niu was so excited that he almost couldn''t hold in his words, Zhang Xiao''bao was scared that he would reveal too much so he cut off his sentence, and called him and the other two to go over to the middle of the yard. After the farmers watched them enter the yard, they didn''t pester them anymore. They turned around and helped move the rocks off the vehicle. As they moved the rocks, there were pondering why did Er''niu brought back so many rocks even though he went out to handle some business. The quality of the rocks weren''t even that good; they can''t even be used to build houses. "Young Master, have you seen them yet? I brought back the type of rocks that you wanted. All of those are the rocks. Young Master, what do you need all of these rocks for?" Er''niu no longer felt tired when he stood in front of Zhang Xiao''bao so he spoke with excitement. "Not bad, you did a good job. Er''niu, have you disclosed this to anyone else?" Zhang Xiao''bao had a look at the rocks already and felt relieved that they were indeed Maifan stones. The production rate this year can be increased by a substantial amount. However, he was also worried that Er''niu and the other two would identally tell others about this so he observed the other two people as he asked the question. Er''niu shook his head and took the water that Shi''liu brought over. He raised his head and poured the whole entire bowl of water into his mouth and then used his sleeves to wipe the corners of his mouth. He replied, "Rest assured, Young Master. No one knows why the three of us wanted those rocks. On the way back, we changed vehicles several times. Thest coachman certainly had no clue where the rocks came from. Also, Young Master, we''ve spent money on everything else, but we didn''t spend money on the rocks. The rocks were randomly picked off the ground so we saved a lot of money. Young Master and Young Miss Yuan''yuan, don''t worry. We know that you''re going to use these rocks for something great so we will never tell anyone about it. Even if we''re beat to death, we won''t say a single word." While Er''niu was talking, Zhang Xiao''wu and Zhang Xiao''liu stood on the side nodding their heads. They felt that it was an honor to help protect Young Master''s secret. "Good, good. You haven''t eaten yet, have you? The cucumber nts have been uprooted already but there are still a few cucumbers hanging from the trellises. They will probably go bad in a few days, so it''s a good time to eat them. You will know the purpose of the rockster on." Zhang Xiao''bao looked at the three people covered with dirt and dust, andmented in his mind,these people can be counted on, it''s important to quickly arrange a meal for them. Upon hearing that there''s cucumber to eat, their eyes lit up. There was nothing as memorable as the experience of eating cucumbers in the vige during the winters. Even though it was the spring ploughing period, there weren''t any veggies other than the same ones that were eaten during winter. Seeing the cucumber reminded Er''niu of something. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a paper package that was the size of a medium-sized bowl. He brought the package over to Zhang Xiao''bao and slowly opened the package to reveal a grey-coloured item. "Young Master, this wood fungus was bought from that ce. Coincidently, I stumbled upon a household that was getting ready to bask these in the sun. I gave them some of your pickles; in exchange for three jars of pickles, they gave me only this much. It should be enough after soaking them in water." When Er''niu spoke, he licked his lips. Maybe he was craving for the wood fungus or maybe he was disappointed that he couldn''t eat the three jars of pickles. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Yuan looked at the wood fungus in Er''niu''s hands and they were baffled. Three jars of pickles were exchanged for this little amount of wood fungus? Those pickles were a nice green color; unlike the brownish ones that were madest autumn. From the beginning, the two of them weren''t able to eat diverse foods so they never demanded too many requirements. Now that they thought about it, they never actually ate wood fungus before. It would probably taste quite good if they braised the wood fungus with some pieces of meat and ate it with soft tofu. "Er''niu, have you been tricked? Three jars of pickles in exchange for this little amount? Did you eat any of the pickles? Did you give them all of it?" The first thing Wang Yuan thought of was that despite being quite clever normally, Er''niu was still tricked so she questioned him. The three of them and Shi''liu stared at Wang Yuan nkly, and after a moment, Er''niu continued, "Young Miss, if you and Young Master went to ask for it, of course the price will be lower, but the three of us are not as capable. Good thing green pickles are a rawmodity during this season, or else they wouldn''t agree to the exchange even if we gave thirty jars, nevertheless three." "Huh? Are wood fungus that expensive?" Wang Yuan felt confused. After Er''niu and the other three others heard this, they realized that the Young Master and the Young Miss was oblivious to this area of knowledge. However, this was normal since they were still children. This time, Er''niu didn''t have to respond since Shi''liang began to exin, "Young Master, Young Miss, wood fungus is not something that just anybody could eat. Even when the two of our viges are celebrating new years, the master''s household can''t eat it." "That''s right, it''s not eaten; there''s none to eat." Zhang Xiao''bao confirmed this as he moved his eyes around. Wang Yuan slightly opened her small mouth and looked at the wood fungus in Er''niu''s hands and then looked at Zhang Xiao''bao. Almost as if she stumbled upon something nice, she started smiling sweetly. "It''s a surprise that our family was never able to eat this. Er''niu, you all have worked hard. Quickly, go eat. Shi''liu, follow us inside." Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Yuan told the three of them to go eat and they brought Shi''liu, whose face appeared confused, into the innermost room. "Do you know how to nt wood fungus?" Wang Yuan asked Zhang Xiao''bao the moment she entered the room. "I know the general steps, but the exact details are a bit hazy. It will be fine if I experiment a few times; wood is inexpensive anyway." Zhang Xiao''bao boasted with confidence. "You know quite a bit." Wang Yuan muttered. "Of course. Think about what my profession is. My career doesn''t require that we master all types of tasks, but it is a requirement to know a bit of everything." "Shi''liu, I''ll hand over a very important task to you. Within one day, find some bassword and shave them into wood shavings. Also, find some wheat bran. Take these dried fungus and soak them in water. Make sure the temperature, no, not temperature. Just make sure the water is slightly cooler than the warmth of your bodySteam the wood shavings and wheat bran in a tin bucket. When the soaked wood fungus has some fur like growth, remove the fur. Let me tell you how to remove the fur. ce the fur covered fungus into a mesh bag and massage it in boiled water that has cooled down. The water that runs off when washing is what we want to use. After you''re done with this, chisel out rows of small holes in some wood pieces As for sterilization, buy some lime powder. Mix some of the powder in a bowl of water and brush the wood with thesolution. That is perhaps, probably it. Do you understand?" Zhang Xiao''bao tried really hard to recall the things that he asionally had a nce at and tried his best to exin it in a way that Shi''liu could understand but he ended up speaking in a nonsensical order. Shi''liu was listening closely so she was able to verbally repeated the procedures. As for the areas she was still confused in, Zhang Xiao''bao exined in detail. In the end, Shi''liu had a clear understanding of what to do. However, she didn''t understand the purpose of doing all of this. "Young Master, are you not going to eat this wood fungus? Am I supposed to use all of them? How about I leave portion of it behind so that the two heads of both families can try some." "I can''t bear eating them. If I eat them, where would I find more. They''re so expensive; even a household as rich as mine are unable to eat it. If we eat some now, then that''s one portion less. I still don''t know which method is the best one, what if we run out?" Looking at the wood fungus in his own hands, Zhang Xiao''bao felt that the wood fungus were not grey-colored but were instead silver and gold colored. "All you need to do is to exin it clearly to Shi''liu. Shi''liu, if you follow Xiao''bao''s method, we can grow our own wood fungus. Once we do that, we can eat it however we want. You musn''t tell anyone about this." Wang Yuan chimed in to exin to Shi''liu. "Huh?" Shi''liu widely opened her mouth in shock and looked at her two masters and then looked at the wood fungus. She nodded her head like a robot and suddenly kneeled on the ground. She pointed one hand to the the sky and the other to the ground. "I, Shi''liu, swear that I will never speak of this method to any other person other than myself, Young Master and Young Miss; no fourth person will know. If I were to tell this to others, then let god smite me with lighting and turn me into dust." Before Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Yuan could help her up, Shi''liu stood up by herself and took hold of the wood fungus. She heaved out two breaths, turned around and ran off. "We''re rich, this time we''re really going to be rich. Xiao''bao, do you know how to grow mushrooms?" Wang Yuan asked Xiao''bao excitedly. Shethought about therge field that she will share with Xiao''bao in the future and how the farmers will work happily on it. "Sort of? Mushrooms can be eaten on a normal basis; there are quite a bit on the mountains so they''re not worth a lot of money. Why should we grow them?" Zhang Xiao''bao wasn''t too concerned about money but he asked this out of habit. "There aren''t a lot, majority of the people who go to the mountains to pick mushrooms end up selling them. Our family doesn''t eat a lot of mushrooms. Mushrooms are usually cooked together with meats, but if we want to eat it, we would have to wait for a week or two. Eating mushrooms is good for the body. We can feed the farmers mushrooms. They''re inexpensive, and if we grow them, we can have baskets and baskets full of them." Wang Yuan was determined to build arge heart-warming farm where every farmer can live healthily. Zhang Xiao''bao could only cooperate with her since having a person supporting him can drive away many of his troubles. He nodded his head, "Fine, after we seed in growing wood fungus, we will grow mushrooms; pine mushrooms and hazel dell mushrooms might not work. When the timees, we will pick one type. This would be harder than growing wood fungus." "No rush, we can wait a few days. Let''s go, let''s go have a look at how our garlic chives are growing. If they''re ready to eat, let''s make some garlic chive soup for the farmers." Wang Yuan was temporarily not impatient anymore. A farmer brought some garlic chives to their house the other day, so she and Xiao''bao decided to grow some of their own. Garlic chives were good since they can be harvested several times and they tasted better than onion chives. Book 1: Chapter 59 Book 1: Chapter 59 Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t like eating garlic but Wang Juan did. Later they found out that the people here liked eating garlic so much that when they went to restaurants, they would first ask if there was garlic. If there was, they would dine there but if there wasn''t, they would turn around and leave. During New Year''s, Wang Juan roasted some garlic and after roasting them, they became soft. They were slightly spicy in the mouth but more so, they had a certain fragrance. For the sake of his physical health, he was persuaded by Wang Juan to eat some. After trying some, he discovered that he still didn''t love eating them. Zhang Xiao''bao''s response to garlic chives was slightly better. He was willing to eat stir-fried chives or chive soup. He even got some raw ones to gnaw his teeth on. Under the rmendation of Wang Juan, the two of them went to the back of their own personal little yard. That ce had an area covered with cloth; the cloth was the one usedst time to protect the good omen over at that ce. After it was used, it was never thrown away and Song Jing''gong brought them all back. Conveniently, they can now use it again. This ce was where they nted the garlic chives. After the garlic skins were peeled off, theyweren''t directly nted in the soil, instead they were ced in a shallow wooden trough. Fine sand was ce at the bottom of the trough and each clove was positioned neatly. The outer peel of sorghum stalks were threaded through to separate the cloves from one another and then water was poured on top. They were nted several days ago and within thest few days, they sprouted. A furnace was ced in the centre of this fenced area so each day, the garlic chives grew by a great length. "Hmm, they can be eaten now. There would be enough soup for the farmers to drink if one tenth of the chive stems length were cut off. The soup can also fight off the cold if some eggs and a lot of ginger were added. These people certainly did not want to live anymore. The water was so cold yet they mixed it with the fertilizer on thend they were tiging. Every single one of them did not take care of themselves; they will be sickly by the time they turn old." Wang Juan used her hands to touch the garlic chives as shemented. She was more than satisfied with these farmers; they all fought for work on the farm. After releasing the six thousand chickens, the farmers followed right behind them. They waited for the chicken to eat thervae buried in the soil, the farmers then immediately poured some water and fertilizer onto the ground, and continued to plough the soil. Thinking of those chickens made Wang Yuan feel extremely happy. The chickens were eating something that they loved so they didn''t have to worry that the chicken won''t be able to find thervae buried in the soil. Every single one of them used their feet to scratch at the soil. Not only did the chickens get to eat well, the number ofrvae were reduced, and the digging loosened up the soil. Every chicken grew to berger than normal chickens. In the winter, there are no bugs to eat and the earthworms were still reproducing. These chickens ate the fish, shrimps, bone meal and grains that Shi''liu brought. By the look of it, in just another month or so, the chickens willy eggs. This was a few days quicker than the six month waiting period from before. When that timees, Ying''tao can pick a few eggs to let hatch and give them to the farmers to raise. They wouldn''t have to worry about eggs anymore when autumn came and more chicken meat could appear on the farmers'' dinner table. Zhang Xiao''bao went into deep thought after hearing Wang Juan''s words. After a while, he shook his head and sighed, "It''s such a pity. There was no way to refine petroleum, and rubber trees can''t be found here, or else some rubber boots can be made for them. That would have been quite useful. When we eat dinner in the evening, tell the farmers to not extinguish the fire in the furnace just yet. When they return at night, they should all use hot water to warm their feet. Get someone to call the doctor over to have a look at them. It''s best to provide early treatment to those with poor health." "Hmm, good idea. We should find two of them and let them stay at the farm. One of them can be responsible for treating humans and the other one can treat animals. When the cow gives birth, let''s secretly hide one and raise it up. Don''t report it to the higher ups. When the timees, we can eat beef." Wang Yuan agreed and added more onto his idea. After the two of them finished discussing, one of them used a small scissors to cut the garlic chives. Not long after, enough was cut for today''s meal. They hugged onto the chives and after they brought them outside, they found some servants to bring the chives to the kitchen. Now, they had to deal with maifan stones. After they were done eating, Er''niu and the other two were called over by Zhang Xiao''bao. He instructed them, "Er''niu, since you were the ones that lugged the stones back, then you guys can finish the rest of the job. Smash the stones into bits for me. Pick out the ones with nice colours and ce the remaining ones in a pile. After you''re done, tell us." "Young Master, leave it to us. We will do a good job." Er''niu nodded his head in agreement even though he still had no idea what the rocks were used for. After the three of them left, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Yuan began to exercise and the dusk sky slowly arrived. The sun on the east side hid behind the mountains, leaving behind crimson clouds, which covered the entire sky, to fluctuate with the wind. Inside a workshop in the county town of San''shui, Song Jing''gong and Zhou Xi''hu waited for each curved ploughs1to be made. When enough were made, Song Jing''gong could go to the the county''s administrative office to find the magistrate. It was important to choose the perfect timing. If he delivered too early, then not too many ploughs have been made yet so not a lot of money can be earned. However, if he delivered toote, the spring tige would be over and the ploughs cannot be used until next year. "Make them more quickly. The more that is made, the more money that is earned. If you guys can make 2000 ploughs before midnight today, I will treat you guys to ate night meal." Zhou Xi''hu hollered to the 200 people that were working busily. These groups of people were formed by ironsmiths and carpenters; he gathered them from all over the ce. The number of experts weren''t enough, so they brought their students with them to work together. This made the people that were tiging other farms grit their teeth in anger since there were no one to fix their ploughs if they broke. Zhang Xi''hu thought that this was a great idea since it was his intention to decrease the number of usable ploughs at the other farms. How else will he find people to buy these ploughs. Every single time he thought of this, he would proudly repeat it to Song Jing''gong again. These workers knew what type of person Mister Zhou was. Seeing that there was money to be made and that they couldn''t get on his bad side, every one of them worked much harder. They knew clearly what they were working on, but the students only knew that they were making new ploughs; they had no idea how much better these new ploughs werepared to the old one. At most, they just knew that the new plough had a bowed thill and the old one was straight. However, the older workers did not think like this. They have worked on many things before so they were able to understand the advantages of a new design after having a couple looks at it. When they were working on it, everyone wondered who was the genius that designed such plough and how much easier it would be for the farmers to use it Seeing that their students weren''t able to see the benefits of the new design, the old workers exined to them as they worked. It was a way to educate their students; they pointed out each structure and exined the purpose of each structural arrangement. The students listened with their eyes wide but they did not slow down their work at hand. In the end, everyone was clear that this curved plough had so many strengths. They began to idolize the one that designed this plough. Some of them couldn''t hold back their curiosity and decided to ask Zhou Xi''hu. Normally, Zhou Xi''hu would not care about these kinds of questions, but he was in a good mood today since hended another business deal. When people asked, he would answer, but no matter how he answered, he would not mention the Zhang family''s farm as Song Jing''gong reminded him not to. Of course, Zhou Xi''hu also did not know exactly who was the one that designed it. When midnight came, the workers actually managed to make 2000 ploughs. Without any hesitation, Zhou Xi''hu immediately ordered people to prepare food to treat the workers with a good meal. At this time, Song Jing''gong took her leave and brought one of the original curved plough with him to the county''s administrative office. After knocking on the door at the back yard, he asked the door guard to send a message. The door guard was actually sleeping during that time, and since it was in the middle of night, he nned to decline. However, when he saw that the person was Song Jing''gong, he immediately went in to report his arrival. The Lord had instructed that no matter what time the Mister Gong came, the Lord must be informed. By the time Song Jing''gong arrived at the living room, the Magistrate, Cheng Ling''xiang was already properly dressed and was sitting there waiting while trying to force his sleepy eyes open. Tea was also already prepared by someone. Seeing that Song Jing''gong had lugged over such of a heavy item over, he yawned while he curiously asked, "Zi''jin, why did you bring that item over here in the middle of the night. Come, sit down and have some tea. Judging by how you look, it seems like you haven''t had sleep yet." Magistrate Cheng got Song Jing''gong to sit on a chair beside the side. In fact, it was Song Jing''gong that told him how to make this chair. Originally, he only sat on a bench or a mat; both were nowhere as close to beingfortable as this type of chair. "My Lord is very wise. The moment I arrived, you knew that I came here because of the item in my hands. My Lord, this is a plough that is used to tige the soil. Because it has a curved thill, I decided to call it the curved plough. Compared to the straight plough, the curved plough can be used to tige the ground more quickly and more easily. Even if a person were to pull the plough, the result will not be too different from using livestock to pull the straight plough." Song Jing''gong knew that now was not a time to be modest. He knew that the curved plough was important in determining if the farnd will be taken back and if more benefits can be reaped. He believed that the Magistate understood how many political achievements he would be awarded because of this curved plough. As expected, the moment Song Jing''gong finished talking, the magistrate, who was fixed onto his seat just now, suddenly stood up and locked his eyes on the plough that he has never seen before. He voice shook as he asked, "Zi''jin, are you speaking truthfully? Are you not saying that to please me? What a good item, even a person can pull it as fast as livestock; that''s such a huge aplishment. As for the credit?" "My Lord, don''t rush and listen to me slowly exin. Ever since the good omen has appeared in the County of San''sui, you have spent the days and nights thinking about how to bring on more benefits for the civilians of San''sui county so that the farmers could have a better harvest. You weren''t able to drink tea without worry or eat with a good appetite. You even lost weight from being so tired. Like how nature never stops moving with vigor, a gentleman must unceasingly strengthen himself''2. Because of your hard work, you finally thought of it. In order to have a good harvest in the autumn, the spring tige must be done well too. You knew that it was toote to work on the seeds so the only choice left was to find ways to improve the process of ploughing thend.The Heavens does not let down those that worked hard. My Lord''s hair has turned white quite a bit from thinking hard and worrying. The idea finally came to my Lord that in order to understand the processes of ploughing, he needed to consult those that worked on thend. Thus, my Lord worked with a farm, and under your instructions, the farm suddenly came up with an idea. After a few days of brainstorming and experimenting, they were finally able to produce the curved plough that my Lord wanted. After testing the plough on thend, all of the farmers praised the incredibleness of my Lord. As requested by the farmers, I have brought one to show my Lord. My Lord, have a look, are there any ces that need to be adjusted?" After Song Jing''gong finished saying a bunch of chaotic nonsense, he smiled and looked at Magistrate Cheng.
Figure 1. An image showing two cows pulling on two types of ploughs. Top: Straight-thill plough. Bottom: Curved-thill plough.(Baidu Baike) Trantor''s notes:
  1. Curved plough/ Qu Yuan Li (lit trans. curved-thill plough).
The curved plough was invented near the Tang dynasty bybor workers and this invention was crucial for the advancement of agriculture during this era. The curved plough was much more efficient and lightweightpared to the original straight-thill plough (look at Fig. 1 for a visualparison of the two).
  1. Like how nature never stops moving with vigor, a gentleman must unceasingly strengthen himself''
This line appeared in a passage called "Yi Zhuan" written by Confucious and is found in the book called "Zhou Yi". The full line is "", meaning that "the sky and nature moves with powerful vigor; correspondingly, when a gentleman handles matters, he must be like the sky and demand himself to improve, to be determined and resilient, to strive ahead and never rest. The manners of the earth was thick and gentle so a gentleman must increase his virtues and be epting of all things in life." Book 1: Chapter 60 Book 1: Chapter 60 Magistrate Cheng examined the curved plough while he listened to Song Jing''gong talk. He was quite happy at first, then he felt his face heat up, and then in the end, he gasped with surprise. It took a long time after Song Jing''gong finished speaking before Magistrate Cheng recovered from the pleasant surprise and shock. His gaze finally shifted from the curved plough over to Song Jing''gong''s face. "Zi''jin, were those words yours? Or...?" "My lord, it was the farmers from the Zhang Farm and Wang Farm who said that. My lord, you are a good official and the farmers will remember that in their hearts," Song Jing''gong said confidently. Magistrate Cheng understood what he meant. That person was willing to give him the majority of the credit. If the curved plough was like how Song Jing''gong described, and if he took into consideration of the appearance of the good omenst time, it seems that he can be promoted after the examination. As if he knew what he was thinking, Song Jing''gong went on to say, "My lord, the spring tige is busy, and time needs to be fought against. How about you let me apany you tomorrow morning to attest the validity of this curved plough. The earlier the production of the plough begins, the more that can be used by the farmers.." "No, not tomorrow. Waiting until tomorrow will be another day of dy. Let''s leave now. Come, my servants, prepare a carriage. Come with me to search for the nearest farm." Magistrate Cheng was now thinking about the future of his career as a government official. How could he dy and waste a whole night doing nothing. He called for the servants in his household and then turned to Song Jing''gong to say, "Zi''jin, the Zhang Farm that has cooperated with me this time has also contributed a lot. I''m unsure if there is anything that needs my help, but I will do my part as the magistrate to help the people." "My lord, if you talk about difficulties, there actually is one thing. It is said that the Emperor is going to take back everyone''s acres. San''shui County is close to the Capital so it is inevitable that food and thousands of fertile acres will be taken back from Zhang Farm, which has over one hundred farmers." Song Jing''gong was ordered by the Young Master to exin the situation in clear detail. Magistrate Cheng made a troubled face when he heard of that and sighed, "If that is the case, the credit of the curved plough is..." "It means that my lord will get the most credit. Without you, this curved plough will not exist." Song Jing''gong confirmed again. Magistrate Cheng was touched. If that farm decided to take all of the credit, even if something wrong was discovered during thend acquisition inspection, it will not be reported. The invention of the curved plough was a good deed that benefited the country and the people. It is very possible that the Emperor won''t take away the originalnd, and may even award them with morend. Yet they passed this great achievement over to him. After he was done thinking, the carriage was ready already so Magistrate Cheng had to speak while he and Song Jing''gong climbed up the carriage, "Zi''jin, I''m incapable of lying. Do you know who my superior is is? Prime Minister Yao Chong. Even if I managed to deceive the State Governor, I wouldn''t be able to deceive the iron-faced* Yao Chong." "My lord does not have to lie. The farmers have said that all you need to do is stall for time. For example, during the spring tige, it is expected that the inspections of thends cannot happen all at once and will have to ur in a consecutive order. Tu''qiao Vige is located far away. With insufficient numbers of people aiding the inspection, that vige will certainly be investigatedst, what do you think of that, my lord?", Song Jing''gong hinted at him. Magistrate Cheng nodded. He too also felt that if this was the only thing that he needed to do, then it was indeed easy. But, even if this was stalled until winter, would the farm be able toe up with a solution by then? "Zi''jin, does that farm have other ns?" Magistrate Cheng wanted to know what other tricks the two masters had up their sleeves. Not only did he now admire the two masters from that farm, he also really wanted to meet them, or even be their disciple. These ns never brought him trouble and the two masters let him take credit for it while they kept a low profile. They have helped him out a lot already and they must be old, so taking him in as a student shouldn''t be a problem. How many teachers out there are willing to care for their own students to this extent? "I don''t know the answer to my lord''s question. Perhaps when summer or autumnes, you wille up with the answer yourself." Song Jing''gong said as he shook his head. He wasn''t aware that Magistrate Cheng had thought of the two young children in that family as old men and even thought of seeking apprenticeship. "Oh, that''s fine then. I will definitely properly handle the affairs on the farm." Seeing that Song Jing''gong also didn''t know much, Magistrate Cheng didn''t question further. He was preupied with thinking about whether this curved plough was as useful as described. After riding in the carriage for two hours, they finally found a farm but the farmers have rested a long time ago already. The magistrate ordered a servant to call a farmer over. He said to that farmer, "I have a new type of plough here, how about you give it a try? " The farmer was in a deep sleep when he was called awake. At first, he was a little unwilling but as soon as he heard that the magistrate himself hade, he quickly got dressed and came over here. When he heard that the magistrate had asked him to try out the new plough, he did not dare to question too much and agreed. "If my lord wants me to try it, I will do so. My lord, should I wake up my child and tell him to pull the plough?" "No, there is a horse ready for you here, so mount it on the horse." When Magistrate Cheng wasing here, he had already taken this into consideration, and brought an extra horse that followed them from behind. Now was the right time to use it. The old man hurriedly mounted the plough onto the horse, set it in the field, and instructed the horse to move. The horse walked forward slowly. The old man, who was used to the straight plow, was a little unustomed to the pace of the first few steps. He paused and then took two more steps. The pace became more and more quick. He happily hollered while ploughing the ground, "It''s quick, so quick. It''s so good to use. I''m this old already and I have never seen such an effective plough. My lord, you are such a good master for the people. You even considereding out here to try a new plough in the middle of the night. I don''t know who made the plough but if I had a plough like this, then I will not be worried at all during this spring tige." "Of course it was the Magistrate who came up with the idea and found a farmer to help create it. The magistrate has spent thest few days thinking about how to make the spring ploughing faster. He was so anxious that his hair had even turned white." Song Jing''gong was standing on a pathway between the fields and when he heard the old man hollering, he also yelled too, as if he was afraid that the others would not know about it. The voice was so loud that it woke up some other farmers too. Magistrate Cheng was not familiar with farm work so he was unable to tell how well the curved plough worked but after hearing the old man shout like that, he was happy. As for the words that Song Jing''gong yelled out, he didn''t refute them, and he spoke with a smile on his face, "If it''s easy to use, this plough will be gifted to you. Zi''jin, when you go back, get another curved plough from that farm. I have made the decision to find a craftsmen to replicate them, or teach them how to craft them. Since there are still a few days left, plough thend well in the meantime. This year, it will be difficult for our county to not have a bountiful harvest." "What my lord has said is wonderful. With my lord working soboriously, even the Heavens will stand by my lord''s side. My lord, there is no need for me to retrieve the ploughs from that farm. Mister Zhou has 2000 of them. If we go to him now, more might have been crafted already. When I went there, Mister Zhou had said that if people were to buy the plough from him, he would not charge them too much; the price will just be 10% higher than the straight plough", Song Jing''gong smiled while telling him about the number of ploughs in stock. Magistrate Cheng blinked his eyes twice and nodded again. "Of course he won''t hand over the plough just like that; he has to reap benefits before he''s willing to let the matter drop. If that''s the case, tomorrow I will have someone post an announcement all over the county to tell everyone to buy it from Zhou Xi''hu." Magistrate Cheng couldn''t understand why such a powerful master would like gold and silver items, but their money making ability was really extraordinary. The discussion here was done. Before the Magistrate and others could depart, some other farmers that were awakened by themotion got up and went out to see what happened. When the farmers arrived outside, they borrowed the light from the stars and moon to watch a person plough the field. Everyone wondered with confusion, who was so energetic that they decided to work in the middle of the night instead of resting? When they came closer, they realized that it was the old bald man from their farm. Seeing that it was him, immediately someone shouted: "Old Baldy, what are you doing? Could it be that you''re sleepwalking?" "It turns out to be you, Donkeyboy, you''ve alsoe out. Go and greet the Magistrate. The Magistrate has given me a new set of plough called the curved plough. When it''s used to ploughnd, one of them is just as effective as using several." The old man''s voice travelled over to him. When they heard this, everyone discovered that the Magistrate was standing there in the dark among a group of people. His political position was high so they all shook with fright as they went forward to greet him. Magistrate Cheng naturally treated them in a friendly manner. Song Jing''gong, who was standing by his side, repeated again how the Magistrate has done so much for the people. As a consequence, the Magistrate received another round ofpliments. Since the new plough was so well praised, it was a given that the farmers would go observe it. Everyone ran over to observe the speed that Old Baldy was ploughing at and sounds of admiration resonated again. The farmers all wanted to try the new plough. Each person got the chance to use the plough for a few steps but before they could get their fix, the plough was snatched away by another person. Magistrate Cheng was not in a hurry to leave. The farmers were also the people under his rule so seeing that his people were happy, he was also happy. As a result, everyone in the farm got up, and words spread from one to another. Everyone now knew that the Magistrate hase here in person and has also brought a very useful new plough. While they were envying Old Baldy, they were also considering if they should rece their old plough with a new one. Right there and then, Magistrate Cheng told everyone where to go to buy the new plough and the approximate price. After giving them words of encouragement, he left in his carriage. The crowd of farmers followed behind the carriage to send him off. They walked for about 3 kilometers before they could no longer keep up with the slow-moving horse carriage. They stopped to watch the carriage go off in the distance. . "This feels really good." Magistrate Chengmented to himself as he leaned against the interior of the carriage recalling the words that the people had said just now and how they walked such a far distance to send him off. Song Jing''gong heard him speak but he didn''t make a sound. At this time, it''s best to let the Magistrate enjoy the feeling of being weed by his people. It took two hours to get there and one hour to return. The sky began to slowly light up and some sellers and buyers that were early birds made their appearances on the streets. Just when Magistrate Cheng Ling''xiang got off the carriage while carrying his emotions of euphoria, someone from the administrative office came over to report to him, "My lord, you have returned. A junior officer from the Tu''qiao vige just arrived saying that there is an important thing to report to my lord. The vige Elder also came with him and they are both waiting in the hall at this moment." Trantor''s note Iron-faced : This phrase is used to describe a person that is selfless, and fair and just. Book 1: Chapter 61 Book 1: Chapter 61 Magistrate Cheng frowned when he heard the prefecture servant''s words. He turned to look at Song Jing''gong, who was also puzzled, and asked the servant, "Do you know why those two people are here?" "I don''t know, the two of them didn''t specify. However, it must be an important matter since they have set out yesterday to rush over here." "Hmm" Magistrate Cheng nodded slightly but did not say anything else and he led Song Jing''gong into the prefecture. Song Jing''gong didn''t say much but he could guess why the Junior Officer was here with the Vige Elder. The reason was probably just the same as what the Young Master exined to him when he requested Song Jing''gong to pay the Magistrate a visit. Ge Ying''xi wasn''t able to get any answers after a few inquiries so he reported to his superior about the affairs of the Zhang and Wang Farms. The two of them did not have official ranks so they were equal in power to the vige chief. They did nothing more other than coordinate a few things around the vige. It was such a pity though. The Young Master had thought of this a long time ago, and made arrangements in advance so they didn''t have to worry about others scheming behind the scenes. Magistrate Cheng had only slept for less than four hours, but he didn''t feel tired at all right now. He was still immersed in the excitement of being praised by his people. He asked Song Jing''gong to go to the guest room to rest, and he came into the hall by himself. The Junior Officer and Vige Elder have drank three rounds of tea already while sitting here; when they saw that the Magistrate has arrived, they immediately stood up to greet him. The two of them also did not get a full night''s rest but at this moment, they were just as energetic as the Magistrate. "It turns out to be Junior Officier Qi and Elder Feng that has arrived. I wonder what led you to search for me this early in the morning, could it be that some major issue has arisen?" Magistrate Cheng was quite polite to them, but especially towards this elder from the Feng household since he used to work in the administrative office. After he retired from working as the magistrate''s assistant, his position in the vige was still high so people gave the Elder position to him and treated him with respect. Junior Officer Qi and Elder Feng looked at each other, and it was Junior Officer Qi that finally spoke first, "Magistrate, the two of us have a major issue to report to you." "Oh? No rush, the two of you haven''t eaten anything yet, correct? Wait for appetizers to be served, and you can continue telling me after you have eaten. I also have not eaten, and have been busy until now so my belly is empty." Magistrate Cheng saw that the two men seemed to have a hint of joy on their faces and were not impatient anymore. He ordered his servants to serve appetizers and he sat together with them to eat. Junior Officer Qi and Elder Feng were indeed hungry; especially Elder Feng, who was old and had travelled through the night so he was in dire need of food and rest. The three of them drank tea and ate without talking. Junior Officer Qi was rtively younger. He ate while he wondered how he should tell the magistrate about the good news. This will allow him to achiev a major aplishment. As he ate, he thought about what happenedst night. The vige chief of the Ge Farm, Ge Ying''xi, told him about the spring tige affair at the Zhang and Wang Farms. He didn''t believe it at the beginning, so he brought people with light torches to investigate the ce. Only then did he realize that they had already begun the second stage of ploughing. This was a remarkable achievement since other farms have not even finished the first round of ploughing yet. There are not many people at the Zhang and Wang Farms, so it must be that the ploughing procedure itself was fast. Only a few watchmen remained in the field at night, but even after a few inquiries, they didn''t get any answers. If it weren''t for Ge Ying''xi disclosing that the plough they used was different, he would have been deceived by the watchmen at the Zhang and Wang Farms. They had such good ploughs but they didn''t share them with anyone else, and they didn''t report to him or other superiors. If it was some other affairs, then he would have let it go, but there was no way to convince himself to let this matter go since it involved speeding up the ploughing process. Given the circumstances, what must be done was to push the matter forward. After running through the ideas in his mind, Junior Officer Qi asionally took a few sips of tea and paused to look at the Magistrate and Elder Feng. Thinking about how his prestige will growter on made his tea taste better than usual. Elder Feng also tried to suppress the excitement in his heart while he ate. Last night, Ge Ying''xi and Junior Officer Qi went together to go find him. He also followed them to take a look. Even when he announced his name to the people, they didn''t call out the person in charge and instead, told them to wait until the next morning. He has worked as a magistrate assistant for two candidacies, so he knew for a fact that being able to significantly increase the ploughing speed was beneficial to the entirety of the Great Tang. From the looks of it, the Zhang and Wang farms do not want to bring out their special ploughs, but he absolutely had to report this to his superiors. The eating sessionsted for 30 minutes before ending. Magistrate Cheng took another sip of tea and asked, "Do Junior Officer Qi and Elder Feng Lao feel that their stomach is less ufortable now?" The two of them agreed. This time, it was also Junior Officer Qi who started talking first, "My lord, I have arrived here to report an important matter, this matter will benefit the country and the people." "Oh? What matters can benefit the country and the people, hurry up and tell." At this time, Magistrate Cheng made an anxious look. Just now, he had even asked them to eat food with him but he was really not anxious. Benefit the country and the people? What kind of news will be more important than the new plough he has just created? Junior Officer Qi coughed softly and tried to tone down his excitement. He spoke, "My lord, I discovered a ce that has been able to plough thend several times faster than other ces. I''ve heard people say that ce used a plough that was different from ploughs found elsewhere. Over the night, Elder Feng and I went to investigate. When we arrived there, that was indeed the case. Other ces weren''t even finished with their first round of ploughing, yet that ce was already starting their second round. When we went to see it, the second round of ploughing was almostplete. The fertilizer was incorporated into the soil and then it was stomped t. When the autumn harvestes, it will definitely be more bountiful. Elder Feng and I wanted to meet the person in charge of the farm, but who would have thought, after we asked several times, no one came out. They insisted that we had to wait into the next morning before we could talk to them. Elder Feng feared that the long nights would result in more dreams*. What if after waiting, they refused to admit that they had new ploughs? That''s why we rushed over here during the night." Magistrate Cheng listened to him speak, and at first, he thought that that ce had a different new item, but after listening for a while, he finally understood. It turns out it was about the curved plough. This was not new news to him anymore. In his mind, he thought, you two haven''t even seen the curved plough, yet you two rushed over to find me. When I personally gifted the new plough to another person, I wasn''t even as impatient as you two. "Hmm, so it turned out to be this matter. I see." Magistrate Cheng was waiting for Junior Officer Qi to finish speaking. He nodded carelessly, picked up his tea cup and started drinking again. "My lord, you should quickly send someone to check it out, and find the people in charge of the two farms and ask them to hand the item over ." Seeing that the Magistrate Cheng did not look happy, Junior Officer Qi became anxious. He urged him with his words. When he finished speaking, he was a little worried that the Magistrate would put me on him. He sat there anxiously not knowing what to do. Seeing this, Elder Feng also spoke, "My lord, what Junior Officer Qi has said is indeed correct. What if the people over there don''t want to hand over the new plough and decide to secretly destroy it, then it will truly be a great loss of our era." "Alright. Since Elder Feng have also said so, then I will ensure that Elder Feng and Junior Officer Qi will be at ease." Magistrate Cheng called over asubordinatefrom the prefecture. He whispered a few words into his ear, then thesubordinateturned around and left. Magistrate Cheng continued to apany the two people drinking tea. Junior Officer Qi and Elder Feng both thought that the Magistrate had sent people to the two farms, so they felt more relieved now. After about 15 minutes, the subordinate who had just left, returned back to the hall while lugging a set of ploughs behind him. "Junior Officer Qi and Elder Feng, have a look. Was it this kind of plough? This plough is different from the normal straight plough since its thill is curved." Magistrate Cheng took another sip of tea and said to the two with a smile, "This plough was just retrieved from Zhou Xi''hu." Junior Officer Qi and Elder Feng never saw what the ploughs used in Zhang and Wang farms looked like. They have only heard the housekeeper of the Ge Farm say that the thill of the new plough is different from the old one. Now that they have seen it and heard the Magistrate''s words, they were stunned. The two of them also knew that no matter how fast the horse rushed from the county seat to the vige, it would not be possible to make a round trip in such a short time. It was evident that the Magistrate had one here already. "My lord, where have you acquired this plough from?" Junior Officer Qi spoke again. "From a family in the county. I now understand why Junior Officer Qi and Elder Feng havee here. You can rest assured. Today at dawn, I will order people to post a notice in the county to let the people that are partaking in the spring tige to buy it from there. This morning I came back from the outside because I went to attest the validity of the new plough." Magistrate Cheng made an unpredictable and mysterious face, and spoke with a smile to both Junior Officer Qi and Elder Feng. "This, this..." Junior Officer Cheng was about to say something, but he didn''t know where to start. "My lord, since you already knew about, why didn''t you let more people craft the plough during the beginning of the spring tige?" Elder Feng also participated in asking questions. "It''s not because I didn''t want to, but I couldn''t. When the new plough first came out, it was still unclear whether it was good to use or not. I needed to find someone to test it out. The Zhang and Wang farm also had the same thought. Now that I have seen it, it''s indeed quite effective." While speaking, the Magistrate nced at thesubordinate. Thissubordinatefollowed the Magistrate to that farm for the verificationst night so he understood the Magistrate''s intention. He quickly added, "Junior Officer and Elder Feng might not know yet, but this new plough is called the curved plough. It was my lord''s hard work; he then found a few farmers from the Zhang farm to help craft it. It took them a lot of work and effort. After the Zhang and Wang farms used the new ploughs, my lord ignored his own tiredness---on one side, he instructed people to craft more and on the other side, he personally went to a nearby farm to verify its effectiveness. For the past few days, my lord didn''t even think of eating and drinking, and has grown thin quite a bit." Thesubordinatebegan to wipe his tears as he spoke, and it really seemed that he felt sorry for the Magistrate. Junior Qi and Elder Feng were befuddled after listening to his words. They looked at Magistrate Cheng and didn''t notice that he was any thinner. Originally, they thought they would get some praise and rewards, but not only did the Magistrate already knew about it, but the new plough was a creation under the hands of the Magistrate. Junior Officer Qi did not have any doubts, but Elder Feng, who was once a magistrate assistant, knew the inner workings. It seems that the Zhang and Wang family found Magistrate Cheng first. No wonder they didn''t care that Junior Officer Qi and I went over to their farm. The most important thing was that they had taken this aspect into consideration already. They caused the Junior Officer and me to rush here over the night for nothing. In the end, we got nothing in return. "So it was my lord that has produced the new plough. I have nothing else to say. My lord is a good official; you''re always thinking for the people. My lord needs to rest more, you mustn''t fall ill from over exertion. The people of the county cannot lose an official that is as good as my lord." Elder Feng couldn''t find anything else to say besides that. Once he finished speaking, he intended to get up and leave. Magistrate Cheng quickly said, "Junior Officer Qi and Elder Feng, there''s no need to leave in such a hurry. Have a rest and then apany me to the ce that sells the new ploughs." Trantor''s note: "long nights would result in more dreams" The idiom describes that when the length of time is extended, the situation might undergo unfavorable changes. Book 1: Chapter 62 Book 1: Chapter 62 Birds were chirping on the tree branches, dogs were barking in the farnd and the calling of chickens resonated throughout. It was another day with a bright morning. Er''niu brought Zhang Xiao''wu and Zhang Xiao''liu along to smash therge rocks into small stones that were the size of a fingernails; only then did the stones fulfill the set requirement. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan got off the heated brick bed1. After they tidied up their appearance, they sat down at the table and ate there. The two them only had a few teeth, but since they would normally train their jaw''s chewing muscles, they were able to eater harder textured foods now. They ordered people to deep fry some "big bones" which were actually Chinese fried dough sticks. In front of them was also a bowl of soy milk, a small te with fermented bean curd on it and quite a few pieces of red braised pork that were presented on the biggest te on the table. Currently, there were no people by their side to serve them. Xiao''hong saw that the day was warm, so in the morning after eating a bit of food, she rushed to drive the ducks and geese to the pond to test the water. She hasn''t returned yet so its seems like the test was sessful. Ying''tao was caring for those 6000 chickens so she wasn''t able toe over. Shi''liu was busy with handling the wood fungus and in the morning, he went to check on it while biting onto a big steam bun. Originally, MadamZhang-Wang2wanted to send a person to the two children, but Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan refused. Everyone was busy; there was no need to waste manpower on the two of them. This morning, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were not the only ones that ate the fried dough sticks; other people had them too. Those that were willing to eat fried dough sticks, ate fried dough sticks. There were also in steam buns and a few dishes of fermented veggies that they could freely eat. The fried doughnut and the red braised pork were considered to be their invention. Normally, light food was eaten in the morning; at least, this was the habits of other people. As for Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, they ordered people to serve them that big te of pork because they intended to help out in the fields today. They were in the growing stage so they cannot be nutritionally deprived. Eating carbohydrates alone was not enough so satisfy the nutritional requirements of their two tiny bodies. "Xiao''bao, in a moment, shall we two push the cart over there or carry a sack to pack rocks into?" Wang Juan picked up a braised pork with arge proportion of fat and threw it into her mouth. She tried her best to chew it while she spoke to Zhang Xiao''bao. "I don''t want to choose either. I don''t want to be exhausted. The two of us will go over there to wait, and in the meantime, we can help watch the chickens." Zhang Xiao''bao also picked up a piece of fatty meat with his chopsticks. "Okay. Actually, it''s better for us to go to the river and see if we can catch a few fishes. I think with our current physical condition, if we use tools, we still have a chance against battling the fishes. Don''t always eat the fatty ones, who would eat the lean ones that are left behind."Wang Juan said that as she picked up lean piece of braised pork and gave it to Zhang Xiao''bao. Everyone here likes to eat fatty and oily foods. She and Zhang Xiao''bao both loved to eat the fatty pieces but everyone else was unwilling to eat the lean pieces that were left behind. "Okay, then I''ll treat it as a protein supplement. Don''t have hopes about the small river; if we were to go there, we would have to find a person to apany us. Once Er''niu and them finish picking out the maifan stones, we will be able to use them. It can used in the drinking water, when cooking food and when taking a bath." "That''s correct, we can''t let Er''niu and the others smash all of the rocks. We need to leave behind a fewrge ones and then instruct people to hollow the center out to make cups. Then, the two of our families can use these two cups to steep tea in and the result will be even better." While thinking carefully, Zhang Xiao''bao picked up a toothpick and picked at the teeth that had meat stuck between them after eating that piece of lean meat. His two front teeth were rtively neat, and the meat was jammed in the middle of them. "Okay, don''t be like that. You can eat fat too. Just eating a piece of lean meat and you got it jammed between your teeth, dummy. Watching the chicken will be easy; let''s get a craftsman on the farm to make two slingshots. It would be perfect for practicing strength and uracy. It would be great if I had a gun--- do you know how to shoot a gun?" Wang Juan looked at Zhang Xiao''bao and his eyes slightly expressed the look of protest against eating lean meat. She refuted back irrationally for a bit and then changed the topic. "What do you think? I was in a foreign country at the time; all I had to do was spend a bit of money and there was a ce for me to practice. I don''t have the ability to make a gun so I''ll hand over this difficult and glorious task to you." Zhang Xiao''bao took a big sip of soy milk and said that to Wang Juan. "I don''t know too, I studied leadership. Okay, I''m full now. When we departter, bring some pork floss and some carrot and rock sugar juice." Wang Juan set down her chopsticks and dropped this sentence off before she got up to go rinse her mouth. Zhang Xiao''bao ate a few more mouthfuls and followed after her. By the time the two of them arrived at the fields, Er''niu had already sent over a trolley that was half filled with smash rocks. Each pieces of rocks were notrge. Immediately, Zhang Xiao''bao instructed people to mix the small rocks with fertilizer and then incorporate it into the soil. "Young Master, what are these stones used for?" A farmer asked while following Zhang Xiao''bao''s instruction. "I don''t know, my mother ordered me to do so. I will go back tonight and ask my mother, then I will tell you the answer tomorrow." Naturally, Zhang Xiao''bao wouldn''t say that this thing was used to increase crop yield. "Since it was ordered by the Master family''s Madam, then it is fine. Young Master does not need to bother the Madam." Even though he feared that when the time came to transnting the rice seedlings, his feet would be shed by the small stones that were mixed into the soil, the farmer didn''t want to inquire too much about this tiny matter. "My mother told me that this year, we don''t need to transnt rice seedlings; all we have to do is throw the rice seeds in. When that timees, we will hand out a pair of shoes to everyone so that they don''t have walk in the water with bare feet." Zhang Xiao''bao of course knew what the farmer was worried about; it was easy to figure it out from his gaze because they did not conceal any of his thoughts. When the farmer heard that they didn''t have to transnt the seedlings, but instead only needed to throw in the seeds at random, he immediately became anxious. "Young Master, that won''t work. You must go back and persuade the Madam. Even when the seedlings were transnted, some of them still won''t grow properly. If we don''t transnt them, then what will we harvest when autumnes?" "Just do what my mother has said. I heard that this is a secret technique that my mother received. It''s very effective; if not, why would my mother disregard hernds like this?" Zhang Xiao''bao exined, but seeing that farmer was still skeptical, he didn''t say much more and went to watch the chickens with Wang Juan. If it weren''t for the fact that he was worried that the higher ups woulde to investigate, he would have stopped them from turning over the nt stubble after thest year''s harvest in autumn. The effect would have been, but if he really did that, he will definitely be arrested and interrogated. Even if thend belonged to his family, if the crops were bad, he could still be convicted. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan each had a small slingshot that were able tounch small pebbles the size of soybeans. One by one, they aimed at the chickens that were pecking at fodder. They weren''t able to hit a single chicken even after firing a dozen or so times. Even if they did hit one, there wasn''t much strength to the blow. The chicken that was hit would coo twice and then shuffle a bit to the side and continue their search for food. When it was noon, all the farmers stopped working and started to prepare to eat. The Zhang and Wang family use to only provide a meal in the evening but not for lunch. Later, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan felt that such arge amount of manpower was wasted making a round trip back and forth during the lunch break. Now that the ploughs were easy to use, even females can help with ploughing. In the end, it was decided that they would provide lunch too. Finishing up the spring tige more quickly will free up some people, and those people can go to the mountain and pick mushrooms and wild veggies. The sloped terrain behind the two families was still empty, so when the timees, different types of trees can be nted. The soil on thatnd wasn''t that good so they need to bring in the trees from elsewhere, and nt fruit trees. All of these jobs required manpower toplete. When they were eating, Magistrate Cheng ordered a person to deliver a message by horse from the administrative office. The housekeeper was told that the Ge Ying''xi had contacted Junior Officer Qi and Elder Feng and that those two had reported the matter to the Magistrate. While waiting for a person toe to arrange a meal, Zhang Xiao''bao learned of this news from the mouth of the housekeeper. Then, he went with Wang Juan to find the Wang family''s housekeeper and told him, "Housekeeper Wang, after having your meal, go and call the person in charge of the Ge Farm. Give him a curved plough and let them make copies of it." "Young Master, why is this? Why should we let others know about our good equipment?" Housekeeper Wang didn''t know that the curved plough had already been sent to the Magistrate and that arge number of ploughs have been crafted already. "Keep the patent or keep our heads? Magistrate Cheng has already arranged for people to start buying the ploughs." Wang Juan felt that the housekeeper''s head was a little bit dense since he couldn''t evenprehend the reason that was as simple as this. After Wang Juan said this, the housekeeper pondered for a while, and finally nodded, "I understand, then I will leave in a bit." When Housekeeper Wang left, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan found a tree stump that was surrounded with new sprouts and sat down on it to rest. They were also tired. After shooting with a slingshot all morning, they arms were sore. "This Ge Ying''xi was really anxious." Wang Juan took a sip of carrot juice and spoke while looking in the direction of the Ge Farm. "Yeah. In fact, it wasn''t easy for him too since he was entrapped by our two families. The farmers there don''t even have the spirit to work. The small river between hisnd and ours is not bad; we can take advantage of itter. In particr, that wide and spaciousnd that is downstream to there; we could ask him if he wants to cooperate, if he''s willing, then we can work on it together." Zhang Xiao''bao found it entertaining when he thought of Ge Ying''xi fretting all day long. He then felt a bit more sympathetic towards Ge Ying''xi. No matter who it was, their response would be the same. People always feared makingparisons with others. Wang Juan turned her head. She saw that Zhang Xiao''bao''s hand was tapping his leg again and, thus she knew that he was thinking of an idea again. When his hand stopped, she asked "Did youe up with any good ideas to make big money quickly? And the idea involves the Ge Farm?" "It''s not up to us to get his farm involved or not. It depends on whether he falls for the trap or not. Last time we nned to help him and his people at the market, but he refused. This time will be his second chance, if he missed out on it again, he can''t me it on others." If it weren''t because Zhang Xiao''bao saw that the three farms were so close to each other and wanted to harmonize the neighborhood, he wouldn''t have even cared whether or not Ge ying''xi would die from anxiety and worry. "That''s right, the opportunity is going to be ced in front of him. If he didn''t know how to seize it, then he is not worth pitying. Talk about your n." Wang Juan chased with her question. "Well, the idea is to build a dam in that area, then, when the water level has increased, fish---big fishes can be raised in it. What kind of big fish? Marine fish. It is decided. In due time, we can bring in a whale. When we''re bored, we can watch the whale blow water and such." Zhang Xiao''bao used his hand to point over to thatnd and it looked like he was makingmands to run the country. Wang Juan listened and listened, then ced her little hand against Zhang Xiao''bao''s forehead, "You''re sick?" "No, I know that marine fishes are not easy to raise, but can''t we just sprinkle salt into it?" Zhang Xiao''bao added confidently. "Gravely ill?" Wang Juan put her other hand on Zhang Xiao''bao''s forehead. Trantor''s notes: 1. Heated brick bed As the name implies, it a type of bed that can be heated up by redirecting hot air heated by a fire source to the empty space underneath the brick structure. This type of bed is moremonly found in the eastern parts of China where the winters are longer and colder. 2. Madam Zhang-Wang Her title implies that she was from the Wang family and married into the Zhang family. Book 1: Chapter 63 Book 1: Chapter 63 "I''m not ill, I''m really not ill. I was just kidding. I''m nning to set up a restaurant in that ce. A two-story one will be fine, and it will be built directly on top of the water surface. However, theyout will not be simple; the center of the restaurant will be an open space. People can sit and dine in the restaurant while observing the scenery outside and as well as the scenery inside. The open space on the lowest floor will be enclosed by railings and fishes can be raised in that area. Those that want to observe from above can go to the second floor and those that want to fish can stay on the first floor and fish for fishes in the open space or in the surrounding waters. There are fields and mountains nearby, so usually in the morning, the mountain fog will appear and surround the ce with a misty cloud veil. With the humid water vapor from the river, it will absolutely befortable to dine and rest atop of the water surface. I have thought of the name already, it will be called Between the Water and Clouds''." Zhang Xiao''bao finally discussed the important matters and told Wang Juan about his n. "Why does this idea sound so familiar? I remember that there was a scam like this; it was said that an entire city will be ced on top of the water''s surface. Are you making up a lie?" Wang Juan thought of the case as she listened to him speak. "That was to swindle people into making loans. Who am I going to swindle? We''re the ones that are putting out money. Ge Ying''xi is already so poor, do I even need to swindle him? Swindlers have ss too. Of course, when the building ispleted, there is no guarantee that people wille. The travel is too far; for one, there is no gambling house, and for another reason, there is no brothel, so how many will be willing toe?" Zhang Xiaobao also pointed out the shorings of his idea. Wang Juan blinked, "You realized that already and yet you still want to build it?" "We can have other things, such as food. After all, the cuisine here is nowhere as good as the cuisine from our day and age. At the same time, there are many dishes that were lost through time, and some are better than modern dishes; however, this is not a concern since we can find a chef from here. As long as we list down all of the foods that we have eaten before and then change up some of the ingredients and spices, we cane up with a lot of dishes that people here have not eaten. Song Jing''gong can use his reputation to invite a group of schrs, poets, and others of that kind to enjoy their time here. After eating good food and reciting literatures, they can help us promote the ce. Once that is done, more people wille; plus, there are bazaars here so those businessmen with money making brains will see business opportunities. We can build more shops to lease to them and when the government sends people over to collect taxes, we can ask Magistrate Cheng to intercede and say that the profits are used to repair and build roads. By the time the roads are done, the farmers will have raised chickens and pigs, and our two farms can unanimously set prices. The farmers don''t have to personally send the livestock outside to sell them and when we buy items, it will be delivered to us." Zhang Xiao''bao looked at the farmers who had started to work again and described his thoughts with a look of determination in his eyes. "Then what? Go on, I love to listen to these kinds of things." Wang Juan also made a face of anticipation. "The assets we have on our hands are still too little. Let''s talk about it when the time actuallyes. Wealthy people would look down on small ces like ours. At the same time, there will be many people who will copy us andpete with us for customers. Driven by desire to gain profits, all kinds of troubles wille one after another." Zhang Xiao''bao''s tone changed as he spoke; he sounded a little helpless but also a little indifferent. Wang Juan also understood that this was unavoidable after all. If one wanted to live a good life, one would have to face all kinds of things and avoiding problems will not bring upon any resolutions. "Let''s go and practice shooting with the slingshot. Things of the future can be discussed in the future. Let''s take things on bit by bit." The two picked up some small stones and started to bully those chickens again. Ge Ying''xi went along with his housekeeper to here. Originally, Housekeeper Wang just sent people to go find Housekeeper Ge, but when Ge Ying''xi learned of this, he insisted oning over too. He wanted to see what that protected secretive thing looked like. "Vige Chief Ge is here too, Housekeeper Ge, this is the new plough on our farm. We call it the curved-plough. A few days ago, it was still in the testing phase to see whether this plough was good or not, thus, we not inform Chief Ge about it. If it was not good to use, it would have brought troubles to the Ge Farm."When Housekeeper Wang, who was waiting here, saw that someone was about to cross the bridge, he immediately went forward to greet them. On the way back, he ordered a person to bring a plough over to show the two of them. No normal person would have believed the words he spoke though. Ge Ying''xi and the housekeeper squatted down to carefully look at the plough. At the same time, they said to the Housekeeper Wang, "Housekeeper Wang has been thoughtful and thorough. So, the plough has been used already? This is such a great achievement; do we need to find the Junior Officer? " Ge Ying''xi''s tone was sour and cynical when he spoke. He thought the Zhang and Wang Farms were makingpromises because he reported this matter. "This is not necessary. It was actually the Magistrate who asked us to make this curved-plough. Such arrangements were made much earlier on. There should already be many of these ploughs for sale in the county seat. As for this plough here, it will be given to Chief Ge. It shouldn''t be toote to bring it back now and craft copies of it." When Housekeeper Wang looked at Ge Ying''xi, he really felt that this person was a bit pitiful. After so much effort, the result remained unchanged, but the process was different. He must have felt very ufortable in his heart. "Ah? The county magistrate already knew? This...this, okay, so it turned out that this plough was made because the Magistrate wanted to increase the people''s harvest It''s indeed really extraordinary." Ge Ying''xi was really ufortable in his heart, and he didn''t believe that the Magistrate knew of this matter long ago. But when he heard that the county seat already had this kind of plough, he understood that the Zhang and Wang family thought ahead of him. He felt that right now, he had used all his might to catch the chicken on the ground, but when he saw that he was about to catch it, he ended up pouncing onto empty air. These two families were really good at entrapping others. Although he had these thoughts in his heart, he still had to speak nice words. After asking his housekeeper to go back and find someone toe get the plough, he said to Housekeeper Wang, "Thank you, Housekeeper Wang. First of all, Housekeeper Wang allowed your own farm to test it out first; this level of bravery is extraordinary. Only after using it and concluding that it was effective, did you give us a plough to study its design; your kindness is not little. With the new plough, we can nt the sprouts earlier this year. If we are able to catch two rains after finishing, then there is no need to worry about in autumn." "No need to be so courteous, it''s because our farms are located so close together. As the saying goes, distant rtives are not as good as close neighbors''.Those who are capable must give a helping hand. Who has never encountered difficulties before, in case one day the Zhang and Wang Farms have encountered a problem, Chief Ge will certainly do the same for us." Housekeeper Wang responded with a sincere look. "Yes, yes, help each other out. There are still some affairs at my estate that I must attend to. Housekeeper Wang, please return to your own tasks. " With the item in his hands already, Ge Ying''xi wasn''t willing to talk more, and after saying a few polite words, he turned and left. The new plough, which was more effective than the old ones, were sold in the county seat. This news was spread throughout the county seat in just half a day, and some people had already started to buy it. This was a notice was issued by the magistrate himself, so it couldn''t be a lie. Magistrate Cheng was also busy. After a short rest, it urred to him that he had forgotten the most important thing. He got up and went to the study room, wrote a memorial, and asked the person to send it out in an expedited manner. As soon as he left, he sent two sets of curved ploughs to the prefecture division as quickly as possible. This was his time to show off his aplishment so he could not bete in doing so. After finishing all these tasks, he couldn''t sleep anymore, so he ordered people to call Junior Officer Qi and Elder Feng over. He brought the two of them, who evidently looked like they haven''t rested enough yet, on a walk to Zhou Xi''hu''s ce. He had to be there personally to help convince those who were hesitant tomit to buying one. When the three of them arrived after setting out from the administrative office, there was already a sea of people here. The farmers who have heard of the news came here to inquire about the plough, the cost, how to use it and so on. As soon as Magistrate Cheng arrived, the people immediately gave way. The crowd watched the magistrate walk by with a smile, and each of them expressed looks of respect. When they arrived, they had already heard people say that this type of plough was much more quicker than the old one and all of this was thought out by the Magistrate. They also heard that the magistrate''s hair became grayer and he became thinner because he put so much effort and energy into thinking; only then was it possible for the new plough to be created. He even ran out in the middle of the night to test if the new plough was effective or not. Oh, he was a good official. Even during Chinese New Year, he sent gifts to the farmers. Taking all of this into consideration, some of the people started chanting to praise him and others were influenced to follow suite. Magistrate Cheng''s prestige became unsurpassable during this time. At this moment, Secretary General Zhao Xiang was writing a memorial to the throne. He knew in his heart about the truth of what was going on, but he could not report this. He could only write ording to what everyone said. He used up two full pieces of paper to clearly exin the situation. Many of the details were about how Magistrate Cheng was anxious about the spring tige. He blew the written ink dry and ced the letter into an envelope. After sealing it,he ordered a person to send it away. He sat there in a daze, thinking about the Zhang Farm and wondering who was this powerful person. They produced so many ploughs and not to mention that they made a lot of money, they also knew how to advance and retreat appropriately. Although they let the Magistrate take the credit, they got on the Magistrate''s good side. "It seems that it was the correct right for me to help them, otherwise, this curved plough might never make an appearance. The little store they had in the county had really good tasting dishes and the price was low. Every single time I brought my daughter there, we ate quite a bit. It seems that the people there still had some more tricks up their sleeves. I''ve heard that theirnd will be taken away and yet they let the Magistrate take this huge aplishment. It must mean that they have other ns to help raise the name of the farm." Zhao Xiang sat there, muttering to himself as he thought about it. Then he closed his eyes and hummed a local song. In contrast to the leisure Secretary General Zhao Xiang had, Magistrate Cheng was much busier. More and more people were buying ploughs now that the Magistrate was there. Every single person that arrived there also went to greet him and he had to reply. After not too long, his mouth was dry, and it didn''t get much better even after drinking a cup of tea. "Xi''hu, not only will you make money now, but when rewards sent by Emperor havw arrived, you will also get a share. If you hadn''t arranged for someone to craft so many ploughs, the people wouldn''t be able to use the new plough. For the next two days, you mustn''t ck off and you must have more ploughs crafted. It is best for the new plough to be avable to all farmers in the county."Magistrate Cheng looked at Zhou Xi''hu, who was also smiling while standing there, and walked over to him and spoke with earnest. "What Uncle Cheng has said will be followed. I will definitely order people to craft more of these ploughs. This way, all the farmers in the county can enjoy this blessing." Zhou Xi''hu was also acting courteous here. In fact, what he thought was that if so many curved-ploughs were sold, then the money would not be less too. Book 1: Chapter 64 Book 1: Chapter 64 Chapter 64 New Tricks To Make More Money While being busy, time flew by quickly. Six days have passed since the spring equinox, but not a single reward from the higher ups have been received yet. Never mind the physical gifts, not a single word was delivered. "Bureaucracy, this is bureaucracy. Every one of them knew that the plough was so useful, but they fought each other endlessly out of their own personal interests. I heard that within two days of Magistrate sending away the memorial, other counties in this prefecture began to craft the curved-plough too. This meant that they got the tasks done and kept the benefits to be shared between themselves." Wang Juan sat on a stool with her chin in her hands and ranted to Zhang Xiao''bao. Zhang Xiao''bao also knew about this but he didn''t care about it and his face remained calm. He was more concerned that it hasn''t been raining at all these days. The little amount of water that the creek gained when the snow melted was gone now. From what it seems, even if they did build "Between the Water and Clouds", it would have been useless since the water would be dried up. What joy would there be to experience? "Xiao''bao, think of a n. If the people in the prefecture took the credit, and only a little bit is given to Magistrate Cheng, then doesn''t that mean we don''t even get anything??" Wang Juan tapped Zhang Xiao''bao. "Okay, I''ll think of something. This kind of thing is actually not that difficult. Call Er''niu over." Zhang Xiao''bao saw that Wang Juan wanted him to solve this problem, so he had to temporarily put aside the restaurant business. Er''niuiu brought the other two people too. After several days of fighting hard, they finally finished dealing with all the stones. Other than the ones Zhang Xiao''bao requested to leave untouched, there were no rocks that remained whole. He had nothing to do in the past two days, so he helped his family make fermented bean paste. Just when he finished blending the bean slurry, someone came looking for him saying that it was about the Young Master''s affairs. Er''niu didn''t dare to make dys so he set down his work at hand and rushed over to his master''s estate. After Zhang Xiao''bao gave him a few words of instruction, he left the estate and disappeared from the farmers'' field of sight again. After dealing with this matter, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan went to where Ying''tao was. Yesterday, a chicken hadid eggs, and today, it seemed like more chickens willy eggs. The chicken''s first eggs were small and cannot be hatched but the eggs could be sold for money. It was originally supposed to be put on for sale at the market here, but everyone was busy and there was no time to go to the market to sell it. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan wanted to see if the eggs were actually that small; if it was, then the eggs could be used temporarily for other sales. Ying''tao''s current ce was a separate singr courtyard and the inside was full of chicken coops. Ying''tao didn''t handle misceneous tasks so the house chores werepleted by other people. Before Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan have even entered the ce, they heard the messy noise inside. It was the cooing sound chickens made afterying eggs, so it seems that many chickens haveid eggs today. Standing outside the yard, the smell was not as pungent as they expected, but Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan both frowned at the same time because they felt that hygiene maintenance would be hard. "Young Master, Young Miss, why have youe here? The smell here is too strong, go back quickly, what if it the smell sticks to you?" While Ying''tao checked the eggs, someone from the door came over to report to her. She quickly put down her work at hand and greeted them. She tried to persuade Zhang Xiao''bao to go back. "It''s okay, Ying''tao. Did you set up the special livestock manure dump that I instructed? Why does It still smell?" Zhang Xiao''bao waved his hand dismissively and asked Ying''tao. "It''s built, it''s built already. I followed your instructions. Every day I washed it once with water, but the chickens were always eating and pooping. There was no good way to deal with it." Ying''tao was also a bit at loss as to what to do. With this many chickens, it was very messy to manage. Disregarding the situation inside the chicken coop, even handling the situation outside made her feel clueless. With more than 6,000 chickens that are constantly eating and pooping all along the roaming range, there was chicken poop everywhere. Now she didn''t even know where she should let the chickens roam anymore. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan started work on figuring out a solution. There are more than 6,000 chickens. Under normal circumstances, this wasn''t considered many so why was it so difficult to handle. "Can you use sand to cover the ground up?" Wang Juan was the first toe up with an idea. "That idea works, but the main problem is when letting chickens out to roam. The chicken can''t be encaged all day in the coop, but where can they roam?" Zhang Xiao''bao also thought that it was a good idea to cover the ground with ayer of sand, but he was still worried about the chicken''s roaming area. Wang Juan thought about it again; her eyes lit up, and she said, "How about we bring them to the mountains. We can trim the chickens'' wing feathers short, then choose a good ce on the mountain, and enclose the area with fishing. That was what I saw other people do when raising smaller, brown chickens. Hmm, it''s decided. Ying''tao, go buy some fishingster and then enclose arge area on the mountain with thes. During the day, lead the chickens to that ce and then at night, bring them back. If that doesn''t work, then build chicken coops there. " Ying''tao nodded and noted it down. This was indeed a good n. Zhang Xiao''bao also spoke, "Additionally, go buy some lime powder and sprinkle some on the mountain every day. This way, the chickens won''t get sick as easily. Bring some eggs over, we want to have a look." Ying''tao also noted this down in her mind. She turned around and brought a basin over. Inside was a pile of chicken egg. "They''re indeed small.For egg of these size, there are at least eleven eggs per half kilogram. Good, that''s not bad. Wait two days, and after more eggs are collected, arrange for someone to visit the county seat." Wang Juan looked at the eggs, which still had some blood on it, and nodded her head with satisfactions. Ying''tao didn''t know what the Young Miss and Young Master were nning to do with these eggs. Normally, no one wanted to buy such little eggs. Half a kilogram had so many individual eggs, just the shell alone took up a fair bit of weight. She originally nned to make these little eggs into salted eggs and then sell them for a low price at the market. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan didn''t exin much to Ying''tao either. After they finished looking, they left the ce to go elsewhere. Not only did they raise chickens this year, but also got the farmers to raise more pigs. Lotus nts were nted into the ponds, and they added fishes to the ponds too. They made sure to buy fishes there were about three inches in size because if the fishes were too small, they will be eaten by ducks and geese. When they raise pigs, their manure can be used to feed the fish. At the end of the year, the fish will be fished out. The bottom of the pond of the pond can be cleaned out, and that stuff can be used as fertilizer for the next year''s spring tige. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan didn''t understand the matter of catching pigs, so they let the farmerse up a n themselves. When they needed money, the master''s household will pay for it first and when it was time to ughter the pigs at the end of the year and sell them, the farmers had to pay back the principal and a little bit of interest. The two of them didn''t reject the idea, but they lowered the interest by a lot. When the two of them passed by the small river in front of the yard, they found that the water level there had dropped again. Both of them became nervous, and they couldn''t be concerned about other matters anymore. They found people to continue to dig the pond and even destroyed a piece ofnd. A few dayster, in the county seat of San''shui County, a few women and their children that pushed small carts appeared on several streets. They found a few ces that had a lot of people passing by and stopped their carts there; they also took care to not block the fronts of other shops. They set up their stalls, lit up their fire pits, and began their sales. "Savory crepes , savory crepes for two coins each. epting soybeans and epting charcoal." This kind of hollering began to appear in San''shui County, and there were so many that appeared at once, people were curious about what it was. It seemed that it was something to be eaten. The price wasn''t expensive so those that had a bit of loose change on them took out their money out to buy one and have a taste. They watched the woman first scooped a spoon of batter and then poured it on top of a pancake griddle. Then, she swept it with a small bamboo stick and a t crepe was formed. On top of the crepe, she added an egg and then flipped the crepe over. She spread a type of spicy sauce on top of it and added two fried dough sticks. It was ready after she wrapped it in paper. If the person wanted to, a bit of spring onions and coriander was also added. When the buyer received the crepe, it was warm when the person took a bite. It was crispy, spicy, salty and sweet, and all of these vors were brought into his mouth. It didn''t take the person a long time to finish eating it; he didn''t feel satiated so he bought another one. With one person that has already taken the initiative to try it first, others followed suit to try this new vor. As a result, all the batter and eggs on the cart were sold out by the end of the day. In addition to earning money, they also got quite a fair bit of charcoal and soybeans in exchange. The women were happy now. They have made more than 20 coins within a day. The charcoal they received can be used in the fire pit next day when they made more crepes. As for the soybeans, when they have collected enough, they will send them altogether to the storage room near the administrativeoffice. Whatever remained was theirs to keep. Magistrate Cheng was also concerned about this matter today. He randomly asked a savory crepe seller a few questions, and after he got his answers, he let them go along their way. He told his assistant, "The Zhang Estate has done us a great favor again. These women would normally have nothing to do at home, but with this extra ie, the tax money that I can collect can increase by quite a bit." "What my lord has said is right. Their farm''s chickens has justbegun toy eggs, but they were all small eggs so it was the most cost effective idea to sell them like this. With the life quality of the people improved, there are fewer troublemakers. The Zhang family would have made quite a bit of money too. To sell savory crepes, they need to have fried dough sticks and to have fried dough sticka, they need to buy oil from them. The eggs had to be bought from them too. The soybeans they collected was used to repayback the costs of the cart and griddle. Only until they finish paying it off could they set out on their own to sell the crepes." The magistrate assistant also praised them. Their ability was extraordinary. It seems that they had let others reap all the benefits, but in reality, they found a bunch of people to help the estate make money. As long as the crepe seller made money, the estate also made money. The more sellers there were, the more money the estate earned. "It''s good to make money. It also helped us solve a lot of things. This year''s tax revenue is going to be a lot higher than the previous years. I don''t believe that the higher ups can also steal this credit too, can they?" While talking, Magistrate Cheng brought up the topic of stealing merit again. Not only did the people in the prefecture division had spread the method of making the curved plough to the whole prefecture, but they also sent a report of this to the Emperor. As for the two memorials that the San''shui County had submitted, the prefecture division rejected them and sent the reports back and told them to rewrite it. Although they didn''t specify why the memorials needed to be rewritten, the Magistrate and the Secretary General both understood. They wanted all the merits to be given to them and none to people at the county division since there was not enough to share. Thus, the matter was dyed and the higher ups were not at all concerned. "My lord does not need to worry. The officials in the imperial court will naturally know; even if the people in prefecture division wants to hide the truth, they won''t be able to. When the imperial court sends people to here, we will tell them the truth." The magistrate assistantforted the Magistrate Cheng. His words made it seem simple, but in his mind he knew clearly that the matter wasn''t as straightforward as described. ; Book 1: Chapter 65 Book 1: Chapter 65 Chapter 65 Stones From Other Mountains Can Rival Jade "Cuckoo, cuckoo..." On a mountain behind the Zhang Farm, a field was enclosed. Ying''tao and a few other people were calling the chickens over to eat. Ying''tao found out that ever since the chickens were moved to the mountains, the amount of chicken feed they needed to feed the chickens had decreased. These chickens were able to search the mountains for food to eat, and there were plenty of unlucky bugs that the chickens could eat. The chickens even grew better than before. Thinking of this, Ying''tao once again admired the Young Master and Young Miss even though she has admired them several times before already. Not only they did save chicken feed, the two of them were also able to sell the small eggs at prices higher thanrge eggs. Every time, they sold at least 25 kilos, and that 25 kilo of eggs were sold for twelve coins higher than normal eggs of the same weight. More importantly, even at this high price, people fought to buy it. This money-making ability was truly remarkable. It seems like there was nothing in this world that the Young Master and Young Miss cannot aplish. The more Ying''tao thought about it, the happier she became. Furthermore, she was the one in charge of caring for all the chickens. The Young Master has said that separate tabs will be kept for each department. At the end of the year, whichever department made the most money, then the people of that department will receive the most reward money. The most important thing was not these rewards; the Young Master had also said that whoever received the most reward money was the most capable person so more important tasks can be given to that person in the future. As long as she worked hard to raise the chickens and contributes to the small businesses the Young Master and Young Miss has arranged, she would definitely be superior than everyone else. Who said that girls were not good as boys? Her father and mother always praised her younger brother; who will they praise now? Ying''tao thought about it andughed. A girl that was next to her curiously patted her, "Sister Ying''tao, what are youughing at?" "Huh? Oh, Iughed. I''mughing that after the chickens cany eggs that can be hatched into chicks, I will keep more eggs to hatch and give them to farmers on our farm. When that timees, everyone can live a good life and the young children can grow up to be fair and chubby." Ying''tao smiled again. "Yeah, we can live a good life. This is because Sister Ying''tao is so great. The Young Master really has good judgement of people. The people around him have so many tasks toplete and they can allplete it very well. The Young Master and Young Miss are really deities." The girl continued the conversation. "Don''t always mention this. In fact, the Young Master and the Young Miss also have things that they worry about, but every time, they''re able toe up with a good n after they''re done fretting. Those of us that work for the Young Master were actually taught by the Young Master, so it would be the same regardless of who worked for the Young Master." Ying''tao nced at the girl, and then acted humbled. This little girl was also from the inner courtyard. If it was a farmer from outside that said such things, she would have to investigate out who had leaked the information. After reconsidering her owns words, the little girl stuck out her tongue in fear. "Sister Ying''tao, I swear to let this matter rot away in my heart and never tell anyone about. If there was no Young Master and Young Miss, our good days woulde to an end and we will never be able to find a master family as good as this one." "Well, hurry up and feed the chickens. These chickens eat so much all day, when the dayes, it would be perfect to butcher them and eat their meat. I hear the Young Master and Young Miss say that once we earn enough money here, they will build a school and allow the children from both farms to learn how to read and write." Ying''tao poured out half bucket of fodder again while thinking about the future of the farm. The little girl also nodded. "Yeah, it''s already so great now. They found two doctors to stay on the farm. One of them focuses on treating people and the other one focuses on treating animals. The other day, my head felt a bit dizzy and they gave me a medicine prescription. After drinking the medicine, I immediately felt better and I didn''t even spend a single coin. They said that it was counted towards the Young Master''s tab and this was the same for anyone from the inner courtyard. The farmers seem to have to spend a little money of their own. I heard from the housekeeper, that in the future, the farmers don''t need to spend any money too, but every year when they harvested their crops, they had to offer more crops to the master family. This extra offering would cover health care, funeral expenses and even house construction. " "Then you must work hard to finish your tasks. If you make a mistake, even if others want to protect you, nothing will avail. Later, bring these eggs to the storage room so that they can be all sold to those people." Ying''tao spoke seriously while walking back with the empty bucket in her hand. This meal for today was pretty much done. * Prefecture Qi, Lin''you County. There were peopleing and going on the streets, and the restaurants and inns were bustling with noise. On this day, three people came here carrying a heavy object, and directly headed to a cksmith''s shop. "Shopkeeper, does your shop handle carpentry work?" one person of the three asked aloud. "Yes, my son specializes in woodwork. Do the three of you want something made?" The one who was hammering the iron stopped the movement in his hand, wiped the sweat on his forehead with his hand, and asked with a smile. "Yeah, make us something like this." As they spoke, the three of them took out the object that was wrapped in cloth and showed it to the cksmith. "This...this is a plough? Why haven''t I seen it before?" The cksmith pondered. No wonder these three people still need woodwork; the plough needed to use abination of iron and wood in order to be crafted. "Yes, it is a plough. This plough is called the curved-plough. It was made by the Magistrate of San''shui County. When used to ploughnd, it was definitely speedy; it''s several times faster than a normal plough. Even a person pulling a new plough could plough thend more faster and deeper than a livestock pulling an old plough. I have two rtives here. I bought one in San''shui County and came here to make another one. This way each my two rtives can have one. When I came here, I saw that there several fields that are notpletely ploughed yet. That''s too slow. At our San''shui County, everyone has finished ploughing already; some people have even ploughed theirnd twice. Our Magistrate is great, isn''t he? " The person continued to talk. When he mentioned the county Magistrate, his back straightened up and his head was held tall; it was as if the county Magistrate was his father. "Really? Who is your county Magistrate? He also takes care of these kind of matters?" The cksmith''s attention was piqued by this person''s words. He thought about how his rtive''snd was notpletely ploughed yet and maybe he could craft a plough like this for them? "How could this be false? Our county Magistrate''s surname is Cheng, his respected name1 is Ling''xiang, and his given name is An''ran. He is a good county Magistrate. Let me tell you, in order for us to have a sessful spring tige, the county Magistrate spent his days without caring for drinking and eating." This person knew no end when it came to talking about the county Magistrate. He started talking about the good omen, then talked about how the Magistrate sent food and oil to the poor people during the New Year, and then about the curved-plough. He improved the lines that Song Jing''gong used and even added on more exaggerated details. As he spoke, the surrounding people that were attracted to his bustling speech gathered around. The other two people that came with him feared that some people didn''t get to hear the whole story, so they went to the sides to tell the other groups of people. They also made exaggerated hand gesture to apany the story they told. Then they pushed out the curved-plough to show the crowd and told them to have a close look at it. They exined the benefits of the new plough over and over again. After the crowd were brainwashed, they handed the plough over to the cksmith. He told them toe back at night. The total cost was 60 coins and they paid for it on the spot. After they dropped the item off, the three of them found an inn to dine at. When they entered the inn, they went to whichever corner that was the most busy and lively. They went to the center of the crowd, and after budding in a few lines in, they started talking about the curved-plough again and insertedpliments surrounding the Magistrate. They even pointed out which cksmith shop was helping them craft a plough. After having their fill of food at the inn, they did not waste time and they went to a tea house to drink tea. They didn''t evendrink the tea that was offered by the inn earlier; instead, they choose to drink tea from the tea house set up on the roadside. Once again, those same words came out of the mouths of the three of them. It turned out that even before night arrived, different versions of the story began to appear in Prefecture Zhi, Qi''zhou County. Some said that the San''shui County Magistrate''s hair turned white overnight from over thinking and he finally came up with the design of the plough; some said that the San''shui County Magistrates became so skinny, that he was nothing but skin covered bones and this moved the heavens so the heavens told him the idea through a dream. Tales about the curved plough were even more magical sounding. Some said that one person pulling the new plough was faster than two cows; some even said that just by cing the plough on the ground, it could automatically plough thend by itself. Regardless of which story version it was, the plough was linked to the county Magistrate Cheng of the San''shui County. When the plough was mentioned, one would think of Magistrate Cheng and when a person mentioned Magistrate Cheng, another person will talk about the curved plough. When night arrived, the three of them came to the cksmith shop again. The cksmith was already there waiting. He handed the plough that was crafted first to the three people. After seeing that the three of them were far off in the distance, the cksmith closed his doors and got his son to help him carry two curved-ploughs to his rtives'' houses. . Those three people did not in fact go to any rtive''s ce with the curved plough. Instead, but turned around and left this ce, and headed to the next county. The cksmith and his son sent the two sets of ploughs to two rtives'' homes and repeated what they had heard during the day while adding a few more details of their own. Upon hearing this, the rtives couldn''t resist the urge and decided to bring the curved plough out to field despite it beingte at night. Their curious neighbors also followed behind. The cksmith''s son was pulling it from the front, while his rtives maneuvered the plough from behind. After walking a few steps, he got used to the pace; it definitely ploughed the soil quickly and more deeper. The cksmith''s rtive was so excited that on their way back, they found someone to send some wine and food to their house and insisted on having a good drink with the cksmith. Those neighbors couldn''t bear keeping quiet about it and wanted to share what they just witnessed to everyone they knew. The next morning, everyone who heard of the news came to the cksmith''s rtive''s home. However, they were told that the family left for the fields early in the morning, so the crowd continued the chase and went to the fields. When they arrived there, a lot of spectators were there already and from time to time, some people eximed with admiration. With this method, after a few days, the people of other counties in other prefectures near San''shui county all knew about the new plough called the curved-plough and they also knew that it was created by theMagistrate Cheng of San''shui County. Many counties that started the spring tigeter were already beginning to craft this type of plough. The magistrates of all counties realized the importance of this plough so they began to hold it with high regards. Several reports were sent to the higher ups, and when the different prefecture divisions saw that it did not involve their own prefectures, they knew that couldn''t fight for any credit. Thus, memorials were passed forward to the Capital city to truthfully ry the events. The officials in BinPrefecture2were nning to drag out the time until the Magistrate Cheng gave in to them and surrendered all of the credits to them. They didn''t expect that news would travel so quickly to the Agriculture Minister and Labor Minister at the Capital city. The two government officials told their other colleagues, and soon enough, every department learned of this great event. Trantor''s notes: 1. Respected name It was regarded as disrespectful to refer to a reputable person by their given first name, so it wasmon for these people to have additional names. 2. Bin Prefecture "Bin" is the pronunciationof the Chinese character and does not refer to the English word "bin". Book 1: Chapter 66 Book 1: Chapter 66 The people at the Bin Prefecture Division now hated the surrounding prefecture divisions to the bones. In their mind they thought, why did your division meddle in so much, so be it that your county used the curved-plough, so be it that your division sent a memorial to the throne, but why was the memorial filled with praises of the San''shui County Magistrate, and why were the auspicious omen and the gifts to the civilians also mentioned. When the auspicious omen urred, it was said that it belonged to the county, however when the Magistrate sent items out on New Year''s Eves, it was not mentioned. The higher ups had sent a document questioning the ountability and it has arrived at the Bin Prefecture Division already. The wording was not strict, but it unceasingly questioned everything in all aspects from every direction. Why was this not reported by the Bin Prefecture Division, but instead it was reported by every other prefecture divisions? However, the people at the Prefecture Division felt scared because the wording was not strict. If it was strict, it meant that the higher ups were on closer terms with you. This type of calm and ordinary questioning was the scariest--- making the slightest mishap could result in being stripped of their position or even sent to the prison to suffer. While everyone was busy with the spring tige, the people at the prefecture division was discussing how to handle this matter.No one dared to continue to suppress the past work efforts of the San''shui County Magistrate. Out of desperation, they gathered together to discuss a solution. * The gloomy sky was heavy, and it looked like it was about to fall down at any given moment. The wind also made an appearance to help incite fear. During this time, all the farmers raised their heads to the sky and anticipated for a rainstorm to fall. The same was true for the people in San''shui County. However, the sky only remained gloomy for a few hours, and the clouds dispersed, and the wind stopped when noon arrived. When the farmers saw this urrence, their hearts sank. Today was the start of the Grain Rain1 season, so it should be the time to sow the seeds. But without rainfall, who would dare sow seeds? The elders that were able to predict the forecast and weather from observing the skies had expressed horror and panic in their eyes. They were done for; rain will not fall for the next few days. Magistrate Cheng of San''shui County sat inside the administrative office and stared at the sky with a daze too. After a while, he turned his head and asked the person beside him, "How''s the water at Xiao'' luo''shui?" This time he finally called it by its full name. "My lord, the water is very shallow. It hasn''t rained in the past few days and the melted snow has already flowed away." The person beside him replied back carefully. "It''s over Hurry up, immediately gather workers, I want to wells to be made. " Magistrate Cheng stood up tremblingly and ordered for everyone in the administrative office toe. He assigned the people to different areas in the surrounding region and got them to form well-digging teams. However, he was worried that everyone was waiting to sow seeds so there won''t be enough manpower. Everyone left and Magistrate Cheng stood alone at the entrance of the administrative office. asionally, a few people that passed by came to greet him but he wasn''t in the mood to respond to every person. The people had a vague idea of the hard situation that the Magistrate was in. There has not been rain for the past few days, and even when the Grain Rain season came, there was still no rain. Furthermore, it didn''t look like it will rain within the next few days. In the evening, there was finally good news, but Magistrate Cheng felt that the news was no longer worthy of getting excited over. The Prefecture Division had finally ordered a person to deliver a report and its overall idea was that they acknowledged his work and contribution, and will report this to the imperial court. "My lord, your credit will no longer have to be shared with other people." The magistrate assistant stood his side and spoke to cheer up the Magistrate. "Credit, credit, what credit is there now, if this drought is not handled properly, then I will have a demerit. Have the people I have sent to the different areas return yet? What is the situation?" Magistrate Cheng did not have any energy; he sat in a chair with his backpletely supported by the back of the chair but he still slid downwards. "Most of the people have returned. There was no water at Qi''yang Vige so some vigers stole water, and some were even injured as a consequence. The stolen water was barely enough to nt millet but if there were to be a few more rainless days, then a new n needs to be contrived. Xi''he Vige was still fine as there was still a bit water left in the river so they might be able tost for another half month. Now they are using a dam to block the river flow, but the vige downstream, Dong''he Vige, will be doomed. As for Nan''shan Vige..." Streams after streams of news were released from the magistrate assistant''s mouth and there were usually about not having water. When water was not needed, it was readily avable; but when it was needed, it was realized that there wasn''t enough. Even the ces that did have water will notst long. "There isn''t a single piece of good news? It''s all like this? Oh right, there''s one more ce that wasn''t mentioned. The Tu''qiao Vige and Zhang Farm, how about them?" Magistrate Cheng suddenly remembered that the person sent there hasn''t return yet. "My lord, there is a river over there, but the water is formed by the convergence of four small rivers. For three of the other rivers, the previously mentioned viges thatcked water have redirected the river water to their own viges. As for the remaining one, even on normal days, the waters level is only waist-high, so it is not of much use. More importantly, the previous years have been like this too. It seemed like a drought, but in fact, it will start to rain nonstop a few days before or after the Gu Rain season. The people and I have grown use to seeing this." The magistrate assistant sighed, that Zhang Farm have given the administrative office a lot of surprises, but this time, no one can escape. "Reporting to.. my lordmy lord, I have returned, I have returned from the Zhang Farm." As soon as the magistrate assistant finished his words, there was a voice outside the door, and then a person ran into the room. His travel-worn appearance made it obvious that he rushed on the trip back. This person was carrying arge package on his back, and it didn''t seem heavy. He stopped when he arrived at the center of the yard but he didn''t say anything as he was panting to catch his breath. "So, you have returned, find a ce to rest. What are you carrying on your back? You''ve taken things from the Zhang Farm again? On normal days, its fine to ask for things, but they''re experiencing a drought there right now, how could you..." Magistrate Cheng was so angered that he couldn''t continue his words. "My lord, I didn''t ask. It it was them. The.the farm wanted to give it to the administrative office. Thethe stuff brought backgoodgood stuff, it''s wood fungus. Fivefive kilograms. Drieddried ones." This bailiff replied back with his words spoken in short bursts. "What? Five kilograms of dried fungus, how could you dare ept such a valuable gift? The drought is like this already. This wood fungus is worth a lot of money. Digging a well requires money, importing food from other locations requires money. Send it back, we cannot ept this gift." Magistrate Cheng and the magistrate assistant were both shocked. Where did the Zhang Farm get so much dried wood fungus? The bailiff was still panting and he felt even more anxious because he couldn''t continue exining. In the end, he picked up the Magistrate''s cup that was on the table and drank all of the water in one gulp. He wiped his mouth and finally feltfortable. He opened the package and said, "My lord, they nted this fungus themselves. They told me to bring it back and share it with the people at the administrative office. Originally, they intended to give ten kilograms, but I didn''t dare to ept it so I only brought back five kilograms. After its soaked in water, the people in our office can have some and taste this new food." "It''s nted? Wood fungus can be nted?" The Magistrate and the magistrate assistant were shocked again and they even got up from their chairs. Neither of them knew how to make judgements of the Zhang Farm anymore. They were able to produce cucumbers in the winter, they have vegetable oil, they made a lot of money after buying the carrots that no one wanted, they also found a simple method to turn brown sugar into white sugar, they made spicy sauce, they made the curved-plough just a while ago and now they''re able to nt wood fungus. Are there anything in this world that they could not make? "Well, since they can nt them, then they must have made a fortune again. Even if it''s a drought, they would not be scared. How''s the situation over there? Has nothing been nted yet?" Magistrate Cheng was relieved now. Wood fungus is precious. If a person wanted to eat, they would have to go find it in the mountains or on a tree or maybe even at the ces that transport lumber wood. This was all money. "My lord, they''re done nting already. All the fields at the Zhang Farm, Wang Farm and Ge Farm have been nted. The Ge Farm borrowed water from the Zhang and Wang Farms. " "Done nting? Borrowed water? The Ge Farm does not have water, how could it be that the Zhang and Wang Farms have water. " The county magistrate felt a little dizzy. Even if the Zhang and Wang Household did notck water, how could they have water to give out to others? He suspected that the bailiff was lying, so his calmed his expression down. "It''s true, my lord. I do not dare to lie. You might not know, but the Zhang and Wang Households have dug sixrge ponds, and all the ponds are filled with water. There was still a thin stream of water at the little river and it has been drained into the ponds. When I came over there, they had seven wells already and three more were being dug. The well at the Ge Farm was only recently made and the water was sweet and cool; it was very tasty. When I was there, I drank three bowls of water in a single breath. The horse that I rode also drank, it drank." "Enough, don''t talk about these random nonsense. You mentioned that the Zhang Farm had six ponds filled with water? And they also had seven recently made wells?" Magistrate Cheng interrupted the bailiff''s useless words and asked about the key points again. "Yes, my lord, I saw it with my own eyes. The children from the three farms were also ying inside the ponds. There were more than 1,000 ducks and geese in one of the ponds. Some people were carrying the water into the mountains. I even helped them. On the mountains, there were about 6,000 chickens that wereying eggs. All of the families on the farm were raising pigs too. In addition to these, I also saw foods that were brought in from other locations. It should be becausend was needed during the spring tige, so the foods were brought to the empty areas surrounding the two farms. The piles of food were like mountains. I only dared to bring back the five kilograms of wood fungus after seeing that. I can tell that they were not poor. " As soon as he talked about Zhang Farm, his eyes gleamed. He listed everything on the farm through and through and then he pointed again at the 5 kilograms of the wood fungus. Magistrate Cheng and Magistrate Assistant Zhang Ming''sheng sat their bottoms onto the chair again to be precise, they fell back down to their chairs. Their two pairs of eyes stared straight at the wood fungus. Suddenly, they both said, "If this was known earlier, then it would have been great if all 10 kilograms were brought back." "My lord, if you really want it, I can make another trip to there. I don''t mind the trouble. I need a different horse." The bailiff was a down to earth person and did not speak empty words. He turned around to leave as he said this. "Stop there. Are your driven crazy by poorness? Are you prideless? When they gave it to you, it''s giving; what will it be regarded as if you go there to demand? This Zhang Farm is amazingly peculiar. They raised so many livestock, they dug ponds ahead of time, and even made seven wells. No wonder the Ge Farm was able to borrow water from them. That Ge Ying''xi has encountered a good neighbor. Just a while ago, he tried to create troubles for them behind their backs. In the end, he didn''t seed and the Zhang Farm found out what he did. Despite so, they''re still willing to lend water to the Ge Household. If they were government officials, then would definitely be good officials that brought fortune to theirnds." Magistrate Cheng called for the bailiff to stop andmented. "My lord is also a good official." The magistrate assistant, who sat next to him, added.
Trantor''s Note: 1. Grain Rain The name is taken from the phrase "hundreds ofgrainborn fromrain" (). The Grain Rain season is the 6th sr term out of the 24 sr terms in the traditional Chinese calendar; it begins around April 20th and ends around May 5th. During this period, rain levels increase and is crucial for the nting and growths of crops and nts. Book 1: Chapter 67 Book 1: Chapter 67 Majority of the areas were in a drought and a lot of people did not make any preparations. At the San''shui County, only a few viges were still pulling through--- these viges were all next to a mainstem river. The one and only vige that was not next to a big river and managed to survive was Tu''qiao Vige. "It''s a true drought. I don''t know what my mood is at this time. I''m wishing that there won''t be a severe drought and that there won''t be locusts; that way, the people can live a better life. Yet, I also hope that the drought and insect gue will be more serious; that way, the chickens, ducks and geese we raised wille in handy, and the food we prepared can also be sent out. You would be able to keep your hundreds of plots ofnds, and maybe you will receive even more. What do you think, is this contradictory or not? Primarily, I can''t bear watching people flee the crisis with their families. The Right Prime Minister1 you mentioned, in the end, he finally ended the insect gue, right? Then why are we raising so many livestock? " Standing on the edge of the river, Wang Juan spoke to Zhang Xiao''bao, who was standing right next to her. The section of river in front of them has dried out a long time ago. Well, it cannot be said that there was no water; there were still pond loaches randomly squirming through holes and the river bed was scattered with puddles. "Never study human nature; just do what you want. Otherwise, you will discover that at the end of the study, you can only feel that life is meaningless, and then you willmit suicide. If the suicide seeded, then there is no more to follow. If the suicide fails, then you will be like me--- never wanting to study anymore. The meaning of life is to make choices. Those with the opportunity to choose are the happy ones." Zhang Xiao''bao pulled the slingshot in his hand, and when he let it go, a pond loach was knocked over by the hit. After it''s body twisted a few times, it stopped moving. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan''s slingshots were made by another person. It took a lot of effort for the two to customize it using the principle of leverage, which then made it more powerful. "Look, the loach is dead; the surrounding loaches can''t do anything about it. I also don''t know whether they will save or not save their kinds when they find that their kinds are in danger. After all, I am not a loach, but I know that this loach warned itspanions, otherwise the other loaches wouldn''t have exhausted their efforts to bury themselves back into the soil. We are actually equal to loaches, yet we are also above the loaches. At least, we gave Ge Farm water. At least, when you had the chance to choose, you were able to sacrifice yourself and thereby be worthy of your title. At least, I can risk my life for an exchange--- in the moment of making that choice, I chose without thinking much. Thus, I believe that I''m fortunate. In that case, today I am still choosing; I chose my rtives. So, let the droughts happen, let the locustse. I''m all ready, for my home, for my rtives. " "Why do I feel like the words you''ve said today don''t really sound like yours? You were supposed to always keep that demeanor of quietness and calmness. Even when exchanging hostages, your face still carried a smile." Wang Juan looked at Zhang Xiaobao from the side and spoke. "To tell the truth or lie?" "Let''s hear the lie first." Wang Juan smiled. "I want tofort you and prevent you from overthinking, so I expounded a bit more." "And the truth?" "Just like you, I''m conflicted. I''m anticipating for others to suffer so that I can find an opportunity from within. This was a decision I made when I heard my Grandpa''s2 words when I first arrived here. I''m also struggling. Is the happiness and fortune of the few more important or is the happiness and fortune of hundreds of thousands of people more important? But a single person is also one amongst the many. Absolute monarchy or the truth. Bruno3 was burned to death." When Zhang Xiao''bao said these words, his brows kept frowning. Wang Juan was thinking that this was something too profound. "Young Master, I caught a fish; let''s stew soup for you." At this time, a child ying in the water ran over and was trying hard to keep hold of the fish in his hands. The fish was still swinging about and trying to break free. "Thank you." Zhang Xiao''bao opened his eyes and spoke as he looked at the child that was biologically older than him by six or seven years. "Young Master, what did you say?" The child was stunned for a moment, and skewered the fish with grass stalks found near the shore and then ced it on the ground. "It''s nothing, go y." Zhang Xiao''bao smiled. "Okay, I''m going to go y. Young Master, this fish has many bones so be careful when you eat it with Miss Juan''juan." The child ran towards the pond again and turned his head to inform that the fish had a lot of bones. "I understand, whoever treats me well, I''ll treat whoever well," Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan said in unison. "You don''t need to say it anymore. I know all of this, but I can''t do it that way. They treated me well, so how can I deliberately harm them?" In the Ge Household''s courtyard, Ge Ying''xi said to his housekeeper, who was trying to persuade him. Housekeeper Ge discovered that Zhang and Wang Farms'' rice nts were not the result of transnting seedlings into the fields, but were actually the result of randomly throwing rice seeds into fields. He reasoned that they would have a crop failure so he wanted his Master, Ge Ying''xi, to report them to the administrative office. At the beginning, Ge Ying''xi spoke to the housekeeper in a good manner, but at the end, he became really impatient, so he spoke his thoughts. That was right; they gave him water. Their rtionship with Magistrate Cheng was good, so how could they not know thatst time he tried and failed to scheme against them. But when he went to find them during the critical moment, before he even opened his mouth, they told him that it was just water, and that he could bring water back to use. They said their words so effortlessly, and they gave it away so casually. Ge Ying''xi knows that what they gave was not water, but it was life. Not only was he unwilling, he also did not dare to cause them troubles at a time like this. If the farmers of the Ge Farm learned of this, what would the consequences be? "Master, I think this is thest chance. If we miss it this time, then there will never be another chanceter on. An evil power emanates from those two farms. Is not that they can''t improve their farms, but it can''t happen that quickly. How long has it been, look at the life on the farms--- it seems like it''s changing everyday. I suspect there is a mastermind of demon type that is behind them. If we don''t do anything now, then our farm will be doomed when the timees. Master, think about it more, don''t you agree?" The housekeeper was still trying to persuade. "Agree my butt. Whatter on''; if they wanted to ruin our Ge Farm, do they even need to wait untilter on''? All they had to do is stop our water flow. Do you dare go steal water? Their water is all ced into the ponds. That small river doesn''t pass through the Ge Farm, but instead it empties into the river at the small bridge." Tell me, do you dare to bring people with you to steal water? If you dare, then I''ll forgo the county magistrate and go directly to the prefecture division to report them. Tell me, do you dare to? "Ge Ying''xi stared into the eyes of Housekeeper Ge as he asked. "Master, I dare not. They have the joined numbers of people from two farms and we only have one farm. The difference in numbers is too great." Housekeeper Ge shook his head. "Then I will find some people for you, so that we''re almost equal in numbers as them, do you dare to?" Ge Yingxi asked again. Housekeeper Ge still shook his head. This time he shook his head even more vigorously. "I don''t dare to, we can''t beat the people from the two farms at all. The farmers have long worshipped their master as a god, while the will of our people is scattered. Not to mention, if their farmers just stood there while all wearing the same clothing just like they did during the Lantern Festival, our famers wouldn''t even dare to take a step." "Yeah, the two farms are strings that are twisted into the same strand of rope. On the day of the Lantern Festival, their master''s household made so many torches just because they wanted to light up the night sky. The Magistrate is on their side and their farmers are also loyal. You want me to report on them, isn''t that just asking to die? You think it''s fine if we just go to the prefecture, but what type of person is Zhou Xi''hu? His uncle is a sixth rank official4 at the prefecture that works for the governor. I just don''t understand, why do you insist on treating others as opponents? Why do you want them to fail? You were the one who came up with that ideast time and what was the result? You know that they have a capable person in charge, so don''t try to cause them troubles." Ge Ying''xi really had no other choice so he had to use this method to dispel the jealous thoughts of the housekeeper. He had already felt that they never regarded him as an opponent before; he simply wasn''t the same level as them. Don''t even mention other things; have a look at how Si''gou was at the beginning and how he is now. Their selection of people was really urate. At the beginning, he didn''t see any strengths in Si''gou, so he sold him for a couple of silvers. Now, he can''t even be bought back with a thousand taels of silver. When he bought a person, he bought their physical body but they exchanged money for the person''s heart. They gave out one hundred taels of silver at whim. If these types of people were his enemy...ah~! Ge Ying''xi didn''t dare to think further, and said to the housekeeper: "Let''s go, walk with me." "Master, where are you going?" the housekeeper asked with uncertainty. "Where else can I go? I''m heading to the Wang Farm of course. Put away your little schemes. If your family has not been the housekeeper for this farm for several generations, I really suspect that you are trying to destroy the farm. Have a look at the housekeepers of Zhang and Wang families and the people in their inner courtyard. That''s magnanimity". Ge Ying''xi didn''t even dare topare with them anymore. His farmers were not as good as theirs and even the housekeeper was not as good. Even himself, the master of the farm, was not any better. Housekeeper Ge was also scared now; he was afraid of being removed by his master. Not only will he lose his position, his father would be angered to the point of death. "Then Master, what are we going to do there?" "Nothing, can''t we just have a chat with them? I remember thatst time they asked me to work together on making a market. Let''s go take a look today. If they still agree, the Ge Household will take part. I have now realized, as long as I follow their path, then nothing will go wrong. Those six ponds were made before the drought, and those wells were dug early too. I now wonder if the person behind the two farms are the reincarnation of Zhu''ge5. " Ge Ying''xi spoke with a slight helpless tone as he stood up and walked towards the outside. The two of them crossed the bridge and came to the ce of Wang Farm. As if he knew they wereing, Housekeeper Wang appeared again. "Vige Chief Ge, Housekeeper Ge, the two of you have arrived. Is there something wrong with the water?" Housekeeper Wang asked sincerely. "No, I want to ask if we can partake in the market?" Housekeeper Ge said. "This...not anymore, but...there is another affair that can be jointly operated with the Ge family." Housekeeper Wang refused first, and then changed the conversation to propose a new matter.
Trantor''s Notes1. Right Prime Minister In the Imperial Court, there were two prime minsters. One prime ministers stood to the right of the Emperor and is called the Right/Main Prime Minister, while the other prime minister stood to the left and is called the Left/Vice Prime Minister. The position of the Right Prime Minister is above the Left Prime Minister. 2. Grandpa Zhang Xiao''bao is referring to his paternal grandfather. 3. BrunoZhang Xiao''bao is referring to Giordono Burno, who was a philosopher, mathematician, poet and cosmological theorist during the mid 1500s. His radical ideas in science and religion resulted in him being tried and convicted for heresy by the Roman inquisition, and was sentenced to be burned at the stake. Zhang Xiao''bao''ss mentioning of him after asking "Absolute monarchy or truth?" implies that speaking the truth will often time be dangerous and can cost one''s life. 4. Sixth rank official During the feudal times in China, the government officials were divided into 12 different ranks, with the first rank being the highest. 5. Zhu''ge Ge Yingxi is referring to Zhu''ge Liang, who was a famous military strategist, writer, engineer, and inventor during the Three Kingdom periods. By saying that the person is a reincarnation of Zhu''ge, it is implied that the person was an extremely intelligent strategist. Book 1: Chapter 68 Book 1: Chapter 68 Many thanks go to Dan formissioning this extra chapter release! I really appreciate the support :) Ge Ying''xi and Housekeeper Ge were really taken aback when they heard what Housekeeper Wang had just said. They thought they didn''t have a chance anymore; who would have thought that Housekeeper Wangter mentioned there were other aspects to the affair. "Which aspects?" Housekeeper Ge asked anxiously. This made Ge Ying''xi disappointed again. His housekeeper was iparable to this housekeeper. At the beginning, Housekeeper Wang did not seem to be like this. Why did it seem like he changed into a different person within just a few months? Ge Ying''xi didn''t know that this was because of economic strength. At first, the Zhang family and the Ge family were simr, so they all stood at the same level. Now, times have changed. The Zhang family is rich now, so of course their mentalities will change correspondingly. Housekeeper Wang wasn''t perturbed by the Ge family''s anxious questioning and he slowly spoke, "There is a river between the two of our families. A downstream part of this river suddenly became leveled. The masters of Zhang and Wang families want to build a two-storey restaurant there. The center will have an open space where water can be seen from. We will find some people toe here to drink and write poetry. If the Ge family is also interested in joining, then contribute money and earn a share. At this time, it is drought, so it is easier to build a restaurant." "What if it operates at loss?" Housekeeper Ge was straightforward. Before Housekeeper Wang could speak, Ge Ying''xi said: "Then we lose money together. Housekeeper Wang, I don''t know when the restaurant will be built, but count me in when the timees." Ge Ying''xi finally didn''t dare to continue to fight against the Zhang and Wang families anymore. Now that he has a chance, he feels that even if he doesn''t make money, or even loses a little, it is worth it to be able to establish a rtionship with the two farms. "Okay, Chief Ge can rest assured. When construction begins here after waiting for the spring tige to end, the Ge family will naturally not be left out. After all, it will be more secured if the three families work together." Housekeeper Wang answered very decently. After speaking, seeing that the two of them had no intention to leave, he continued to offer them an invitation, "Chief Ge, Housekeeper Ge, how about we go to the pond to have a look so that you have a better understanding. Who knows how long will this droughtst?" "That''s a good idea." Ge Ying''xi agreed without even thinking about it. He really wanted to check it out. After all, the water taken from the Zhang and Wang families was transported in wooden barrels or tanks. If he didn''t have a look at that ce, he couldn''t settle his heart. It would be best if the ponds were still full; even if summer and autumn is still dry, he wouldn''t have to worry. The three people walked towards one of the ponds. From time to time, on their way there, they saw Ge Farm''s farmerse to transport water. Not only was the water taken from the wells used for irrigating the fields, but it was also used for cooking. The well being dug at the Ge Farm was notplete yet. Standing next to a pond, Ge Ying''xi was finally appeased. The pond was still full. The water in the creek might have been a bit too little, but it was still flowing. When there is no more water there, they would have to rely on the well water. After a little chat, Ge Ying''xi and Housekeeper Ge left. The worries in their hearts were resolved. Now that they were in a partnership together, if the Zhang and Wang family had any other ns in the future, they would take him into consideration too. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were still standing by the river watching the farmers work busily. Then, they realized that the number of loaches in the river was abnormally high. If they only saw one or two, then it didn''t really matter, but there were so many of them that if they weren''t caught and eaten, it would be a waste to let them die from dryness in the mud. "How do we catch them?" Wang Juan looked eager to try. "Let others help catch, watch me." Zhang Xiao''bao looked at the children ying in the pond and shouted loudly, "Come here and catch loaches." A child''s voice could easily travel far. After he hollered over, the little children crawled out of the pond one after another and all ran over here. "Help me catch loaches and I will give tofu in exchange. Ten loaches for arge piece of tofu; when you go home, you can eat Loach With Tofu1. Catch 20 loaches and I''ll give you one liang2 of vegetable oil in exchange. That way, you will have all the ingredients. Are you in or not?" Zhang Xiao''bao abandoned his "young master" identity at this time and discussed with the children. The little children had nothing to do to begin with, so they all went to y in the water. When they heard that they could get so many ingredients in exchange, they all jumped to the bottom of the river. They disregarded that the mud was deep enough to reach their knees, and started the hunt. The loaches were thrown out one by one, and whoever made the throw kept count by themselves. No one yed dirty and made false reports at a time like this.posted on asionally, a child would pop out of the mud pond while screaming and pping their leg violently with a hand. On their leg would be a leech. After a few ps, the leech will retreat away and then curl up into a ball. Some little children were eager to seek revenge; they used a small wooden stick to roll the leech against the ground a couple of times, and then they stabbed the stick through the top of the leech''s head. Doing this flipped the leech inside out. Afterwards, they ced the stick on the shore and let the leech dry under the sun. Once it was dried, the leech would die; even if it was ced back into the water, it would not revive. "So this is how they kill leeches." Wang Juan saw more and more wooden sticks appear on the shore and felt that these little kids were too vicious. She was not scared, but she has never done such things before. "Yeah, this is considered to be slow though. I used to ce the leeches that I caught on the railway track. Once the train passed by, there was nothing left of the leech. If it was not a leech that was ced there, then it was a nail that I found. After waiting for the train toe by, the nail became a little sword." Zhang Xiao''bao recalled the days when he wandered the streets. During those days, he learned alot from other children. "Actually, the leeches will naturally shrivel away if you sprinkle some salt on them." Wang Juan felt that this method of pping their legs would be painful for the children, so she told them this while staying on the sides. Her actual intention was to get Zhang Xiao''bao to order people to bring salt over. Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t move at all. "Even if you brought salt, they would still p with their hands. Not because they think that salt is expensive, but they think the most reassuring way to kill the leeches is with their hands. This is the offensive mentality; the desire for control also ys a part." "For example?" Wang Juan asked. "From a young age, children have always liked to y with guns. If there were no guns, they would y with knives. If guns and knives were ced together, most children would choose guns. Guns have a sense of security and can be shot from a remote distance. The same goes for remote-controlled cars. One type is wired and the other type is wireless; most will choose wireless even if the wired one has a 100 meter distance and the wireless one only has up to 50 meters. This is because the wireless one is more flexible to control and has no attachments to it. This is the safest, and this sense of security is controlled by the yer themselves. If they wanted to attack, then they attacked, and if they wanted to retreat, they retreated. " Zhang Xiao''bao gave an example. "Now that you have said that, I understand it. For example, when I went to school, the boys liked to y a game called nd, sea and sky". Two big concentric circles were drawn; the innermost circle wasnd, the outer ring was water, and the remaining space outside was the sky. They yed rock-paper-and-scissor to decide who got to choose first. Most children chose the sky. The sea was the least popr choice because they had to face enemies from two sides and there was no sense of security. It urred to me, it was like this too when we arranged people to do night patrols and kept the lights on. However, I don''t think this is enough. In the future, when there are more male servants, I will divide them into over, covert, fixed, and mobile guard posts. This way, the whole farm will be more peaceful; the farmers can sleep more well and the guards will feel more safe." Wang Juan was talking and then started to discuss the future for security control work. At this time, the children were pretty much done with catching loaches. They climbed up one after another, and skewered the loaches that were thrown on the shore with tree branches. After cing the skewers in front of Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, everyone began to report how many loaches they had caught. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan didn''t count them over. They instructed people to go back to retrieve tofu and vegetable oil. With so many loaches, they could make a few different dishes and eat for two or three days. After the children received their ingredients, they happily ran back to their homes. Once they put it away, the children came back and jumped down into the pond again. This time, it was so that their own families could eat Loaches With Tofu.posted on Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao started to walk back. It was a given that other people carried the loaches for them. Even if they were able to carry them, no one would let them. As soon as the two entered the yard, they saw Song Jing''gong waiting there even though he shouldn''t be back today yet. "Young Master, it is not good. Someone is buying arge amount of soybeans. Today, after I got my share of money from Zhou Xi''hu, I intended to buy some soybeans. But even after going to several grain shops, they said that they were all sold out. I didn''t believe it so I went to have a look, and it turned out to be actually empty. The salesclerk told me that some people came to the store and directly asked how much soybeans there were in stock. As long as there were soybeans, regardless of how much, they bought all of it. I went shopping for half a day and I still didn''t manage to buy even half a kilogram of soybeans. Our vegetable oil depends on soybeans though. The soybeans in the entire county have been bought by those people. By the time more is transported here, the price won''t be as low as it is now. I think someone has discovered that our vegetable oil is made from soybeans. " As soon as Song Jing''gong saw Zhang Xiao''bao, he informed him of the situation with an anxious expression on his face. Zhang Xiao''bao thought for a while, "Vegetable oil has a beany taste and we keep buying soybeans so it won''t be hard for others know. I think these people are targeting us. But we have been selling vegetable oil for so long already, so why are they only making a move now? Could it be because of the drought?" "Maybe. They want to stockpile and after waiting for the price of soybeans to rise, they will try to sell the soybeans to us. That way, they will make a lot of money. However, I keep having a feeling that it''s not that simple. This is my intuition." Wang Juan stood on the side and tried to help analyze the situation. "What have we been doing recently? Let''s not rush. Let''s go back into the house, and make a list to see what our main ie sources and new outputs are during this period. Then, we can make a judgment." For the time being, Zhang Xiao''bao couldn''t figure out these people''s intentions. So be it that they acquired the soybeans; at most, they will stop selling soybean oil. They don''t know how to make soybean oil from the soybeans anyway. Most rapeseed oil was extracted with the use of heat; it was the same when renderingrd too. Song Jing''gong went to find a ce to rest, while Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan went back to the house and began to calcte the main source of ie during this period. After doing some calctions, they found that there weren''t significant differencespared to before. Then, what remained was to look at their new outputs.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Loaches With Tofu
The name of the dish literally means "loaches buried into tofu". It is made by forcing loachs to dig and bury their heads into arge piece of tofu. This was done by cing the loaches and a piece of tofu in a wok, and slowly increasing the temperature. The loaches will then try to hide in the tofu to avoid the high temperature. Afterwards, soup stock and other voring ingredients are added, and it is steamed all together.
  1. Liang
A unit for weight measurement. 16 liang makes up one catty, while one catty has been standardized to be 500 g. It has now been standardized that one liang is 50 grams. Book 1: Chapter 69 Book 1: Chapter 69Trantor''s Notes 1. China''s Leader of Flowers This is a reference to the Chinese movie called "Chinese Armed Policewomen" or "Zhong Guo Ba Wang Hua" and was released in 1990. The movie follows a young female that underwent strict training to join the armed police force andter, she went on to solve a major robbery crime. This was rather hard to trante and I decided to go with the literal trantion of the phrase instead of going for the movie name since it made more sense given the context. "Flower" is amon metaphor for woman. Basically, Zhang Xiao''bao isplimenting Wang Juan for being a good role model policewoman. 2. Bullied us already The literal trantion of what Wang Juan said was "they have bullied to the top of our heads". Although the imagery of the original phrase is a bit more imaginative and funny, it doesn''t make much sense in English. 3. "Shoot two condors with one arrow" This idiom is equivalent to "hit two birds with one stone". 4. mian'' pi, liang pi As mentioned by Zhang Xiao''bao, these two names refer to the same type of noodles. The literal trantion of mian''pi is "flour/dough skin", hence, Zhang Xiao''bao''sment on saying that calling it mian''pi will be easy for people to guess that it''s made from flour. The literal trantion of liang''pi is "cool skin", probably because this noodle dish is eaten cold and usually enjoyed on hot summer days. (For those that are curious, Zhang Xiao''bao''s instructions on making the dish is rather urate, and it''s one of my favorite dish to make and eat! It''s really delicious, so for those who haven''t tried it before, please do~)
Misceneous Note You may or may have noticed that I''ve been inconsistent with using the term "catty" and sometimes I just substitute in kilogram instead (1 catty = 0.5 kg). I apologize for the confusion, but I will be using the term "catty" from now on! Book 1: Chapter 70 Book 1: Chapter 70 Following the savory crepes, liang''pi was another hot buy, but the supply of vegetable oil stopped. "My lord, have a taste of this. I just discovered that eating piping hot savory crepes and cool refreshing liang''pi together was a perfectbination. For only five coins in total, one can eat both of these items, so cheap. Eating the two dishes together is enough to satiate one''s hunger." This bailiff, who frequents the Zhang Manor, was holding a steaming hot savory crepe in one hand and his other hand was holding up a basin. The basin had a security deposit, so if the person didn''t return it, they would lose their deposit money. He stood in front of the Magistrate and praised. "Liang''pi? When did another item, liang''pi,e out? Weren''t they selling savory crepes? What is this made from? It''s translucent too." Magistrate Cheng ced down the calligraphy brush in his hand, and looked at the newly introduced item. He asked with a curious tone. He was no longer scared of the higher ups conducting an investigation on the drought since a lot of areas were experiencing a drought too. It was not evitable with human interference; thus, his superiors won''t punish him. Of course, it was not him who stated that it was not evitable with human interference; it was the words of another prefecture''s governor. As for Magistrate Cheng himself, he didn''t dare speak like that. After all, he had the Zhang and Wang Manors in this region. Normal standards and expectations cannot be used on them since just anything can happen at those two manors. Not evitable with human interference? That''s only said because preparations were not made ahead of time. The Zhang manor was also experiencing a drought, but that didn''t have an effect on the three manors there. Magistrate Cheng had no idea if there was anything that manor''s mastermind couldn''t predict. They were also capable of making money and so much more. If it was said that the mastermind''s expertise was in the sales business, then what can be said about the wood fungus? This type of thing can be nted? With these abilities, it would not be surprising if this mastermind was able to grow a group of people from nting a person into the ground. The thing that he couldn''t understand the most was how they knew that there was going to be a drought and to make preparations beforehand. If they knew about it earlier on, then he was willing to beg them for guidance. If preparations were made, then the county would not be like this. "My lord, my lord? Please eat while it''s still hot. For these two items, you need to have a bite of the savory crepe and then a bite of the liang''pi. I ate it like that just now. Unfortunately, I ate too quickly, so now I can''t keep more down." The bailiff saw that the Magistrate did not respond, so he spoke up again. "Oh, fine, I''ll eat it now. Ah, this liang''pi is so delicious. If some cucumber was added, that taste" Magistrate Cheng had a taste of it and felt that it was not bad. It wasn''t too spicy; he didn''t know the one that he was eating was made to be only slightly spicy. The bailiff smiled and appeased him, "What my lord has said is correct. The liang''pi seller also said the same and the people at the manor also had the same consideration. However, there were no cucumbers right now. Just now, I also encountered the person who was delivering the liang''pi; he was from the Zhang Manor. He said there weren''t many veggies, apart from radish, carrots, garlic chives and wood fungus, left at the manor anymore. For the past two days, they have been eating wood fungus." Magistrate Cheng looked at the expression on the bailiff''s face and knew what he was going to say, so he replied, "In the future, you will still be the one that makes runs to the Zhang Manor. You have to keep a tight mouth; don''t say things that you''re not supposed to say, and don''t ask questions that you''re not supposed to ask. Do you understand?" "I understand. I also shouldn''t listen to things that I shouldn''t hear. I know that the mastermind behind the Zhang Manor is very capable. If they wanted to get rid of me, it would be as easy as killing an ant, and I won''t even have a clue who killed me." The bailiff understood how a lot of things worked, so he spoke words of guarantee. "It''s not that frightening. Won''t have a clue who killed you? Keep a watch on the people in the administrative office, if anybody has a loose mouth, I wouldn''t mind if the prison had a few extra people." Magistrate Cheng decided to protect the Zhang Manor. He felt that manor was mysterious in some particr way. "Yes, yes, I will most certainly pay attention to that. Actually, most of us have received some sort of benefits from the Zhang Manor so no one will speak. Otherwise, before my lord can punish the person, we will be the first to make a move. However, my lord, if the Zhang Manor really wanted to kill a person, then that person will have no idea what hit them." The bailiff gave out his guarantee again, but he also wanted to remind Magistrate Cheng. "Why would you say this?" Magistrate Cheng swallowed a mouthful of savory crepes. He was still pondering. "My lord, did you know why the Prefecture Division gave the credit all to you? And it wasn''t the other prefecture divisions that reported to the higher ups, do you know why they reported it?" The bailiff tried hard to control his voice to prevent it from shaking. "Why?" "What else could it be. The Zhang Manor sent out three people to the other surrounding prefectures'' counties. They advertised in every county, and praised how good and amazing my lord was. They spoke of the good deeds that my lord has done. The news of the curved-plough was also spread by them. I know a person from a different county, and by coincidence, I encountered the person and he told me about this. Only then did I recall that the leader of the group was Er''niu from the Zhang Manor. The bailiff couldn''t control his voice anymore and his voice trembled as he spoke. "What? All of this was done behind the scenes by the Zhang Manor?" Magistrate Cheng couldn''t keep hold of the savory crepe in his hand anymore, plop, it fell onto the table. He found himself in daze for a long while, and he did not speak. Chen Ling''xiang had never conceived the thought that the Zhang Manor could make a move that quick and nimble. Thinking about all the things the Zhang Manor has done for him, he had the desire to cry. In his heart, he has long seen the two masterminds at the Zhang Manor as his Shi''fu1. They helped him in all directions and protected him. When the credit for his work and efforts were stolen by other people, they were able to cleverly turn the tables with just one hand. If it was insisted that they wanted to use him to help them keep their plots ofnds, he wouldn''t believe it. Given their abilities to strategize, would they even care about the magistrate? It can be said that their calctions and ns never fail; they''re able to form clouds or rain with the flip of their hands2. No, he needed to do something himself too; he can''t just keep waiting for his Shi''fu to help him. "My lord, if you don''t eat it soon, it will be cold." Right when Magistrate Cheng was thinking of doing something for his "Shi''fu", the bailiff''s voice sounded again. "Okay, okay, I''ll eat it now. You can take your leave now, tell my assistant toe over." Magistrate Cheng was awakened from his thoughts, and his expression didn''t seem right. He forced out a smile. Magistrate Cheng waited for the bailiff to leave, then he began to contemte again. His biggest wish right now was to meet his Shi''fu. Even if his Shi''fu is temporarily unwilling to acknowledge him as their disciple, he will still strive hard. However, he was also scared that his Shi''fu was testing him and didn''t want to see him right now. What if he went now and thus, angering his Shi''fu? What can be done if they leave the San''shui county from then on? "My lord, you were looking for me?" Magistrate Assistant Zhang Ming''sheng rushed over. Seeing that the Magistrate was sitting there in a daze without eating nor drinking, he raised his voice a bit. "Oh, you''re here, have a seat. There''s only one serving of this, if you want to eat some, go buy it yourself. It''s cheap; with just five coins you can be full and it tastes quite decent. This is the new dish that the Zhang Manor had introduced. It''s called liang''pi. I wonder what''s it made from." Magistrate Cheng was in a trance several times today. After snapping out of it for a short while, he continued daydreaming again. Magistrate Assistant Zhang Sheng''ming looked at the item on the table and nodded, "That Zhang Manor is indeed very extraordinary. For the past few days, they stopped selling vegetable oil. After asking around, I discovered that somebody had actually bought out all of the soybeans. It seems that the vegetable oil has soybean oil. Just the day before yesterday, there was no more soybean for sale in the county, and today they pushed liang''pi out for sale. They''re collecting white flour this time though. From this, it can be inferred that white flour is somehow connected to liang''pi. It''s unknown if those people will also collect all the white flour; their goal is to target the Zhang Manor. " "Do they dare to? It''s currently a drought, what are they trying to do by buying all the white flour? So it turned out to be like this. They actually collected all the soybeans and caused the Zhang Manor to lose the sales of a product. However, they immediately introduced a new product. It seems like those people that bought the soybeans are regretting it now. Cutting off the sales of vegetable oil--- this idea isn''t wrong, but unfortunately, the people they''re facing are the people of the Zhang Manor. Even if they buy all of the white flour, the Zhang Manor will not be shaken since they will continue to push out products; even I could think of this. Do you know who bought the soybeans?" Magistrate Cheng now had unlimited trust in the Zhang Manor. In his heart, nothing could scare the Zhang Manor. Even if he brought an army with him over there, the result mighteven be surprising. "I couldn''t find the answer to that. It seems to be someone from this prefecture. I heard someone say that they think they saw one of the people, it was a person that specializes in selling eggs. My Lord, you have called me over because of this matter? Give me some time to carefully investigate." The Magistrate Assistant was rather well-informed and he conveyed all of the information that he knew of. Magistrate Cheng picked up the savory crepe that fell into the table and took a bite out of it. He spoke, "No, it was about why our Prefecture Division gave all the work credit back to me. I heard Chen Dong say" Magistrate Cheng repeated the bailiff''s words without changing a single detail to the Magistrate Assistant. After he finished, he didn''t say another word and waited for the Magistrate Assistant to speak. "So it was like that. My lord, it is not expected that themoners under your rule could be that amazing. I" "Under my rule? Commoners? The two mastermind at the Zhang Manor--- even if they were to be my Shi''fu, we would be overreaching." Magistrate Cheng didn''t want to speak poorly of the Shi''fu''s standing. "Yes, yes, my lord is correct. If those two be our Shi''fu, we are overreaching." The Magistrate Assistant urgently changed his words. At this moment, he understood that the Magistrate wanted them to be his Shi''fu. Magistrate Cheng waved his hand dismissively, "Let''s not talk about this anymore. Let''s talk how we could give more benefits to the Zhang Manor." "Benefits? At most, it will be about taxation. However, with the Zhang Manor''s money making capabilities, they won''t care for that. My Lord, how''s this for a n, let''s send Chen Dong over to ask if the Zhang Manor needed anything and then we woulde up with a n." Magistrate Cheng had no other choice, other than wanting to keep theirnds, the Zhang Manor didn''t seem to need or want anything. But the administrative office wasn''t able to hold onto thends and the Manor must already have a n to resolve the problem, so if if he wanted to help, he couldn''t. "Then what? How about this, for the next few days, arrange men to be on duty at the grain shops. If anybody tried to buy wall the white flours, then catch them and bring them in for interrogation. Trying to monopolize and overcharge items during a natural disaster? What could they be scheming?" Magistrate Cheng confirmed his decision about the grains. "That would be good. Even if we offend someone who was more powerful, that person won''t say anything. The emperor is new to the throne, they are certain matters that will not be tolerated. Trantor''s Notes
  1. Shi''fu
It means master/ teacher/ instructor, but I decided to not use the English trantion for it since the meaning is sort of lost when that is done and most readers should recognize the term anyway :)
  1. "They''re able to form clouds or rain with the flip of their hands "
This idiom describes an unpredictable person that is good with ying with strategies and/or politics. The literal meaning describes a person being able to turn rain into cloud and cloud into rain with the flip of their hands. Book 1: Chapter 71 Book 1: Chapter 71 Once liang''pi made an appearance at the San''shui county, the people that bought out the soybeans didn''t continue to extend their meddling fingers. The sellers still collected white flour, and they had collected a fair amount. Because of the addition of liang''pi, business for the savory crepe sellers became even better. One cold item and one hot item eaten together--- just five coins and it was enough to be full. If this was a different ce, five coins might be too much, but at the county seat, five coins was just the price of a bowl of noodles at a noodle shop. Whether it was the taste or quantity, nothing wasparable to eating a portion of savory crepe and liang''pi. In that given period of time, the sale of these two dishes at the San''shui county was extremely good. A lot of people from neighboring prefectures had came here just to have a taste of the dishes. There were even some forward-thinking people that wanted to learn how to make it, but only to discover that everything was easy to make except for replicating that particr spicy vour. Magistrate Cheng chose people that came from impoverished families. If they wanted to obtain the ingredients, then they would have to bring their family register to the administrative office. Naturally, the other counties did not care about this; just as themoners say, "Whomever your magistrate is then find whomever." Given this, Magistrate Cheng became more reputable, regardless of the drought being uncontroble. "Xiao''bao, those people didn''t make a move." At the Zhang Manor, Wang Juan spoke disappointingly to Zhang Xiao''bao. "Then that means they have no one that is powerful backing them up. I know what to do already. Tomorrow, make the soybean pulp into tofu and then sell them at all the different counties. Make the tofu after arriving at each counties. Call Er''niu over and get him to dress up. I need him to do something for me." First, Zhang Xiao''bao used the liang''pi to give those people a warning. Following that, the revenge plot began. There was not a single person that was able to be a threat under his watch. Those that threatened him needed to pray that they will never have a loophole in their ns and that they can forever stay in a position that is high above. After Er''niu came by and then left, everything returned to silence again. "Xiao''bao, isn''t this n of yours too radical?" Wang Jun finished listening to Zhang Xiao''bao''s instructions for Er''niu and tried to persuade him out of concern. "Then what should I do? They''re just a group of egg sellers, do I need to give in to them? If it was Zhou Xi''hu, I would yield because his uncle is a sixth rank official. If there was the prefecture governor''s son in that group, then I could give them all of my chickens without a problem. The world is just this realistic. If you don''t have the capability, then don''t strike. Actually, I want to request peace and stability, but then that means I would have topromise with them. The chickens that we raised can''t be looked after by us anymore, what, do they think they''re thendlord and can control everything? Without the 6,000 chickens, what''s going to eat the locusts?" Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t not even consider forgiving them. If those people came to him to talk it over it at the beginning, he might pick a n that was more amodating. But those people bought out all the soybeans--- this was a threat and more so, this was a threat made by someone that was not backed by an official. Five dayster. The price of soybeans everywhere dropped drastically. The Zhang Manor even used the soybean meal saved to be used as fodder to make tofu. Other people sold1 catty of tofu for a coin while 3 catties of tofu made from soybean meal was sold for 1 coin. The taste of tofu made from soybean meal was not as good, but the price was cheaper. After a while, tofu became hard to sell and the number of people who bought soybeans also decreased. It was obvious that the price of soybeans dropped by an amount. Although the amount wasn''t a lot, it was still a major loss forrger sellers. At this time, Er''niu found his position. Soybeans were originally sold for two coins per catty, and one catty of soybeans can be used to make a bit more than two catties of tofu. Not much money can be made when selling one catty of tofu for one coin. Er ''niu found some people at another county to buy soybeans for one coin per catty. If anybody asked, they would say it''s to feed livestock. A lot of people did not believe this answer but Er''niu did not care. He used money to get people to go to restaurants and teahouses in every ces to advertise. "Do you eat tofu? You do? You got to be careful then, some people use beans that cannot be sprouted to make tofu, the type called tu''zui soybeans1, eating tofu made from that type of soybeans will make it impossible for people to have kids2. When you buy it, you must ask carefully." "Does your household usually make stir-fry tofu to eat? After eating and drinking a cup of water, your stomach feels bad, right? That''s because there''s too much cold yin element3 in it, otherwise, why else does it have a bad beany smell? " "Do you buy soybeans? I''ll sell it to you for cheap, it''s true. I''ll sell you five catties for one coin, it''s true, don''t run off. You won''t fall ill from eating my beans." One rumor following another rumor spread throughout all the counties in the prefecture. Although this wasn''t actually significant--- everybody still ate what they normally ate and some people even sneered at the rumors. After the rumors have spread for five days, awsuit was filed at the administrative office. Another person helped write aint report and they were filing aint against a person that sold soybeans on the street. They imed that their father ate the bought soybeans and died. The Magistrate issued a warrant to arrest the suspect but the person could not be found. It was as if the person never returned after making an appearance that time. On theint report, it was clearly written that the person sold them two carries of soybeans for one coin, and there were a lot of tu''zui soybeans mixed in. In the end, the family ate the soybeans and the father didn''t make it past the night. The magistrate ordered people to investigate and the bailiff that was sent there came back to report that when the old man died, his entire body was swollen. At the same time, a married couple said that they didn''t have kids and that they usually ate soybeans and tofu because it was cheap. Magistrate Cheng was beyond furious and immediately sent out a wanted list to catch the person. With this, the entire prefecture and surrounding prefectures were shaken. The price of soybeans dropped by a thousand zhang4in one fall. Immediately, Er''niu''s side set the price for collecting soybean to be five catties of soybean in exchange for one coin. Furthermore, rumors spread saying that only the soybeans at Bin Prefecture was like this. This didn''t happen to other ces and only soybeans produced during thest two years were deadly to consume. "Do you see, because your one moment of anger , the people here don''t dare to eat soybeans anymore. Do you know how many people you screwed over because of this?" At the Zhang Manor, Wang Juanined to Zhang Xiao''bao. However, Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t care as he had a circumventive n. He told Wang Juan, "The power of public opinion is still immensely great. When the timees, just find some random excuses and the situation will be turned around. Didn''t we teach those tofu sellers how to make dan''dan noodles5? In the entire prefecture, how many tofu sellers could there even be?" "Then how did that old man die? Did you cause his death?" Seeing that Zhang Xiao''bao had already made arrangements, Wang Juan changed the topic and continued to interrogate him. "How could I cause his death, am I capable of causing him to contract tuberculosis? Did you not hear what the people from the administrative office say, that old man kept coughing out mouthful after mouthful of blood. Even if they were to immediately inject him with isoniazid, it would be toote. Zhang Xiao''bao felt a bit resigned. His tactic was just a bit underhanded, but it wasn''t his fault that time was tight. The business field is like a battle field, so what tactics can''t be used? "Then, then how are you going going to get people to eat soybean again?" "Wasn''t it said at the beginning already? Soybeans fromst year andstst year can''t be eaten, so the ones from other times are fine." "How about it being impossible to have kids?" "The wife of that couple was pregnant already; that was something I made sure of when I was looking. Later, just say that people were intentionally spreading false rumors. Once she gives birth to the child, the rumors will destroy itself without any other inference. "Regardless, your tactics are not quite honest." "I did intend to be honest, and it wasn''t that I couldn''t, but do I have time? And there''s a drought going on. The higher ups will send people to check up on thend--- now that I have done this, the taxation on thend will decrease. They will being very soon. " "You''re the only one with this many reasonings." Wang Juan found out that she couldn''t find any errors on any of the details, but she still felt a bit difort in her heart. At the very least, a lot of the people won''t be able to eat tofu for the time being. "I know what you''re thinking of. This is simple. We will put out money and let Magistrate Cheng say that all of the bad soybeans in our prefecture has been found and they have burned all of them already. The people would be relieved then, wouldn''t they? " Zhang Xiao''bao continued to add on. Once Wang Juan heard that all of it had to be burned, she knew that they themselves were the ones that had to give out the money, so her face darkened. "Burn all of it? That''s quite wasteful. That would require 1800 taels of silver, wouldn''t it. " "Around there. It''s not wasteful though, we can gather up the burnt beans and use them to make soy sauce. Worstes to worst, we will sell more soy sauceter on. Back then, the orphanage director grandpa made it too. He dry-roasted the soybeans until they were burnt and then he crushed it in a powder. After adding salt, it became soy sauce." Zhang Xiao''bao added more details. "Huh? The one we use to eat wasn''t that type, was it?" Wang Juan don''t really believe him. "That''s right, they weren''t even willing to add actual soybeans so they added food coloring instead. Think about it, the retail price is only 1 RMB for a bag of soy sauce. That bag weighs 1 catty. How much does 1 catty of soybeans cost? How much does it cost for better ones packaged in a bottle? What will be ced in it?" "From now on, I don''t dare to eat soy sauce anymore." Wang Juan really did feel scared. "Do we have a choice into not eat it? So much is going to be burnt, we need to use up some ourselves too. We will also give it to the farmers'' families too. When the timees, we will give out 50 catties so they can have a taste. Zhang Xiao''bao spoke as if he was joking. Finally, the storm was over. Arrangements had already been on Zhang Xiao''bao''s side. From the beginning until the end, not a single error was made. Although this was not true for those bean collectors in the Bin Prefecture. They discovered that the soybeans could not be sold so they wanted to ship the beans to another ce, but the people there had already taken precautions. When they saw that the beans came from the Bin Prefecture, they directly shooed them away. The person how suggested buying out all the soybeans was regretting it too now. He knows that everything was done by the Zhang Manor and when he want to dispute, he realized that the San''shui county magistrate was actually backing the Zhang Manor. When he wanted to find other people in the prefecture, everyone else''s only fear was they couldn''t evade him in time. "What to do? It can''t even be sold for 10 carries a coin. The people here won''t eat it anymore. The people who once sold tofu were now selling something called dan''dan noodles. The money they earned each day was even more than when they were selling tofu." A person from this spontaneously assembled "group"ined that he can''t keep waiting. His original intention was to sell the soybean at a high price during the drought, but now, no one was willing to buy it. "Zhu Guo6 Hao, can you not say these kind of discouraging words? If we can''t sell the soybeans, we can always make it into dried bean curd and then ship it out. Who would be able to find out? " Another person was dissatisfied in his despaired appearance so he suggested another new idea. After hearing this, all the other people''s eyes lit up and felt that the idea was doable.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. "tu''zui soybeans"
I actually had never heard of this name for soybeans before, and I cannot find anything on the inte that is rted to this term. The term literally trantes to "rabbit mouth soybeans". If I were to guess, it probably means split soybeans since rabbits have split lips and in the novel it mentions that the beans cannot be sprouted. If anybody knows the definition of this term, please leave ament and tell me.
  1. Impossible to have kids
This was hard to trante without losing a bit of the original meaning as the Chinese phrase means "not being able to have children and not being able to have grandchildren".
  1. "Cold yin element"
It is believed that everything is a mixture of yang and yin elements. The vitality in humans can be seen as a fire that is fueled by the "yang element". When a food item is said to have the yin element, it is considered to be a food that can "cool" the body. If too much is eaten, it can affect one''s health. As mentioned in the rumor, it can also cause the stomach to be "cold" and thus give stomach aches. (Furthermore, if a male eats too many foods heavy with "yin" elements, it is believed that he will be more "feminine" or even impotent since men are made primarily of the "yang" element and females are heavier in the "yin" element. )
  1. Zhang
Note that this is a different word from the "Zhang" in "Zhang Xiao''bao". This zhang is a length unit that is equal to approximately 330 cm.
  1. Dan''dan noodles
This is a noodle dish originated in Sichuan, China. The flour noodles are eaten with a spicy sauce containing preserved vegetables and pork. Read the wiki page here for more information on the name and origin or this website (Woks of Life) for instructions on how to make this dish.
  1. Zhu Guo
This is a title awarded to military personnel that have major achievements. Those with this title, regardless of their official position, will receive the same treatment and benefits as second ranking officials. Book 1: Chapter 72 Book 1: Chapter 72 When these people were mulling over how long it would take to make all of those soybeans into dried bean curd, Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao''s argument did not have a conclusion yet. The catalyst was that Wang Juan wanted to eat tofu and she also made ns to invite their farmers. She and Zhang Xiao''bao had so much soybean meal that could be made into tofu; although the taste wasn''t as good, it was still edible. Even though the farmers did eat it, every one of them looked like they were eating poison and were going to die as martyrs. Although Wang Juan was emotionally touched, she felt that even her manors farmers were like this, then what about the people in the prefecture? How long will it take until the name of soybeans can be cleared? At first, Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t think much of it, butter, he came to realize that at a time like this when there wasn''t much to eat, it was quite nice to be able to eat soy products. Zhang Xiao''bao sold the wood fungus to other prefectures, and with the money, he bought soybeans from the other prefectures. This could be considered as making up for the consequences of his attack on the enemy. Since he was the one who led rise to all the rumours, he decided that he had to take responsibility for it so he used that tactic. "Who would have though that you''re this soft hearted? Actually, I admit, your method wasn''t wrong. At most, some people can''t eat soy products. How many people are there that screwed over the country and screwed over numerous people because of their selfishness and in the end, people still praised them. Tell me, why did you be soft hearted?" Seeing that Zhang Xiao''bao''s moves were quick and that he was able to earn money during the process ofpensating, Wang Juan spoke to him with admiration. "I was never the cold hearted type of person, apart froma few matters, for example" "For example the people who touched the orphanage director grandpa''s funding. This I know about. You really are smart. They bought the soybeans in bulk all at once yet you were able to force the price down. The most amazing part was that you sold the wood fungus to those that had soybeans and requested them to haggle the price before selling. Because of this, we surprisingly made about an extra 400 taels of silver. Before waiting for Zhang Xiao''bao to finish speaking, Wang Juan continued his words and spoke herself. "Ah!" Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t have anything left to say. ording to original method of shipping, they could have made an extra 1,000 taels of silvers and that wood fungus most definitely would let him reach this goal. However because she wanted to makepensations ahead of time, they lost 600 taels of silver. If it was dyed by just a few days, his follow-up n could have resolved the issue. Who''s to me that when the farmers ate the tofu, they made an expression that looked like they were bracing themselves for death. "What, you regret it now?" Wang Juanughed while asking. "How could there be regrets in life. Are there any farmers with mental illnesses? I never imagined that people from this time period actually have that much faith in these kinds of things." "The master of the manor has already sent people to have a look already, there was nothing wrong with them and they even cried when they didn''t believe the master. This time was really not bad, it allowed us to understand what kind of people the farmers were. Now, I don''t envy Napoleon anymore. How about you let me manage the operations of the new soybeans." "Let''s stop the operation. I know, you want to make soy products from the soybeans but that isn''t doable. Just sell it to the tofu makers at a normal price. If there are some people unwilling to make soy products again and still want to sell dan''dan noodles to make money, well there''s no need to be anxious, the number of sellers depend on the the demand of the market. " The moment that Zhang Xiao''bao saw Wang Juan''s expression, he knew what she was thinking and immediately refuted her thought. "You really are a good person." The smile on Wang Juan''s face became even more cheery. "What good person? This is demeaning. I can only say I''m not a bad person. The soybeans areing in tomorrow. Everything will be fine then. No, I cannot easily let go of the people who once challenged me." Zhang Xiao''bao mentioned those people again. "You still don''t n to let them off? You have affected quite a number of people already." Wang Juan felt that the current Zhang Xiao''bao was a bit scary--- he was too obsessive. "I''ll take responsibility for those that I have affected, I''ll give thenpensations, but what do those people even surmount to? At least I never thought of trying to make the rich off of the country during a crisis while thinking that doing so is smart. I schemed a lot of things, I don''t represent righteousness, but it should be fine for me to represent myself to seek revenge, right?" The more Zhang Xiao''bao thought about this matter, the more frustrated he felt. He never thought that these kind of rumours would have such a huge consequence. Psychology theories appeared to be restricted by the time period. After the unfolding of the events, his own inner conscience couldn''t be at ease and after a few days, he couldn''t bear with it anymore. He couldn''t even endure a few more days even if he knew that after a few days, everything could be resolved. Yet, they still sold the wood fungus. It was not known from where Wang Juan pulled out a handful of pork floss, and she brought it to Zhang Xiao''bao. "Then have you thought of how to seek revenge? Are you going to do it yourself or are you going to get Magistrate Cheng to take your ce? It''s not spoiled, what are you sniffing? Could it be that you were infected by the farmers when they were eating tofu?" "No, I''m not going to do it myself this time, I''m still too young. Magistrate Cheng is not suitable anymore too; the pressure he has to withstand is too great. I''ll let the prefecture do it. There''s so many soybeans, if they want to move it out, there''s no other choice but to make it into soy products. I''m guessing that it''s in the production right now. It''s the perfect time to grab a hold of things to use against them. Zhang Xiao''bao mumbled with pork floss in his mouth. "How do you n to make the prefecture make the move?" Wang Juanughed and then stuffed another handful of pork floss into Zhang Xiao''bao''s mouth. "Give them some benefits, what else? Then make another auspicious omene out and that should be good." "Auspicious omen? What do you n to nt this time?" "It''s a drought, would there be any use to nting?" What is needed during a drought? Water. As long as wateres out of a dried-out well then that would be an auspicious omen. Tomorrow, let people have a look to see which ce in our county has a dried-out well. And you can prepare gun powder." Regardless of what was said, Zhang Xiao''bao now insisted on getting back at those people. Once the soybeans are investigated, they will be thrown into prison for a couple of days-- the money they would have to waste will definitely not be little. Wang Juan now understood, Zhang Xiao''bao was nning to blow up the well. For a lot of dried up wells, if the bottom was dug a bit, water will continue toe out. She nodded her head and answered, "Fine, the thing about the gun powder can be given to me. Actually, I''m quite angry, we raised a few chickens just to help eat the locusts and also help the farmers live a better life, but this attracted their attention. Sometimes, the beginning and the result of a battle are not something you can confirm. Since they havee to battle, then let''s fight until the end." * After two days, clear water suddenly appeared at a dried-out well in the San''shui county county head and at the same time, arge bang was sounded that night. In the morning, when people woke up and went looking for the ce where the loud noise came from the previous night, they discovered that the well that had been dry for the past 30 years had water in it. This news of this event quickly spread throughout the county head. Furthermore, Magistrate Cheng wrote a report iming that this was a auspicious omen that had descended from the heavens and it was given to the people because the prefecture had gotten rid of the ones that hid the soybeans for their own. The people at the prefecture saw that another auspicious omen had urred and that the magistrate had given the credit to the front of their face, so at that moment, they sent out people to investigate the ces that Magistrate Cheng had pointed out. Using only half a day worth of time, the soybeans and those that hid them were found. The people at the prefecture sent out didn''t care how much bribery those people offered and directly arrested them. A long list of convictions were made; things like hoarding and profiteering during a major crisis, intending to use poisonous soybeans to produce soy products for sale to cause harm to people, etc. Some of the people that were caught were willing to use 3000 taels of silver to save themselves but the arresting officers did not even think of epting that money. What time was it? A drought. A well that has been dried out for so many years suddenly had watering out of it again---this was the most crucial. It was viewed with even more importance than nting cucumbers during winter. These people were finally arrested. As for what kind of treatment they received in prison and how much money they spent, Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t care for. He was still busy with arranging people to help the Magistrate burn all of the soybeans. A few pieces of firewood wasid on the ground and on top of it were soybeans. More firewood wasid on top of the pile. Quite few number of people came to watch and when the fire grewrge, the people hollered in joy. Now, they can eat soy products with ease. Magistrate Cheng''s reputation rose up to another level. There was not a second good official found that was willing to work for the people, otherwise, it would be impossible for another auspicious omen to appear at the San''shui county. Magistrate Cheng watched that much soybeans being burned in front of his eyes and felt that it was a waste but once he remembered that these soybeans were purchasedusing other people''s money, he felt a bit better. That old man that died was retrospectively diagnosed with tuberculosis and the woman that was said to be infertile was pregnant. The trouble that arose from Zhang Xiao''bao''s revenge n finally came to an end. The people didn''t care if the the soybeans were poisonous or not since they were all burned; it was best if it wasn''t poisonous but if it was, then there was nothing to fear anymore. After Zhang Xiao''bao received this news, he let out a long sigh and Wang Juan''s mood became better again. "Xiao''bao, are the burned beans brought back yet? This time we can make a lot of money. How much soysauce can we make?" "Its still too early. There''s that much soybeans and fire wood, it might be possible to burn all of it within two days. Magistrate Cheng has already promised us already; the remaining stuff will be all our ours. However, it was hard for those innocent people; for six days straight, they didn''t dare to eat soy products. Good thing the soybeans bought from other ces were sold since three days ago. These burned soybeans can''t be used to make oil. When making foodter on, every meal will have soy sauce put into it. Zhang Xiao''baoid on the chair and not a long whileter, he fell asleep. Wang Juanyawned and also slept too. Two dayster, all the soybeans were burned and it was pulled in carriages to the Zhang Manor. Piles and piles of ck indistinct mass was ced there and if the person didn''t know what was going on, the person would never guess that this was the "poisonous" soybean. "What do you think. Did you broaden your horizon? This is the amazingness of the Zhang Manor. With just one move, they brought those that threatened them into prison." Magistrate Cheng spoke to Cheng Dong, who had just returned from sending those things to the manor. "Yes, my lord. I now know. When Zhang Manor made their moves, it was not ordinary. However, I don''t understand. How did watere out of that dried out well? Themotion sounded like firecrackers, but firecrackers can''t be that loud. Bundling firecrackers together to get hundred thousands of mini explosions might work but it won''t fit into the well and I didn''t see that much firecracker wrapper remnants too. Chen Dong spoke with a bit confusion. Book 1: Chapter 73 Book 1: Chapter 73 Thank you Dan formissioning the extra release of this chapter!
Chapter 73: Hearing People Come During Anxious Times "If you can''t make sense of it, then stop pondering. You just have to remember that was an auspicious omen." Magistrate Cheng warned Chen Dong. Actually, he didn''t understand how water came out too. If he didn''t know that this was the workings of the Zhang Manor, he would have believe the rumors too and believe that the heavens sent down a lightning to revive the dried out well. The more he thought about it, the more confusing it became. In the end, he could only listen to the words he told the bailiff--- stop pondering and believe that it was an auspicious omen. "Xiao''bao,e over quickly. They have started working over there already. After just a few days, we can dine on the surface of the water and fish for fish. Wang Juan pulled Zhang Xiao''bao, who was thinking about whether the burned soybeans can be used as fodder, and walked towards where the little bridge was. Everybody else was busy and Hu''zi was the only one that was a bit more at leisure, so today he followed behind his little masters while observing the surroundings with alert. "Xiao''bao, quickly, look over there. The river is dry already and they''re building the foundation there." Wang Juan pulled Zhang Xiao''bao onto the bridge. She supported her hand on the bridge railing and stood on the balls of feet while watching. She was unusually excited; this was mainly because she designed some parts of the buildingyout. It was the room that was closest to this bridge. She designed it so that it had a pink color scheme and inside there was a quite a few low-positioned spots to hang clothing. She also got people to make a big decorative pillow that was even bigger than herself, and fresh flowers will be disyed for all four seasons of the year. At first when Zhang Xiao''bao saw her design, he didn''t say anything. He felt that Wang Juan was not designing the room for other people but was actually making a custom room for herself, otherwise, there wouldn''t be those short clothing racks. These kind of things will be taller as the body grows--- everything was possible. "Xiao''bao, say something. Is that ce pretty or not?" Seeing that Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t make a sound, she asked again. "It''s pretty, it has an abstract type of beauty, it''s exactly like Van Gogh or Picasso. There''s a sliver of undertone that can not be easily detected that is hidden inside the chaos. This reminds me of the disorganized graves on the mountain behind the orphanage I stay at as a child. When you look at it during the day, you might not think much of it as it looked boring and dull. If you wanted to fully understand that ce, you have to go at night. It will make you heart race and it will also cause a sudden change in your psyche. asionally, there will be a sound that wasn''t made by you, and when the soundes, you will subconsciously join in with the sound. Then, you will truly understand that high pitches are not an obstacle for you. Your intelligence will be stimted to develop, allowing you to evolve from the narrow science where ghosts and spirits do not exist into the broad science where the areas of research that are delved into are the existence of everything and the future." Zhang Xiao''bao looked at the messy pile of construction supplies and finally said that dialogue. After Hu''zi listened, he felt that he was able to see the Picasso''s painting that Zhang Xiao''bao talked about. "Comrade Zhang Xiao''bao, please do not insult Van Gogh and Picasso." Wang Juan took in a deep breath and disagreed with Zhang Xiao''bao. "Nope,rade Wang Juan, be assured, I absolutely don''t have that kind of thought. I''m insulting the messy graves, trying really hard to insult it, so that it can be exposed in the dark night. To paint it, the deathly pale light of the moon needs to be borrowed. Let''s go back and wait until it''s finished beforeing to see it again." Zhang Xiao''bao really didn''t have the mindset to look at this pile of materials that wouldter form a building. What he was worried about was who would be sent to check the drought. Yesterday, Magistrate Cheng got someone to ask around and it was found that a person from the higher ups would arrive in two days, which will be tomorrow. The most important thing was to consider how to deal with this person. "I know you don''t know how to appreciate it. You always see the beauty of the result, but you don''t know that it is already beautiful before the result has arrived." Wang Juan muttered, and followed Zhang Xiao''bao back. Then she walked to the front again saying that she wanted to go see how much more the fishes in the pond have grown. "The people over there will being soon. How could I think of appreciating results? What I am thinking now is how to kill this matter while it''s still in a cradle1." Zhang Xiao''bao followed behind her and when he arrived at the pond, there were small groups of ducks and geese floating about. Xiao''hong was standing on the side of the pond while holding a long stick in her hand. Her mouth was constantly moving as if she was talking with the ducks and geese. Xiao''hong happily greeted Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan and pointed to a goose in the water to introduce it to them. As soon as she finished speaking, the goose really did signal the other geese to get a one-foot-long fish onto the shore. The fish seemed unwilling to ept its fate and was flopping up and down. "Ah, the fish. The fish that were ced into the water were brought out by the geese before the fishes have a chance to grow." Wang Juan didn''t consider whether the goose was smart or not; she came here to just watch the fish. Zhang Xiao''bao praised, "It''s smart. Later, I will stuff it into the oven at Er''niu''s house that is used to grill fish fillets and see if it can open the oven door from the inside." "Ah? Young Master, you can''t kill it. I still rely on it to lead the other geese back obediently." Xiao''hong was terrified when she heard that. This goose was the most obedient one, and can take care of other geese. All she had to do was take care of this one goose and she wouldn''t have to worry about other things. "Then move it to a different pond. There are six ponds in total and only this one contains fish. Why do you have to put them here?" Zhang Xiao''bao was a little resigned. The pond in front of him was not thergest, nor was it the best. "Okay, I''ll change the ce now, but Rong''rong cannot be killed. Rong''rong,e here quickly, If you don''te, you will be roasted." Xiao Hong agreed, and signaled to the goose in the pond. The goose really came over, and a group of geese followed behind which surprised Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. "Let''s leave. Let''s go back and exercise, Hu''zi, pick up the fish and make soup out of it." Zhang Xiao''bao pulled Wang Juan in the direction back. He didn''t intend to let the fish go back into the pond. At the administrative office of the San''shui County, Majesty Cheng was also restless. He was trying to guess who woulde this time. If a serious and responsible persones, it will be doomed when they begin to investigate the Zhang Manor. He promised the Zhang Manor that he will try to dy the investigation until summer fall. The Magistrate Assistant tried to persuade him. Just earlier, when the Magistrate was eating his meal, he didn''t even eat much and just drank alcohol. Majesty Cheng slowly closed his eyes, "Okay, I will take a nap first, remember to call me if something happens over there." The Magistrate Assistant agreed and took his leave. Magistrate Cheng closed his eyes, but he couldn''t fall asleep. As soon as his head became a bit heavy, the image of people from the Zhang Manor being taken away would surface to his mind even though he knew that even if thends there didn''t follow the regtions, the people on the manor would be fine. After a few times of trying falling asleep, Magistrate Cheng decided to sit and look at the ground thinking about how to handle whoever were toe. It will be the most ideal if the people that came didn''t have much time on their hands and only just a few days of time. In that case, they wouldn''t be able to arrive at every ce in the entire county. Or, the people who came werezy and chose to only look at the documents prepared by the administrative office. After taking a few nces, they would leave to go do something else. "Uncle Cheng, Uncle Cheng, I havee to see you." While Magistrate Cheng was making spections, Zhou Xi''hu''s voice was heard from outside. "Oh, Xi''hu,e in." Magistrate Cheng greeted him but he didn''t move; he just sat there and waited. When the sounds of his steps reached the front of the door, the door opened and Zhou Xi''hu, who was in high spirits, walked in happily. "For what matter has Xi''hue here for? You made a lot of money in thest two trades, right? Now you can speak to your uncle2 about it to put him at ease." Looking at Zhou Xi''hu, who seemed to be a different personpared to before, Magistrate Cheng was also quite satisfied. "I can''t make a guess, could it be that you know?" Magistrate Cheng shook his head and suddenly realized that if Zhou Xihu didn''t know the answer, he would definitely note here. Zhou Xi''hu puffed out his chest and nodded vigorously. "Of course, I do know. The people from the prefecture are going to apany the people sent by the imperial court to have a walk around but only for show. After all, the people at the imperial court want to check the entire state, it''s impossible to check each ce one by one. Uncle Cheng, now do you know who it will be?" "I don''t know." Magistrate Cheng had been thinking about this for the past two days and his mind was now just a tangle of mess so he couldn''t think of it. "Oh, it''s going to be my uncle, the prefecture''s Si Cang Can Jun3. He''s in charge of taxation matters. Last time when my uncle came, he said that I was ignorant and that I always got into trouble. This time I will prove him otherwise." Seeing that Magistrate Cheng couldn''t guess, Zhou Xi''hu disclosed it himself. "Really? Your uncle the one that''sing? I''m relieved now." Magistrate Cheng suddenly felt sore all over his body at this moment and wished that right now he could fall over and sleep. "Uncle Cheng, rest assured this time, my uncle will help the Zhang Manor once he sees me. I understand now that doing real business is more profitable than conning and robbing others." Zhou Xi''hu wholeheartedly wanted to present his best side to his family for once and his face was flushed from the excitement. The county magistrate Cheng looked at Zhou Xi''hu, feeling a little helpless and thinking that this child still didn''t know some things. Making money from business deals depended on what kind of deals were made. TOut of the two business deals that the Zhang Manor offered, which one was not a unique one?. "Yes, the Zhang Manor still doesn''t know about this. Quick, call Chen''dong and ask him to go to Zhang Manor to notify them of this. When he returns, bring back one catty of wood fungus, I need it to properly treat my guest." Magistrate Cheng only recalled this now. Such good news must be delivered to the Manor, so he made an order to the servant that was guarding outside the door. Hearing this news, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan both breathed a sigh of relief and then ordered people to prepare a catty of fungus. Zhang Xiao''bao thought about it again and said, "It''s good that people are here. I will take this opportunity to invite Zhou Xi''hu''s uncle here and only his uncle. There''s no need for the other people from the imperial court toe. The situation about that building will now be more secure." Trantor''s Notes
  1. Kill the matter while it''s still in a cradle
The phrase literally refers to killing a baby while the baby is still in their cradle. It''s a metaphor for fixing a problem before it has a chance to grow and worsen.
  1. Uncle
Magistrate Cheng is actually talking about Zhou Xi''hu''s real uncle who is a sixth rank official.
  1. Prefecture Si Cang Can Jun
This is a government position in ancient China, and is responsible for managing the supplies and money of the prefecture. Book 1: Chapter 74 Book 1: Chapter 74 White clouds at leisure in the blue sky, the flow of the small river ran dry. Wind blew, rain gathered, a far distance away was where the source was by. "One of the ponds lost one third of its water in only just three days; six ponds would mean just less than eighteen days. Think of a n quickly." Just after getting up in the morning, Wang Juan took Zhang Xiao''bao to ''inspect'' the six ponds at the manor. Water was used the most during the Spring Tige. Seeing that one-third of the pond''s water was scooped away already, Wang Juan was a bit anxious. Zhang Xiao''bao watched from the side. The people of Ge Manor kept bringing water back to their manor. He also knew that the people of Ge Manor were afraid of the drought so the water for the fields was obviously given to them already. However, the Ge Manor still dug a pit in front of their own house and after covering it with nks, they filled it with water taken from the Zhang and Wang Manors. "Speak, are you just going to watch them take the water away? When the water gets into the pit, half of it permeates out every day since the surrounding area is dry." Wang Juan looked at Ge Manor''s farmers fetching water like they were looting and felt a little unhappy. The water that they needed to use could be ced into a tank; doing that was aplete waste. "If they take it, then let them take it, is it possible to stop them? How about this, starting from tomorrow, get a few people from the Ge Manor toe over. We will take care of their food and arrange them beside the well. As long as someonees to fetch water, get them to help. Fence up the surroundings of the pond. If they want water, let Housekeeper Gee over to give them the amount they want all at once." At first, Zhang Xiao''bao felt that it was fine for these people to take some water. It was nothing more than digging a pit. When the soil around the pit bes saturated water, the pit can be filled. However, he suddenly realized that after the pit was full, these people might dig another pit. Then, the water would truly be wasted. "I agree. The water can''t be thrown away casually by them now. They won''t understand even if we exined it to them. If they were our manor''s farmers then that would be great since they would listen to everything we say." Wang Juan also felt resigned about this. This was human nature. If something really needed to beined about, then it would be about the master of the Ge Manor. Hu''zi, who was following behind them, was called over and after giving him instructions, he immediately set out to make arrangements. From early on, he was already not pleased with these people. He thought of carrying out the n today but due to the instructions of his Young Master and Young Miss, he had no choice but to wait until tomorrow. He understood really well. The people at the Ge Manor brought shame to their own Master, but Hu''zi himself could not bring shame to his Young Master. Farmers must have the consciousness that farmers should have and servants must also follow the rules of the servant. After a while, Hu Zi had made arrangements already and had returned. He spoke of the words he wanted to say. "Yeah, it''s right to think like this. When you and other farmers do things outside, it''s no different from the Master doing it. Do things with a sense of reason. Don''t be afraid of causing trouble. If something really happened, regardless of the reason, your Master will help you. Even if you make a mistake, your own master will punish you ordingly; there is not chance for other people to meddle in." Wang Juan was satisfied with Hu''zi''s actions and the thoughts in his mind. On the side, she talked about how she was used to being the domineering one. In the past, when she handled affairs, it was like that too. When she made mistakes or disrupted the benefits of the locals, it was not up to the people there to manage her. When she returned, whether she would be punished or not was a different question, but her colleagues would definitely unite together with her. She also thought the same too, but Hu''zi did not expect that the people in his master''s family would be this tyrannical. After thinking about it, he asked: "Young Master, Young Miss, If trouble was caused outside and the government was provoked, would you interfere?" "No matter who you provoked, as long as you''re doing things for the master, if during the process, because you were thinking of doing something good for the master and you made a mistake, then find a way to escape. Even if the governmentes, there will be the Master to back you up. Even if you injure someone for the master, the master might still reward you." In this matter, Wang Juan neverpromised and spoke with absolute determination. This time, Hu''zi didn''t say anything anymore, but he was happy in his heart. He never doubted the words of the Young Master and Young Miss. If he wasn''t following them by their side, he really wanted to shout out to express his feelings. This was what a true master was like-- never abandoning the people beside them in times of trouble. Zhang Xiao''bao remained silent. He knew what Wang Juan meant and did not say anything to expose or contradict her. He waited for Hu''zi''s mood to calm down before speaking, "Hu''zi, make me something. This object is two inches long and is half the thickness of a chopstick. It''s t and there has to be three serrations on it." While talking, Zhang Xiao''bao picked up a small wooden stick and drew the shape out for Hu''zi to see. Hu''zi looked at it carefully and nodded, "Young Master, don''t worry, I will find someone to do good job on making it." "Okay, then you can go do that now. Juan''juan and I don''t need to be taken care of right now." Zhang Xiao''bao pulled Wang Juan to walk away after saying that. "What did you ask him to make? Why does it look like a weapon to me?" Wang Juan asked Zhang Xiao''bao after walking far away. "It''s a weapon for both us to use. We can make a covering for it and keep it in the sleeve of our clothes. In case of danger, such as someone holding us hostage, we can''t just wait for others to rescue us. That thing has strong prating strength. If someone holds us in their arms to threaten others, we can let that person know that not just anyone can held hostage." Zhang Xiao''bao was now preparing for the dangers that might arise in the future. "Okay, I see. When this item is made, the two of us can practice assassinating. Your level of cruelty is not average. You requested that it have three serrations; if it was aimed at the neck, with just one strike, there will be no way to save the person anymore." Wang Juan had never fully understood Zhang Xiao''bao. Thinking of the two-inch-long t needle with three serrations being stabbed into a person''s neck, she had to admit that Zhang Xiao''bao couldn''t wear away his tyrannical character. "Don''t think that I am cruel. People who can reall use children as hostages will not have a better heart than me. You''re the one who can''t make a gun." "Do you think guns are that easy to make? This is the Tang Dynasty, not the Song Dynasty where the handicraft industry was flourishing. I can think of ways to make all kinds of gunpowder and replicate the outer appearance of a gun, but do you dare to use it?" Wang Juan made a gun hand gesture with her index finger and thumb and pressed it against Zhang Xiao''bao''s nose. Zhang Xiaobao''s two ck eyes moved closer to the lower center and his lips moved slightly, "I don''t dare, I''m afraid of being sted. Didn''t you say that Zhou Xihu''s uncle ising over today, why hasn''t he arrived yet? Don''t pinch my nose." Wang Juan reluctantly withdrew her hand away. "You were pinched so hard that you have gone silly. He did say he was going to arrive today, but he meant he was going to arrive at the San''shui county, not at our ce. There are still other people from the Imperial Court, so we still need to make arrangements first. Tell me, what''s the best medium for sound propagation?" "In theory, the higher the density, the faster the propagation. The smaller the dissipation, the more stable the propagation will be. What are you nning to do?" Zhang Xiao''bao shook his head and returned his ck eyes to their original position. "Oh, do you know how to make a phone? I want to prepare rm equipment for the farmers in the Manor. I want them to be able to send news as soon as there is a danger and get people toe over to help."posted on Wang Juan blinked her big eyes while she spoke. "I''m not a scientist. If you want to deceive people, I have an infinite number of methods. As for practical applications, people from the science academy are tens of thousands of times better than me. I am not an expert nor a professor." "It''s fine if you say you can''t do it. I never believed in experts or professors. I know a few intellectuals at the science academy and all of them are so stupid. I don''t know how they got to be so famous; all they think of was just research. Forget it, lets use the old method." Wang Juan was a little disappointed in Zhang Xiao''bao''s answer, so she sighed and made up her mind. In the afternoon of that day, Wang Juan arranged for everyone''s houses to have two strings woven from silking out from the house. The strings were pulled diagonally upwards to a tower built of wood. These towers were then connected to other towers using more silk ropes. All of these towers were then connected to the Master house. For the strings at the farmer''s house, pulling on one of the string will cause a corresponding bell on the tower to ring, and the other one has a tube made from bamboo and was also connected to the tower. "Okay, it''s done. This is the most primitive remotemunication method. Tomorrow we will find two doctors, and a firefighting team will also be formed on the manor. They will go to wherever there is a problem." In the evening, Wang Juan finally came to a stop and she spoke to Zhang Xiao''bao while pping her hands. Zhang Xiao''bao already had an idea of what Wang Juan wanted to make. She wanted to set up an rm system, bu the method was too primitive. He wanted to point out some of the weak points, but seeing that Wang Juan''s was so excited, he couldn''t bear to speak so he nodded his head, "Nice, it''s not bad." "Your words are insincere. I know what you''re thinking of; you''re thinking that when the wind blows, the string will move and the bell it''s connected to will ring? Unless it is very strong wind, this kind of thing will not happen. Quite a bit of strength is needed to pull the bell into the slot. If the wind can actually blow the bell into the slot, then even more the reason for us to make preparations since it''s possible that some people''s houses will be blown down. The farmers are so good and they even dared to eat that tofu, so it''s a given that we have to do some things for them. " Wang Juan knew what he was thinking as soon as she looked at Zhang Xiao''bao''s expression. "Okay, I agree, but the uracy may not be that high." Zhang Xiao''bao spent only five taels of silver on this matter and didn''t care anymore. "Hurry up and find a doctor. Now we only have a veterinarian and a doctor, we need doctors to take night shifts. Let''s go to sleep, and don''t always push against me at night." Wang Juan pretended to speak generously, and then turned around and left. Zhang Xiao''bao was stunned for a moment, and then went back, "At night, you''re the one that pushes against me. Not only pushing, you also hug. I almost fell onto the ground. Let''s sleep on the carpet when the weather gets warmer." "Who hugged you? I think of you as a pillow, squishy and cool to the touch. Ever since I was child, I always needed to hold onto something in order to sleep. I let you take a huge advantage and yet you stillin. Back then, I used to hug a cloth stuffie." Wang Juan didn''t express a single hint of embarrassment or awkwardness. Zhang Xiao''bao sighed. He knew that reason couldn''t be used in this conversation like this so he could only try to keep his ground and protest a little. "Then, Comrade Wang Juan, I hope you can take good care of this cloth stuffie, don''t always pull at the neck, my head fell off my pillow several times already." "I see, I will give myself psychological hints when I sleep at night and tell myself that I''m not holding a stuffie, but a living body, a little baby." Wang Juan walked ahead and spoke without turning her head. Zhang Xiao''bao scratched his head, "I''m a baby? You seem to be younger than me." "''Little baby'' is the name of my dog, he''s very obedient."*** "Is anyone there? My mother fell off the heated bed and she''s now lying on the ground. She''s unable to move. Help me." Neither Zhang Xiao''bao nor Wang Juan thought that something would happen on the first night of the rm system being installed. Resident Zhang Xiao''shu''s house used this system to call for help. The resident on the tower first heard of the bell ringing and then saw the bell fall into the slot. So the resident picked up the connected bamboo tube and heard Zhang Xiao''shu''s call for help. Zhang Xiao''shu''s shout was loud. Not only did the person on the tower hear it, but the neighbors on both sides also heard it so they both came to check. The people on the tower didn''t dare to neglect the situation, and passed the news to the master''s house. Without saying a word, the people at the master''s house called the doctor whom the manor had invited and told him that someone had fallen. By the time the doctor finished making preparations while in a daze, the resident had already prepared a carriage to quickly send the doctor to Zhang Xiao''shu''s house. It took less than 15 minutes, or ording to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, it was nine and a half minutes, the doctor appeared at Zhang Xiao''shu''s home. Zhang Xiao''shu and the neighbors thought they would have to wait for a while, so they didn''t expect the people would arrive so soon. The doctor took her pulse and checked the olddy''s injury. While treating the injury, he said to Zhang Xiao''shu, "She''s fine. She broke her leg when she fell. Don''t lie on the heated bed when the weather is hot. Let me align her bone back into ce and then I''ll prescribe two different medicines. Drink it for half a month and she will be fine. You cane with me to get the medicine, or you can find someone to get it. It costs three coins." "Three coins?" Zhang Xiao''shu was stunned. "If you don''t have money, it''s okay to give items in exchange. Find me a nk and I will tie it up to her leg." The healer said with restraint. Zhang Xiao''shu didn''t have to go for one as the neighbor who came here found a nk already. "Why is so little money required?" Zhang Xiao''shu was still in the state of worrying about his mother''s condition. The neighbor next to him was clear mindedand said to Zhang Xiao''shu, "Xiao''shu, you have forgotten, the majority of the cost is covered by the Master. Why were you so careless and letauntie fall. When she''s getting off the bed, help her down." "I was asleep, who knew my mother would get up at night? For the next few days, we will sleep on the ground. That''s right, the master has already said that if anyone got sick, the master will pay for majority of the cost. Encountering a master like this is a blessing that my mother and I have cultivated for eight life times for." Zhang Xiao''shu understood that he would resting for half a month and taking medicine everyday could note close to costing just three cents. The rest of the money was covered by the master. And this was just for normal residents, if it was a person from the inner courtyard, not even a single coin needed to be paid. Xiaoshu''s mother also woke up just in time to hear these words. She stretched out her hand to hold her son''s leg, "Xiao''shu, do more things for the master in the future. I have lived for so many years already and this is my first time seeing a master like this. I remember the time when I first woke up, it hasn''t even been 15 minutes yet, right? You mustn''t forget the kindness of the master''s house." Zhang Xiao''shu saw his mother wake up and nodded when he heard her words. Then he remembered that he tried to pull the two ropes and the doctor came so fast. No one from outside the manor would believe this. The master''s abilities were iparable to anyone. It could very well be that even the pce was not as advanced.*** The night hurried, and the morning sun was heavy. The early risers were getting ready to work. Hearing what happened yesterday, Zhang Xiao''shu''s neighbor kept telling others what he saw, which surprised and emotionally moved the residents. Zhang Xiao''shu got up early in the morning too and after caring for his mother, and knelt outside of the Master house. Book 1: Chapter 75 Book 1: Chapter 75 Early in the morning, the fog on the distant mountains had not yet cleared and there was a man kneeling outside of the Master Zhang''s house. The gatekeeper did not know what was going on and the news had not reached the Master yet. The gatekeeper knew Zhang Xiao''shu and he was still dressed in the clothing made for the residents. He thought that Zhang Xiao''shu was in serious trouble, so he didn''t dare to neglect the matter and he hurried to find the housekeeper. Recently, Housekeeper Zhang was still busy with some matters surrounding the Spring Tige. It was also unclear to him why a resident was kneeling in front of the yard. He followed the gatekeeper out and he saw Zhang Xiao''shu kneeling while staying absolutely motionless. He spoke with a low voice, "Xiao''shu, did you encounter trouble?" "Housekeeper Zhang, you havee out. No, there is no trouble, but my mother''s leg broke after she fellst night, her bone was realigned already. She can work in the fields again in half a month. I''m just going to kneel here for two hours; I''ll leave once I''m done kneeling. " Zhang Xiao''shu looked at Housekeeper Zhang with grateful eyes and knelt there. He still remained motionless apart from moving his mouth to speak. "Oh, kneel for two hours, your clothes, it seems..." "I was afraid that the clothes given by Manor on the previous fifteenth will be ruined by my kneeling. I wore the top and changed the bottoms for the ones I use when I do work. I need to save this outfit; when I have a grandson, I will show it to him." Zhang Xiao''shu didn''t wait for Housekeeper Zhang to finish speaking and began to exin. Housekeeper Zhang was a little confused. He don''t know where Xiao''shu was feeling ill; what was he doing kneeling here when there was nothing wrong? Furthermore, he had a sick patient at home so he said, "Since someone in your family is sick, you should quickly go back and take care of the person. Oh, go to Warehouse No. 5 to get some bones to make some soup out of it." ''Warehouse No. 5'' was named by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, and it was considered as a public warehouse. The items inside were really random and untidy. There were everyday items and food items that were chilled---bones was one of the many items. Since she broke her leg from falling, she should have bone soup to help her recuperate. When items were taken out, all that needed to be done was to write it down in the record book. At the end of each month, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan would check it over. The gatekeeper knew that instruction was directed towards himself so he turned around to go retrieve it. Not only did he take bones, but he also took kelp, which was just seaweed, and a certain fish''s liver that was obtained by the Young Master. Whenever soup was made, these three ingredientsmust be ced in the pot together. He didn''t know why and he just followed the instructions. "Xiao''shu, don''t worry if you encounter something. Get up first before you speak. Did you find a doctor yet? The injury must be carefully tended. Don''t make dys and don''t be scared of using money since the Master household will cover a part of the cost." Housekeep Zhang wasn''t aware of the situationst night so he assumed that Xiao''shu didn''t have money. Before he said all of that, Zhang Xiaoshu was just kneeling, but as soon he said that, Zhang Xiao''shu began to bang his head loudly on the ground three times towards the Master''s house. "Housekeeper Zhang, one was foundst night already. My mother fell off of the heated brick bed. In less than a quarter of an hour, the doctor from the Master''s house was there. It was so speedy. I heard from the neighbors that this was faster than in the pce. For this half month, all I had to pay was just three coins. Today I came here to thank the Master. Last night I used the newly installed thing to call for help." "Oh, so it turned out to be like this. Then, you don''t have to kneel. Just remember the master''s kindness and that is enough. Work harder in the future. The master is not giving you alms, but just wants you to work with no concerns. As long as you aren''tzy on the job, then you arerepaying the Master." After listening to Zhang Xiao''shu''s words, Housekeeper Zhang understood that this was the thing that the Young Master and Little Miss Juan''juan made just yesterday and it was immediately used. This idea was very amazing. If there was something wrong with the residents, in less than quarter of an hour, action can be taken at the Master''s house already and help can arrive on scene. No one would believe this if this was spoken to people outside of the manor. However, he also knew that it was absolutely impossible to reveal that this was made by the Young Master and Young Miss. He could only speak using the title of "master". As long as the Young Master and Young Miss had not reached the age of adulthood, the people in the inner courtyard had to seal their mouths shut; they weren''t even allowed to discuss amongst themselves. Zhang Xiao''shu still didn''t get up, and continued to kneel there as he replied to the housekeeper''s words, "Yes, we all know that we must work hard. Other than the masters of the two Zhang and Wang Manors, no other manors'' master would do this for the residents. After this, I will work hard to stomp the fields to remove the air from the soil." "Housekeeper Zhang, what''s the matter here? This person is Xiao''shu from the back Manor, right? Did hemit some mistake, why is he kneeling? Come, stand up. As long as you don''t collude with outsiders, it''s fine if you make a little mistake." Madamn Wang-Zhang hade out to take a stroll by the riverside; this was sort of a workout. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were the ones that persuaded her to do so. Zhang Xiao''bao''s intention was for her to exercise in the morning, but Wang Juan objected at first saying that the morning air was not good and that the evening was better. Zhang Xiao''bao argued that the air quality in the morning was not good due to depositions that umted overnight, but the humidity of the air was good and suitable for human breathing. The partictes in the air that were umted overnight have not been exposed to ultraviolet rays but the white blood cells in the body could handle it. Although the particles present in the evening have already been irradiated by ultraviolet rays, the moisture in the air was also reduced, and it would be more harmful to the lungs during exercise. Madam Wang-Zhang knew that the children were doing her good, so she used both time periods to exercise once in the morning and once in the evening. Despite feeling that it was wasteful, she ate those wood fungus to help clear her lungs and make breathing easier. Today she brought a maid along with her and she saw the person kneeling there. After thinking about it for a while, she felt that the person looked familiar so she spoke up about it. "Replying to my Madam, Zhang Xiao''shu has made no mistakes. The towers for transmitting information that my Madam has requested to build yesterday came to usest night. Xiao''shu''s mother fell off her heated brick bed in the middle of the night, and that thing was used to notify this ce of what happened. The doctor on the Manor was woken up to be sent there. From the time the ident urred to when treatment was delivered, less than a quarter of an hour was used. Xiao''shu came to express his gratitude. I have sent someone to go to Warehouse No. 5 to fetch the bones to help Xiao''shu''s mother recover which will take half a month." The Housekeeper was a bit cautious when he reported Madam Wang-Zhang, and he subtly inserted hints. He was no longer as careless as before. He used to be loyal to the Manor and only respectful to the Madam but now he was in awe with her. He was afraid of the Young Master misunderstanding that he had disrespected the Madam. It was very possible that this could lead to his death. He firmly believed that if the Young Master wanted to kill a person, it was as easy as a hand''s turn. "I see. No need to express gratitude, just do your work well. Xiao''shu, remember to boil all the ingredients together after you get back, don''t leave an ingredient behind. Those ingredients are my family''s... my family spent a lot of effort to find them. Take good care of your mother and don''t let her move around too much. Get up." Madam Wang-Zhang spoke lightly, and she almost said "my family''s precious baby" just now. With this greeting, the dignified air of the Master household was undoubtedly revealed. Zhang Xiao''shu kowtowed a few more times out of respect, and then stood upfeeling a little embarrassed. He originally came to express his thanks, but in the end he was able to get some bones which was worth far more than the three cents he spent. He wanted to turn around and walk off without taking anything but he also didn''t dare to do that. What was meant by not taking what the Master gave? Was he afraid that consuming it will cause illnesses? Therefore, he could only wait to pick up the items, and secretly swear in his heart to do more to repay the master. As for the indifferent tone of the master''s wife, he didn''t have any thoughts about it as the master should be like that. After a while, the gatekeeper brought back the three items in a bamboo basket and the bones still had a bit of frost on them. The basket weighed at least ten catties. Zhang Xiao''shu took the basket and wanted to kowtow to express thanks but he realized that the Master household''s madam had left with her maid already.*** In fact, Zhang Xiaoshu''s mother breaking her leg after falling was a matter so small that it couldn''t be even smaller. However, from the time of the fall to the time of receiving medical treatment, the total time was less than a quarter of an hour, and this matter was no small matter. All the residents knew that if this had urred in the past, either the person was carried to where the doctor was or it was waited until dawn and then money was spent to hire a carriage car to quickly find the doctor. Thest possibility was that the person chose to bear with the pain; if they could endure it, then it was fine, but if they couldn''t, then they would end up disabled. The problem was that Zhang Xiao''shu''s mother fell but he didn''t even have to leave his house at all. Within a short period of time, people came. This was life-saving. People who were paralyzed to the point of being bed-ridden will contract quite a bit of illnesses and will end up rotting away on their bed. After the news was spread by Zhang Xiao''shu''s neighbors, the entire Zhang Manor learned of the incident. Next was the Wang Manor and then the Ge Manor. Both the Zhang and Wang Manors had the emergency alert system, but the Ge Manor didn''t. They didn''t even dare to imagine that the master household was able to respond and send help over to any houses facing trouble within a quarter of an hour. Just thinking about this made people feel terrified. Also, there was no need to worry about medical expenses. It was heard that the houses of Zhang and Wang manors will be managed by the Master household in the future. It seemed like the residents didn''t have to make other preparations and just had to work hard on the Manor and didn''t have to worry about the future. The residents in the Ge Manor were all jealous. Blue smoke must have risen out of ancestral graves1 of the residents of those two manors and they must have cultivated for eight lifetimes to receive such blessing. If such a good event fell on top of the heads of the residents of the Ge Manor, then they would sell their life to the manor and work hard. Ge Ying''xi also heard about this. He was speechless and could only sigh when he looked at the two manors of the Zhang and Wang families. He didn''t even have the courage to makeparisons with them anymore. "My master, what they did has made things hard for us. How about we expose the matters about their fields and cause some trouble for them?" Housekeeper Ge was also jealous. You''re just the master of a manor, why are you keeping doctors? The environment at your side was good now but the residents'' hearts on my side are faltering now. "Shut your mouth, don''t talk about this again in the future. Do you still dare to use such means? Do you think that the Zhang and Wang Manors are friendly? They knew of what happenedst time but they didn''t do anything. It was not that were afraid of us, but it was because they can''t be bothered to deal with us. Do you want to force them to work against us? If we go cause trouble again, then there is no path to retreat into anymore. We''re still working with them to build that restaurant. I heard that they''re still looking for doctors, how about we have a discussion with them. We can contribute some money and copy what they did and install that quickmunication system. If something is up, then people can be found to help. If the person was sick, then they can be treated. If there was a fire, then the neighbors could help. If we don''t do it, then when autumn harvestes, their crop yield will be greater than ours by arge fraction. I don''t know if encountering this type of neighbor is a blessing or a disaster. " Ge Ying''xi had no other choice but to follow what they did. Fortunately, some things were not kept as a secret, and they even invited him to join in.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Blue smoke must have risen out of ancestral graves
ording to feng''shui, if blue smoke rises of the ancestral grave, then it was an auspicious omen and the family would be blessed with luck. Book 1: Chapter 76 Book 1: Chapter 76 While the masters of the Zhang, Wang and Ge Manors all had ns of their own, Magistrate Cheng was also making urgent arrangements at the San''shui County''s administrative office. The people sent by the higher ups to investigate the disaster said that they would arrive at noon. Before noon even came, Magistrate Cheng led a group of people from the administrative office to set out early to wee them. Compared to the previous reception, Magistrate Cheng was much more relieved this time. At least he knew who wasing this time, and at the same time he was not afraid of any internal conflicts arising. After receiving three catties of rehydrated wood fungus, Secretary General Zhao Xiang was no longer as rigid as before. When he had nothing to do, he would go ask for some carrots and then add the carrot in when he made wood fungus fried pork slices for his daughter to eat. Seeing that hisdaughter was able to eat more and that that matter of Zhang Manor was rather insignificant, he decided to help them keep a secret. After waiting less than an hour, the people came and they arrived much earlier than the previous group of people that camest time. "He''s here, he''s here, my uncle is here." Zhou Xi''hu also joined the group that came to wee them. He cried out excitedly when he saw a cloud of dust appear in the distance. Not a single person around him felt that he was doing something wrong, and they even hoped that he would be happier, since this meant that he and his uncle had a good rtionship. If their rtionship was good, then the administrative office could exert less effort. As the dust got closer and closer, the carriages in the group were revealed. There were a lot of people that came and each one of them seemed very mighty, but upon a closer look, it can be seen that not only did the Capital sent people to investigate, but also a few rich yboys. "More money is going to be spent on entertaining them now." Many people thought so in their hearts, and one of the bailiffs said this aloud. "Shut your mouth, don''t talk nonsense. This shows that the people above view our San''shui County with high regards. Which other ces can have watering out of dried-out wells during a drought?" Magistrate Cheng gave the bailiff a fierce look and lectured him with a whisper. Other people around made an expression of agreement, but he knew in his heart that everything was the workings of the Zhang Manor. Although he didn''t know what method they used, the facts were indisputable. "I did not go out far to greet you, I ask my lords for forgiveness." When the carriage stopped at the ce, Magistrate Cheng walked over and made greeting salutations while he spoke. The other people in the administrative office were standing behind and also made salutations. At this time, they were not in a position where they were allowed to speak. Zhou Xi''hu tried to open his mouth several times, but he held back. If he spoke out now, not only will he not be praised by his uncle, but he will probably be scolded for not understanding social norms. "Yes, Magistrate Cheng has worked hard, it''s okay, I just arrived anyways. Come,e,e. Magistrate Cheng, I''ll introduce to you, this is the Deputy Chief of the Ministry of Works, Lord Wei and Deputy Chief of the Ministry of Rites, Lord Chen1." Si Cang Can Jun of the Bin Prefecture, Zhou Kong got out of the carriage first, and after waiting for the people in the carriages behind to get off, he introduced them to Magistrate Cheng. As for the other people, he didn''t say much. They just came to y and every single one of them reliedon their family''s position to get here. Magistrate Cheng was stunned after hearing Zhou Kong''s introduction. He had never thought ofthis. It was said at first that the higher ups will randomly send a person but now, two deputy chiefs came. One was from the Ministry of Work and the other from the Ministry of Rites. He knew the purpose of these two peopleing here. The Ministry of Work was responsible for water conservancy and rted affairs, and the Ministry of Rites was here because of the auspicious omen. In theory, the arrival of these two were supposed to be fine, but their ranks were a bit too high. Which deputy chief would run down here if there was nothing much going on? There were many ces that suffered from drought, so would it be possible to have enough deputy chiefs sent to every ce? Furthermore, these two people didn''te down to the prefecture first but they went straight to the county. No matter what was said, it couldn''t be exined. Although Magistrate Cheng thought about this in his heart, he did not dare to show any hesitation or neglect. He went up to each person and made salutations. Deputy Chief Wei and Deputy Chief Chen were quite polite and did not ignore him. They nodded slightly and this was good enough for a greeting. They were fourth-rank officials so they would not easily go to a ce like this. Their arrival this time was already giving the San''shui County great respect and honor. "Magistrate Cheng, let''s put other things aside for the time being. First, lead me to the well where water came out. I didn''t expect that an auspicious omen could appear in the San''shui County during this severe drought. The prefecture allowed me to take care of this matter and many people were happy about this omen." Zhou Xi''hu''s uncle, Zhou Kong smiled while speaking to Magistrate Cheng and at the same time, he nced at his nephew who was on the side showing excitement. Magistrate Cheng paused when he heard these words. He was not a young man that didn''t understand much. He understood what it was meant by these words. An auspicious omen had appeared at his ce, so even if the people at the prefecture gained a lot of benefits, his own credit was also not small. These were not the most important aspects. The most important thing was that this auspicious omen was very crucial to the people above. Not only did the people in the neighboring prefectures know about it, but their attitude was also not very good. Although he said that many people were happy about the auspicious omen, it was better to say that those people think that the San''shui County was lying. Otherwise, their prefectures'' counties that have encountered a drought but had no auspicious omens appear there could only imply that the officials have not done well for the locals. Magistrate Cheng had understood that Zhou Xi''hu''s uncle had made indications in advance so that Magistrate Cheng could make arrangements. Otherwise, he would not be able to protect those people if something went wrong with the auspicious well. With this in mind, Magistrate Cheng said gratefully, "As my lords have arrived here, then it is a given that you would want to see the auspicious omen first. Pleasee this way, the auspicious omen is right in the county seat." While speaking, he led in front. Those that had to ride their carriages, rode their carriages, and those that had to walk, walked. Therge flood of people headed towards the well. Zhou Kong was relieved now that he was here. He originally thought that auspicious omen was faked but seeing that Magistrate Cheng was so certain, he had no more worries. When he was about to get into his carriage, he nced at his nephew. Zhou Xi''hu acted clever this time and stood to the side to speak, "Si Cang Can Jun, I''m the one who manufactured the curved-plough. I have something important to tell you. " As he spoke, he didn''t care about others anymore and followed his uncle directly into the carriage. People who didn''t know his identity thought that he acted a bit overstepped while the people who knew his identity didn''t have any expressions. The pair of uncle and nephew had things to say to each other, would it make sense to stop them? This time, Magistrate Cheng did not ride the carriage alone as he also called the Secretary General to get on too. He waited for the party of people to slowly move in that direction, and then said to Secretary General, "Ji Fang, what do you think of this matter? " Secretary General Zhao Xiang did not make a speechless stern face this time. The corners of his mouth moved and he said, "My lord, the arrival of these people is odd. Think about it, a person managing taxation was sent from the prefecture and the higher ups sent a person to handle the auspicious omen and another person to manage water conservancy. These three people together can cover all basic aspects of the situation. Although it looked like this, there is another point which is, why wasn''t an official that managed taxation sent by the higher ups, but is instead sent by the prefecture? There are already two fourth-rank deputy chiefs here, and there won''t be a difference if another was added. If that''s the case, then it can only be said that the prefecture had worked really hard this time. This time, the prefecture doesn''t want any mistakes to ur. It seems like they want to reducethe burden on the San''shui County. With Lord Zhou, then, in terms of taxes, wouldn''t it be such that whatever we want to do, it will be done? " "Oh? You mean I should ask for more benefits this time? And I should report the disaster to be more severe?" Magistrate Cheng also had his own n and just wanted to listen to others'' opinions. Listening to Zhao Xiang''s words, he felt that they were coincidentally on the same page so he asked him more questions. However, Zhao Xiang didn''t think at all about making such ns. He shook his head and said, "My lord, the prefecture really does think that way, but I think that it is better to help the prefecture do something this time. The Zhang Manor still has fungus. The crop harvest in the county will definitely decrease this time. But the taxation does not require us to directly pay with grains. The grain is distributed to the local government and is used as the officials'' sry. If the grains are not enough, other coins and silk can be used in exchange for the officials'' sry. What is usually sent to the government is money. This is how I think of this. This year''s severe drought is a set conclusion already. Normally, we would hand in money and silk, but this year we should do the opposite by handing in grain. Once grain is handed in, there will not be enough grain for the county to use. Therefore, we have to use money to buy grains from other ces. This money can be provided by the Zhang Manor. Around 1550 to 1560 taels of silver or at most 2,000 taels of silver may be needed for the portion lost" Secretary General Zhao Xiang gritted his teeth and tried to persuade him. This time he knew that the Zhang Manor would lose a lot of money, but there was no other way. At this time, only he and the Magistrate could be promoted or else others will certainly not be able to move upwards. When enough food is delivered, then there would be more people that could be promoted. After the Magistrate and himself were promoted, then the people below can also directly fill the two open positions. The San''shui County would still be in the hands of their people and they can still take good care of the Zhang Manor. The Zhang Manor had a lot wood fungus, if it wasn''t used this time, then until when will they have to wait for? Magistrate Cheng also understood what he meant, and nodded slightly, "That''s right, this drought, not only is there less food, but there will also be less fungus in the surrounding areas. The Zhang Manor can make a lot of money selling it, but are they willing? They have already spent a lot of money, and the people in the administrative office often take food from there." "What my lord is worried about is correct. How about we send someone to tell them. Then, when we are promoted, we will be part of the higher ups, and there will still be our people in this ce. Don''t even mention a bit ofnd, even if the Zhang Manor killed people, it could still be suppressed down. The methods of the mastermind at the Manor were never ordinary." Zhao Xiang also knew that ordinary people wouldn''t agree, but was that Zhang Manor average? It was always hard to figure out what they were doing there, but every time, a lot of benefits can be received. "Alright, then let''s try. If it doesn''t work out, then let them contribute a little less." Magistrate Cheng thought that this was the best way already and there was no harm in trying. If it seeds, he himself could be promoted while the San''shui County would still be under his control. The two have settled on the idea, and over there, Zhou Xi''hu was also showing off to his uncle by telling him about the money he had made during this period.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Ministry of Works, Ministry of Rites
There are two of the six different ministries of the Department of State Affairs that made up part of the main central government structure in Imperial China. The remaining four ministries were "Personal", "War", "Justice", and "Revenue". The Ministry of Works managed construction and maintenance of transportation infrastructures, other government construction projects, exploration of natural resources, and more. The Ministry of Rites was responsible for arranging imperial court ceremonies, rituals, imperial examinations and more. Book 1: Chapter 77 Book 1: Chapter 77 Thanks go to Yaro formissioning this chapter!!!
Like Jin Bu''huan, It''s Never Too Late For A Prodigal To Turn His Head Back With a smile on his face, Si Cang Can Jun listened to his nephew telling him about what he did, how he did it, how much money he made, how much he spent these days, and what he bought for his family. Seeing how happy his nephew was when he spoke, he didn''t interrupt him and just listened. In fact, he didn''t care how much money his nephew made; he only cared whether his nephew was still bullying people on the street like he used to do and if he spent his day away doing nothing. From these words, he knew that his nephew, who had never studied well before, became a different person after he joined hands with the Zhang Manor to do business. He stopped hanging old with his old friends, and spent the whole day thinking about how to sell things. There was also the praises from the locals when the items were sold to them, such as praises about the curved-plough. Even though his nephew made money off of them, he still receivedpliments from themoners. When he talked about this, Zhou Xi''hu was in especially high spirits. He continued to say that for those whose family really didn''t have money but still had to work on the fields, he would give them a discount. There were even some instances where he rented the plough out to people, and would collected the money after the autumn harvest. There were also some buyers who were coughing constantly, so he called doctors over to treat them. For the first time, Zhou Xi''hu had the courage to speak to his uncle so frankly and confidently. He felt that he had done nothing wrong and was unlike before where he didn''t know what to say whenever his uncle asked and could only lower his head. "I n to keep working with the Zhang Manor in the future. They have said that there is still a lot of business to do. I saw a ne made ofrge pearls at the jewelry shop that costs six hundred taels of silver. I have the money, but I''m afraid that if I spend that money, I would not have money to do other business deals, so I didn''t buy it. posted of I''ll wait for the next time I do business with Zhang Manor and then buy the ne and give it to my mother. My mother will have her birthday in two months. I will remind the Zhang Manor again tomorrow and try toplete a business sale within this time. There was also a bangle that was nice too. After I earn money, I''ll to buy it and give it to my aunt. I didn''t even spend much money when I go to the restaurant to eat these days becausethose people all want to treat me. I would bring home the leftovers and let the servants eat it. They all said I was good." Zhou Xi''hu kept talking there and wished that he could tell his uncle about everything that he had encountered. Zhou Kong had been listening the entire time, and he suddenly asked, "Why did you bring home the leftovers, aren''t you afraid of others calling you stingy?" "What is stinginess? That food would be thrown away if it wasn''t eaten. The servants in the household can''t eat those types of foods even if they wanted to. Also, the food wasn''t spoiled. Last time when I personally delivered the curved-plough to a farmer, I saw what they were eating--it turned out to be food from the day before yesterday. It was left for two days already but they were still eating it. They didn''t get sick from eating it. After seeing it, I thought about all of the food I ate before and how much was thrown away. It was really wrong. Back then, when I bought food, I used my family''s money, but now I know that making money was not easy. I had to manage the crafters, and check the prices. Only a few coins of profit was earned from selling a single plough so, of course I have to use money more conservatively. " Zhou Xi''hu started talking again and stretched out his hand to show his uncle. There were two wounds on his hand, both of which were obtainted when he identally touched the plough. When Zhou Kong heard of this, he finally smiled with satisfaction. His nephew was sensible now as he understood that it was not easy to make money, that he needed to respect his parents, and be considerate of themoners. Nothing could make him more happy than hearing about that. As for the money earned, it didn''t matter if it was a lot or little; even if it was a loss, it was eptable. "Uncle, please don''t tell my mother that I want to buy something for her. My mother willin that I spend money blindly. When I went back, I made a roughparison and that ne would look really nice on my mother''s neck. My mother would look prettier, and even more pretty than my father''s new little mistress. posted of And the bangle too. When my aunt wears it, you know with a nce that my aunt''s fair skin will go well with the light green bangle and she will look younger. Uncle, what''s wrong? Why are your eyes red? Is it too dry and stuffy in the car so you don''t feel well? It''s like this now, but you''ll know when you get to the ce--- the water from the well is delicious and very cool. One sip makes one feelfortable from the inside to the outside. In winter, thisce is different from everywhere else. I have learned from the Zhang Manor how to make a heated brick bed. When Iy on top of it, I finally understood what warmth was. " Zhou Xi''hu saw that his uncle''s eyes were a little red, and thought that it was because it was stuffy in the carriage, so he rolled up the curtain a little and continued talking. "Yeah, it''s stuffy. I''ll be fine when I get to see the well water, Little Hu, tell me, what are your ns for the future?" Zhou Kong rubbed the corner of his eye with his sleeve and asked now that he felt relieved. "ns? I really don''t know. I just want to do business with Zhang Manor. They gave me some profitable businesses. In fact, I know that if I was on my own, they wouldn''t pay attention to me at all. It''s because my uncle is behind me and they want to curry favor with you. I made some money, but I didn''t keep all of this money to myself and gave some money back to them. Uncle, that Zhang Manor is truly amazing. Their ideas for making moneye one after another. I am also not afraid that there won''t be anymore money making businesses to conduct in the future. Uncle, you have to take good care of the Zhang Manor. I can only do business if they''re present. " Zhou Xi''hu was cunning at this time, and this made Zhou Kong shake his head at him. How could people not know the little schemes his nephew had? Zhang Manor really had to be protected, but not because he cared about that bit of money his nephew earned, but because after cooperating with them to do business, his nephew became sensible. Like Jin Bu''huan, it was never toote for a prodigal to turn his head back. This was something that cannot be bought with any amount of money. posted of "Uncle, say something. It was really not easy for the Zhang Manor. If there was a movement as slight as a breeze blowing or a de of grass swaying, they would be able to make a response. The fungus I gave youst time was from them. You may not know, they nted the fungus themselves, and they have said that they will let me sell the wood fungus when they grow more of them. Amazing, right? Wood fungus can actually be nted. Now it''s a drought so there are fewer fungus and mushrooms here. They have told me how to make mushrooms into delicious dishes. I bought some and made it for my mother. My mother praised that my cooking was good. I made the dishes myself, and I didn''t let anyone else help. " When he talked about this, Zhou Xi''hu felt very happy, especially when he saw his parents eating. They kept boasting that they couldn''t wait for him to cook every day. "Good, Little Hu''s cooking must be delicious. When we go back, Little Hu must cook a meal for me." Zhou Kong could imagine how unptable his nephew''s cooking was. Not to mention that his nephew had never made a dish before, his cutting skills were not even good. However, Zhou Kong knew that Zhou Xi''hu made the food for his parents, so it was the most delicious food on earth; even the imperial cook was no match for him. Looking at the expression on his uncle''s face, Zhou Xihu knew what his uncle was thinking. He sighed and said, "Uncle, I know what you are thinking, you think I can''t do it?" Let me tell you, it''s not like that. In the recipe the Zhang Manor gave to me, the measurement of each ingredient was written down. I told the bookkeeper to read it and everything was weighed with a scale. Even the temperature of the fire was recorded down in the recipe. They also gave me an ingredient, it''s a faintly yellow rice-grain like substance. When it was added to the dish, it made the dish more savory. " "Oh? There was something else? What is it? Does it really make dishes more delicious when added into the dish?" Zhou Kong still didn''t believe it, but he went along with his nephew''s words and spoke like that because he wanted to make his nephew happy. "Ahhh, howe you just won''t believe me, uncle. The restaurants in the county seat all have to buy that item from them. It costs one or two silver for one mace2, and only one tael3 can be purchased each month. It was only used for special dishes. I didn''t even ask how it''s made, but they won''t say anything even if I asked anyway." posted of Zhou Xi''hu felt a bit despaired, why didn''t his uncle believe in him? As they were talking, the carriage stopped. Just when everyone thought they had arrived and got off, people brought a bowl of hot soup to them. Inside the soup was fungus, pickled cucumber, and eggs. There was ayer of oil that was floating on top that had bits of green onion, and there were two fried dough sticks on the side. Of course, they didn''t know it was called "you''tiao". At this time, the Magistrate Cheng came to the carriage of the three most important people and said, "My lords, it will take another hour to get there. I was worried that my lords would be hungry, so I casually prepared something to fill your stomachs." After he said this, everyone understood. They rushed all the way here and didn''t rest along the way so they were indeed a little hungry after smelling the soup that seemed tasty. They took a bite of the fried dough sticks, sipped a mouth of soup, and then ate some pickled veggies. Everyone ate the food and felt that it was not enough to eat, but after everything was eaten and the soup was drunk, they were too embarrassed to ask for more. "Why does this soup taste different from the soups I drank before. It tasted very refreshing. Pickled cucumber can taste this refreshing? What is this bread item? When it is chewed in the mouth, the outside is crispy and the inside is soft. The pickled veggies also have a special type of fragrant spicy taste." After Si Cang Can Jun finished his food, he also felt that it was not enough. He nced at the untouched item his nephew had on his, and he smacked his lips as he praised the food. Zhou Xi''hu seemed to have expected that this would happen and he pushed the item to the front of his uncle, "Uncle, taste it again carefully, isn''t it very delicious? Especially the soup and small pickles. They taste better than those made in big restaurants." "It is good. Little Hu, you eat it." Zhou Kong really wanted to eat it, but felt a little embarrassed to take it. posted of "Uncle, I have already eaten it before. I have that ingredient that can make the same delicious soup in my hand so I can eat it anytime I want. This soup and pickled veggies also uses that ingredient. Unfortunately, they sell a very low amount, and they only sell it to three restaurants here. They do give some of that ingredient to the administrative office and to me. They don''t sell it to anyone else. They only started selling that ingredientst night. I heard that they will build a restaurant at their ce, and they will sell it there in the future. Uncle, please eat quickly, otherwise it will be cold. " While talking, Zhou Xi''hu took out a small paper bag from the inside of this robe and opened it carefully to let his uncle look at it. Zhou Kong didn''t act courteous this time, and picked up the bowl and drank. He exhaled out a puff of warm air and asked, "Was it really because that thing you have in your hand that was added? Can''t you get the recipe?"
Trantor''s Notes
  1. "Like Jin Bu''huan, it''s never toote for a prodigal to turn his head back"
Jin Bu''huan was the son of a rich man so he was extremely spoiled. In one instance, the young Jin Bu''huan enjoyed listening to the shattering sounds of porcin so his father ordered his servants to smash bowls onto the ground. Later on, he eventually ended up wasting all of his family fortunes and became a beggar. Under the encouragement of his wife, he came back to his senses and became a better man.
  1. Mace
This is a unit and is equivalent to 0.0625 catty or about 3.7 grams.
  1. Tael
This is also a unit and is equivalent to 10 mace. Book 1: Chapter 78 Book 1: Chapter 78 "I can''t get it. They didn''t mention the form at all. Uncle, think about it, regardless of who it was, no one would hand over a good thing like this." Zhou Xi''hu said helplessly, and when he saw his uncle wanted to say something, he continued, "Uncle, I know what you want to say. You want to say that we could keep an eye on what they purchase. From earlier on, I had already arranged for someone to watch them. However, they buy almost everything, and they also send people to the market to salvage items. At night, after everyone at the market has left, they have someone to pick items. Primarily, they pick up food items, like rotten fish and shrimps. At first, I thought these items were something good, butter I learned that they dried all of these things and grounded them into powder, and fed them to chickens. They also bought some rice and flour. It used to be soybeans. Later, wasn''t it said that soybeans were poisonous? So, they stopped buying it and even the vegetable oil was not sold. Only then did I know that vegetable oil was actually soybean oil. I also wanted to know how to make oil. I have roasted soybeans several times, and they were quite fragrant, but unfortunately, no oil came out. Later, I tried soaking it in water to try to draw out the oil, but it sprouted and ended up growing to two inches long. So I stir-fried it with meat and it tasted not bad. Iined to Song Jing''gong, who had been helping them, but I didn''t expect that Song Jing''gong really I went back and told them that. The next day, he gave me a form, which was actually a recipe---chicken slices with scallion oil and bean sprouts were ced underneath. That made me so mad." "It''s delicious. They told me on the third day that the head and end of the bean sprouts should be pinched, then quickly dipped into hot oil and then stir-fried with thin pork strands. It was tender and crispy. I made that too, and it was indeed like so." Zhou Xi''hu made a face of despair. "Hahahaha." Zhou Kong finally couldn''t hold in hisughter. At the same time, he became more curious about the Zhang Manor. His nephew was over here fooling around, and they immediately handed him a recipe. They were not simple. "In that case, why don''t you work with them to sell this thing? You can give them arger share of money." "I did. They didn''t agree; they told me to not rush and that there will be new things to sell right away. They will sell it to small shops and to the stores that specialize in selling salt and soy sauces. And it will not only be in our prefecture, but also in other prefectures too. As for my side, I''m still looking for merchants in other prefectures. They aren''t selling it for a high price. The price they gave me was two catties for five coins and I can sell them at three catties for ten coins. The profit does not need to be shared with them. Now, many ces are suffering from a drought and the price of beans is expensive. Them selling it like this is really a help to the people. " Zhou Xi''hu counted his fingers as he spoke to his uncle. "Then you''re not earning much?" "Not much? It depends on the quantity. They said that they can give me five thousand picul1 of soy sauce in the early stage, and then they will give me a total of fifty thousand stones in intervals in theter stages. I need to get salt for them as they weren''t able to buy a lot of salt. Was this not a lot? I don''t know in which year it will be all sold out. It''s best if my people are all capable and can sell the soy sauce to locations further away." Zhou Xi''hu was now wondering where the Zhang Manor got that many soybeans to make soy sauce from and how they dared to set the price so low. Hearing these words, Zhou Kong no longer looked as rxed as he was just earlier. The Zhang Manor''s action makes it seem like they''re trying to help drive the price of certain things down in this prefecture so that the people who want to take advantage of the crisis will not dare take action. They''re abilities were truly great. Fifty-five thousand stones of soy sauce---this was scary sounding. He understood that some of the news he got from his nephew might not be true. He shouted to the outside, "Magistrate Cheng, pleasee over for a bit, I have questions to ask." Magistrate Cheng was thinking about how to keep all the people from above in the county seat while getting only Zhou Kong to visit Zhang Manor. He heard Zhou Kong shouting to him and he didn''t dare to neglect. He got down from his own ride and got onto Zhou Kong''s carriage. He respectfully asked, "My lord, what do you want to ask me?" "Did you know that Zhang Manor is going to sell soy sauce?" Zhou Kong asked directly. "I do know. They want to drive down the prices of goods. Not only just soy sauce, but there will also be arge quantity of eggs that is going to be sold in two days. Each time, up to one catty can be bought and the price is very cheap. Chickens need to eat and once the price of eggs go down, the price of grain won''t go up. I have ordered people to block the county''s roads going outside. If they find that there are grains and other rted items, they will hold the items back. We will only allow importation and no exportation." Magistrate Cheng was a little excited when he talked about this. The two Zhang and Wang Manors were losing money to help him keep prices down. The restrictions at the San''shui Countywere stricter, thus, they didn''t have to worry about their people unable to eat meals. The Manors made a lot of money and did not have hesitations when spending money. Zhou Kong was in charge of taxation, so of course he knew how much praise would be won by Magistrate Cheng if the prices of goods were stabilized. Why did the Zhang Manor do this? "Are you in touch with them?" "Yes, they have been helping me all along. As long as I''m facing a little difficulty in any areas, the Zhang Manor will pull out a solution and use it. I have always regarded the people who had looked after me as my Shi''fu. I have discussed with Song Jing''gong several times already about going to them to seek discipleship, but the people on the Manor didn''t agree. I feel like they are testing me." Magistrate Cheng did not withhold much this time and he disclosed anything that he was able to say. He knew that Zhou Kong and him were considered to be partners so there was no need to have reservations on matters that weren''t secrets. Anybody who was perceptive enough would understand with just a nce. Zhou Kong pondered for a while, and then asked, "Then can you ask for their form?" "I don''t know, I didn''t dare to ask for it as that would be destroying their road to making money. I''m still hoping to seek discipleship." Magistrate Cheng told the truth. "Hmm, I see. We''re almost there, right?" Zhou Kong felt that it wasn''t appropriate for him to force Magistrate Cheng since he had taken care of his rtive. "Soon. I''ll take my leave now, and I''lle backter." Magistrate Cheng knew that he was hinting at him to leave so he replied back and then instructed the carriage to stop. He bowed down and then retreated away. After advancing forward for another while, they finally arrived at the ce. When they got off their carriages, they saw a lot ofmoners around the area and they were carrying a container to hold water. Some people squeezed their way out of the crowd and left with water. In addition to these, there were people kneeling and burning incense. A lot of water has been spilled onto the ground so the surrounding area was all wet. The ce that was surrounded by people should be the dried-out well that had watering out of it. Themoners didn''t even hesitate, and made way for them. From this, the level of prestige of Magistrate Cheng in this county was evident Everyone saw it now: a well that wasn''t sitting on a raised tform appeared in front of them, and next to it was a tool to draw up water. Themoners that were here just now were here to get water. Everyone went closer to look at it. As they looked, they asked questions. In particr, they asked themoners and themoners were called over for questioning. After a few inquiries, they had no choice but to admit that it was indeed an auspicious omen. During a severe drought, water came out of a dried-out well. Some said that it was mythical, and they also said that they saw the heavens use lightning to strike the well, and after arge bang, there was water in it. Some person even said that they saw a deity passing by the well and hadmented about the drought here, so the deity used a lighting calling spell to st the well. There were too many stories, but regardless of which one, hearing a loud sound was always mentioned in each version. The people who came recorded all of this down, and it was considered that their job was done. Everyone returned to their carriages and allowed themoners to continue fetching water. Some of them even asked people to find something to hold water and put water into it so that it can be used for teater. After finishing being busy for a while, Magistrate Cheng didn''t wait to see if other people had other ns and told them that they will be going to a different location to eat so that they can have a taste of the specialties of the San''shui County. This decision was already considered to be disturbing themoners. Seeing that everyone had left, themoners were more convinced of this auspicious omen and everyone returned and fetched water with a pious expression on their faces. * "Don''t rush, take it slow. It seems that we need to go buy some seaweed. There are too few seaweed sellers here. When can we go to the sea, seaweed needs to be collected." Inside the Zhang Manor, Wang Juan said to Hu''zi, who was working, and then began to whisper to herself. The thing that can enhance vors was MSG, which is obtained from boiling kelp. She and Zhang Xiao''bao only knew how to make this type, as for further refining processes used by the industry, they had no idea. After the kelp is boiled until it bes mushy, or when it''s cooked into soup for drinking or for other things, the liquids were evaporated out and the remaining precipitate was MSG. Because kelp is not easy to buy, the production was not high. Other than selling to the three restaurants to help promote it, some were also shared with the administrative office and Zhou Xi''hu. The rest of the MSG was kept and its use will be decided after the opening of their restaurant here. Also, some were going to be given to Zhou Xi''hu''s uncle. When other people want to eat it, they had toe here. It can be said that this was done so that even if they came here to just purchase MSG, when they passed by "Between Water and Clouds Restaurant", they would go in. This was good enough. Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t actually really care about this. He was teething with the piece of kelp in his hand. Wang Juan saw that he was not doing anything and touched him, "Can you think of other ways? This is all money." "Think of a way? Think of what ways? Though I do know that there are many things that MSG can be made out of, I need to know how to actually do it. The process isplicated. So, hold on. When the timees, go to the sea and collect it. Nobody eats these; if it wasn''t used to feed ducks, then it was littered everywhere." Zhang Xiao''bao swallowed a mouthful of kelp and saliva and replied with his head cocked to the side. . "Sea, sea, we''re not close to the sea. A round-trip will take more than half a month. Zhou Xi''hu''s uncle ising, have you thought of what to treat him with? If there''s no other choices, then let''s serve dumplings. Dip the dumplings in soy sauce. We have so much soy sauce. Steamed buns would work too." Wang Juan also didn''t know what to do about this. She had already sent Er''niu out. Thest time he went there, he was buying stones and this time he was buying kelp, or rather, picking kelp. No one eats this thing. "Don''t always think about soy sauce. Eat steamed buns? What if people like to eat gou''bu''li steamed buns2? The authentic way of eating it to dip it in vinegar. Hu''zi, it''s good, it''s fine just like that. Scoop the thing out. For the next few days, we''re going to eat seaweed." Zhang Xiao''bao stared at that side and told him to stop. He was fretting about the cooked seaweed.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Picul
This is a measurement unit and one picul is equivalent to 120 catties.
  1. Gou''bu''li steamed buns
This is a type of pork steam buns that originated in Tian''jin. China, and has a history of over 100 years. The bun is said to be named after the person who invented this particr type of steam bun. Book 1: Chapter 79 Book 1: Chapter 79 Chapter 79 I Won''t Fall When The Strong Wind Blows Billowing ck clouds flowed like ink spreading in violent winds. New branches were moved, and seedlings copsed onto the water''s surface. The sky was still finest night. No one ever thought that before waking up in the early morning, the violent wind had rolled in with the dark clouds and covered the whole sky. The residents on the manor thought that there would be a heavy rainfall, and they all ignored the ttering noises of the wind blowing against the windows and got dressed and stood outside their doors. The sky that was originally supposed to be bright was now still gray and ck, and the surrounding trees were swayed back and forth by the wind. While waiting for the heavy rain to fall, the residents suddenly thought about how a lot of the rice seedlings in the fields might be blown over. At this moment, they couldn''t wait any longer, and each person put on a straw rain hat and hurried to the fields. They had to fix the fallen over seedlings as soon as possible. The farmers on the Zhang, Wang and Ge Manor all started to get into action, and ran quickly. Not only did the adults in the familye out, but the little kids also wanted to help. By the time farmers of the Zhang and Wang Manors arrived at the edge of the fields, they didn''t see a field of seedlings that werepletely knocked over, but instead, only a few seedlings had fallen over. Furthermore, there were other seedlings right next to the ones that fell over, so there was no need to fix them. As for the areas where a lot of seedlings have fallen over, they could wait for the wind to stop first then move some seedlings over from dense areas. The farmers felt that this was a bit odd and they walked over to the Ge Manor''s fields to have a look to see if the situation was the same. When they arrived there to have a look, they saw that all of the manor''s residents were in the water and were trying to fix the seedlings. Even some women were crying anxiously. If this was in the past, the Zhang and Wang Manor''s residents wouldn''t have cared at all since it wasn''t theirnd, but now, they immediately jumped into the water and helped them fix the seedlings upright. Now that they were able to eat well, and dress well, they were able to think about helping others. With so many people joining in, the speed at which the rice seedlings were fixed became faster. Even if some of the newly adjusted rice seedlings fell over again, everyone did not give up because if they didn''t do anything about it, the rice seedlings will drown and die. The people of Ge Manor thought that the people from the Zhang Manor came to just watch them, but after seeing that they were here to help, at that moment they felt grateful and a bit confused thinking about why the Zhang and Wang Manor residents weren''t busy with tending their own seedlings in their fields. "Little Wang''zi, you came to help, but what about your family''s field? Do you not want it anymore? Go home. Your master is so good to you. You won''t be able to hand in grains when the time for harvestinges, how will you be worthy of your Master?" A Ge Manor resident tried to persuade those that came to his family''s field. "No need, the seedlings in my field are okay. They''re even better than the ones in your field; they''re very sturdy and much taller. Do you think there will be heavy rain today?" Little Wang''zi saw the rice seedlings in this field. Compared to his own field, he realized that the differences between the two were quite significant. "Really? What kind of seeds did you use?" The people at Ge Manor were a little skeptical, but they all came here to help so there must be nothing wrong at their homes, or else they would all be busy themselves. As he spoke, he looked up at the sky again. It was so dark and heavy that it seemed like it was going to rain any moment now, but not a single drop of rain fell. Little Wang''zi also continued to bend over to fix the seedlings and raised his arm to wipe the water that was sshed onto his face. "I didn''t lie to you, the same seeds as usual, but this time the seeds are all given by the master. The seeds we saved in our families to be used for nting were eaten as food." Of course Little Wangzi didn''t know that those rice seeds they used were soaked in lime water by his own Young Master and Young Miss Juan Juan. The two of them brought into action anything that could be thought of given the existing conditions to increase yield and prevent diseases in the nts. After putting in a lot of effort into selecting seeds, further processing them when they were sprouting, adding fertilizer to the seedlings, ploughing thend well then adding fertilizer and mai''fan stones to the soil and then using the thrown seedlings method, their nts were grew faster than other people''s nts and was more sturdy. This was made evident with this windstorm. ording to Wang Juan''s words: We want the grains on our Manor to win at the starting line. '' The person of Ge Manor straightened up his back and shook his waist twice. He looked up at the slightly brighter sky and he felt unbearably hot and stuffy. The clouds were still so dark and they were hanging down low. The sky only became brighter because the sun was rising and not because the sky was clearing. "I don''t believe you, if they''re really the original seeds, then why are they better than mine? Could it be that the fertilizer was better? Tell me, what kind of fertilizer do you use there?" "A whole assortment; a bit of fertilizer from my own home, a bit fertilizer the Master gavest year all mixed together and that''s it." Little Wangzi also didn''t really know why. Even if there were some differences, he wouldn''t mention it. Who wants to tell others about their own manor''s form?. With so many people working together, it was only natural that the Masters were rmed. The Masters of the Zhang and Wang Manors heard that their residents went to help the Ge Manor so he asked the housekeeper to go check it out. The housekeeper was taken aback when he saw the young seedlings in their own fields. When he first left the house, he thought that because the seedlings were randomly thrown into the water instead of being transnted, it was impossible to help adjust the positioning of the seedlings so the farmers gave up, but that was not the case at all. The rice seedlings in the field didn''t need to be cared for at all and were free to move with the wind. Some of them have already touched the surface of the water but once the wind passed, they straightened up again. It was amazing. "Old Wang, why when I look at the rice seedlings, I feel like they look like standing people? If they fall, they will stand back up. Even if some of them are weaker, their roots do note out after falling. If this wasst year, there will be quite a few seedlings floating in the water." Housekeeper Zhang stood on the raised pathway in the paddy field and spoke to Housekeeper Wang, who was equally surprised. Housekeeper Wang also felt this way. When the little seedling fought against the gale, people couldn''t help but shout "good!". In his eyes, these rice seedlings each became a little baby with small arms and legs and were standing there looking chubby, energetic and cute. "Who wouldn''t agree? After so many years of nting crops, I didn''t want to leave when I saw it for the first time; I''m willing to stay here and watch. Look at those two sturdy nts, they''re even helping the little seedlings behind them block the wind. Let''s not go back yet, let''s have a look at the Ge Manor." At this time, Housekeeper Wang felt that the strong winds were so cool and refreshing and this improved his spirits by a fair amount. After he spoke, he walked in the direction of the Ge Manor. . When the two arrived at the Ge Manor, they saw their own residents there helping out. When they got closer, both of them shook their heads at the same time. The seedlings were too poor and it was iparable to the ones in their own fields. Once the wind blew them over, they would stay stuck in the water. Quite a few of the seedlings were floating and spinning in circles in the water. The farmers on the Ge Manor were looking forward to a good harvest during the fall, and as they were busy sticking the seedlings back into the soil, they were wiping away their tears. The little kids were also being sensible and were busy helping. They copied what the adults were doing and made jerky movements like a robot. Their eyes were full of confusion and bewilderment, making people feel sad when they look at them. The residents of the Zhang and Wang Manors that were helping had calm expressions on their faces. After all, it was not in their own fields. They can give some help if they can help, but as for the harvest, they couldn''t give more care nor did they have the ability to care if they wanted to. At the same time, they were rejoiced that their own Master was extremely capable since the seedlings were able tostand upright and not fall over in the strong wind. Someone saw the master''s housekeeper hade over and thought that they came here to tell them to go back so the resident came forward to exin, "Housekeeper Zhang, there was nothing wrong in our field. Once the windstorm passes, we will go fix the seedlings that fell over and it will be fine. They are also pitiful here. " "Yeah, don''t rush to go back, it''s a pity..." Housekeeper Zhang was not as hard to talk to as he used to be. He didn''t tell them to go back. He wanted to say something, but he didn''t know how to speak. He couldn''t tell the resident that it was a pity that the Ge Manor didn''t have people like the Young Master and Young Miss. Ge Ying''xi also brought the housekeeper with him to have a look. Looking at the situation in the paddies, the expression on his face became ugly. He pursed his lips together tightly, frowned his eyebrows, and he tightly clenched the fists on both sides of his body. He was the most distressed one. With less grains, he would not dare to collect too much rent since he couldn''t watch his residents die in front of him due to starvation. If the government allowed him to reduce the rent, it would be okay, but if they didn''t, then he would have to pull money out of his own pocket. "Old Master, quicklye up with a n. It''s useless to just try to fix it like this. If there is a heavy raining downter, some seedlings with broken roots will be washed away by the water when the water is released. If there''s no other way, then we have to rush to rent another round." Housekeeper Ge also looked sad. He looked up at the sky, and said worriedly. "We still have to help the seedlings up. Quickly return back and get all of the servants in the Master''s courtyard toe help. A little bit of help contributed is still better than nothing. Are these people the Zhang and Wang Manors'' residents? Howe they aren''t working on their own fields, but instead they''re here helping us?" Ge Ying''xi still didn''t want to give up. Seeing that the manpower that was distributed was not enough, he even called the servants at the Master''s family. At the same time, he was puzzled by the residents of the Zhang and Wang Manorsing here. "Vige Chief Ge is here too? If nothing can be done, then don''t nt more. When I go back, I will discuss my Master. We can grow some seedlings, and rush to nt it and it might work out." Housekeeper Wang saw Ge Ying''xi and walked over and said. Only then did Ge Ying''xi discover that the two housekeepers had also arrived. He had been so concerned about the things in the field just now that he hadn''t looked to the sides at all. "What? The seedlings on Zhang and Wang Manors are better than the ones here?" Ge Ying''xi felt that he was able to afford more seeds, but the residents could not. "It''s not much better; it''s just that they don''t fall over when blown by the strong wind. Of course, the help won''te for free. You just have to give back three times the cost of the seeds." Housekeeper Wang''s face was indifferent. He thought it was fine to speak like that because their seedlings were good so he had the confidence. Ge Ying''xi was dumbfounded, and suddenly said, "I don''t believe it, I''ll go and see for myself." As he spoke, he didn''t care about the fields anymore and hurried across the small bridge and went to thends in the Wang Manor. He stood there and looked at it carefully. He was speechless. Comparing the rice seedlings on both sides, he felt that his seedlings were like babies that weren''t fed milk and had thin arms and legs, while theirs were strong like calves. "No wonder they all went to my Manor to help. It turns out that they don''t have to take care of their own seedlings. What happened to the Zhang and Wang Manors in less than a year? Not to mention that they had ways to make money, but their seedlings were like this too. This was too unfair. It''s obviously the same rice seedling, and not a new species." After he murmured a few words, Ge Ying''xi finally made up his mind. He turned around and ran back, and saw Housekeeper Zhang and Housekeeper Wang who were still standing there in a daze. With a begging tone, he spoke, "Just now, I was not acting sensible. I''ll pay three times the cost. I ask that Housekeeper Wang help me deliver the message." Book 1: Chapter 80 Book 1: Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Wanting To Buy Barren Mountains With Money It was almost noon, but the clouds had not cleared, and the wind was still whistling. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan finally had enough sleep. With the sky looking gloomy, they wanted to sleep. They got up to eat something and then both rode a vehicle that they got a carpenter to craft and went outside to see how the Manor was. They sat one behind another. The vehicle waspletely made of wood as it had no chains, and both wheels had to be pedaled. The person sitting in the front was responsible for controlling the direction, and it was more tiring for the person behind because they had to pedal at the same pace with the person in front. At the back of the vehicle, there were two pieces of wood that stuck out and there were two small wheels on them to maintain bnce. The wheels were three inches wide and had a diameter of five inches, and it was able to stand upright by itself. "Xiao''bao, do you think it can rain heavily? If it could, then it''s time to release the water." Wang Juan was sitting in the front this time and asked while controlling the direction. "How do I know? Let''s talk about it if it actually does. Don''t be in a rush to release the water. What if we release it, but it doesn''t rain, how will we endure the next few months? Millet, wheat, rice, and sorghum must be watered, and the water used on the vegetable plots can''t be reduced and we can''t allow the trees to dry out. There''s also water needed for daily use." Zhang Xiao''bao looked at Wang Juan''s two feet from the corner of his eyes, and moved in synchrony with her. The bicycle moved forward slowly and wasn''t even faster than their running speed. It was mainly to prevent having people around to babysit them. This way, they could go out by themselves. Their families were worried that they would fall, but if they rode this bike, they wouldn''t have to worry since they couldn''t even fall over if they wanted to. Zhang Xiao''bao responded to Wang Juan''s words, but he was actually thinking in his heart about whether they should give 1,500 taels of silver to the county or not. He was able to give out this money and still have surplus money. He earned quite a bit of money from using the burnt soybeans to make soy sauce. 55,000 Picul of it were produced, and two coins were earned from every five catties sold. At this price, one Picul can make nearly thirty-two coins. If all of these can be sold, then 1,740 taels of silver can be earned. The main reason was no money was spent on the soybeans. As for whether they can be sold and where they can be sold, that was Zhou Xi''hu''s business. If he wants to make money, he has to sell. It stands to reason that this money should be given. He didn''t lose any money. If losses were actually discussed, then some money was lost when wood fungus was used to exchange for soybeans from other ces. "What are you thinking? You haven''t spoken for a long time." Wang Juan was pedaling when she found that Zhang Xiao''bao was silent, so she turned her head to nce at him and asked. "Didn''t Magistrate Cheng say that he will take money from us? I''m wondering whether to give it or not." "If you ask me, I''ll say don''t give him money. For what reason do we have to give him that much money? Our family''s money was not collected from the wind. How much help have we given him already? Is he trying to advance by a foot after we gave him an inch1? How about this, we give him less. He doesn''t have it easy. Let''s consider this as an investment, don''t people in Western countries also do this?" Wang Juan was definitely not a small child; there were certain things that she understood clearly. At first, she said that she would not give him the money, butter shepromised. "Yeah, then give it, but we can''t just give it to him directly. I want something in exchange. I heard Song Jing''gong say that the soil on the south bank of Xiao''luo''shui is rtively good and that there are some stone mountains on the north bank. There aren''t a lot of trees on top of the mountain and the ce isn''t suitable for farming. Let''s take that ce in exchange. Using fifteen hundred taels of silver to buy a mountain like that, no one would object. If it''s left there, then it''s left there without being used, that''s such a waste. We can buy it, then wouldn''t the Magistrate be able to use the money? " Zhang Xiao''bao made some calctions and gave an answer like such. Wang Juan stopped and looked back at Zhang Xiao''bao. "Wasn''t that ce said to have more than 1,000 Mu2? You want to buy it for 1,500 taels of silver?" "One thousand eight hundred something Mu is just only one square kilometer. That lousy ce is a stone mountain. About one tael of silver for one Mu is quite a lot. If you add a bit more, you can buy one Mu of a high quality field. He should beughing on the inside. I''m making this choice because that ce has no outputs so it''s not taxed, otherwise, who would buy it?" Zhang Xiao''bao spoke with utmost confidence. If Wang Juan didn''t know who he was, she would have been moved by his righteousness. However, in reality, the more Wang Juan listened to Zhang Xiao''bao''s words, the more she felt that there was something wrong but she did not directly expose it. "Oh, it turned out to be like this, so it''s a money loss? We absolutely cannot pay taxes. Some timest year, there were five households on my manor that were able to produce silk so they had to pay 70 taels of silver to fulfill the cloth payment fees3 and it was my family that ended up paying for it. What is the meaning of this? This year, I want to see them be able to hand it in. How about let''s make a change. Give my manor the people on your manor that are able to hand it in. Your family has one hundred fiefs so it can be directly exempted. Those five households are having a tough time, so let''s help them if we can. " "Do you know how to make calctions? If you take them from my manor, then my manor''s residents will have to pay the cloth payment fee. This is nothing more than the transfer of losses and you''re harming others just to benefit yourself. The fundamental problem has not been resolved at all. Forget about it and leave the matter to me. Get them to raise more chickens this year, and when the timees, use the eggs and chickens to meet the payment requirement. What''s the point of sticking tonds that can''t be grown on?" Zhang Xiao''bao knew that those five households had sick people in each of their homes. Last year they didn''t give them any benefits and they had to spend a lot of money on medicine. When the rent was paid at the end of the year, they didn''t have any silk to hand in so they each paid 14 taels of silver as the cloth payment fee. However, they have welfare this year. Some easy jobs can be given to them and the money earned from that can be used to cover it. "Fine. Then exin now, that ce you want to buy, are you really aiming to lose money?" Wang Juan put aside one of her worries; those five households will be better off in the future. Otherwise that fourteen taels of silver can really cause them to break down. Just because her family helped them pay, it doesn''t mean that they don''t have to pay the money back. No matter how good the Master is, it was impossible to give the money away like that. Whoever had to pay rent still had to pay their own rent. She and Zhang Xiao''bao can help them find ways to make money, but they can''t directly put their own money in. Any extra money they gave away was for special reasons. At the end of this year, everyone will have to pay a small amount of money; this was considered as paying for various insurance and funds. The money or items collected will be managed by Zhang Xiao''bao. When the timees, they can earn even more money. In addition to the use of funds on things such as medical care and various housing, the excess can be used to create more benefits such as using it to improve the road conditions of the manor, etc. She didn''t have to worry about those things, so she changed the topic to ask about the ce to be purchased. "It''s better than giving the money out for nothing. If we can take something in exchange, then let''s take it. When houses need to be built in the Manors, that ce has stones there. Regardless, we have to support Magistrate Cheng." Zhang Xiao''bao looked resigned. Wang Juan suddenlyughed, "Are you fooling an idiot? Forget it, I won''t ask you anymore. I don''t believe that you will buy it but not do anything with it and just wait for stones to be dug and shipped back to build houses. Let''s go and see our little seedlings, I decided to set up a special team to protect all kinds of seedlings. I have thought about the name already, ots called the "Strongly Growing Seedlings Protection Team"." The two were cycling forward, and Housekeeper Wang hurried over to them from there. "Young Miss, Young Master, the Ge Manor really lost a lot. I told Ge Ying''xi that we can help them by giving them some seedlings. He''s willing to pay three times of the cost of seeds with grains as payment. Do you think this will work? If it doesn''t work, the price can be raised again." Housekeeper Wang asked Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. It was already said at the beginning that if the Ge Manor was in trouble, he could help ording to the situation, otherwise, he would not dare to make his own decisions. "It works, why not? He''s paying triple. It doesn''t take much effort anyway. Go ask him how many seedlings he wants. Tell him that the grains must be ones that can be used as nting seeds, otherwise the price will be doubled. If he pays with normal grains, then it''s a loss for us. Xiao''bao, I have decided. Starting next year, we will sell rice seedlings. We can just use this year''s crop output as publicity. We will find a few smart people and let them work on making hybrid rice. You know how to do this, right? " Wang Juan settled the matter. "No, I don''t learn those kinds of simple subjects that are used to help feed hundreds of millions of people." Zhang Xiao''bao shook his head disdainfully. "I finally found out that your face is way too thick. Then, let''s study aplex subject: physics. You pedal by yourself starting now and I will control the direction for you. Let''s see how much force you will have to exert in order for us to arrive at the nearest paddy within ten minutes." In the San''shui County, Magistrate Cheng apanied all types of people who were sent by the Imperial Court. First of all, he had to treat them with food and drinks. There were dozens of people in the group but only a few of them were here to do actual work and the rest were here to follow behind and suck up advantages. It stands to reason that the Magistrate Cheng should not only entertain these people well, but also give some money as tolls to his future career path, but he didn''t gain much money from political grafts, and he didn''t collect much. He would have to give one hundred taels to each person, and there were so many people so it would be tens of thousands taels of silver. Where would he get it from? Thus, the idea of paying tolls was scrapped. Those people originally wanted to y around and get some benefits, but seeing that the Magistrate didn''t cooperate with them, they never gave him a good face. From time to time, there were people who acted nitpicky, such as saying the streets were too messy. Of course, if they were given money, they would say it was bustling. Magistrate Cheng knew about this clearly so he didn''t make any excuses and let them talk. The day was gloomy today and this made Magistrate Cheng more happy. He hoped that it would rain to alleviate the natural disaster. Yet some peopleined that it was cold. Magistrate Cheng got angry and found the Magistrate Assistant. After receiving a few words of instructions, the Magistrate Assistant took a nce at those people and turned to leave. After waiting for the people to leave, Magistrate Cheng began to work on cases. Actually, there weren''t any real cases. Ever since Zhou Xi''hu stopped making trouble and Magistrate Cheng harshly dealt with the idlers, the county became much more stable. It''s nothing more than some family''s eggying chicken suddenly disappeared, the cow got sick and so on. For the people above, they didn''t have to deal with such small things at all, but for themoners, the loss was significant. If the chicken is lost, there will be no egg and the family may have been counting on the chicken egg surviving; even if the chicken is sold, it can still be exchanged for some firewood, rice, oil, or salt. "Chen Dong, go to Li Liu''s house to see why his pigs aren''t eating anymore." A wooden stick4 was thrown from the table and Magistrate Cheng ordered the bailiff who frequented the Zhang Manor. "Yes, I''ll go have a look now." Chen Dong has long been use to these kinds of random jobs, and hurried away after taking the wooden stick. He didn''t dare to neglect the matter. If the pig starved to death, then Li Liu''s family would lose a few taels of silver. "Song Yang, go to Sha''he Vige for a look. Why is there one less duck at Wang Wu''s house? Check out whether it was dragged by something inside the river or stolen by someone." Magistrate Cheng dealt with each matter one by one, and themoners who came to look for him were waiting eagerly, hoping that the magistrate could help them solve these important matters. The morning passed under these circumstances. The county magistrate also rushed back and told Magistrate Cheng that all arrangements were properly made. Only then did the magistrate leave the questioning hall, and turned to go invite those people to eat.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. "advance by a foot after we gave him an inch"
I used the literal definition in the trantion and this Chinese idiom describes a person being dissatisfied with the small amount given by others and demands to have more.
  1. "Mu"
This is a measurement of area, and is equivalent to 1/15 hectares or about 667 m2.
  1. "Cloth payment fee"
During the early years of the Tang Dynasty, it was required for each household to hand in a certain amount of grains and cloth (such as silk and cotton) as payment to the government. The word "" refers specifically to the cloth requirement of the fees.
  1. Wooden stick
This wooden stick is given to bailiffs by the Magistrate and is equivalent to a warrant. With this wooden stick, the bailiff is able to make arrests and bring people to the administrative office for interrogations or questioning. d Book 1: Chapter 81 Book 1: Chapter 81 Chapter 81 The Magistrate''s Rage and The Clouds Disperse When Magistrate Cheng came to invite them to go eat, these people, who had been waiting impatiently, followed Magistrate Cheng without any hesitation. For the past two days, they were quite satisfied with the foods arranged by Magistrate Cheng. As long as it was a ce thatMagistrate Cheng brought them to, the food was more tasty than the ones they have eaten before. Zhou Xi''hu''s uncle Zhou Kong was also among them, but he was not like those who came here to just enjoy themselves. While everyone else was getting ready to ride the carriages, he went to find the Magistrate Cheng. "An''ran1, you spent a lot of money in these two days, right? I can see that you are different from other county magistrates. Why don''t you spend your time trying to find more ways to make money?" There was an obvious implication in this statement. You, a county magistrate, have not promoted or demoted in a few years here, and your position is considered stabilized already. Why don''t you make some money? It''s not like the county doesn''t have rich households. Magistrate Cheng smiled helplessly, "What my lord has said is correct, but as the official of an area, it is fine if there is enough to eat, drink and live. How could I trouble themoners. My lord, please get into the carriage." After walking Zhou Kong to the carriage parking lot, Magistrate Cheng sighed. He was feeling distressed and he really didn''t know who to speak to. There were still a few people in the San''shui County that he couldn''t touch; they were retired government officials, how about you give a go at them? Some transactions were manipted by these people. In addition to them, there was also Zhou Kong''s nephew, Zhou Xi''hu. Looking at him now, he seemed fine but he wasn''t like that at the beginning. He caused troubles all day long, and he was too busy cleaning up his mess, so how could he have time to make money? Comb it off themoners? How dangerous would that even be? During the first two years of the new emperor''s reign, the officialdom was in chaos. He didn''t have the guts to reach out, but with the new emperor, he was even more scared of making a move. If he was treated as a chicken to be killed for monkeys to watch2. It was really not worth it. Last year, the situation was finally loosened up, but before he could make any moves, the auspicious omen appeared. There were so many eyes staring at him. And now, another auspicious omen came out this year. This was good since he could now care for his people without any worries. During the new years, he gave out gifts just once and his reputation of being a good official spread. Even if he was stupid, he wouldn''t do things that hurt his reputation or weaken his power3. Furthermore, there were still the masterminds at the Zhang Manor that were still watching him closely. Who knows what those two people are thinking of? If he actually did something that brings on the anger of the heavens andints of the people, then what will happen if the masterminds gets angry? He arrived at his carriage, and right before he was about to get on, he nced at the carriages belonging to the other people, who were anxious to leave. He sneered, and quickly climbed in. Under the rumbling noises of the carriages wheels, the group headed towards a ce. This time, only two bailiffs and the Magistrate Assistant followed along and the rest of the people of the administrative office didn''t go because they knew that this time was nothing but hardships and suffering and that there won''t be any good food to eat. If they wanted to eat, then it was better to just go home. There were still some pickled vegetables at home that were given by the Zhang Manor. It was not known what they added but the taste was different from other ces. It was not so salty, but instead, it was refreshing with a taste of savory. The taste of just drinking it with porridge was beyond description. As soon as the carriages of Magistrate Cheng''s group started moving, it didn''t stop. After driving for more than an hour, everyone in the carriages were puzzled. They have already passed by the prosperous parts of the county; could it be possible that there were good restaurants hidden in remote ces? After thinking about this, those who had the same thoughts got excited. They thought of going to a ce with mountains and waters around, preferably with a few small bridges, and a pavilion or something. And then, eating delicious dishes that they have never tried before while chatting about the wind and moon, or maybe even reciting a few lines of poems too. Only then would it worthing out here. Thinking about this, their moods became better and they didn''t feel annoyed sitting in the carriages. "Uncle, there seems to be something wrong. There aren''t any restaurants here, and even the tea stalls on the side of the road are piles of rubbish. Where does Magistrate Cheng want to bring us?" Others didn''t know about the situation here, but Zhou Xi''hu knew. Back then, he went horse riding with his gang of scoundrel friends and had been to almost everywhere in the entire county so he already knew where everything was. "Little Hu, are you certain? Where will we end up if we keep going down this road? Could it be that we''re exiting the San''shui County?" Zhou Kong listened, and couldn''t help but be surprised. So, he asked his nephew in a soft voice. Zhou Xi''hu waved his hand. "If we were to leave the county, we will have to keep going until the middle of the night. There is a vige up ahead of here. It''s called a vige, but in fact, there are only a dozen households. There are no rivers around, and no wells were dug for water, so they all drink water from a pond that is up in the mountain. Thend they grow crops on were also low quality fields, so there are no guarantees for harvests and if they encounter some sort of natural disasters, then there would be no food at all. I''m guessing that Magistrate Cheng is crazy and wants to bring people over there. That''s it. Don''t be expecting that there will be anything to eat. Uncle, here, thanks to the fact I''m ustomed to eating what the Zhang Manor makes, I also brought some. Eat first, or you would be hungryter. After another quarter of an hour, the carriages cannot pass through and we have to walk by foot. It would be best if Magistrate Cheng led us down the shortcut, or else we would have to climb the mountain. " Zhou Xi''hu jumped out of the carriage and ran to the small carriage that followed behind. He took some things, then climbed back into the carriage. He ced the things in front of his uncle, then poured a half bowl of wine for his uncle, and signaled his uncle to eat. Zhou Kong is not a snooty person. He could already guess what will be eaten when they enter the vige. His body was his own so if he starved himself, then he will be the one that suffers. He picked up the things his nephew offered to him out of respect and began to eat. Zhou Xi''hu also ate too. Surely enough, just as Zhou Xi''hu said, when the two of them ate the food, the group stopped, and Magistrate Cheng jumped out of his carriage and said to everyone, "My lords, advancing forward with vehicles is no longer feasible. It''s better to get down and walk by foot, and then we can arrive at a good ce after we walk for a distance." "Really? Magistrate Cheng, is that ce somewhere with mountains and rivers?" A man, who had just beared hunger through fantasizing, asked happily. "Exactly just like the poem line Mister Song has recited, ''Repeats of mountains, and oveps of water, as if there were no paths4''..." "I''ll know about this. Schr Song, Song Jinggong''s line has already spread to the ce I was. The next line is ''Behind the dark willows and bright flowers is another vige''. Good, a good ce. Magistrate Cheng must quickly lead us there so we can broaden our horizons." Before Magistrate Cheng could speak, the man continued reciting while rotating his head, as if the poem was written by him. "Then, my lords will have to suffer a bit." With a smile on his face, Magistrate Cheng extended his hand to gesture invitation, and went ahead with the Magistrate Assistant and the two baliffs. "It''s fine, it''s fine, what''s there to be afraid of when it''s just suffering a bit? I didn''t expect that there are such good ces in San''shui County. Everyone, please hurry." This person also smiled and waved his hand, pretending to be nonchnt and followed behind. The others naturally followed too. At the beginning, the road was easy to walk on but after half an hour, there was no path on the ground anymore. Only a path of less dense grass can be vaguely seen in the half-dry grass. It should be because people only asionally walked through here. Zhou Xi''hu stayed beside his uncle, and he carried two water pouches on his back. Seeing that everyone was still talking about the scenery enthusiastically, he whispered to his uncle, "Uncle, it''s over. Magistrate Cheng really wants to torture people. Following this path to walk to that vige, we will probably be able to see the smokes of civilization only before it turns dark. But only just seeing it. If we were to actually arrive at that ce, we would have to walk for another two hours. Good thing I brought enough water. I knew that Magistrate Cheng did not have good intentions. Later, I will get you a stick, and you can use it as a cane. Don''t force yourself. " Zhou Xi''hu was talking while looking around to try to find a suitable branch. He knew that his uncle seldomly walked this much so he would be easily tired. Zhou Kong would not doubt his nephew. Hearing this, he took a deep breath and prepared himself to wee the suffering. He looked at the water pouch on his nephew''s body he felt d that his nephew was really sensible now. He knows that he should make money for his family by doing business, sympathize with others, and make arrangements in advance. When he goes to the Zhang Manor, he will definitely thank them. He suddenly remembered something and asked his nephew in a low voice. "Little Hu, while we were in the car just now, did you bring the beef jerky that we didn''t eat because it was too dry? I''m guessing that by the time we can see smoke, we would be hungry already. " Thud thud thud. ''Zhou Xi''hu patted his own chest and then squeezed his eyes as he spoke, "Uncle, don''t worry, I have brought them all. Didn''t you see me getting off the carriage to return to my own carriage in the afternoon? Not only did I bring the beef jerky, but I also wrapped arge scallion pancake and two salted duck eggs in oil paper. These were all made by the Zhang Manor. Unfortunately, there is no hot water. Otherwise, there''s also their you''cha''mian roasted in tallow rendered from beef marrow bones5 on my carriage. All of these were given to me so that I can offer them to my elders. Now, when I eat, I would go to their little shop that they run. The price is cheap and it tastes good. I bought this pancake in the morning. " Zhou Kong looked over and found that his nephew''s body was covered with puffy pockets, and he couldn''t help but sigh. His nephew was blessed this time because of trouble. They were able to cooperate on business sales and give him foods to offer to elders, so they can''t be bad guys. At this time, he wished he could escape from this group of people immediately so that he could go take a look at that manor and thank them. He would also take the chance to see if he can help them in any ways, and not just wait for benefits and take advantage of them. Zhou Kong and his nephew Zhou Xi''hu were prepared, and Magistrate Cheng had eaten and drank already. The two fourth-rank officials who came from the imperial court were also given tea and snacks, and they must have brought some along with them and did not have to fear that they would starve until the point their chests sank into their backs. As for the rest of the people, they were all talking about flowers and trees while holding back the taste of acid reflux from their stomachs. With the arrival of the drought came, the flowers and grass were almost all withered so the scenery was not that mesmerizing. Magistrate Cheng still had that smile on his face. As he walked, he sped up a little bit and everyone behind him unconsciously sped up too, The group of people flooded toward the "another vige" that was mentioned in the legend. * At the Zhang Manor, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, who were riding on their bicycle, asked Housekeeper Wang to find Shi''liu to select seeds. Two of them went all the way to little bridge and from a distance, they could see people busy building houses in the downstream area. The foundation was still notplete yet, and the bottom was still water and sand and mud. Even with the drought, water woulde out after digging. "Xiao''bao, let''s ask an old man who knows how to predict the forecast. Even now, the sky is still cloudy and sultry. I wonder when it will rain." Wang Juan looked at the ming hot area and wiped her sweat. "No need, it''s going to be clear soon, look." Zhang Xiao''bao was about to ask someone just as Wang Juan said, but when he looked up at the sky, rays of sunlight were peaking through, and the dark clouds seemed to fade with the sun''s appearance.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. "An''ran
As mentioned in Chapter 65, "An''ran" is Magistrate Cheng''s given name. Normally, people would not be able to refer to Magistrate Cheng as "An''ran" since this was considered disrespectful, unless they are on close terms with him. However, Zhou Kong was able to do so because he is a higher ranking official.
  1. "treated as a chicken to be killed for monkeys to watch"
I left this as a literal trantion because I think the author was referring to the four word Chinese proverb , which means to "kill a chicken to threaten the monkeys". It describes punishing another person as a warning to others.
  1. "do things that hurt his reputation or weaken his power"
I decided to go for the implied definition instead in the trantion. This is a Chinese proverb which literally means "self-destroy the Great Wall".
  1. "Repeats of mountains, and oveps of water, as if there were no paths"
This is a line from an actual poem written by Lu You during the Song Dynasty, and it describes the beautiful scenery of the countryside. For those who are curious, here''s my loose trantion of the entire poem: Don''tugh at the farmer''s cloudy wine that was made at the end of the year, keeping the guests with wonderful dishes during a year of good harvest. Repeats of mountains, and oveps of water, as if there were no paths, Behind the dark willows and bright flowers is another vige. Orchestras of flute and drums chase after the nearing spring festival, Robes and headdresses were simple and in but the traditional air persists. If more adventures can be taken under the beautiful moonlight in future years, I will definitelye with my cane to knock on your house''s door.
  1. "you''cha''mian roasted in tallow rendered from beef marrow bones"
This roux-like dish is usually eaten as a snack or as breakfast. It''s made by dry-roasting wheat flour until it turns a golden color, and then an oil or fat, such as beef tallow orrd, is drizzled onto the flour. Then hot boiling water is added to the flour mixture and stirred until it has a very thick sauce like consistency. Sugar, peanut paste, sesame paste, nuts, and dried fruits are usually added, and it can be eaten with Chinese twisted crispy doughnuts (ma''hua). Book 1: Chapter 82 Book 1: Chapter 82 The night was approaching and the slightly exposed distant stars entwined around the new moon. The sky was clear and the overcast was gone. Who was blowing the willow flute again, and subtly reciting to the mountains? "The ce at this moment is truly an immortal''s residence. Uncle, what do you think?" Zhou Xi''hu and his uncle walked to a ce ten steps away from the others, and they found a big rock and sat down on it. Facing another mountain, he loudly spoke. Those who came here to be freeloaders no longer have the same high spirits they had earlier on. Everyone one of themid there like dead dogs, and they didn''t care whether or not the half-withered grass would poke their body ufortably, and furthermore, they didn''t even care that the ground was cold during the night when the dew was condensing. They didn''t have any strength left on their entire body, and their stomachs never stopped growling. Originally, they thought that Magistrate Cheng had made proper arrangements beforehand such that food and wine would be served to them when they became tired, so at the beginning, they were able to bear with it for a while. Then, after four hours of walking, some people began to question Magistrate Cheng but every time he would reply, "Almost, we will be there if we walk a bit more." How long have they been walking for? It was 10 pm1 already, and after a while, which was 11 pm, they saw some smokes of civilization. A few lights shed vaguely on the short mountain ahead, and the sound of the willow flute was also heard. When they heard it at first, they thought that it was melodious, but at this moment, it was an ear-piercing noise. Magistrate Cheng was also tired. Except for the two bailiffs who often did work, every single person was tired. The only difference was the two fourth-rank officials, the bailiffs, the Magistrate Assistant, Zhou Xi''hu and his uncle, and the magistrate have all eaten before, while the others didn''t eat anything. They ate some porridge in the morning, and that was thest thing they ate. They were only able to continue walking down this mountain path because the way back was even further away. Magistrate Cheng drank a sip of water. "I heard people say that the ce here was good, but who would have thought that this seemingly close ce was this far away? If we had ridden horses, we would have unknowingly tire our horses to death because we only kept our eyes on the mountain ahead2. I thought that we would arrive there at dusk, but I have miscalcted. I apologize to my lords. Drink some water first, but drink conservatively. When we first came, we only prepared each person half a sac of water; there''s not much anymore." While saying that, Magistrate Cheng ordered the bailiffs to give water to everyone. The freeloaders were all given big water sacs, and each person took a few sips. The two leading government officials were given small water sacs. When they first received the water, they drank it the same way they usually did, but then they suddenly froze for a moment. Their eyes borrowed the light of the moon to sweep their vision across the surrounding people, and then they turned their bodies slightly to the side and started to drink slowly. The two of them drank while chewing, and they tried their best to control the sound of their chewing. The content inside turned out to be thick lotus porridge. It was a bit cooled already, but it was better than being hungry. The bailiff went over to Zhou Xi''hu to deliver the sacs. Zhou Xi''hu opened it and knew what was inside after he sniffed it. He handed it back, indicating that he didn''t need it. He took a salted duck egg out of his robe and handed it over. The bailiff was stunned, and then he nodded gratefully and took the salted duck eggs. He turned and left. "It''s delicious. When your father and I were young, our family was poor and couldn''t eat anything. One day we picked a piece of pancake that someone else identally dropped on the ground. Your father and I ate it for three days; that taste was simr to the taste of this. Why are the duck eggs so salty?" Zhou Kong took a bite of the pancake and ate a little bit of the duck egg white, then he whispered to his nephew. Zhou Xi''hu also ate, and took out the beef jerky and put it in his mouth to chew. "There are only a few people who would buy non-salty ones. The small shop that the Zhang Manor has here is only visited by people with little money. Usually, when a small group of people ate there, they would order two dishes, and a few salted eggs. They would eat the dishes with some wine, and then eat some staple food with a duck egg, and this was enough. There are also a few that would go there to have a bowl of wine and a salted chicken egg. Chicken eggs were cheaper. They would take a tiny bite of the salted chicken egg and drink a sip of wine. After they''re done drinking, they would pack up the remaining half of the salted egg and bring it back home; this was enough for another two meals. The non-salted ones won''t work, so a lot of people eat at that shop. " Zhou Kong was ddened by the intentions of the little shop, but he was a little puzzled. Zhou Xi''hu shook his head, "I don''t know, that Manor seems a bit mystical. Everything they do seemed bold and unstrained like a heavenly horse galloping in the sky. Uncle, eat more pancakes and drink some water." He handed the water sac over and waited until his uncle finished eating a bite of the pancake before letting him drink it, otherwise there would be a taste of salted duck eggs in his mouth, and this will make the water off-tasting. Some were hungry and some were secretly eating. After a quarter of an hour, Magistrate Cheng, who had finished drinking the porridge, greeted everyone, "My lords have already rested, should we continue on?" "No, I can''t walk anymore, Magistrate Cheng, send someone to that ce''s houses to get some food and bring it back to us. Also, bring back two rugs. Let''s not walk anymore." The person who spoke first earlier on was now beingzy andid there while sighing. Magistrate Cheng thought about it a little bit and nodded. "Alright, since my lords are willing to wait here, then the three officials and I will go on ahead. When we get there, we will order someone to deliver things to here. Everyone, take care." Magistrate Cheng was about to leave as he spoke. The three officials he was referring to were those two from the court who came here with actual duties toplete and Zhou Kong. The bailiffs, the Magistrate Assistant, and Zhou Xi''hu also got up too. Zhou Kong and the other two had eaten already, so of course, they followed too. When the few people left and had walked about ten steps away, one of the people who was still lying there yelled, "Oh no! Once they leave, what if Magistrate Cheng prepares food for those three to eat first and only remembers about us afterwards, then wouldn''t we have to wait until tomorrow morning for food to be sent here? If the bailiff also takes a few rests along the way, I would either starve to death or freeze to death. I must follow them." As soon as he finished speaking, he got up and ran. His hungry and tired look was not apparent at all anymore because he forced himself. The others froze for a moment, and followed after they came to their senses. They didn''t think they would die of freezing and starvation. They would be fine bearing it for another two days, but the suffering wouldn''t be light. Hearing the sound of footsteps behind, the corners of Magistrate Cheng''s mouth turned upwards, but he didn''t make any no sound. The two bailiffs were up ahead leading the way; fortunately there was still a bit of light from the star and moon, otherwise everyone would really have to walk until tomorrow morning. Everyone didn''t talk along the way, and there was nothing to say. They were so tired that they were struggling to breathe. They continued on like this until 3:00 AM, and they arrived at the ce. There were about 30 houses and more than a dozen households. There was a torch that was lit and around twenty people standing there waiting. He was sent here by Zhang Xiao''bao. Originally, they did not intend to torture these people like this; Magistrate Cheng just had to take everyone to a ce and let Zhou Xi''hu''s uncle sneak off to the Zhang Manor. However, Magistrate Cheng was angered so he made slight adjustments to the n, and it turned out to be like this now. "You can''t even handle a task that is this small? Is it so difficult to prepare some food?" Magistrate Cheng''s expression darkened and he shouted out. When those freeloaders heard this, they understood that Magistrate Cheng had arranged for people toe here to prepare first, but it seemed that the people who came did not get the task done. The slight hope they had just now had turned into disappointment. If there was nothing to eat, they would starve to death. Song Jing''gong''s head lowered, and he exined: "My lord, it''s not that I didn''t prepare it. The people here did make the food, but they insist that money must be paid. I didn''t bring money with me. My lord, did you bring any?" "I didn''t bring any. Wait for me to ask the other lords. My lords, the food has been prepared there already, I wonder which of you have brought money?" Magistrate Cheng shook his head and turned around to ask. Everyone shook their heads, who would bring money here, we are all waiting to bring some bribery money back. Zhou Xi''hu had brought money, but he wouldn''t foolishly take it out, and he copied others and shook his head like a rattle. "Oh no! Everyone didn''t bring any money, what should be done? It''s better to put it on a tab first, then I will send the moneyter. Zi''jin, try to negotiate with them." Magistrate Cheng spoke embarrassingly and then Song Jing''gong left as ordered. After a little while, Magistrate Cheng turned around and smiled helplessly, "My lord, it''s not possible, they won''t believe that I will send the moneyter." "Don''t put it on a tab. I have a jade pendant here, let them hold onto it first, and then Magistrate Cheng can help me retrieve itter." An official couldn''t bear with his hunger anymore and took out a jade pendant, which he normally hung on his waist, from the inside of his robe. He handed the jade pendant with a bit of reluctance. When he was hiking in the mountains earlier, he was scared that the jade pendant would be scratched, so he had ced it inside his robe. "My lords, it''s not that the people in the vige are stingy, but the days are really hard to go byand there is a drought again. We don''t know what the harvest will be like in autumn so the people in the vige are scared. Oh, I''m the vige chief of the vige. My surname is Qin, so it is fine for my lords to call me Old Man Tuo." After saying this, he did not wait for others to speak and he continued to speak, "I don''t know who this pendant belongs to, forgive me for my clumsy eyes, but I can''t tell whether it is jade or stone. If it was in the hands of a connoisseur, it may be worth thousands of gold ingots, but if it was ced in this vige, then it''s not even as valuable as half a bowl of whole grains. I ask that my lords take this stone, oh no, this jade pendant back." "How is this a stone? You...you?" The official who took out the jade pendant carefully took the jade pendant into his hand, and questioned the old man with his eyes widened. "It''s not a stone, I made a mistake. Jade, it is jade, good jade, but no one in the vige understands." Vige Chief Qin was obviously frightened, and he shivered and exined incoherently. He meant to say that giving jade wouldn''t work, and there was food, but it depends on what they intended to give in exchange. Magistrate Cheng held back a smile, thinking that this Vige Chief Qin was really good, and he tried to resolve the dispute, "My lord, don''t be angry, do not think too much of their words, it''s not worth it. Vige Chief Qin, tell me, what should be done so that you would give us food?"
Trantor''s Notes
  1. "10 pm"
Since the story takes ce in the early periods of the Tang Dynastry, the timekeeping system is such that (Hai Hours) is the time interval from 9 pm - 11:00 pm (this system changes in thete Tang Dynasty and is actually from 10 pm-12:00 am). So the literal trantion could be "four quarters past the Hai Hours", which would be 10 pm.
  1. "this seemingly close ce was this far away? If we had ridden horses, we would have unknowingly tire our horses to death because we only kept our eyes on the mountain ahead"
This Chinese phrase describes something that is really far away but looks like it is nearby. The literal trantion means "looking at the mountain, and the horse dies from running". I tried to modify the trantion a bit to make it fit better into the tranted text. Book 1: Chapter 83 Book 1: Chapter 83 The moon looked like a hook and the night was quiet. Lamp oil dripped with the solitary light. The diligent pen never rested; the ink spread lightly and the wrist slowly retracted. Two shadows remained on the wall and apany each other in the heart. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan slept for four hours after dinner, and got up again in the middle of the night to read, and practice calligraphy. Both of them knew that happiness was not given by others; they had to pursue it themselves. They took advantage of their young age and that they were more sensible than other children, and learned more. Some of the knowledge could be used in the future. It was particrly useful for Zhang Xiao''bao since he has to take the Imperial Examination. With an official position, it would be convenient for him to handle certain matters. The n for the two of them was to sleep eleven hours a day. After dinner, they would sleep forfour hours from 6 pm to 10 pm, then get up to study for four hours. At 2 AM they will sleep all the way until 6 AM, and after they ate breakfast, they would exercise through ying games. Afterwards, they would take a bath and then sleep for an hour. They would eat lunch at noon, and if there were no important things happening, they would sleep for two hours. Their day went by just like that, and special arrangements were made if there were special asions. Both Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan have undergone special sleep training. There were two types: one was to quickly enter deep sleep, which can speed up the recovery of their bodies by a lot, and the other was to enter light sleep, during which if there were no movements and no threats, they would sleep, otherwise, they would be able to immediately wake up and react instinctively. Shi''liu wasying in the outer room and slept early since she had a lot of work to do during the day. Originally, she wasn''t given this kind of treatment but Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan insisted that she should sleep more. Two others kept watch at night in the room that was even further out, so they did not have to worry that they wouldn''t have time to react if something happened. "Zhou Xi''hu''s uncle is arriving soon. Magistrate Cheng used such a harsh trick. If it weren''t forsomeone from the administrative officeing over to tell me, I would have thought MagistrateCheng would treat those people with delicious foods and drinks, so that they could not pay attention to others." After writing for more than an hour, Wang Juan stopped first, rubbed her wrists, and picked up the oilmp again. With two crackling sounds, the light brightened again. "Yeah. Those people are officials by title but they have no real power. You don''t have to worry about Magistrate Cheng offending people. Besides, as long as Magistrate Cheng doesn''t let them know who made the arrangements, they can only hate the vigers over there. Retaliation is impossible since the lives of the vigers are worthless, but their own future is important. Onemp is too dim, add-- rece it with a candle. We made so much money, so might as well spend it. Where could we go get our eyes treated if our vision worsens from straining our eyes? Someonee, bring three candles and light them all." Zhang Xiao''bao continued analyzing the situation and then felt that his eyes were sore so he ordered the people outside who were on night duty to bring candles. The two girls that were sitting out there were chatting and eating snacks when they heard what happened inside, and they did not dare to neglect their duties so they followed his orders to bring in candles. They didn''t bring three, but one bundle of them instead so that they can easily change themter. Once the candles were lit, the brightness in the room becamepletely different. Zhang Xiao''bao was satisfied. "Not bad. Is my dad also reading at night? Send some candles to my dad. If he doesn''t want it, then bring this oilmp over there. If my family still suffers even after I earn a lot of money, then why bother earning money??" The two girls didn''t say anything, and they took the oilmp and left. One continued to stay there to keep watch, and the other went out. She looked at the night sky outside, and shivered. Fortunately, there was a torch in the yard swaying with the wind, so it was not so dark. She encouraged herself to not be scared and then walked out of the yard. Just when she walked to a dark corner, she noticed that there seemed to be a shadow shaking there, and she almost dropped themp in her hand. Seeing the shaking shadow stop moving, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. She remembered that these were the people that were arranged to be stationed there in the Manor, and her suspended heartpletely settled down. She didn''t know that the Manor had put a lot of effort into choosing people. There were many people who had fled the crisis to here, but only two families were chosen, and they had to report to the administrative office. "It seems that this drought will stay; now we don''t have to worry anymore. The day was so cloudy but there was not a single drop of rain. When will our grains, chickens and ducks be delivered there? It''s a long journey so it''s going to take a long time." Wang Juan dipped the brush in ink. When she was about to start writing, she asked Zhang Xiao''bao. "In another two months. When the locust gue over there has begun, we will make a move. That way, its arrival will perfectly coincide with the period of time where they''re anxious to eradicate the locusts. The eggs that Ying''tao have incubated will hatch by then, and they can be brought there too to eat locusts. Eggs can be sold in exchange for other things to bring back." "Are the chickens going to be brought back?" Wang Juan asked another question. Zhang Xiao''bao nodded affirmatively and said, "Of course they have to bring it back, they''re eggying hens. I also hope to give the residents another source of ie. The chickens can be herded all the way back to here and there is no need to feed them other food. Locusts can fly, so there will probably be some here too. We can say we''re doing this in the name of eliminating harm for the people, so righteousness is on our side." Wang Juan was about to write, but when she heard this, she put down the brush again and stared at Zhang Xiao''bao. "Are you stupid? What righteousness? When there was a locust gue, the people prayed on their knees. It was actually that person whose surname was Yao that took up the responsibility and began the extermination of insects." "What you have just said is also correct. In history, it was said that he killed the locusts in a timely manner. In fact, it was nothing more than not allowing the locusts to spread on arge scale. Both of those two ces have suffered a lot. Li Long''ji2 wanted to eliminate the locusts, but he did not want to be held responsible for offending the heavens. Government officials andmoners did not want to exterminate them. With that said, we can''t use "in the name of righteousness" as an excuse anymore. I have to think of a way... I know, the chickens can still eat on the way back, but during that time, we can exchange eggs with the surroundingmoners for anything besides grains. It can just be said that these chickens were specifically here to deliver eggs to everyone during the disaster. Inform the one surnamed Yao, and ask for him to send a document. There are so many chickens and ducks, they will look like a royal swarm of mighty phoenixes3. " "No, I have little arms and legs, I don''t want to leave any long term damages. Xi''hu''s uncle may be there tomorrow week. Let''s study." Zhang Xiao''bao yawned. He picked up the towel in the basin next to him and wiped his face. He felt more energetic, and continued to write.*** "Is this even something people eat? There isn''t even a bowl of soup, bah!" In the small mountain vige, Magistrate Cheng and the others were finally able to eat food, and the people in the vige served the food--- rice balls after rice balls. To be precise, it was something made from a mixture of brown rice, bran and some wild vegetables steamed together. When a bite was taken, an astringent taste was brought to the mouth. If it was swallowed just like that, then the inside of the esophagus will be scratched. If the person tries hard to chew on it, then the moment the person bites down, their entire mouth will be filled with fibrous bits. When the person tries to force it down with water, a line of burning sensation that starts from the neck is felt. In addition to this thing, which can be regarded as aplete meal by itself, there was also a side dish made from "Granny Ding5", which was just dandelion, and a wild vegetable called bitter butterfly6, and it was mixed in withrge grains of ck salt. The taste was bitter and it stung the inside of the mouth. After eating a few bites, there was one person who immediately couldn''t stand it. He puked out the bits of bran andined loudly. "Stop puking it out, just eat. It''s better than being hungry. Out of all the dishes they normally ate, aren''t these the best dishes? If you puke it out, then you''re the one that starves. If that does happen, don''t even think of eating our shares. Tomorrow morning we have to get up and work on the vige. By then, you will be hungry and you won''t have any energy. If you can''t get any work done, do you think people will give you food at noon?" Another official heard the manining and felt that the food in front of him was even more unptable, so he interrupted the man''s word. He picked up a bite of the small dish, and he opened his mouth and stuffed it in. He chewed down hard a few times and then took another bite out of the rice ball again. Putting his life on the line, he desperately mixed the two things together in his mouth and picked up his water and flushed it down. Then, he let out a long sigh. "Eat it all, it''s okay tasting. My stomach feels much better now. After we do two days of work, and after Magistrate Cheng sends a person toe with money, and other foods, then this will be all over. The two Deputy Chiefs are enjoying the food right now. Could it be that we don''t understand the suffering of the people?" Everyone gritted their teeth and ate. The two Deputy Chiefs were enjoying their food. Their rice balls also had brown rice, bran and wild vegetables, and the side dish in front of them was also the same as the other ones. Without close inspection, it looked like there was no difference, but if the rice ball was ripped open, the difference was obvious once a closer look was taken. The inside of the rice balls they ate were filled with shredded pork. The wild vegetables were cooked in oil, and the bran was finely grounded. The brown rice was steamed first before it wasmixed in. The salt used in the side dishes was also different. It also looked dark, but it was actually meat sauce that was fried in oil. "Yes, it''s not easy for the people. They normally eat this kind of food. We have to be strive hard to be more conservative. It''s also good to asionally eat unrefined grains. What do my two lords think?" Zhou Kong picked out two pieces of shredded pork with his tongue and chewed them in his mouth as he spoke to others. "That''s right." The Ministry of Work Deputy Chief and Ministry of Rites Deputy Chief said at the same time. They now know that it was not easy for the people. Even though other ingredients were added to their foods, it was still hard to bear with eating it. It was even more obvious when they looked at those that ate ones without extra ingredients. How would themoners afford to eat meat and use oil on a daily basis? The other officials weren''t able to say anything else, so they only nodded their heads in agreement with this statement. After they finished eating in a while, they went to bed early. They will start working tomorrow morning to help the people in the vige carry water and irrigate the soil; the payment will be these two days'' meals. "My lords, maybe you think the food is unptable, but tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow, I''ll get them to make some soup and cook two more dishes." Vige Chief Qin was standing on the side servicing them, and at this moment, he spoke with an apologetic face.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Father Zhang
This refers to Zhang Xiao''bao''s father.
  1. Li Long''ji
This is the personal name of Emperor Xuan''zong of Tang. His reign of 43 years (713-756 CE) was the longest during the Tang Dynasty and he was known to be a good ruler.
  1. "they will look like a royal swarm of mighty phoenixes"
This was extremely hard to trante because there were two levels of wordys involved. Zhang Xiao''bao first describes the chickens and duck as mighty and vast ()and then he makes a connection to another Chinese phrase that uses simr words; this was the phrase which means "the Emperor''s benevolence is mighty and vast". However, Zhang Xiao''bao made a pun using the two homonyms, and , which are both pronounced "huang". The former means phoenix and thetter refers to the emperor. The phoenix is metaphorically referring to the chickens and ducks. Therefore, the literal trantion is "the phoenix''s benevolence is mighty and vast". I tried my best to keep some of the original meaning intact while making it consistent with the text and understandable to English readers, but so much was lost in trantion, so I deeply apologize for this.
  1. "What royal might, more like a swarm of mighty locusts" ,
Another pun was made by Wang Juan. As mentioned in trantor''s note #3, Zhang Xiao''bao made a pun using two homonyms, however since he was saying this joke out loud, the listener would not be able to pick up the difference. So here, Wang Juan thought that Zhang Xiao''bao said " which means "the Emperor''s benevolence is mighty and vast". She then goes on to make her pun using the two homonyms and which are also both pronounced "huang" but the former refers to locusts and thetter refers to the Emperor. Her joke is more obvious since she doesn''t stick with the wording of the original phrase, and what she said literally means "locusts are more mighty". Once again, I apologize for the inurate trantion!
  1. Granny Ding
This is another name for dandelion, and this term ismonly used by people in Northern or Northeastern China.
  1. Bitter Butterfly
I kept the literal trantion of this nt name and it is referring to the nt Ixeris sonchifolia. It''s an edible nt that is in the same family as daisies and sunflowers. Book 1: Chapter 84 Book 1: Chapter 84
When there was the first glimmer of sunlight the next morning, the officials were all woken up. Each person drank a bowl of brown rice porridge and ate the side dishes that they had yesterday. After eating, they had no choice but to help out in the vige. They weren''t capable of doing jobs that involved technical skills, and the vigers never hoped that they would be able to do so, so they were told to carry water. There was a pond in the mountain that was about one li1 away from the vige. The vigers weren''t left with no water since they had water from the mountain pond, the upstream water that flowed down, rain water, and the small spring that was there. No one in the vige grew rice,wheat, millet, or sorghum. There were many vegetable growing fields; the price of vegetables is cheap and money can be exchanged for it more quickly. There were plenty of the vegetables, so some vegetables can be picked, and then a strongborer in the vige can carry it on his back and go outside to sell it. They took another route. Other than these officials that didn''t know about the situation, no one was stupid enough to traverse so many mountains. After they made some money from selling the vegetables, they would buy salt, oil and other rted items and bring them back. Life was a bit harsh, but it was not harsh enough that they had to eat bran all day long. There was also a small mill in the vige. They grew soybeans on the farnds on the mountain, and they were asionally able to eat soy products. Majority of the beans were handed in as tax payment. Magistrate Cheng knew that they converted that wastnd into farnd, but he didn''t record into the records, so the vigers were able to have some spare money. During the Chinese New Year, Magistrate Cheng also brought the things from Zhang Manor to this ce. Therefore, the vigers did whatever he arranged. The vigers don''t care how powerful the officials were or which rankings they had; the vigers listened to whoever that treated them well. They were extremely respectful towards Magistrate Cheng when other people weren''t watching. They even boiled water for him to bathe in, and before everyone were woken up to eat breakfast, they gave Magistrate Cheng two golden fried eggs sprinkled with sugar first. The officials'' jobs were arranged by the vigers, and it ranged from far to near, from light to heavy. At noon, someone delivered them food and they ate directly at the ce where they were working at. A group of officials changed their clothes and started gritting their teeth while working. After walking for so long yesterday, all of them felt sore in their backs and legs, but they had to persist. The two Deputy Chiefs didn''t even say anything, so they were in no position toin. The two bailiffs did not have to work since they went back to fetch money and get things. They left quietly with Zhou Kong and Zhou Xi''hu, who were both also assigned to do work. Zhou Kong was going to Zhang Manor to discuss some matters and thank them. They were going toe back two dayster; the bailiffs will wait until then to return back here with them and some food. As for the money, it was given already, and this money was paid by the county. Regardless of the quality of the food that the officials ate, it still costs money. The people in the vige do notck thisbor as they were able to do the things by themselves, so why would they bother finding someone to do work in exchange for food? "We''re out, we''re finally out." Zhou Kong saidfortably as he looked at the scenery outside the mountain. "My lord, your carriage will be here soon. Those who followed my lord have been persuaded to go back. They were told that my lord will have a good rest here for two days and there will be people caring for my lord. So don''t worry about theming searching for you." The bailiff that came over from the administrative office to wait here reported to Zhou Kong. The bailiff replied back respectfully, "Don''t worry, my lord, the county has the Record-keeper and the County Lieutenant in charge. All the matters were trivial matters. Mister Zhou is also taking care of the San''shui county, so there will be no major issues. Other than the Recordkeeper, Lord Zhao, who does not talk a lot, everyone else is friendly. There are no weak links in the chain." Zhou Kong was on their side, so the bailiff''s words were more extensive. Zhou Kong didn''t say anything this time since he was not worried anymore. His carriage also arrived at this time. The bailiff rode the horse to lead the way, and the outline of the group of people soon disappeared from the foot of the mountain. The strong wind passed, and the people of Ge manor were still helping the seedlings stand upright. Some of the unusable ones were simply thrown away. The Master Household finally did something to protect the residents. Two days after, the Master Household had provided the seeds for the seedlings. It was said that the three times the amount of seeds were used to exchange for seedlings that did not fall, and the farmers were very happy. The people from Zhang and Wang Manors also inspected the field and picked out the few seedlings that could not resist the wind. They separated a few seedlings from other dense areas and moved them there. They observed which ones were stronger and noted it down. When the autumn harvestes, the nts with plenty ofrge grains will be kept to be used as seeds in the future. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan rode around on their bicycle and when they saw the Manor''s residents show happy expressions over the rice seedlings, they also felthappy too. From time to time, they responded back to their greetings with childish expressions and tones. After Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan had greeted them and left, a ten-year-old child standing beside an adult watched the Young Master and Young Miss, who were now far off in the distance, and spoke to his father. "Don''t talk nonsense, how can the Young Master and Young Miss bepared to rice seedlings? If I hear you say that again, then you will get pped in the face.. The father lectured his child, and he squatted down and looked at the one nt that was in front of him. That seedling once helped protect other seedlings from the wind. He narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I don''t dare to say that again, but I still feel that way." The child agreed, but he did not change his mind. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan stopped when they arrived at the little bridge and looked at the construction site that was still worked on. They were hoping that it would bepleted more soon. "Xiao''bao, when Zhou Xihu''s unclees over, how many things do have to discuss with him? We can''t speak to him in person, so let''s think about it first so that nothing will go wrong." Wang Juan got off of the bicycle to go see the river that hadpletely stopped flowing and asked. "It should be three things. First is the long-term n for some business cooperation deals with Zhou Xi''hu, the second is to get him to help build a reputation for the restaurant here, and the third is to ask him if anyone offered help during the time when the country was suffering a disaster, and what rewards were given to the prefecture. As for what he wants to discuss about, that is not known. I think he would want to see the two masterminds at the Zhang Manor. Song Jing''gong mentioned more than once that Magistrate Cheng wants to seek discipleship. It seems that these people are curious about this aspect. Should we meet them or not? If we meet them, then someone has to be in the middle to pass news back and forth. This is also a kind of meeting. I''m afraid that when the timees, he will want to ask for the mastermind''s opinion, and ask some sensitive questions." Zhang Xiao''bao sat on the bicycle with his elbow resting on the bar handle in front of him, and he replied after spending a while in thought. "I think we should meet him then and listen to his thoughts so that we can understand him better." Wang Juan suggested. "Okay, then we will let people pass the words back and forth." Zhang Xiao''bao agreed. At 4 PM, a carriage quickly rumbled its way over from the faraway Tu''qiao Vige. Three horses pulled the carriage, and clouds of dust were stirred up along the entire way. The horse looked exhausted, and the coachman only slowed down when they entered the Ge Manor because the roads were not as easy to drive through. Zhou Xi''hu and his uncle were also tired out by the bumpiness of the carriage. As soon as the car slowed down, they directly ordered the carriage to be stopped. He and his uncle got out of the carriage and walked over there by foot. When he first got into the carriage, he still wanted to eat something, but his uncle lectured him saying that some time was needed to go from here to the administrative office, and more time will be needed to go from there to the Manor. The two of them had already made some dys when leaving the vige, so if they were to travel any slower, they would not arrive until nighttime. Therefore, the carriage was rushed all the way, and good thing the horses were good ones, or else the horses would have died from exhaustion if they were normal horses. After getting out of the carriage, the two of them drank some water first, while they allowed the coachman to go let the horses rest. There was a bailiff that apanied them. The bailiff also jumped off his horse and handed the horse to the coachman. The three of them slowly walked to shake off the motion sickness and made their way to the Zhang and Wang Manors. At the moment, they were still in the Ge Manor. As the Si Cang Can Jun, Zhou Kong was in charge of taxation in the Prefecture, and he was also responsible for its storage of supplies. Tax reduction and exemption depended on the local disaster situation. Since he was here, of course he had to take a good look. He let the bailiff lead them down a road in the fields. After the three people walked around the two houses that were blocking their view, arge paddy field appeared in front of them, and there were others working busily in it. Looking from a distance, it seemed as if they were picking things out from the field. "Could it be the river here never stopped flowing?" Zhou Kong hadn''t inquired about the fields here before, so he asked. "It did stop. It stopped flowing a few days ago. The upstream viges have guided the water to their own fields. There was only just a small river here. This ce is called Ge Manor. The water used here is taken from the two manors of the Zhang and Wang families. Before, when there was no drought, the Zhang and Wang Manors stored water in sixrge ponds and dug seven wells. Now the Zhang and Wang Manors have ten wells in total, and the Ge Manor has three." The bailiff stayed on the side to rify his questions. When he talked about Zhang and Wang Manors, his tone was full of respect. Not only was this because the Zhang and Wang Manors were powerful, but they took care of them. On normal days, the Manors would send things over to the administrative office for everyone to share. His family still has fungus that his family couldn''t bear to eat. His wife was pregnant, and every time she wanted to eat it, they would stir-fry a small amount. He didn''t know who told the Zhang Manor a few days ago that his wife was pregnant. Mister Song came by himself to give them some dried tofu skin2, chili sauce, a small jar of ten years old ck vinegar and a bag of white sugar. He said to cut the tofu skin into smaller pieces after soaking it in water, then nch it in hot water and then mix it with sugar and vinegar to give it a sweet and sour taste. It could also be made spicy by adding in chili sauce. At that moment, the other bailiffs looked at him with envious eyes, and when he went home, he was weed by his wife''s smiling face--- both of these was enough to bring pride to his face. Not to mention just praising them and supporting them, but even if he saw them killed someone, he would turn his head away and pretend that he didn''t see anything. Enjoy my little drawing of Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao making their daily biking rounds on the manor!
Trantor''s Notes
  1. "li"
This is a unit for measuring lengths, and is about 500 m.
  1. Dried tofu skin
This is a soy product made from skimming and drying the topyer that is formed from boiling soy milk. Book 1: Chapter 85 Book 1: Chapter 85Shout of to Dan formissioning this week''s extra chapter release!
Just while the bailiff was preupied with his own thoughts, Zhou Kong was alsomenting that the Zhang Manor was so powerful. It was good now that the San''shui County was certainly going to be deemed as afflicted by a drought. Taxes will be exempted if the average yield decreases by 40%. If the average yield of the San''shui County has decreased by 60%, then the cloth tax payment was also exempted. If the yield has decreased by 70%, then even the forcedborers did not have to work. Depending on the situation, San''shui County will at least have it''s output reduced by 50% this year. Magistrate Cheng and Zhou Kong made some slight adjustments, and this year''s tax does not have to be handed in at all. Forcedborers still had to work since they couldn''t reduce the output by 70%. They could help the people here fix the river up ahead. It was a river in front of their houses, so even if nobody told them to fix it, they would still have to fix it anyway. Now it was perfect since it is considered to be all exempted. The other ces were actually affected by the natural disaster, but nothing went on here. The paddy fields of the Ge Manor were like this already, so it can be imagined that the Zhang and Wang Manors were even better. Zhou Kong admired them in his heart. At this moment, he saw what was held in the hands of the man who was picking things out of the field, and he was stunned again, "What''s the matter? Why did you pull the seedlings out from the field?" Zhou Kong pointed to the rice seedlings in the resident''s hand and asked. The bailiff was not sure, so he had to call someone over to ask. The resident recognized the clothes worn by the bailiff, but he didn''t recognize Zhou Kong''s casual clothing. Seeing that this was what he was asking about, he opened his hands with a smile, and let the three of them look at the rice seedlings in his hands and said, "It''s nothing, there was a strong wind yesterday, so a lot of seedlings were blown over. Some of them snapped, and some of their roots were broken, so they were picked out and thrown away since they''re useless." "Are you even being serious? Mind your own business, don''t you know that a person who likes in carrots shouldn''tin to a person who likes salted carrots1? Whether the tax is exempted or not, it''s none of your business. Does your family run the Imperial Court?" When the farmer heard this, he was not happy. "Ahem!" The bailiff coughed on the side and deliberately blinked his eye at the farmer. When the farmer looked at the bailiff''s eyes, he suddenly understood that this must be an official who came down for a private visit. He changed his arrogant appearance and replied cautiously. "I don''t know, um, every... everyone is not anxious. The Master has reced the rice seedlings with the seedlings from two Zhang and Wang Manors. Two dayster, they can be rented, and there will be no dys with the schedule. Don''t be concerned that we''re a few dayste; there will be more grains in the fields at the autumn harvest than usual. If it weren''t for the fear that the Master could not afford so many seeds, I would really like to pull out all the rice seedlings and rece them with new ones." "Oh? So the seedlings from the Zhang and Wang families are good?" Zhou Kong was even more puzzled. Usually renting was thest possible choice, but the residents of the Ge Manor were actually looking forward to it. The resident threw the rice seedlings on his hand, pointed in the direction of the Zhang and Wang families, and stared at him to say, "It''s not good, it''s magical. The wind was so strong yesterday, but the people from those two manors came over here to help us fix the seedlings. Guess what? The two Manor''s seedlings were like little baby cows. When the strong wind came, our seedlings fell over one by one, while their seedlings just shook their heads and the wind had passed by already." "Really? Okay, you go continue with your work and I will take a look over thereter." Zhou Kong thought the farmer was talking nonsense, so he didn''t continue to ask more. First, he went to the side of the field to have a look, and he found that there were a lot of seedlings that had fallen down. That windstorm yesterday had aggravated the disaster even more. When he finished having a look on this side, he continued forward with his nephew and the bailiff. After a while, they arrived at the small bridge. He saw the people constructing a building below. After looking back at the bailiff, the bailiff quickly said, "A restaurant is going to be built here. The three manors paid for it together. Once the construction ispleted, people can enjoy their meals and wine on the surface of the water." "Hmm, that''s a good n. They''re making use of theck of water right now." Zhou Kong responded and continued to move forward. "My lord, it is impossible to nt them in advance, otherwise they will freeze to death. It can only be said that these rice seedlings were either well nted or well selected. Look, my lord, there are not many footprints imprinted in this field; it is evident that yesterday''s wind had not blown over many rice seedlings in these fields." The bailiff was not too familiar with agriculture, but he knows how to draw inferences from some aspects since this is a skill that he needs to use when handling a case. After hearing this, Zhou Kong looked at the field and frowned again. "Why were the seedlings nted so randomly? The Ge Manor''s seedlings are all neatly arranged in rows. Is it possible that the residents from the Zhang and Wang Manors are fooling their masters? " He didn''t believe that the masters of the Zhang and Wang Manors would be so clumsy that they would let people randomly throw the rice seedlings into the fields. He wanted to try to help the two families catch the people who were deliberately doing evil deeds. "Hey~! What nonsense are you shouting about over there? Exin clearly, who fooled the master? Don''t talk nonsense if you don''t know anything." Zhou Kong was speaking a bit too loud, and as a result, several people over there heard him. These people walked over immediately and questioned Zhou Kong. "You are...?" Zhou Kong asked while looking at the group of people. "We are the residents from the Zhang and Wang Manors. We came out to guard the fields; we''re called we''re called the "Strongly Growing Seedlings Protection Team", and I''m the team captain. These are all team members. You''re insulting, no, you''re ndering the residents of the Zhang and Wang Manors." This person walked up to Zhou Kong. He straightened his back, pointed at himself and the people around him, and spoke confidently . "Ahem!" The bailiff coughed again, and said at the same time, "This is the lord sent down here from the court." "Oh~! So that''s the case. A lord? An official? An official can casually nder others? My master has told us already, the Strongly Growing Seedlings Protection Team is only responsible to our masters, and we do not care about other people. It is said that military orders are unmoving like the mountains. A government official can go find other government officials; we only listen to the orders of our Masters." This person didn''t care at all. Wang Juan selected him because of his character. She treated the seedling protection team as a military unit. No matter what happened, she could not let her prowess appear weak. Even if any trouble was caused, the master will be there to bear the burden. There would advance forward even if it was a mountain of knives and seas of fire ahead. If they retreated back a step, then how were they capable of guarding their own money and treasures. This person understood Wang Juan''s spirit and did not give in at all, even if he knew that the identity of the person in front of him was not ordinary since a bailiff was standing next to him. "Of course, you think we are all idiots and don''t know how to nt seedlings? This is called thrown seedlings''. It was decided by the master. We didn''t believe it at the beginning, but the master told us to, so we did it. Now we know. When the wind blows, the transnted seedlings would fall over, but the thrown ones will stay standing upright here. The Master is amazing." This person was still so confident. Looking directly into Zhou Kong''s eyes, he spoke every word clearly. "Okay, so it is indeed the Zhang Manor. Well-deserved reputation. Even a mere farmer has such a sense of integrity; not to mention the master''s. Their method of governance is so powerful that it can unite the hearts of the farmer and the master, and allow them to not fear authority." Zhou Kong was not angry, but instead, he felt excited. It was nothing different than controlling an army. A soldier who bowed down to outsiders was not a soldier, but a coward. He learned of the master''s capabilities through looking at their residents. It must be the workings of the two masterminds, otherwise, how could these people be like so. Thinking of this, Zhou Kong continued to ask, "Is the master overly strict and is good at governing people?" It was not expected that when these people heard this, their expressions would immediately turn dark. The team captain red at the bailiff and said to Zhou Kong, "You''re using the heart of a viin to read the mind of a gentleman. Helping us construct houses is considered strict? Making clothing to give to us is considered strict? Giving usnterns is considered strict? Giving...." This person exined the benefits that the master gave them from the beginning to end, but did not mention how the master nted cucumbers. Zhou Kong was stunned as he listened to his words. He had never seen a resident like this before; he was a bit overly boastful. He didn''t seem like a resident; he was almost like a certain family''s old master. The bailiff next to him was anxious now since he was afraid that the lord would be unhappy, so he had to speak up, "Do you know who this is? His position is higher than your magistrate. Are you still not going to speak honestly?" "So what if he''s up higher than the magistrate? What do you mean by speaking honestly. I don''t understand, all I know is that if the prowess of the seedling protection team is weakened, I will not be able to face my Master when I go back. The Master chose me as the captain. Even if I die, I will still stand up for the Master." "It''s fine, it''s fine. Let''s not talk about this. I''ll ask you to help me inform the Manor that Mister Zhou and his uncle are here and would like to see the Master." Zhou Kong had nothing to say about this. The Zhang and Wang families actually kept charge of the clothing, food and shelter for the Manors'' residents, so no wonder they worked so hard like this. As soon as the team captain heard this, he hurriedly greeted them. "It turns out that it was Mister Zhou and Lord Zhou that arrived. I did not know, and have offended you quite a bit. I''ll go report now, and then, I will ask for punishment. My Master has instructed us that when Mister Zhou and Lord Zhou arrive here, we cannot neglect them. I will take my leave first. The rest of you must take good care of Mister Zhou and Master Zhou." The team captain ran towards the main courtyard of the Zhang Manor after speaking, and he almost fell on the road. Several other people stood directly in the water and stretched out their hands to preemptively support Zhou Kong and the others so that they wouldn''t identally fall into the water. Zhou Kong, Zhou Xi''hu, and the bailiff were all stunned. The contrast was too great. When they mentioned their identities earlier, they didn''t care at all. But once it was said that they were the Zhou uncle and nephew, everyone jumped into the water. If it was said that they lost pride just now, it can now be said that they were given the utmost respect. Zhou Xi''hu was boastful at this time. He raised his head, and said to his uncle, "Uncle, what do you think?" "Good. They just heard your name, and they act like this. Little Hu is well aplished. You''re even more powerful than my position as a Si Cang Can Jun, a six-ranked official. The Zhou family will rely on you in the future." Zhou You was happy. He was given this kind of treatment when he used the status of being Zhou Xi''hu''s uncle, and the treatment was different when he used his status as an official. This shows that these people only recognize close rtionships and don''t recognize anything else. It was easy to deal with such people. Naturally, Zhou Xi''hu acted humble. After waiting for a while, a lot of people came over. There were two older people at the front. Without even thinking, it can be inferred that those two were the elders in the Zhang family. This set-up of people wasrge. Only then did Zhou Kong remember that he only thought about arriving earlier, but he didn''t even bring any gifts, so for a short while, he didn''t know what to do.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. "Mind your own business, don''t you know that a person who in carrots shouldn''tin to a person who likes salted carrots?"
This Chinese idiom means "mind your own business because you don''t understand the entire situation". The idea behind the idiom is that a person who likes eating mild foods wouldin that too much salt is added to salted carrot, but they do not understand that the person likes eating salty foods and that salted carrots need a lot of salt added or else it will easily go bad. Book 1: Chapter 86 Book 1: Chapter 86 Seeing so many people from the two Manorse out, Zhou Kongreally felt that he was in a difficult situation. If he came here with his position as an official, then this scene can only be said to be just right, but this time he came here with his normal identity as Zhou Xi''hu''s uncle. In front of the two old Grandfathers, Zhou Kong was considered a junior. Before he could figure out what to do, a crowd of people came forward to greet him, and he could only respond in return. A group of people surrounded him and pulled him into the main courtyard of the Zhang Manor. In the hall, the old Grandfathers of the two manors sat with them and they asionally said a few words of praise. Only Zhang Xiaobao''s father had been apanying him for small chats; this was arranged by Zhang Xiaobao. It was not that simple to take the imperial examination. Having fame and knowing people from the court was necessary. Because of this matter, Zhang Xiao''bao had discussed with Wang Juan that he wanted to write down some poems and give them to his father, so that his father would gain fame. After considering that his father wouldn''t shamelessly copy poems, he had to give up. So now, they were trying hard to find ways to build connections. Originally, they wanted to find the prime minister thatwas surnamed Yao during the disaster response work, but considering that he would be deposed after some time, they had to find a new path. The people in the hall never stopped chatting and talked until dinner time. Naturally, there was another arrangement. The female members of the family left and the children couldn''t go to the table. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan went to eat dinner with Shi''liu, then they went out to exercise for a while, and it was about time to sleep. The maids who served food during the meal were all very earnest as they never deliberately tried to curry favor with him, and no faults in their etiquette could be found. They had clean eyes, which made people feel that they were really sincere; they were able to handle the situation appropriately, which made people feel like they were eating at home. Even though they were the Manor''s servants, they would not be considered bad if they were serving in officials'' residences. . After eating, Zhou Kong and the others were arranged to rest after a long day of bumpy travels. At this time of the day, the sky was not dark yet. Zhou Kong, who had originally felt tired,id on the bed for a while but couldn''t sleep. He tossed and turned, and had to get up to have a look outside. After getting dressed, as soon as he opened the door, the maid outside who had been waiting to serve him, greeted him respectfully. She heard that he wanted to walk around and she didn''t stop him. She followed by his side, and during this time, she also found a passerby to help her notify the housekeeper. As soon as he came outside the main courtyard, Zhou Kong saw two children near the small river that only had a fine stream of water flowing into the pond, and the children were hitting a tree across the river with a slingshot. There was a maid dressed in servant clothes standing next to the two children. "Xiao''jie, are these two little children Xiao''bao and Juan''juan from the Manor?" Zhou Kong asked the maid next to him. "Replying back to my lord, they are indeed the Young Master and Young Miss. My lord, look. The water from that fenced-up well over there tastes different from other ces'' water, the water there tastes sweet." The maid Xiao''jie replied, and she pointed to a ce up ahead and spoke with a soft voice to introduce the well to him. She wanted to lead Zhou Kong over there because she was afraid that Zhou Kong would be excited to speak with the Young Master and Young Miss and that he would suspect her two little masters if they identally revealed too much about themselves too quickly. "Oh? There are ten wells but this one is different from the other ones? Then I must have a taste of it. Hmm, take me to see your Young Master and Young Miss first." Zhou Kong responded to the maid''s words, and he looked over there and lifted his leg to walk in that direction. Suddenly, he realized that the maid seemed like she didn''t want him to meet the two children. Xiao''jie knew that her n was seen through, but she didn''t show the slightest panic on her face and continued to speak softly, "My lord''s body is too precious, so you don''t have to go over there yourself to see them. Wait for me to invite the Young Master and Young Miss over." "There''s no rush, let them y for a while. I like children a lot. Xiao''jie, let me ask you, what do you usually do in this yard? I saw that your clothes had three little stars embroidered on it. Some people have one or two, could there be of any significance behind this? Zhou Kong was interested in the maid at this moment; she was sent to serve him, so she must have been carefully selected. Xiao''jie smiled sweetly. "Replying to my lord, I usually serve the old Grandmother. My lord has guessed really urately. The servants in the courtyard are divided into three sses. Two stars is first ss, one star is second ss, and there is no third ss." "What about your three stars?" "Special ss. This is due to the old Grandmother and Madam''s loving benevolence." Xiao''jie''s smile remained unchanged. "Then Xiao''jie, you are not ordinary. Tell me, how did you be special ss? What kind of ss are the maids that are serving the Young Master and Young Miss?" Zhou Kong became more and more curious about the Zhang Manor. "Replying to my lord, in order to be special ss, the servant first needs to serve in the yard for ten years. I have been helping with things since I was six, and I have been working here for eleven years. In addition to this, their family has to have worked for the previous generation of the Manor. With these two conditions fulfilled, it is also necessary to select sensible and smart people to learn to read. After they havepleted their studies, then those who are knowledgeable and reasonable, and are capable of bookkeeping are selected." When Xiao''jie spoke, she still had such a nice voice; she was not arrogant at all. Only the other people in the yard knew that there were only three in the entire yard that were like her since not everyone was given the opportunity to learn things. Arge number of people were allowed to study only after the Young Master and Young Miss were able to handle matters. In addition to studying, they had to work. In order to reach this level, it can be seen how much effort they have to pay. At the moment, he stopped talking about this and stopped Xiao''jie from leaving to invite her two young masters over here. He walked over there himself. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were still ying. When Zhou Kong looked at them, both of them became aware of him. People like them were particrly sensitive to this, especially Zhang Xiao''bao, since he was caught before, has fled away from people, and was besieged by others before. He already had enough practice from these experiences. But they still pretended to be unaware until Shi''liu saw someoneing and pointed out to them. Then, they stopped their movements and Wang Juan hid behind Zhang Xiaobao. She peeped out her head slightly, and the two of them blinked innocently and stared at Zhou Kong who came over to them. "You are Xiao''bao, and you are Juan''juan? Come, let uncle take a good look at you two." Zhou Kong really adored the appearance of the two children. He did not wait for the maid to speak and he walked closer and squatted down. He smiled as he spoke to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. "Uncle~ Hello." Zhang Xiao''bao greeted him first, and Wang Juan followed with a quiet greeting. At this time, the two of them no longer spoke as fluently as they normally did, and their words were not so clear. Their faces were shy and curious. . Shi''liu and Xiao''jie looked at them, and she secretly felt relieved. The Young Master and Young Miss were really not average. Zhou Kong didn''t know the two children were pretending to be children. He smiled even more when he heard them greet him, "Xiao''bao, Juan''juan tell uncle, how old are you?" Zhou Kong knew that this was their fake age1, and they were only in fact only one year and eight months old. Looking at the pair of children in front of him, he really felt like they were the Golden Boy and Jade Girl2. He asked, "Do you know who I am? My surname is Zhou, and I have a nephew named Zhou Xi''hu." After saying this, he looked at the two children. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan first showed a puzzled expression, and then they looked like they were deep in thought, and then they suddenlyughed and nodded sharply. Zhang Xiao''bao first said, "A big official." Wang Juan followed "Good person." After Wang Juan finished speaking, she stepped out from behind Zhang Xiao''bao to reveal her entire self. She stood there obediently, as if she was not afraid anymore. When Zhou Kong heard this, he was happy. Children did not understand much and only knew what the adults in their family taught them. This shows that the people in the yard usually teach the children to be like this. Especially after seeing Wang Juan''s fearless appearance, he feltfortable in his heart. The intentions of the children were the intentions of the adult. He was happy and he wanted to give them gifts, but he touched his body and realized that he didn''t bring anything with him. He smiled apologetically to the two children and said, "Uncle didn''t bring you anything this time. Next time, I''ll make up for it." Zhang Xiao''bao handed a slingshot that was tied to his waist, "For uncle." He and Wang Juan each had two slingshots, one was strong and the other was weak. When there was no one around to see them, they would practice with the strong one, but when someone was beside them, they would use the weak slingshot. Zhou Kong did not know whether he should take it or not. When a child gave something, the child would be unhappy if the person didn''t take it. If he took it, how will he return it back to the child? It might be just a slingshot, but for the child, it''s a treasure. The child wanted to give away their treasure, so what should be done? Looking at Zhang Xiao''bao''s expectant gaze, Zhou Kong decided to reach out and take the slingshot. He was thinking that he must return the favor back in the future, and that he needed to find someone to help with the imperial examination. They waited for Zhou Kong to decide to go back to rest and prepare to continue discussing with the people on the Manor tomorrow. He also thought about meeting the two Masterminds. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan also went back to sleep, since they had to get up to go study at night. Zhou Kong was able to fall asleep this time, but he had a long dream at night. When he woke up in the morning, he could still remember the things in the dream. He dreamed that he encountered a problem in the future, but every he sought help from rejected him. In the end, it was two children that instructed him on what to do. He couldn''t clearly see what the two children looked like, but what surprised him the most was that in the end, the two children each had a slingshot in their hands and slowly ran away. He shook his head still feeling a little confused. Zhou Kong nced at the small slingshot next to his pillow, thinking that it was really true that at night, people dreamt of what they think of during the day. Before he slept, he was thinking about how to return this slingshot that was gifted to him, and as a result, he had dreamed the entire night.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. "Fake age"
It is tradition to consider a new born baby as one year old, so given that Zhang Xiao''bao is nearly two years old, his "fake age" would be three years old.
  1. "Golden Boy and Jade Girl"
The Golden Boy and Jade Girl are the two favored servants under the Jade Emperor of the Heavens. In literary works, this is phrase used to describe the perfect pair of a boy and girl. Book 1: Chapter 87 Book 1: Chapter 87Chapter 87 Diverting Little Hu Away To Discuss Details Zhou Kong, Zhou Xi''hu, and the bailiff got up. Someone of course came to help themb their hair and wash their faces. After being busy for a short while, the bailiff was taken to another ce to eat while Zhou Xi''hu and his uncle were invited to a separate dining area. All of the food was arranged on the table already. The porridge was steaming in the bowl, and at first nce it can be told that it was just served. There were more than a dozen types of small pickled veggies, and next to those were fried dough sticks, meat buns, and in steamed buns. In addition to the two kinds of porridge, there was also soy milk and silken tofu, fermented bean curd and chives ced there. Zhou Kong originally thought that he would have to drink wine again in the morning, but he didn''t expect that some ordinary foods were prepared here. The small dishes were only meat and vegetables, and did not seem like a feast. This time, the old Grandfathers of the Zhang and Wang families did note out. Only Father Zhang came to sit and apany them so there were only three people in the entire dining hall. Looking at the food on the table in front of him, Zhou Kong felt that there were to many types so he said, "Brother Yong''cheng, there are so many dishes that I don''t know which one to choose. How about we remove some of them and give them to the servants so that they can it eat at noon; they would be hungry by then." Yesterday Father Zhang had still referred to him as Lord Zhou, but after Zhou Kong refused, he started calling him by his given name. When Zhou Kong heard this, he was in a daze for a while. He picked up a bun, and brought it to his mouth and said, "Could it be that the Zhang Manor is also in charge of the servants'' breakfast?" "Brother Miao''ran have never been here before, so naturally, you do not understand the situation here. Not just the Zhang Manor, but the Wang Manor is also like this too. In addition to three meals a day, the night guards also gets a midnight snack." Father Zhang spoke to Zhou Kong. "Why do you do this? A lot of food is eaten everyday, right?" Even Zhou Kong didn''t do this in his own mansion and his servants only had two meals a day, but at this manor, he learned of such an unbelievable matter. "Brother Miao''ran definitely doesn''t believe me. How about we let Little Hu go and have a look." Father Zhang said to Zhou Kong. In fact, Zhou Xi''hu just needed to go check, but didn''t feel like this was appropriate; however, his uncle had nodded his head, so he had no choice but to stand up and leave. He went to the yard to have a look, and as he left, he looked longingly at the food on the table. He understood clearly that the small dishes on the Zhang Manor tasted much better than the foods outside. When Zhou Xi''hu left, Zhou Kong saw that he and Father Zhang were the only two left in the hall and only then did he say, "Brother Yong''cheng, I wonder what ns your Manor has this time?" "It''s not much of a n, but there are a few things that I have to trouble Brother Miao''ran with. The two businesses that Manor and Little Hu run together will continue to operate in the future. However, in terms of ie, the Manor has taken too much advantage, especially on the sugar sales. The Manor has already recovered the capital, so let''s change it to 10% profit." "Brother Yong''cheng, I can''t make decisions about this matter. When the timees, the Manor should send someone to discuss with Little Hu. Whether Little Hu thinks it is feasible or not is up to him." Zhou Kong didn''t care about this matter; a bit more money or a bit less money didn''t matter since it did not affect his position. When Father Zhang learned that he did not have to worry about this matter, he spoke again, "There''s one more thing. The three Zhang, Wang, and Ge families have pitched in money to build a restaurant together at the Little Bridge. It''s a remote ce, so when the timees, I ask that Brother Miao''ran could help promote the ce. Brother Miao''ran does not have to worry; the dishes that restaurants make will not ruin Brother Miao''ran''s reputation." "Oh, so that is the case. Okay then. I''ve seen the ce when I came here, and it seems to be pretty good. When the timees, I will definitely bring people there." Zhou Kong also didn''t care about this matter. It will be good enough for him to just find an excuse toe here. This was not the first time that he had to help support others. This matter was considered to be properly negotiated and there was only onest thing left. Father Zhang was a little bit at a loss as to how to speak. ording to his n, he wants to just send out the grains, and attain a peace of mind, but ording to the wife''s intention, not only should they send it, but they also had to sell it. That way, the cost of giving it away can be negated by the money earned, and there will be no money loss. He hesitated and said, "There is one more thing. There are droughts here and in Tai''hang Mountains and He''nan. There is still surplus grain on the Zhang Manor. I don''t know if it can be sent there to relieve the urgent needs there. The Zhang and Wang Manors want to buy a mountain here that is a bit more than 1,000 Mu using 1,500 taels of silver. Magistrate Cheng could use this money to suppress the prices of goods." When the third thing was said, Zhou Kong entered deep thoughts. At this time, he finally knew why he was informed by Magistrate Cheng to postpone thend investigation until after summer fall. It turned out that the Zhang Manor had this idea. At the end of summer, there would be a shortage of food there. As long as the Zhang Manor sold the grains at a fair price, they would be able to get a lot of benefits. From the looks of it, it seemed like the Zhang Family wanted to give it away for free. The total amount of these grains adds up to 800,000 catties. It can''t be imagined that these grains could solve everybody''s food problem, but it was not hard at all to solve the food problem of tens of thousands of people for a few months. The work credit of this will certainly not be small. When Father Zhang saw that Zhou Kong was still thinking about things there, he didn''t bother him. He ced his chopsticks on the chopstick rest and waited. After a while, Zhou Kong finally spoke, "I heard people say that you have 800,000 catties of grain, do you n to give it out directly?" "This..." Father Zhang never thought that Zhou Kong knew this much. Indeed, just as Zhou Kong said, his family has been thinking of ways to store food the entire time so they did have that amount now. However, he couldn''t give out all of the grains to others for free, so he had to say, "My family''s intention is to take out half of the food grain and send it there, and save the other half for others to help earn the money back. I don''t know what rewards the court will have for doing this?" With this said this way, Zhou Kong understood that the Zhang Manor wanted to sell the other half at a high price, and earn back the half of the money given away. If they did this, it would not be as simple as only earning the money back and there will be at least some profit that could be made. Zhou Kong didn''t feel the slightest surprise about this. Who will sell the grain then? There were plenty ofrge grain merchants who also wanted to earn money from the disasters. However, since they were able to disclose this to him, they didn''t treat him as an outsider, so he spoke after thinking, "If you can really give out so much grains, you must first ask Magistrate Cheng to report it, and I will also report it. One hundred feifs; not only can they be saved, it would not be impossible to ask for more. The only thing is that you must find a reliable person to sell the grains, and no mistakes can be made. I don''t know who is dealing with the disaster this time, otherwise they can be great help." He didn''t know what he should say right now. To be precise, he didn''t know whether or not he should follow the words of his wife or actually, his deity-like son. All of Zhou Kong''s reactions were predicted by his wife correctly. Even the content of his dialogue was inferred correctly. Although it was his wife that told him about this, he clearly understood only his son and daughter-inw had this ability. From the arrangement of breakfast until now, that was not a slight inconsistency. Father Zhang suddenly felt that Zhou Kong was a bit pitiful; he spoke so much but he was in the controlling hands of his son and daughter-inw. They were true monsters, no, deities. "Brother Yong''cheng, what''s the matter? Is there something else that is difficult to do?" Zhou Kong asked when he saw that Father Zhang was sitting there in a daze. "No, it''s nothing. There may not just be a drought this time, but there may also be a locust gue. The Zhang Manor has already prepared nearly 10,000 chickens and ducks. They can go there and help at that time. The people sent by the court this time does not seem like ordinary people. I heard that Prime Minister Yao has always handled government affairs well, maybe the Prime Minister himself will take care of it." Father Zhang had memorized these words. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn''t think of any prime minister that would personally take care of these things, but he had to believe his wife''s words. "A locust gue? Why did the locust gue happen again? Brother Yong''cheng, this matter can''t be touched. Locusts are the emperor of insects1. If there is a locust gue, then it is an omen sent from the heavens. Your Manor has raised so many chickens and ducks, could it be that you have conceived this n much earlier on?" Zhou Kong was still talking and suddenly, it urred to him that the Zhang Manor had raised a lot of chickens and ducks sincest year, and they also created ponds and dug wells. Could it be that the masterminds on the manor have thought of this for a long time already? And thus, they made arrangements in advance? The more he thought about it, the more fearful Zhou You felt. Not just because those masterminds were powerful, but more so because of the locust gue. If it bes true, then the Prefecture will suffer a bit more loss, but the two other ces, Tai''hang Mountains and He''nan, will be ruined. When the timees, the price of the grains will not be just a few times more expensive; it will not be abnormal if the price increases by more than ten folds. . "Brother Yong''cheng, who did you hear about this form?" Zhou Kong had to ask. "I didn''t hear anyone say this. I was just guessing randomly, it was just a random guess. Why does Brother Miao''ran ask this?" Father Zhang controlled himself as hard as he could and spoke with a smile. "Brother Miao''ran is too polite. There is nothing good here; it''s food that we normally ate. Little Hu should be back soon, right? Brother Miao''ran, eat first, or else it will turn cold soon." Father Zhang picked up a fried red shrimp and stuffed it into his mouth after he spoke. He actually doesn''t like to eat shrimps, especially these small shrimps that have to be eaten even with their shells, but his wife prepared some for him every day. If he didn''t it, then his wife willin to his parents. He didn''t understand why his parented doted on Qiao''er so much. As long as she went toin to them, he would definitely be lectured. He didn''t even dare to throw a small temper tantrum. Qiao''er gave birth to a big chubby boy who was like a demon--like a deity.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. "Locusts are the emperor of insects" ", "
As mentioned before, the word for locust and Emperor sounds the same in Chinese, so although this phrase literally means "the locust, the emperor", the words sound indistinct from one another. It was believed that the locust gue was a punishment sent by the Heavens, so trying to exterminate them is equal to rebelling against the Heavens. The only way to get rid of the locust gue is to pray to the Heavens and beg the Heavens for forgiveness. Book 1: Chapter 88 Book 1: Chapter 88 Thank you Yaro for sponsoring the release of this chapter!
Chapter 88: Help Did Not Arrive Late When Something Happened In The Manor Zhou Kong and Father Zhang had finished talking about the business, and when they were about to chat, Zhou Xi''hu hurried back. Zhou Xi''hu was just about to speak, but he saw Father Zhang sitting by the side and he remembered that they were in someone else''s house. So, he had to swallow down the words he wanted to say, and he politely stayed seated beside his uncle. He picked up his chopsticks and started eating, and fortunately, the food was not cold yet. After having that conversation, Zhou Kong did not stand on ceremony anymore. He asked his nephew, "Little Hu, did you see that everyone in the Zhang family''s yard was eating?" "Hmm, wait." Zhou Xi''hu was eating quickly; he immediately took a sip of soy milk and swallowed his food before he spoke, "I saw them, I saw them all. Except for those who had work in the morning, they were all eating. They had lesser types of pickled veggies than us, but as for the others, not a single dish is missing. They could eat whatever they wanted. I saw a strong man eat one entire big steamed bun in just three bites. In just a short while, he finished eating four steamed buns. Was he not afraid of choking on it? Uncle Zhang, this ce is really much better than other ces because of this. I''m going to say something offensive. If you do this, the people in the yard will only remember your benevolence. If the authorities came, no, even if the Emperor came here himself, the people in the yard will still protect you. " "Little, Hu what nonsense are you talking about? Isn''t your Uncle Zhang helping the Emperor treat the people in the yard better? Howe you''re speaking like he''s raising a private army?" Zhou Kong frowned and lectured his nephew. Zhou Kong felt that his heart was deeply moved. The Zhang Manor actually gave breakfast to their servants and midnight snacks to those on night duty. Theamount of money needed and the degree of loyalty the people in the yard have towards their master can be guessed. Four meals. Even in his own mansion, even he and others did not eat like this, but over at this manor, arrangements like this were made for their servants. It was also no wonder that the faces of the people at the Ge Manor were full of envy when they talked about the Zhang and Wang families. The two Zhang and Wang families have managed their entire Manor as strong and stable as solid iron tes. Why did those two children dare to y outside while only being apanied by a single maid? All they had to do was yell out a word, then as soon as the residents on the Zhang and Wang Manor heard it, they will immediately rush over. Having money in the family does not equate to being capable, but having true skills are necessary to make the surrounding people all care about the family. "Uncle, I wonder how you sleptst night. I noticed that there were people walking back and forth in the middle of the night. When I got up at night to relieve myself, I found that many rooms were still lit." Zhou Xi''hu was truly frightened. He was frightened by the Zhang Manor''s method. He disregarded that the Master of their manor was sitting beside him and he spoke to his uncle again. "There''s also this matter? Brother Yong''cheng, how did you arrange the matters in the yard? Could it be that you did this for us?" Zhou Kong was also surprised, thinking that this was not a manor, but more simr to a pce. Although he has never been there at night, he has heard that there were always people patrolling the pce at night. Seeing that they had asked, and they were considered to be on close terms with the Manor, Father Zhang did not lie and said, "This only startedst year during autumn and the Wang Manor also followed suit. We recruited a few more people; not a lot of money was spent. With people walking around at night, the people in the yard would feel at ease and didn''t have to worry as much. It''s nothing more than using somemp oil. The people in the yard could sleep more well and when they got up early to do work, they''re able to work better than before. It''s worth it. I don''t care about that little amount of money. Maids in particr don''t dare to get up at night, but now that there are always people, lesser fuss is made. Servants are also human. " "Okay, after I go back, I will do the same. No wonder when I arrived at your manor, I felt that this ce was different from other ces. Every single servant is working very hard. Brother Yong''cheng, was this your madam''s idea? " Zhou Kong was indeed touched. He originally thought that the servants were so serious when they worked because the yard was strictly governed. Only now did he realize that it was because they treated their servants well. It''s just a favor returned with a favor. Although it looks simple, in reality it was not. What else can Father Zhang say? He couldn''t rat out his child, so he nodded and admitted to that. The money was earned by his son and daughter-inw, and was not under his control at all. He was busy studying things all day. The people in the yard treated his son and daughter-inw with more respect than they did towards him. "Uncle Zhang, are these leftovers really going to be fried for the servants to eat? It should be fine to just heat it up, right?" "Of course heating it up also works. Many other people don''t even bother heating it up. However, there is usually more work to do in the afternoon and adding on the amount of work that had to be done in the morning, the servants would be tired out, so they need to recover properly. If it was fried in oil, it would be richer in fats, and will taste better, so they will eat more. By allowing them to eat more, their bodies can recover well and they would be able to do more work. If they die from exhaustion, buying more servants is simple, but there is no guarantee on their loyalty. For servants like the ones in this yard, if the Master family tells them secrets, and they were caught by others, even if they were skinned alive, they would absolutely not reveal the secret. What loss is there to treating them better? " Father Zhang had deep reflections on this matter. Sometimes when he encountered Ying''tao, Shi''liu, Xiao''hong, Huzi, Erniu, and others, he wanted to ask how his son was, but these people didn''t even say a word even though doing so could have warranted being whipped to death. In particr, when Er''niu, who has served by his side in the past, was at a loss as to how to answer, he would say, Master, even if you beat me to death, I will not say anything. The Young Master has given orders to not speak.'' At that time, he was jealous. His son was able to control his own servants like that. He heard that even when the Madam asked Er''niu, he gave her the same response. A person as clever as him had actually dared to refuse answering the questions of the Masters of the household. Regardless of what his wife asked his surrounding servants,they would directly give the answer. There was no way to makeparisons. Of course, Father Zhang didn''t know that a power called faith exists. Those people who followed Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan had already regarded them as deities. Even if Wang Juan made a bomb, they would take it with them and rush to the enemy and detonate it. Zhou Kong didn''t know that in such a short period of time, Father Zhang would have so many thoughts. Seeing that the porridge was getting cold, he quickly took a couple of sips. Just as he was about to speak, the noise of disorganized footsteps suddenly sounded outside. Father Zhang didn''t know what was going on either, so he turned his head and looked at the door, waiting for someone toe over and exin. After a while, a person appeared at the door and said to him, "Master, just a quarter of an hour ago, Zhang Qing''s cow identally rolled down the mountain, and Zhang Qing''s seven-year-old child also fell. The yard has already sent two doctors; it is estimated that they will be there in half a quarter of an hour. Other people have also followed along to go help." "I understand now. Hurry, go settle them down. Get people to bring the things they need to bring. Don''t make any dys." When Father Zhang heard this, he was also anxious. After all, it was a human life. It doesn''t matter if the cow is dead; they would just have to report to the government and spend some money. If something happens to the child, then that would be difficult to deal with. If his own son fell, he would not even dare think how it was going to be like. The servant responded and took his leave. Zhou Kong was curious again, "Brother Yong''cheng, I wonder where the person fell from?" "Where else can it be? There is only one dangerous ce on the Manor. Later, I will order the people to dig that ce t. After a rain, a lot of mud and rocks slipped down from the mountain, and that ce became steep. If I knew that this would happen, I would have ordered people to level that ce out. It''s all because we were so busy in the spring." Father Zhang''s face wasn''t very good-looking but he had bear with it and spoke in a hurry. "Oh, I wonder how far that ce is from here?" Zhou Yu asked again. "It''s not far; it won''t take more than a quarter of an hour to get there. Oh, I know what Brother Miao''ran wants to ask. This is because the people over there have found outte, otherwise they would have sent out people a long time ago. There are two doctors on the manor. One is in charge of caring for livestock, and the other is in charge of treating people. If there are any illnesses, they will go out. When Brother Miao''ran came, you must have seen some rack-like structures that were set up on the manor, right?" "I did. Does it have something to do with this?" "There are some strings made from fine silk that are connected to the structures. Each resident''s houses in the Zhang and Wang Manors are connected to two strings; one is connected to a bell, and the other is connected to bamboo tubes on both ends. When there is an emergency, that thing is used. It usually doesn''t take more than a dozen calls to notify the people here, and someone will respond immediately." Zhou Kong was dumbfounded after hearing this. He did see those structures, but he never thought that the Masters of the manor had set that up for the residents on the Manor to call for help. When something happened there, the people here could be sent out. His own mansion was not even as good as a manor; if something happened somewhere in his mansion, it took an hour to receive news from a far location. "Brother Yong''cheng, can you take me to see it?" The more Zhou Kong thought about it, the more he felt that it was incredible, so he couldn''t help but propose this. "Alright, let''s go and see. I wonder what happened to Zhang Qing''s child? Hopefully, nothing goes wrong. His family only has one precious baby." Father Zhang didn''t want to eat anymore, so he agreed. He got up first, and walked outside. Zhou Xi''hu and his uncle also put down their chopsticks and walked out behind Father Zhang. They wanted to see if this matter was true or false. Words that are heard with the ear must be taken as false, and only what is seen with the eyes can be deemed as true. By the time the three of them got there by carriage, there was a child crying there, and an adult was constantly scolding the child for being careless. If the child hadn''t been injured, the adult might have hit him a couple times. Next Chapter Book 1: Chapter 89 Book 1: Chapter 89 Chapter 89 The Manor Is Difficult To Take On, The Masterminds'' Indication "Why didn''t you fall to your death at the bottom of the mountain? If you fall to death, then I will be relieved. Other families'' children know that they shouldn''t go to that ce. You think you''re the capable one and you can lead the cow over there? You broke your arm, didn''t you? You deserve it. Why didn''t you break your neck, that way, your mother and I don''t have to worry about you anymore." The father yelled at the child while the child had his arm raised so that it could be treated by the doctor sent from the Master''s household. The child seemed to be frightened; he remained motionless with his eyes wide open and he didn''t cry like how other children would. When the doctor aligned his bones, he just scrunched his eyebrows. There were still streaks after streaks of scratches on the left side of his little face. "Zhang Qing, what are you doing? Your child fell, but you''re not evenforting him and instead, you keep scolding him?" Father Zhang really couldn''t stand it anymore, and reprimanded him with a sunken expression. On normal days, Father Zhang didn''t deal with things like this. However, he came up here personally and was also acting this strict, so this scared everyone around him. Zhang Qing was even more frightened as he wondered, why did the mastere today? "Master, I''m not scolding him. This was because he was too daring. Other families'' children walked to other ces when they herd cows, but this brat had a great idea to go to the ce that was eroded away by the water. That ce is two zhang1 high. The cows that fell had died. He''s only lucky that he only broke an arm. Zhang Qing was afraid of the Master. He was exining to him and when he began to talk about the bone soup recipe, he noticed that there were two unfamiliar people standing beside the Master, so he immediately changed his words. He didn''t talk about the two remaining ingredients, which were fish liver and seaweed. The surrounding people did not correct him since everyone was thinking about the same thing. Why should they let outsiders know what the Master told them? Father Zhang saw the questioning looks of Zhou Xi''hu and his uncle, and said, "In fact, if you cook bones directly like that, there are not a lot of nutrients that can be used by the body. If you add some particr ingredients, you can absorb more nutrients. The residents are a bit stingy and don''t want to tell others, but it''s okay to talk about it. Some fish liver and seaweed can be added; not only will there be more nutrientsing out of the bones, but it can also prevent goiters." "Oh? Is there such a thing?" Zhou Kong didn''t expect that there were that many details involved in drinking bone soup. The people on Zhang Manor were really hateful; they had such a good recipe, but they didn''t share it. "Of course, these ingredients were also added to the stir-fried noodles that were given to Little Hu. The taste bes more savory, more delicious to eat, and it''s good for the body." Father Zhang continued. "So that was the case, no wonder when I came back this time, my eldest brother and sister-inw are healthier than before. Yong''cheng, your Manor keeps secrets hidden too well. Hmm, it''s good like this too though. I am even envious of you right now." Zhou Kong understood immediately after hearing this. These two items cannot be belittled since their usages were really great. "The cow died?" Father Zhang asked Zhou Kong with an expression that implied you know what was going on'' and then asked Zhang Qing. "It died, it died right after it fell." Zhang Qing nodded and replied. "If it''s dead, then drag it to the master house. Where''s the housekeeper?" Father Zhang nced at the surrounding crowd. "Master, I''m right here. I will send someone to report to the government office. ording to the new rules of the master''s household, Zhang Qing''s child is not fifteen years old yet and is considered a minor. This time he broke his arm, and the master''s family will take out twenty catties of bones and other things, and periodically give it out to help the child recover. The entire cost of medicine will be covered by the Master household." Father Zhang nodded, and then nced at the little child, "Hmm, bring the two catties of stir-fried noodles that we have at home and let the child eat it so that he can get better soon." "I understand, Master." The Housekeeper agreed and informed him that he had made a mental note of it. "Brother Yong''cheng, are you taking responsibility for all of these losses yourself?" Zhou Kong was confused, why did the master take care of the cattle that fell to its death because of the resident? They also covered the cost of medicine, and the bones and other things there were given. The resident caused the fall, but was still in the right? After the matters were arranged properly and after knowing that the child was fine, Father Zhang was finally able to set down his suspended heart. He spoke with a smile to Zhou Kong, "He''s such a small child, so he doesn''t understand a lot. He''s only a few years old. It must be that he noticed that not a lot of people brought their cows to that area so the grass there was better, and thus he herded his cows over there. The onlyint that could be made was that the Master household did not level out the ce earlier, and knock the ce that was washed out by the water into a gentle slope. If that was done, how would the child break his arm? On normal days, we didn''t dare to kill a cow, and now it was perfect, there is beef to eat. Brother Miao''ran may not know, but Xiao''bao and Juan''juan like eating beef the most. Especially the tendon. A special technique is used to cook it. When it''s chewed in the mouth, the texture is not hard at all; it is soft and fragrant. The cowhide can be peeled off and in the winter, it can be made into two jackets for them to wear. Let''s go back. The affairs here are settled already. " It would be really hard to use this ce against the Master household. If you want to bribe a resident, then it''s no different from a dream. From the urrence of the ident to the time of treatment, only a quarter of an hour was needed despite the distance, and the master household assumed full responsibility. They will also be giving the child bones too. It was probably easier to transverse through rivers, than to pass through the Zhang Manor. With the matter resolved, the surrounding crowd of residents began to disperse. A few people came over tofort Zhang Qing, but Zhang Qing didn''t say any words of gratitude. Only until everyone left, did he go hug his son and said distressingly, "Don''t wander off to random ces in the future. I heard that this year there will be a school. I will send you there when the timees and you must study hard. When you are older, you must help the master household. Don''t do things that wrong the Master household. Otherwise, if I learn of it, I will strangle you to death and I''ll just pretend I never had a son." "Father, I understand, but it''s a pity that the cow died. Dad, when the bones are delivered, let my mother eat it. My mother might be giving me a younger brother or younger sister soon; let them grow stronger." The little child touched the stered area on his arm, and told his father that this was the first time he used this thing. He also mentioned that it was made by the Master, and that it was better to use this than just bearing with it. Zhang Qing held his son in his arms. "Don''t worry about your brother or sister. When they are born, the master will give us gifts. You must take care of yourself. When you are in school, don''t bothering home anymore if you can''t do well in school." "Father, I know, I will study hard. When I''m done with learning, I will help the master''s family do great things. If I can be an official, then that would be even better. That way, who would dare find faults in the Master household?" The little child spoke with a serious face. *posted on After Father Zhang brought Zhou Kong to have a look, they went back to the yard. From the looks of it, it seemed like he was getting ready to send Zhou Kong and the other two off. Zhou Kong panicked since he was about to ask about some things. If he left just like that, it would be hard to find another opportunity to talk in the future. Thus, he said to Father Zhang, "Brother Yong''cheng, when the time for the imperial examinationes, you can rest assured, I will find a person from the higher ups for you. I wonder who Brother Yong''cheng thinks is appropriate?" "I don''t know much about this, so I ask that Brother Miao''ran give me some advice." Father Zhang wanted to take the imperial examination, so that he could bring honor to his family. As for those kinds of things, he didn''t understand a lot, so he had to ask others. "Brother Yong''cheng must be joking, how could you not know? If Brother Yong''cheng really doesn''t know, then you can ask people, and you can also help me ask who is currently the most influential person." Zhou Kong naturally didn''t believe what Father Zhang said. In his mind, he thought, there are two masterminds in your family, how could they not tell you about this kind of trivial matter? Father Zhang looked at Zhou Kong stunned for several counts of breaths, and then said, "Since Brother Miao''ran has asked, then I''ll try toe up with a solution." He actually didn''t know what to do since his Madam didn''t tell him about this kind of thing. A frantic look appeared on his face. At this moment, Er''niu, a person who shouldn''t have been here, suddenly entered the hall. "Master, I have an important matter to report." Er''niu nced at the three people in the hall and spoke to the master. Regardless of how dense Father Zhang''s father was, he still knew that Er''niu wouldn''t speak in front of others. He put down his tea bowl and nced at Er''niu. Er''niu was more clever this time; he walked to the side of the master and whispered a few words. Afterwards, he smiled at Zhou Kong and Zhou Xi''hu, and then turned and left. "The person Brother Yong''cheng is talking about, could he be the one that is under one person2..." Zhou Kong was also not dense. When he heard this, he knew what Father Zhang meant after he connected the dots, and he asked quickly. "I don''t understand what Brother Miao''ran had said. Anyway, that is all I have to say. Whether you listen or not, it is none of our business." There was no hint of acknowledgement in Father Zhang''s words. This was also part of the message that Er''niu hade here to deliver. He sounded a bit unpredictable and mysterious, but the truth was that even he himself didn''t even understand, and he just repeated the words. When Zhou Kong heard these words, a lot of thoughts ran through his mind, and he processed the words that Father Zhang had just said. He realized that the person he was nning to rely on to rise up in ranks could not be relied on anymore, and all of this was because of the whisper from a servant on the Manor. Others might just think they ordered their servant to deliver a brief message, but what Zhou Kong thought of was that two masterminds didn''t want to see him troubled, so they offered some help. The more he thought about this, the more frightened he felt. What amazing people they were. He had just asked this question, and the people on the other side knew what he was asking here and furthermore, they sent someone to deliver a message in advance. It was no wonder that Magistrate Cheng wanted to seek discipleship under these two people. If there were people like them working behind the scenes as support, then a lot of worry can be saved. However, with just one sentence, he was only told who he should stay away from, but he wasn''t told who he should be close with. This was not okay; if he didn''t ask clearly, then if something was not done well in the future, wouldn''t it be aplete waste of his efforts?
Trantor''s Notes
  1. "Two zhang"
This is about 1 km.
  1. Under one person... ....
The full line that Zhou Kong was about to say is , which literally means, "Under one person and above ten thousands of people." This line refers to a person whose power is only just below the Emperor. Book 1: Chapter 90 Book 1: Chapter 90 "Umm, I wonder if Brother Yong''cheng knows more things. Oh, not know'', but guess''. Guesses are fine." Right now, Zhou Kong was certain that masterminds do exist at the Zhang Manor, otherwise it would be impossible for the two manors to be managed like this. However, the masterminds seemed to be unwilling to meet him and others, since they only let a servant deliver the message. In order to get more information, he could only continue to speak to Father Zhang in hopes that through him, he could know what was happening in the Court. If he didn''t have these ns earlier on and that he has seen many incredible things on the Manor, he would never believe that this was true. Right after he asked the question, the people over there happened to send someone over to speak with the Master of the Zhang Family, and the message contained the information that he wanted to know about. This was too much of a coincidence. Zhou Kong would rather believe that it was arranged deliberately than think that this was a coincidence. Others may not understand the meaning of this, but he understood. Don''t associate with women'' and it won''t be a good omen''; what could this mean? It was obvious that this was the character Yao''1. At the beginning, he mentioned women'' and then he mentioned the princess, so it was obvious that this person''s status was not low. Who else could this woman? Other than Wu Mei''niang2, there was only Princess Tai''ping3 left. Both of them were significant characters. Then the person they were talking about must also be a significant person. At this time, excluding the Emperor, who else could this significant person be? Surnamed Yao, female, not a good omen--- all of this added together would be the prime minister. Could it be that they want to tell him that the prime minister might fall out of favor, and that he should stay away from him? Zhou Kong figured all of this out in a short while, and wanted to know more about it, so he asked again. Father Zhang didn''t even understand what Er''niu said just now and he just repeated the original words. If he was asked to say other things, how could he possibly know what to say? After seeing that Father Zhang didn''t know how to reply, Zhou Yu naturally understood that Father Zhang was unable to answer. His goal was to let people go to the ce of those two masterminds and tell them about this. Before he had the chance to continue thinking about how he could get Father Zhang to inquire more, Er''niu, who hade earlier, was here again. Once again, he leaned in to whisper a few words into Father Zhang''s ear. When Er''niu had left and Father Zhang had calmed down, he spoke to Zhou Kong, "Brother Miao''ran, don''t be anxious to know certain things. As the saying goes, Even if Mount Tai copses, one should not change their facial expression4." "Yes, it''s great that Brother Miao''ran thinks that way. As the saying goes, it''s hot and warm in Southern Ling. What appears faraway on the edge of the sky is a actually close ahead thing. If you''re asked who is sitting at Eastern Ling, then think of the words lid'' and wood'', and to the side is the word king''''". Brother Miao''ran just needs to remember this." Father Zhang repeated what Er''niu said just now, and continued reciting without changing a single word. "Ah? There''s a saying like that?" Zhou Kong didn''t understand it. He sat there and muttered a few words, and he didn''t make any other noises afterwards. His brows furrowed, and Zhou Xi''hu, who was next to him, didn''t dare to bother his uncle. He smiled at Father Zhang and waited there. Zhou Kong felt that his head was about to split open at this moment. He really didn''t understand the meaning of these four lines. He wouldn''t care much if it was someone else who said these words, but these words were delivered by that servant. He didn''t have to be explicitly told by the servant since it was a given this was rted to the two Masterminds. The Masterminds knew what he was thinking of right now. Earlier on, he was reminded that a certain person was not reliable, and now they said this. It must be pertaining to what he wanted to know--- who was reliable. It was hot and warm in Southern Ling''. When people hear of this, most people would think about the Qin''ling-Huai''he Line5. During winter, the north freezes, while the other side is warm as spring. However, this seems a bit wrong. It should be it''s cold and warm in Southern Ling'' instead of hot and warm''. It must not be Qin''ling and Huai''he then, so what other Ling'' are there? Think about it again, there''s no rush. Faraway on the edge of the sky''; could it be that "Ling" is very far away? A Ling'' that is far away, what Ling'' could it be? Far away'', Ling''. Ling''nan is far away, isn''t it? From here to there, it would take at least half a year. Could it be that someone from there wille over here? Otherwise, why would they say that it''s close ahead''? Who, who is there? That''s right, who is it? If you''re asked who is sitting at Eastern Ling'', Eastern'', Eastern Ling'', Eastern Division of Southern Ling6, Eastern Part. Guang''zhou, who''s at Guang''zhou? Lid'' and wood'' and to the side is the word king''. This person in Guang''zhou has something to do with wood'', and king''. The governor of Guangzhou, Song Jing? Could it be him? That''s right; lid'' must refer to the few strokes on top of the character for his surname7 and the word king'' must be a part in the character of his first name8. Could it be that he will rise up in the future? Zhou Kong thought hard and finally thought of a person, but he was not sure. It was too hard to believe that a person that far away would enter the Imperial Court in the future. Once he thought of this, he finally raised up his head again and he opened his mouth to speak to Father Zhang, but before he could speak, Father Zhang said, "All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow. Like dew or a sh of lightning; thus we shall perceive them.9 '' Brother Miao''ran, since your given name is Miao''ran10, I believe that you must understand this." When Father Zhang gave those hints, he also believed that his words were unreliable and that it was a bunch of nonsense. The words were unclear, and forced one to make guesses. However, he had no choice but to just recite the words. If that was the case, then the masterminds would not be hidden masterminds anymore, but will be political advisors. If ordinary people wanted to receive these few words, it may be impossible even if they waited for their entire life, so he should not be too greedy. Thinking of this, Zhou Kong finally smiled and said to Father Zhang, "What Brother Yong''cheng has said is correct, I understand these words now, and I won''t ask anything else. Sigh~! Magistrate Cheng is a blessed person. If possible, I would rather change positions with him. However, no matter how blessed the magistrate is, he can''tpare to Brother Yong''cheng." After saying this, Zhou Kong made a hand gesture to show respect11 to Father Zhang, and he expressed an envious look on his face. Father Zhang waspletely confused. He didn''t understand. All he did was copy Er''niu''s words and said it out loud, so how was Zhou Kong able to think of things that he couldn''t think of and even envied him. Also, how was Magistrate Cheng blessed? Er''niu said that those were the Madam''s words, but Father Zhang understood that it was his son and his future daughter-inw who came up with it. The rhythm of the poem was a bit bad, but the rhyme was decent. Could it be that Zhou Kong was envious that he had a good son? This was not bad to hear. His son and daughter-inw were not ordinary, they were deities. Setting other things aside, just their ability to make money was more than impressive, and he didn''t have to worry at all. When there was nothing to do, they would just y around ande up with a way to make money and even invent all sorts of delicious foods for the family to eat. The most important thing was that they were great at doing business and farming. The Ge Manor''s rice seedlings were blown over by the wind, while at his own house, he didn''t even know those two little children messed around with it but the seedlings stood there, motionless. They took some seeds and yed around with it for a few days, and when they returned them, the seedlings that were grown from the seeds were different. "Brother Yong''cheng, what are you thinking of? Could it be that you think this isn''t enough? You have two people in the back looking after you. For the next imperial examination, Yong''cheng can rest assured. I will help when the timees, and it will be like embroidering flowers onto brocade12." Before Father Zhang could think it through, Zhou Kong spoke to him. Father Zhang pulled himself out from his inner thoughts and smiled. "Thank you, Brother Miao''ran, for your kind words. If I do attain a title, then I must properly thank Brother Miao''ran." "You don''t have to thank me, you have to thank the two masterminds behind you. Maybe Brother Yong''cheng doesn''t know, but Magistrate Cheng wants toe and seek discipleship. With those two masterminds here, what worries could you have?" Zhou Kong didn''t know what Father Zhang was thinking, and he continued talking. Father Zhang did know whether he shouldugh or cry. What masterminds? They were just his son and daughter-inw. A few messages were delivered, and it was enough to make a sixth-rank official act like this. He wondered exactly what the two children did that made the Magistrate want to seek discipleship. He wondered, would this Si Cang Can Jun still say the same words after he finds out what these "masterminds" actually looked like? Father Zhang naturally wouldn''t expose his son, so he feigned ignorance and said, "What masterminds? Brother Miao''ran must be joking. They are all ordinary people." "Yes, yes, ordinary people, they are all ordinary people. I have misspoken. There are no masterminds. It''s good to have ordinary people. When the restaurant here is built, I wille again. I hope to meet these ordinary people. It''s enough to just see their faces once." Zhou Kong misunderstood, and thought that he was deliberately concealing it and was unwilling to talk. He was scared that he might offend the masterminds, so he went along with his words. Early next morning, Zhou Kong could not wait to leave. He wanted to go back and properly sort out the affairs at that mountain vige. The people of the two family members sent them off to the Little Bridge, and after exchanging a few polite words, Zhou Kong began his journey back and the rest of the people returned to their own homes. It was fine for the others since they were all busy with their own affairs, but this was not the case for Father Zhang. He originally wanted to read a book, but when he sat down in the study room, he was unable to focus on reading. He held the book in his hands, but the words on the page became more and more blurry, and in the end, he reluctantly ced it down. He opened the window, and when he saw the warm red sun outside, he remembered something. "Someone,e here. Call Xiao''bao and Juan''juan over. Get some snacks, and bring it to the study room." Father Zhang couldn''t control himself anymore so he had to send someone to call the two children over. He told them to get some food too so that he can coax these two amazing little kids. Trantor''s Notes
  1. Forms the character Yao''
The character for women is , and the character for omen is , so if the words werebined, it would form the word (yao). This is the surname of Prime Minister Yao Zong.
  1. Wu Mei''niang
Wu Mei''niang refers to Wu Zetian (however this name "Wu Mei''niang" is used primarily in modern day text, and it is unlikely that the people of that time referred to her as "Wu Mei''niang" since this was not actually her name). She was the concubine of Emperor Taizong, and after he passed away, she became the empress of his son, Emperor Gaozong. Later, she rose into power to be an Emperor herself. The Emperor that reigns in the timeline of this novel should be Emperor Xuanzong, which is the grandson of Wu Mei''niang and Emperor Gaozong.
  1. Princess Taiping
This was the youngest daughter of Wu Mei''niang and Emperor Gaozong.
  1. "Even if Mount Tai copses, one should not change their facial expression"
This means to be unaffected by external stimuli, and to remain calm and to not panic when facing difficult situations.
  1. Qin''ling-Huai''he Line
This is a geographical reference line used to distinguish the northern and southern parts of the eastern half of China. "Qin''ling" refers to the Qin Mountains located in the west, and "Huai''he" refers to the Huai River located in the east.
  1. Eastern Division of Southern Ling
During the Tang Dynasty, Southern Ling was divided into the Eastern Division and the Western Division. The government body responsible for this division is located in Guang''zhou.
  1. "Lid'' must refer to the few strokes on top of the character for his surname name"
Song Jing''sst name is written as , which can be broken apart as (mian) and (mu). The character looks like a lid, or a hat, while the character means wood.
  1. "the word king'' must be a part in the character of his first name"
Song Jing''s first name is written as , which can be broken apart as (wang) and (jing). As you can see, the character (wang), which means king'' appears on the left side of the character for his name.
  1. "All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow. Like dew or a sh of lightning; thus we shall perceive them"
This is a four-line gatha taken from Section 26 of the Diamond Sutra (). This English trantion is provided by the Chung Tai Trantion Committee. This verse is saying that everything exists because of fate. It is like the illusion of a dream, like the images and shadows in bubbles. Like fog, it cannot be predicted and it changes without pattern. However, at the same time, it is like lighting and can change within an instant. Everything in life needs to be perceived as such, and humans shouldn''t be obsessed and humans shouldn''t allow their free nature be restrained by this obsession.
  1. Miao''ran
Zhou Kong''s given name "miao''ran" describes something that is "far away, has a vague image, and is on the verge of disappearing".
  1. Hand gesture to show respect
This is done by cupping one hand on top the other hand, and both hands are in front of the chest with the elbows slightly bent and pointing outwards.
  1. "embroidering flowers onto brocade"
This Chinese phrase means to make something good even better. It''s simr to the idiom "icing on the cake".
  1. Everything that was in the sky and on earth
This means "every single topic" and does not literally mean talking about things in the sky and on earth. PHEW that was a lot of notes.... T-T Book 1: Chapter 91 Book 1: Chapter 91Chapter 91: Change Tomorrow''s Meal n Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were called over; they arrived quickly and also left quickly. Father Zhang asked them a few things, and the two selectively answered certain questions without saying anything substantial. This was mainly because Zhang Xiao''bao was afraid that if he said too much, his father would spend his entire day thinking about other things and wouldn''t have the energy to study. Even if people were found to help him in the Imperial Examination, he still needed to have true talent and intelligence. The snacks were also taken back by them. They were the ones that made the snacks, and they usually gave some to the people in the yard to eat. "We did it, we''re going to make a lot of money this time. This year, the whole county is designated as being affected by the disaster, and the output is cut by half. There''s no need to pay taxes and hand in extra silk. Only a few weeks ofbor needs to be contributed. We can discuss with the Ge Manor and ask the magistrate to restore the river over there. Using our own people toplete restoration projects is considered to be work that had to bepleted annually anyway. We would also be able to get some project funding and more. We should make the river wider, but it shouldn''t take up any fertilend. Let''s go eat beef bone marrow, it''s still fresh." Wang Juan froze in ce for two seconds, and then ran over. "Stop thinking about the project funds. Let''s restore the river properly. What if there''s a flood tomorrow? We can''t fool around with our own home. The money sent down to us might not be a lot. An amount will be stripped away at each level, so by the time it reaches our hands, there might not be a lot left." The two were discussing how much money will be allocated to them this time, how much money Magistrate Cheng can distribute to here and how the little river would end up looking like. Just like this, they arrived at the kitchen one after another. Inside the kitchen, someone had already taken out the bone marrow from a few bones and put them on a te for the two little masters to eat. The cow died from falling and people were immediately found to check it out. Junior Officer Qi and Elder Feng came and they saw that the bailiff from the administrative office was there too. They had a look at the cow and confirmed that the cow did die from the fall. Each of them carried two catties of beef given by the manor and happily left. When the bailiff left, he also took the cow head and a small slice of beef so that when he returned home, he could cook some beef soup to drink. Knowing that his wife was pregnant, they also gave him the tendons from half of a hoof to take home to eat. When his wife has morning sickness, she would feel better if she chewed on it. The bailiff''s eyes almost teared up when he received it. Before leaving, he left a few words and told them that if there were any problems, they should go find him and they will tell his brothers toe help. In the future, if another cow died, he woulde over to confirm the death. Even if the cow idently fell onto a knife, he would still let them pass. The rest of the meat was taken back to the master family''s yard and some was sent to the Wang family. The people in the inner yard had a meal of beef stew with radish. There was not a lot of meat in it but there was more than enough radish. The beef bones were saved for Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. The remaining meat was chilled, and could asionally be cooked for the family in the future. "Young Master, do you think this amount of bone marrow is enough?" When the people in the kitchen saw the two little mastersing, all of the knives were put away, and the stove was also carefully watched. The person in charge of the kitchen brought the te to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, and he respectfully greeted them. Zhang Xiao''bao looked at it; there were six strips of bone marrows of different lengths and thicknesses on the te. He nodded, "Yeah, that''s good, it''s enough. It''s enough for me and Juan''juan to eat. Was this made recently? Make some more and steam it in the wok. Then, mix in broth; don''t put in too much salt. Add some green onion and coriander and then serve it to my family and the Wang family. Oh, for one of the bowls, remember to not add coriander; my grandma doesn''t like it. Instead, finely mince some ginger, my grandma likes that taste."posted on The person in charge of the kitchen immediately made the arrangements whilementing that his grandson was also two years old, but he spends his entire day pestering his family for this and for that. Never has he ever let his family have a taste of the food that he was about to eat. On the other hand, the Young Master and the Young Miss would always think of their families when they had something good. They even remembered the Old Grandmother''s preferences. Comparisons cannot be simply made. By the time Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan had finished eating the bone marrow at noon and were taking a nap, Zhou Kong had already arrived at the Qin Family''s vige. He was more urgent on his way back because he feared that those people would realize that he had left, and he would have to spend effort exining himself. He followed behind the bailiffs that were waiting outside the mountain. When he entered the vige while appearing to be travel-worn, Magistrate Cheng immediately greeted him, and then arranged a ce for him to rest and food for him to eat. The officials who are still working here were bone-tired and exhausted. There was no spot on their body that did not ache. When they atest night, they were not picky anymore and ate whatever they were given. When they slept at night, they were split up to stay at separate houses, so even until now, they did not realize that one person was missing. The two Deputy Chiefs worked on easier jobs. They wandered around together, and from time to time, they pointed out to the vigers what was good to nt. In particr, the Deputy Chief of the Ministry of Work helped someone in the vige to draw a picture of a noria and told them to build one based on the picture. With that built, it would be easier for them to retrieve water from the pond. Naturally, the food they ate was better. Surprisingly, today at noon, they were able to eat a total of three dishes, two had meat and one had vegetables, and a soup. For more than a day, they didn''t see the Cang Jun from the Prefecture and when they asked about him, they were told that he was arranged to do other work. When Zhou Kong came back, he pulled Magistrate Cheng to the side to speak to him first. The bailiffs and them were not in a hurry to make an appearance since they wanted the officials to do more work. If they be more tired, they are less likely to make a scene. The bailiffs knew that the officials were tired enough from walking such a long distance, but as long as they get proper rest on the next day, they would recover almostpletely.posted on However, on the next day, they spent the entire day doing manualbor so they must be sore and in pain. If they worked continuously for a few more days, they might get used to it. But they only had to work for one more day, and then could return the next day. That kind of sensation is beyond imagination. By then, they might have to be spoon fed by other people because they can''t even lift their arms. "Lord Zhou, have you settled the matter this time?" Magistrate Cheng asked Zhou Kong to sit down. He poured some warm wine, and pushed the bowl to the front of Zhou Kong. "Yes, there were two small affairs. One was about Little Hu''s business, but I''m not taking part in that and it''s good enough for Little Hu to just follow what they do. The other was about the restaurant they''re building on the river since there is no water there right now. Once it''splete, I''ll go there to have a look and give them support. As for thest matter, I would need Magistrate Cheng''s help." Zhou Kong was indeed tired and he was thirsty. He picked up the bowl as he said these words, and then raised his head and drank the entire bowl. He let out a long breath, and finally, he feltfortable. Magistrate Cheng helped him fill the bowl with wine again and asked, "I wonder what help can i offer? Could it be about the tax exemption because of the natural crisis? This is a small matter. The county was indeed affected by the disaster." "It''s not this matter. When summer falles, I need you to apany me. It might be Tai''hang Mountains, or He''nan. The drought at those two ces and the surrounding areas are much worse than here, and there might also be a locust gue. The Zhang Manor prepared a lot of grains and are waiting to use it to relieve the crisis. They even have some chickens and ducks that can also be sent to eat locusts. With this done, thends of the one hundred residents can be saved. Then, you can send in a report, and I''ll send in one too. There were two auspicious omens, the curved plough, and the gifts you gave the people during the New Year. You will definitely receive a lot of praise. However, a bit more iscking if you want to be given a new government position. If you follow me this time, you will have enough achievements. When the timees, your ranking might even be higher than mine." Zhou Kong spoke enviously. He was now helping Magistrate Cheng, andter, the people at the Zhang Manor from will also help himself. In fact, the help they offered himst night was a significant favor already. It turned out to be about the recement of the prime minister. If someone else told him this, he would naturally not believe it, but after seeing what those two masterminds have done in the past, he couldn''t help but keep their words on his mind. Magistrate Cheng immediately understood what he meant. It turns out that the people on the Manor had these ns. No wonder he was asked to help dy until the summer and fall. This was going to be a great aplishment. Regardless of who will supply the grain at that time, as long as it is from the San''shui County, he would get a share of the credit for just showing up. "Thank you Lord Zhou for telling me. I wonder who will be sent down to take care of the affairs this time? If you can say a few nice words, then the matters on my side will be more secure. I wonder what the two masterminds look like?" Magistrate Cheng also envied Zhou Kong now since he had an opportunity to be able to meet those two masterminds. Zhou Kong shook his head disappointedly. "I didn''t get to see them either. Those two were really amazing. Before I even had the chance to say that I wanted to meet them, they had already sent someone to resolve my suspicions while I was enjoying my meal. They were really good at making predictions. I can''t tell you much about the rest, but you just need to remember that when you go over there during summer fall, don''t get too close to the Right Prime Minister1, just be a good subordinate to your superiors, and vice versa." "By saying that, you mean Yao...will retire sessfully?" Magistrate Cheng was taken aback and he was a little puzzled. Right now, that person was still well trusted by the higher ups, so why will he lose power? He still had suspicions on his mind.posted on It suddenly urred to him that the two masterminds of the Zhang Manor didn''t tell him about this, and instead they told Zhou Kong. It had nothing to do with himself. This also meant that those people felt that his position was too low and there was no need for him to know about this. It was really possible that if he did not do a good job, he would end up like this too, so he had to be careful. When Magistrate Cheng wanted to ask more, he realized that Zhou Zheng had started eating already, so he had to suppress the doubt in his heart. He nned to somehow ask these questions when he apanied him during the disaster reliefter on. The two chatted a bit more. After eating, Zhou Kongid down and rested, and Magistrate Cheng left. When it was almost night, they found Vige Chief Qin and whispered a few words to him. When those officials, who had been working for two full days, dragged their tired bodies back to eat, they were told to gather together. They suddenly realized that the food on the table had changed. It was no longer the hard-to-swallow rice balls and instead, it was garlic chive pockets2. It was no wonder that the area smelled so fragrant just now. There were more dishes too. The bitter and astringent pickled vegetables were gone, and it was reced with three dishes--- stir-fried meat with mushrooms, fried eggs with scallions, and steamed carrot with sauce. There was also a bowl of wild vegetable soup with a lot of oil floating in it. Bitter wild vegetables were not used this time; instead, cat ears, which was also called Qing''ming grass3, were used. This was used in the garlic chive pockets and the cat ear soup to make it taste more savory and delicious. The officials each sat there and did not dare to move their chopsticks because they feared that these people had ulterior motives. "My lords, I have returned. Tomorrow morning, all of my lords can enjoy the beauty of the mountains and rivers here without having to work." The bailiff appeared in front of everyone at this time and exined.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Right Prime Minister
In the Imperial Court, there were two prime minsters. One prime ministers stood to the right of the Emperor and is called the Right/Main Prime Minister, while the other prime minister stood to the left and is called the Left/Vice Prime Minister. The position of the Right Prime Minister is above the Left Prime Minister
  1. Garlic chive pockets
This is a dish that slightly resembles calzones, but rather than being baked in the oven, it is cooked on the stove top and does not use leavened dough.
  1. cat ears, which was also called Qing''ming grass
This refers to the nt Gnaphalium affine D.Don. The ground up form of this nt ismonly used in foods like mochi, rice-flour pastries, and scallion pancakes for the distinctive green color and unique vor. Book 1: Chapter 92 Book 1: Chapter 92 The officials were almost brought to tears when they saw the bailiffs and heard their words. It was too much of a struggle, but they finally got through it. Looking at the food in front of them, they felt that these foods should only be found in the heavens and not In the mortal world. They took a bite and felt that it was too delicious. It wasn''t certain if those officials'' eyes were irritated by the heat of the spicy chives or if they were emotionally touched, but they were crying while they looked at the bailiffs who were waiting for instructions. They acted like they had just seen their own parents and were so ecstatic. The bailiffs felt that everyone''s expressions seemed a bit off and that their emotions were not quite stable, so they asked again, "My lords, what arrangements do we have for tomorrow? Is it boating on the water, or taking a stroll while enjoying the scenery?" "I want-- I want to ask, can I go back? Uh!" After eating two small chives pockets, he choked while talking. He quickly poured soup down his throat and stretched his neck out for a while before he let out a long breath. He looked at the bailiff, waiting eagerly for a reply. "What? Go back? This..." "That''s not necessary. What I meant to ask was that does my lords not want to spend a good time here? The crescent moon hangs in the clear night sky, the water in the streams run clear, and the breezes are gentle. My lords can go boating now and think about more interesting things to do." The bailiff never thought that his own words would elicit such a huge reaction that every official ced down their chopsticks and listened intently. "Thank you for your kind intentions, young brother. Let''s discuss that when the rest of the people are here. We need to rush back to keep a close eye on the natural disaster in the county. The people''s affairs are important." The official who had spoken earlier started talking again. He was really scared so how could he possibly think of interesting things? In this ce, the first thing that came to his mind was how he had to carry buckets after buckets of water. Even without water inside, the empty wooden buckets by itself were heavy. He quickly found an excuse, saying that he had to go back to check the situation at the county. In fact, he wanted to run away as far as he could from this ce and he didn''t want toe here even in his next life. While the bailiff was hesitating, the official who had said that he was going to pay money continued the conversation by saying, "This meal is thirty taels of silver; when we get back to the county, I will give five taels of silvers to each of the bailiffs in the administrative office." With him setting this lead, the other officials came to understand that they were unhappy with the amount of money, so the other officials copied what he said and some even wanted to make a promissory note then and there. Magistrate Cheng was rmed by their actions. He came over here with the two Deputy Chiefs and heard that these officials were willing to pay that much money for the meals. He smiled and said, "My lords, I know, my lords are willing to spend that much money not just for those few meals, but to also donate to the San''shui County during this drought. On behalf of the people in San''shui County, I thank my lords." With the two Deputy Chiefs on his side, none of the officials dared to back out of their words. If Magistrate Cheng sent in a report, then the situation would not be as simple as them viting the rules to go out and have fun. Each one of them was estimating how much money will have to be spent. Before making calctions, they didn''t think that it would be much, but once they thought about it carefully, they regretted it deeply. In particr, the one who spoke up first was being stared at by the rest of the people. Giving thirty taels of silver for the meal was eptable; after all, the food has entered their stomachs already. But what about five taels of silver for each bailiff? How many bailiffs were there in the San''shui County? When these people were eating, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were also eating. It was as if they were telepathic-- they also made chive pockets and cat ear soup. The only difference was that other people''s chive pockets only had chives and eggs, while theirs had shrimp meat in it. Three-inch long prawns were normally served by some restaurants as whole shrimps, but Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan had the shrimps chopped up and then wrapped in a pocket. The chives had to be soaked in water for a while; this way, it wouldn''t taste too spicy. Young chives also did not get stuck between the teeth when chewed. "It''s delicious, it''s too delicious. The taste is great when pairing chive pockets with cat ear soup. When I was chewing, the spicy and fragrant taste of the chives filled my entire mouth. Then, after taking a sip of the soup, to my surprise, the cat ears were fluffy, and it had an earthy taste in the mouth, and it made my tongue feel tingly and numb. I''ve never tried this before." Wang Juan took a bite of the small chives pockets that were specially made for her and Zhang Xiaobao, and then she drank some soup. She squinted her eyes, and said happily. "Yeah, I used to eat this all the time when I was younger. There were rivers and mountains behind the orphanage, and Grandpa took me there to dig for cat ears and pick chives. Sometimes, we would be able to find some mountain hawthorn. Usually we would make it into chive pockets, but we would use less white flour, and instead, we used more corn flour. We also drank cat ear soup too. Every time I ate it, I felt like it was the happiest moment of my life. At that time, we were poor; not many people donated money. Whenever people came, they only brought some fruits. My younger siblings, and I also had to buy clothes. I thought that only poor people ate that kind of food, butter, when I grew up, I found out that it was more expensive than normal food. Don''t you think it''s hrious? Thest time I was there, I heard that a half a kilogram of chives cost 14 yuan, and meat costs only 9 yuan. Back then, if someone wanted to trade, we would be more than willing to exchange half a kilogram of chives for half a kilogram of meat. Have you seen a picture me when I was a kid? I was so skinny, a monkey would even grin if it saw me. Wang Juan didn''t know whether she should be envious or sad, and she took a sip of the soup. "Then why don''t you catch fish and shrimps in the river? The little boys here do that." "Who said that I didn''t catch any? If I caught any, I sold it for money. The things in the river weren''t worth much. The shrimps were only one inch long, and the fish were two or three inches long. Orphanage director grandpa couldn''t sell it for much. Later, a starch flour factory contaminated the area, and then nothing could be caught in the river. Everyone went to the mountains to dig for grandma ding, which is dandelion. It was considered as a kind of medicinal herb and could be sold for money. There were also different kinds of wormwood that could be harvested. There was a ntmonly called fang''feng1, which sells better. It''s especially useful for treating allergies and it works faster than any other medicines. You just need to boil it in water, and then apply the liquid to the hives on your skin and it will disappear in less than a minute. At that time, it was the older children who did most of the work. I was still young so I only followed behind them to help find things. When I was five years old, a nine-year-old brother was bitten by a snake while he was digging in the mountains. We all call that snake grass skin''. It''s venom is not that strong; it''s not the type that can destroy blood cells within a few minutes or even a few seconds. Orphanage director grandpa carried him on his back to get a blood serum injection. The serum was not expensive at the time. The hospital was already well developed. Even if it were eight or ten bites, let alone one bite, as long as it an injection is given, the person will be fine. Furthermore, since we''re from the orphanage, the medical treatment won''t cost that much, and sometimes, the treatment was free. However, when we were there, a government official from the provincial medical department came down to this hospital. Grandpa was stopped outside of the hospital and no matter what he said, they wouldn''t let him in. The official was going to inspect the hospital for three days. Grandpa had no choice but to go to another city, but the people there would not care about the orphans from a different location. We ended up using a medical herbal patch on his leg. Two dayster, his leg was swollen to the thickness of a person''s waist. When we went back to the hospital after the official left, it was toote. After a week, he died. " Zhang Xiao''bao acted like he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him. The expression on his face was still as joyful as when he was eating. While he was talking, he picked out some shrimp and ced it in on the te in front of Wang Juan. Wang Juan didn''t do anything and froze there for a while. She looked at Zhang Xiao''bao. "Didyou not take revenge? I think you care about this aspect the most." "Comrade Wang Juan, you are wrong about this. Why do I want to get revenge? When people make mistakes, there will bews to take care of them. You can''t know thew and break thew. I don''t have the strong desire for seeking revenge. I''m a good person. However, the heavens did do something. That official, and 26 other people that were involved were identally bitten by snakes. It could be very possible. Does that person not know that if a person was bitten by this kind of snake, they only have a few minutes for a medical response to be made? Those people died so miserably; their bloodpletely coagted. The heavens truly have an eye for justice. The good is rewarded, and evil is punished. It''s best to try to do more good deeds. " Zhang Xiao''bao looked sad and distressed. He picked out a piece of slightly older cat ear from Wang Juan''s soup bowl. "The 7-12 tragic case. A hospital director and deputy director, and several high-ranking officials at the provincial and ministerial level were bitten to death by a Taipan snake. Before they died, they knew how venomous the snake was and made a phone call to call for help. When they died, the expression on their faces revealed a hopeless look. No evidence or clues have been found. So it turned out that you were the one that did it? Just because a child died in the orphanage." Wang Juan looked at Zhang Xiao''bao and felt a little frightened. "It''s not me, you don''t have any evidence to prove it. They just had a really bad idea. It''s true." Trantor''s Notes
  1. Fang''feng
This refers to the nt Saposhnikovia divaricata (Trucz.) Schischk. Book 1: Chapter 93 Book 1: Chapter 93 Wang Juan listened to Zhang Xiao''bao''s calm exnation. She didn''t know what to say. She still remembered that case because it was so major that it was handed over to her department. Twenty-six people, twenty-six lives. They didn''t even know who caused their own deaths. All of them spent their final moments talking about their possible rivals. However, after these clues were investigated, quite a few corrupt officials were disposed of, but no one confessed to putting the snakes there. Zhang Xiao''bao, your tactic was impressive. "Xiao''bao, don''t always pick shrimps for me. If I wanted to eat shrimp, then I could just eat them directly. Why do I need to eat the ones in the chive pockets? Tell me, how much did you spend on doing this? As far as I know, the cost of that snake is not cheap, and it has to be transported from such a far ce, and more than one was bought. A lot of people died along the way, right?" Wang Juan was smiling as she asked Zhang Xiao''bao. Seeing that Zhang Xiao''bao still had that nk look in his eyes, she continued, "Even though you have confessed, no one can hold you ountable anyway, so what are you afraid of?" For example, the provincial level officials often went to some underground entertainment venues. That snake must have put a lot of thought into this. When that rascal looked for a courtesan, he didn''t forget to bring a guard. The snake had to sneak pass, right? It also had to discuss with the other snakes to arrange a time and then bite the people all at once." Zhang Xiao''bao frowned his eyebrows and pouted his mouth while he depicted the scene to Wang Juan in words. "Fine, Zhang Xiao''bao, you''re cunning. You''re a dead duck that refuses to open it''s a mouth1. Unfortunately there''s no lie detector here, otherwise I will definitely pry the truth out from you." Wang Juan didn''t care how many things Zhang Xiao''bao had done in the past; she just wanted to hear the truth from his mouth. Unfortunately, this bad guy here, Zhang Xiao''bao, refused to loosen his lips, and his mouth was full of lies. Zhang Xiao''bao smiled at Wang Juan, and took another bite of the chive pockets. "Well, yes, if there was a polygraph, it should really be used on me. That way, I can show you what it means to have a strong psyche. Lemme tell you something. If a person kills someone, he will be scared of being caught and being tested with a polygraph. So he decided to stand in front of a mirror, and looked at himself while continuously saying, I didn''t kill anyone. Did you kill anyone? I didn''t kill anyone...'', guess what happened in the end? " "What happened?" Wang Juan asked cooperatively. "In the end, when all the evidence pointed at him, and he saw the body and the evidence, he stared nkly at the detective standing in front of him and said, ''Who is this dead person? Did I kill this person? I didn''t kill anyone. Did you make a mistake?'' As a result, all the data collected from his body by the polygraph indicated that he did not lie. In the end, the doctor concluded that he was unconscious when hemitted the murder." Zhang Xiao''bao picked up a piece of marinated beef, and put it in his mouth and chewed down hard while he talked to Wang Juan. After Wang Juan was done listening, she was in a daze. She did not know what to say. Just as Zhang Xiao''bao had described, after a person hypnotizes himself, you won''t be able to get any information from his physiological response--- unless you know what his psychological weakness was. These people were not scary. As long as you''re willing to look, you will definitely be able to find their psychological weakness since only hypnosis was used. It is people like Zhang Xiao''bao who are really scary. He understands people''s mental activities and physical responses, and he was capable of giving himself psychological hints at any time so that his body could synchronize with his thoughts. For example, when Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao went to rest at the same time and had to enter deep sleep, she tried, but the fastest time it took her was three minutes and twenty seconds. However, Zhang Xiao''bao, whoid right beside her, only needed twenty-six seconds. He hypnotizes himself. If he could use some props, he can hypnotize others at about the same speed. "I can''t teach it. When I first learned it, it took me five minutes. Later, I experienced a lot of things, and thus, I didn''t care much about honor and disgrace anymore. This shortened the time a little bit. Every time I suffered a loss, every time I failed, every time I was insulted, I pushed through. I realized that nothing can shake me. This is a kind of self-adjustment psychology. If you suffered a lot when you were 20 years old, and by the time you live to 30 years old, you would have had ten years to adjust. If I suffered a lot when I was 50 years old, and if I can live to be a hundred years old, I would have 50 years to adjust. When you suffered and lost pride today, during that moment, why would you think about losing your life tomorrow? At that time, you will find that honor and disgrace are not so important, but existence is. Then, sleep. " When Zhang Xiao''bao was talking, he picked up a chive pocket with his chopsticks and stared at it. This made Wang Juan follow his gaze and look at it too. When Zhang Xiao''bao finished speaking, Wang Juan yawned and shook her head. She reached out and pinched Zhang Xiao''bao. "You little thing, who do you think you are? You dare try to hypnotize me? What were you thinking, did you think that I''m an easy target?? This is what you get for trying to scheme against me, this is what you get. I''ll pinch you to death." "I miscalcted. I forgot about the most important part of hypnosis---don''t apply it on people who are strong willed. Yes, you are a qualified fighter, a leader of flowers2. Using this kind of trick in front of you is an insult to you. It''s like using a polygraph on me." Zhang Xiao''bao endured the pain of being pinched, and he pretended to be indifferent and ced a chive pocket directly into his mouth. He chewed down hard on it. "Tell me, why did you try to pull that move on me?" Wang Juan spoke angrily. "Just practicing. If I say I wanted to take advantage of you, do you believe me?" Zhang Xiao''bao answered truthfully. This was what he was really thinking of; he didn''t have any evil intentions. "What are you thinking of. Humph, let''s see if you can sleep tonight? Try not to hurt yourself when you fall, the floor is hard." Wang Juan''s face was stern, and her hands were still pinching and twisting. However, Zhang Xiao''bao bear with it and stayed motionless like a mountain. "You''re threatening me. Separate, and I want to sleep separately. At night, I''ll get Shi''liu to tie me to the bed with a death knot. The rope has to be one inch thick, so thick that it can''t be bitten through." Zhang Xiao''bao was really afraid of being schemed by others. These kinds of threats were the most effective. "Thanks." Zhang Xiao''bao leaned his head over the soup bowl and spoke with a muffled voice. * The night was dark, and when everyone else was in their dreams, the officials in the Qin Family''s vige couldn''t stand the long night. They found Magistrate Cheng and asked to leave that very night. After Magistrate Cheng made several attempts to convince them, he had no choice but to follow their request and lead everyone back. This time was better than when he returned here since there were torches to light the way. Magistrate Cheng still chose the road they had used toe here. No matter what, he couldn''t let them know that there was a shortcut. Otherwise, it would be troublesome. These people will hate him to death even if he tried to exin that he didn''t know about it at the beginning. The group of people carried lit torches and walked through the mountains. At this time, there was no sound of willow flutes anymore, but there were the asional calls of night owls in the woods, which made people feel horrified. Even so, the group never stopped, and they continued moving. These officials were determined to leave this heartbreaking ce quickly. As for revenge, they have thought about it, but they saw that there were only a few people in the entire vige so if it was discovered that they were behind it, the consequences would be too frightening to think about. In particr, they also had to make sure Magistrate Cheng didn''t know about it. "My lords, are you tired? Take a rest, and then continueter." Magistrate Cheng felt that these officials were a bit different from ordinary people that were in a rush; they all had a fierce expression on their faces, which made him feel a little worried and afraid that they had be ill from exhaustion. These officials heard Magistrate Cheng''s words, but none of them answered any of his words. They were all conserving their energy. They wanted to leave as early as possible, and were panting heavily as they stared ahead and rushed forward. After walking another distance, Magistrate Cheng had no choice but to stand in the front to stop them. These officials used theirst bit of energy to move forward, but the two Deputy Chiefs couldn''t. The Deputy Chiefs had a good rest these past two days and did not have to suffer too much. These officials, who were still walking with vigor, had to stop when they heard Magistrate Cheng''s words. They were also afraid that something would happen to the two Deputy Chiefs at the back, and if that did happen, then they would not be able to get away with it through simply suffering just a little bit. . Every one of them stopped and waited for the two Deputy Chiefs and the bailiffs that were apanying them to catch up. When they were walking earlier, they forgot about their tiredness, but now that they stopped, they realized that their entire body was aching. The tiredness that has been pent-up these past few days finally burst out at this moment. When the night breeze blew past again, their awoken minds turned hazy. Magistrate Cheng quickly instructed his men to get some dry wood to burn, and serve food and water to everyone. Then, they arranged them to sit near the fire so that they wouldn''t get cold. If not, they might catch a cold and fall ill here. In fact, Magistrate Cheng knew that even if he made these arrangements, many people will fall ill by the time they reach the bottom of the mountain, and they will still need a doctor to see if they have contracted a cold. These people''s bodies are still healthy, so they won''t die. Just as Magsitate Cheng had guessed, after everyone had rested for a while, they continued to make their way down the mountain, but when they saw the carriages that came to pick them up, some of them faintedand had to be carried onto their carriages. The doctor was called over to treat them. When they returned back to the administrative office, they just needed to rest for a while. Trantor''s Notes
  1. dead duck that refuses to open it''s a mouth
This phrase describes a person that refuses to tell the truth or admit to their mistakes. The literal trantion is "dead ducks have hard beaks".
  1. Leader of flowers
This reference appeared in Chapter 69 before when Zhang Xiao''bao praised Wang Juan for being a good role model policewoman. Book 1: Chapter 94 Book 1: Chapter 94Chapter 94 Unwavering Insistence On Buying A Mountain In the middle of the night, Magistrate Cheng sent everyone off to rest, and he was finally able to let out a sigh of relief. Now, he did not need to worry that someone would step out and stir up trouble. When the two Deputy Chiefs came here, they said they wanted to investigate some things, but they didn''t do much nor say much nor ask much. While the other officials were arranged to rest at night, the two Deputy Chiefs told their people that there was no need to rush and that they could take their time to handle the matters at the county. They already had some preliminary understanding of the situation--- the county was indeed affected by the drought. In particr, the Deputy Chief of the Ministry of Work said that after he returns to the Capital, he will send in a report to ask for more money to be given to the San''shui County. After hearing the two Deputy Chiefs'' promise, Magistrate Cheng took a hot bath and fell deeply asleep while he was being massaged by his servants. He needed to maintain a high spirit every day and especially for tomorrow morning. He heard from Zhou Kong that the Zhang manor will send people to deliver 1500 taels of silver. Although these silvers were not given for nothing; this would taint his image as the County Magistrate since it would be embarrassing that he, a government official, needed donations from a manor. If this news spread, then people will think that he is an unreliable official. What''s on the north shore? As the County Magistrate, of course he knew that it was just a barren mountain; it upied a lot of space, but it was impossible to grow anything on it. Even the trees were sparse, and they were only a few. If that ce was worth 1500 tales of silver, then wouldn''t the other ces be worth a dozen times more? He had to deal with this matter himself. For one, he had to properly broadcast to the people in the county that the Zhang Manor had purchased the mountain--- this way, the people would know that there is a manor that is willing to do business at a loss. As for the other, he had to let the people know that when the administrative office received the money, they were neither greedy for the manor''s money, nor were they trying to randomly levy taxes from the people. The next morning, Magistrate Cheng got up. Before he had to ask, a servant said to him, "My master, other than those two officials who are able to get up, the rest have fallen ill. Last night, doctors looked at them already. They are alright; they just need to rest for a few days. My master, should you go check on them." "Are they really okay? That''s fine, let them rest, and don''t bother the other two. Even if they don''t get sick, they won''t be able to stir up any trouble for a while. Of course I have to go check on them. Go prepare some light food. Oh, prepare some fungus too. These people are our boss; each of them has given out a few hundred taels of silver, let them drink and eat their worth." Magistrate Cheng became happy when he thought of what these people said at the beginning. It was great now. The Zhang Manor''s soy sauce can be used to keep the prices down, and he had that 1500 taels of silver, plus these officials'' money. More money can be made when the officials buy some wood fungus from the Zhang Manor before they leave.posted on The rest of the money can be used to further lower the price intion caused by the drought. In particr, they could not let those evil merchants raise the cost of grains, or else the people will starve. After he tidied himself up and ate some breakfast, Magistrate Cheng asked his servant to help him carry food when he went to visit the area where the officials were. The ill people remained resting, while the rest who were not ill forced themselves up. Their bodies were sore and aching all over. After the servants helped them get ready, they still didn''t have the energy to eat. When Magistrate Cheng came over with food, two people were in the middle of a conversion. They were discussing what happened this time--- it was torture. After a few words were replied back to Magistrate Cheng, he left. The two people sat next to the table, and were spoon-fed by people. The two of them didn''t carry water, but they were asked to clear up the wastnd. They had to swing a pickaxe over and over again. Now, both of their arms were thicker than usual, and their arms were drooping there. They took in a sharp breath every time they moved their arms just a little bit. However, exercise enthusiasts would describe that sensation as satisfying. After Magistrate Cheng was done arranging these things, he began to wait for people from the Zhang Manor to arrive. At the same time, he got people to write notices to let themoners in the county know about this matter. As for those who were illiterate, he didn''t worry about it since there are always people who want to show off their literary skills by telling others what was written on the notice board. Before the people of Zhang Manor came over, the majority of the people in the county learned about this. Some people called the Zhang Manor stupid, while others called the Zhang Manor benevolent. Regardless, no one said that the Zhang Manor will make money from buying that mountain, and that it would be good enough if they didn''t lose all their money over it. At a quarter past 9 in the morning, Er''niu from the Zhang Manor finally came over. He came by himself, and the 1,500 taels of silver was transported behind him. However, it wasn''t just silvers, there were also coins and cloth. All of these filled up two entire carriages. If it was just silvers, then only a few boxes will be needed. "Er Niu, I remember that you did a lot of things for the Zhang Manor, right?" Magistrate Cheng arranged a ce for Er''niu to dine, and prepared food for him to eat. He came here so early in the day, so he mustn''t have had breakfast yet. Also, he could take this opportunity to chat with him casually. "My lord, I really didn''t do much, I only listened to my master''s instructions. I just did whatever my master told me to do. My lord, you don''t have to prepare food for me to eat; I brought some myself. Have a look, it''s all in my bag." Er''niu was usually quite clever. When he saw the location that he was in, he knew what arrangements the county magistrate made. As he spoke, he put the bag he was carrying down onto the table and opened it up swiftly. Inside, there were some bamboo tubes. "Oh? You also brought these things? It must have taken a lot of work to prepare these things before you left your house, right?" Magistrate Cheng asked curiously. In fact, he was not happy. How long did it take to prepare these things? If he didn''t prepare these things, wouldn''t he have been able to arrive here earlier? "My lord is wrong this time, hehe. The items I have brought were not prepared at home, instead, they were made by my master. I got up early and rushed here with the things and I didn''t stop for a single second." Of course, Er''niu understood the meaning behind Magistrate Cheng''s words, and he exined himself while smiling. While talking, he opened each item. A big bamboo tube was filled with silken tofu, which was prepared for him because this was his favorite food to eat. Some of the small bamboo tubes were filled with chives, or slices of boiled beef, and the smallest tube contained garlic sauce. A paper package was ripped open, and inside there were three white in steamed buns, a pair of bamboo chopsticks, and a copper spoon. These things were his breakfast and utensils. The noodle stew1 can be poured onto the silken tofu, and then stirred a few times with chopsticks. After some chives were sprinkled on top, it was ready to eat. "My lord, I''m really hungry right now, so I''m going to eat first. " Er Niu spoke apologetically to Magistrate Cheng, and began to eat. Magistrate Cheng, who was standing on his side, looked stunned. To his surprise, there was sliced boiled beef paired with garlic sauce, and inside the noodle stew there were mushrooms, minced meat, fungus, coriander, and egg ribbons. Just this stew alone could be exchanged for hundreds of bowls of silken tofu. "No, the food I normally eat is a little bit worse than this, but not by too much. It''s because I''m out to do errands, I. Umm, the master family has said that staying thousands days at home is easy, but even a moment spent outside will be filled with hardships. One could be stingy at home, but should not be afraid to spend money when travelling outside. How could bought food be as carefully prepared as homemade food?''. That''s why they told me to bring all of this, this way I can eat well even when I''m outside." Er''niu scooped a spoon of silken tofu, swallowed it and responded to Magistrate Cheng while smiling earnestly. As for Magistrate Cheng, he couldn''tugh at all. The master family was this considerate to a servant. This dialogue that Er''niu just quoted was not the words a master would tell their servants, instead, it sounded like what a parent would tell their child that was about to travel far away. If anyone wanted to bribe their servants, then it would be pointless. Even Magistrate Cheng himself would use his own life to protect the master family. "Is it delicious?" Magistrate Cheng''s mind wandered off as he was thinking. He couldn''t help but ask this when he smelt the aroma of the noodle stew and bean fragrance of the tofu. "It''s delicious. My lord may not know, all of the food made by my master family is delicious. Have a look at this sliced boiled beef. It wasn''t boiled directly in the water since that would make the meat tough. Look at how tender it is. When it was cooked, other ingredients were added in---it was the stuff used to make liang''pi. Yes, it''s a secret recipe. That ingredient was cooked together with the meat, and after cooking, it became tender like this. The garlic sauce is also different. The garlic sauce elsewhere is made by mashing the garlic and then adding soy sauce, while this one is made by soaking minced garlic in soy sauce for several days. After that, it is taken out and it will no longer have that pungent spicy taste, and it will also develop a unique vor. If my lord doesn''t believe it, have a taste. " While talking, Er''niu pushed the barely touched sliced boiled beef and the garlic sauce towards Magistrate Cheng. Magistrate Cheng looked at food and felt conflicted in his heart as to whether he should eat it or not? He was afraid of losing face if he ate it, but if he didn''t eat it, he couldn''t satisfy the craving that was elicited by Er''niu''s words. In the end, he persuaded himself that it was food taken from his Shi''fu, so as their disciple, it was fine to eat some. "Good, it really is extraordinary. My Shi''fu is really capable. Er''niu, has your master thought carefully about buying that mountain? Don''t they think that it would be a waste of money? If it doesn''t work out, I can change the ce." "Ah? Change? No, my lord, don''t change it. When I was departing, the master has said that they have decided on that ce. Could it be that you''re going back on your words now?" When Er''niu heard this, he stopped moving his chopsticks and replied firmly. He didn''t know why his Young Master wanted that ce, but he knew that if his Young Master wanted it, then it was a good business deal. Trantor''s Notes
  1. Noodle stew
This is a noodle soup made by adding peanuts, seaweed, noodles, vinegar, bean paste and soy sauce. Add vegetables and meats can be added. The taste is smooth, fragrant, slightly sour and extremely vourful. Book 1: Chapter 95 Book 1: Chapter 95 The sun was hanging in the sky and it shone its light onto the ground to take away the remaining bit of spring cold while green grass apanied the flowers to sway back and forth. Xiao''hong guided the big goose, Rong''rong, which was leading a group of ducks and geese, into the water to y or fight to eat a few small fishes. Every single time a flock of geese flew ahead, they would raise their heads and call out a couple of times. The oval leaves of the pagoda tree rustled with the wind. String beans that were dangling from their branches looked like they were about to stretch out their bodies and unleash little white flowers. All the little children on the Manor were outside cutting grass to feed the livestock. They gawked at the pagoda tree flowers that were about to blossom and were looking forward to picking the flowers to eat. The flowers were slightly sweet and had a special vor. They could also bring the flowers home to make pagoda flower rice, or give it to the master household to make it into wine. The taste was not as good as elm samara, but there were too many bugs on elm samaras. Too much pagoda flower cannot be eaten too. When ying together, the older child had to look after the younger one and look for fun ces to y at. Under the lead of the older children, the young ones hollered, horsed around, and the sound ofughter spread to everywhere in the manor. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, who had already eaten lunch and drank some bone soup,id side by side on chairs ced in the middle of their small yard to bask in the sun. Under the light of the noon sun, the two chairs casted two short shadows onto the ground. Shi''liu went to spray water onto the fungus, leaving only the two of them to enjoy this leisurely time. "Toads areing out soon, right?" He squinted his eyes andid down for a while. The nket covering his belly button slipped down, and Wang Juan pulled the nket back up. She closed her eyes while she asked. Zhang Xiao''bao ced his arms on the back of his head, and shook his crossed leg while he made a n. "You''re also raising fish in the paddy field; the toad eggs and tadpoles will be eaten by them." Wang Juan was a little worried. "Hmm~! If they want to eat, then let them eat. There will just be fewer toads in the paddy fields, and more in the ponds. The toads that can survive in the paddy fields are either lucky or strong. If they survive past hibernation, then their next generation will be even more strong." "I guess so. Let''s raise a few dogs this year, preferably from the same litter. If there''s a fight, they will fight together." Wang Juan thought about the dogs again. Zhang Xiao''bao shuddered when he heard about raising dogs, and he disagreed, "I don''t like dogs. They have to be taken care of too. If we put more energy onto them, then less energy can be used in other areas. Or you can raise them yourself. Next to the vegetable plots, there''s a sandy piece ofnd--- you make a dog house over there. The leftover food from the courtyard can be fed to them." "Don''t you dare think of feeding my dogs leftovers; there is salt and other seasonings in it. I want to choose the dogs myself. When they''re still small, I''ll feed them some milk and porridge. When they get bigger, I''ll feed them grain, raw meat and vegetables. With so many chickens, I can feed them chicken bones. Later, I want to train them myself." Wang Juan didn''t really care whether Zhang Xiaobao was willing to raise the dogs with her or not. He has an independent personality and she can''t force him. It was good enough to have a ce for them to stay and be able to feed them. Zhang Xiao''bao opened his eyes and turned to look at Wang Juan, "Are you going to raise a Chinese field dog as a police dog? Have you learned how to do this before?" "I''ve seen this before and I have asked an animal caretaker; they said it''s fine to use the same training method but it''s also dependent on how experienced the trainer is. If it doesn''t work out, then the dog is just a normal field dog, but if it works out then the dog is a police dog. When you''re done handling the things on your manor, go help me find a good dog breed. Do you think you can get your hands on a Tibetan Mastiff? I can make do with just a few of that breed of dog." The corner of Zhang Xiaobao''s mouth moved. He didn''t know how to organize his words. After a while, Wang Juan was still dreaming about it and he said, "Has anyone ever trained a Tibetan Mastiff into a police dog? Back then, when a group of Doberman was chasing me, I ended up...." "What did you do to them?" Wang Juan stopped imagining at this moment, and turned her head to question him. "They lost track of me. They wanted to chase me down, but I used some irritants on them so that they were unable to sniff my scent. What, you think I killed all of them? There were too many and I was empty-handed. They were also followed by people carrying guns. Am I that stupid?" Zhang Xiao''bao felt that although Wang Juan cared a lot about dogs, she should not ce them on such a high podium. After he saw that she breathed a sigh of relief, he continued to say, "I''ll get someone to ask around to see if there are any houses that raises dogs that were crossbred with wolves. Then we can buy them. Tibetan Mastiffs are not suitable." "Who told you that the Tibetan Mastiff can''t be a police dog? Are you ignorant? You should look for wolf dogs, but you need to keep your eyes peeled for Tibetan mastiffs too. In particr, when winteres, the Tibetan mastiff can still be used." Wang Juan curled her lips. "Fine. We can even get carrots from Tibet, so getting dogs wouldn''t be any harder, would it? When we do get them, don''t you dare feed them my beef. Feed them pork. The piglets that the residents have caught will be big enough by then." Zhang Xiao''bao saw that Wang Juan was so serious, so he had topromise. "Not pork. If there''s no beef, I''ll feed them mutton. Cooperate with me during training. For example, if the dog is on a leash, and it''s time to feed the dog, you can hit the dogs and not let them eat. Then, I wille and drive you away. This way, the dog will trust me a little bit more." Wang Juan began to arrange things for Zhang Xiao''bao again. Zhang Xiao''bao blinked a few times, "The dog trusts you, but what about me?" * Themoners heard of the news a long time ago, and they all ran over to watch the excitement. Some of the people even waited in front of the administrative office. When the people came out from the administrative office, the spectators followed beside them and they wanted to see who was the fool that came from the Zhang Manor. They also tried to estimate the cost of the items on the carriage to see if it was actually worth 1500 taels of silver. When Magistrate Cheng and his party arrived at the ce, a crowd of people were there already. In order to show off himself, Magistrate Cheng nned to work under the watch of the people. The cloth, coins and silver were taken off of the carriage and counted. The result was that there were exactly 1500 taels of silver. People were also sent to the opposite shore to take measurements, and they worked busily for two hours. The opposite shore was measured to be 1200 mu1. A legal document was written and stamped, and it was given to Er''niu to bring back to the manor. After his master signs it and imprints his thumbprint, thend will belong to the Zhang manor. Then, there was no way to take the money back anymore. Themoners were all there watching. If this money was used to buy fertilend, there will be people who think that Magistrate Cheng has put some of the money into his own pocket since the money was so little. However, everyone was thinking that the people on the Zhang Manor were crazy because they bought a barren mountain. Er''niu did not care about what those people said. He took the document and immediately hurried back so that his master could sign it. Song Jing''gong, who had been apanying the group the entire time, also began to getinto work. He started recruiting some people that were there to set up infrastructures on the area opposite to the river. "Zi''jin, are you nning to grow things over there?" Magistrate Cheng saw that Song Jing''gong was working so quickly, so he felt a bit confused. "My lord, how could it be possible to grow things in that ce? I''m just following the manor''s instructions to build houses here and repair the dock. The Manor gave me 1000 taels of silver to use this time. My lord, look, there''s a lot of rocky soil on the mountain, so a lot of money can be saved when building docks and houses. There''s a severe drought right now and the Little Luo''shui River ispletely dried out, so it''s easier to begin construction now. We will get people to dig into the river bed to deepen and widen the river, and then the extra soil can be used on the levee. When the drought is over, and the rainy seasones, the river here will be wider and the water will be deeper. This will allow big boats to sail through. Also, the manor will continue to pay money to dig a small manmadeke over there, and set up a rock garden and a pavilion. The water from the Little Luo''shui River can be connected to that ce so that boats can travel between theke and the river. Those who y in the mountains can go boating while listening to music. My lord, do you think this is possible? " Song Jing''gong didn''t hide the Manor''s n from the Magistrate and told him everything. Magistrate Cheng listened to him. At the beginning, he still had a smile on his face, but when he heard more, his smile disappeared and it was reced by shock and frustration. He was stunned and he remained motionless. Song Jing''gong had finished speaking, but Magistrate Cheng didn''t say anything. "My lord, there is one more thing I want to ask you for help." Song Jing''gong saw the county magistrate was still in a daze so he increased the volume of his voice. "Ah? There''s something else? What else? Could it be that you want to buy thend on this side of the river too? That can''t be done. This field has to be used for growing grains. This area is only half a mu2 so it''s impossible to build a wharf here." Magistrate Cheng also had this idea just now, but when he thought about it, if that was done, then the crop field would be upied too and people would report him for prioritizing business trade over agriculture, and destroying crop fields to build trade routes. This would be a serious crime. He assumed that Song Jing''gong also had the same n in mind. "Don''t worry, my lord. The manor will certainly not do such things. It''s just that I noticed that the bridge between the two sides of the river has fell into disrepair for a long time. I''m thinking about using some money to build a wider and sturdier bridge so that it''s easy for pedestrians to cross." Song Jing''gong exined himself. "Repair the bridge? Easy for pedestrians to cross? Could it be that you want to transport the items on the opposite side to this side? It would be more convenient if the bridge is repaired." Magistrate Cheng instantly understood what the key idea was. The wharf was on the other side, but the goods had to be transported to here. The Zhang Manor was really unwilling to lose out on any money-making opportunities "My lord is wise." Song Jing''gong said with a smile. Trantor''s Notes
  1. 1200 mu is about 0.8 square kilometers
  2. Half a mu is about 333 square meters
Book 1: Chapter 96 Book 1: Chapter 96 After the mountains andnd were bought, Song Jing''gong did not idle around; he hired the people that were there to start construction work on the other side. They were people that did not own farnd so they were not busy during the Spring Tige. People who had farnd were busy right now. Song Jing''gong left, and Magistrate Cheng also brought his people and the items back to the administrative office. As soon as he returned, he went into the study room and looked out from the gap of the open window and looked at thend outside. Because the sun was shining there, his eyes became tired after some time. The view in front of him was filled with warm colors. "My lord, another document came from the rural side." Magistrate Cheng had spaced out for half an hour already when the Magistrate Assistant arrived while holding a piece of paper in his hand. "Xu''yang you''re here. Xu''yang, why didn''t we think that of this? We could have taken advantage of this drought to widen and deepen the Little Luo''shui River, and use the rocky soil to build houses. This way, when the wateres back, boats can sail through the river. 1500 taels of silver was used to buy such arge area. Tell me, how much do you think it costs to rent a warehouse for a day? Once the restaurant is built, how much money can be made in a day? If it''s rented out to people, how much money can be earned? Goods can be directly purchased at the wharf and then directly sold to others. How much profit will be made? How much toll can be collected when a boat stops there? How much will be paid to the helpers at the wharf each day?" Magistrate Cheng did not take the document out of the Magistrate Assistant Zhang Ming''sheng''s hand. Instead, when he saw that he came, he mumbled some questions while looking out the window. He also thought about this in his mind. When the people from the Manor wanted to buy the ce, countless people were waiting to watch the fun, and even he himself thought that the Manor was going to lose money. He thought that the Zhang Manor was donating the money, and he was grateful for that, but at this moment, not only did they owe them a favor, but the opportunity to earn money was also given away to the Manor. They were truly great masterminds. They took advantage of the drought and turned the worthlessnd into a source of wealth. "My lord, I can''t figure out how much money the Manor will earn too. The more prosperous this ce is, the more they will make. We didn''t see the golden mountain that was in front of us; it''s not like we can take it back again, can we?" The Magistrate Assistant knew that the Magistrate was feeling ufortable in his heart, and he was worried that the Magistrate would rip up the title deed and document out of frustration, so he tried to coax him. "Take it back? How could we dare to do that. It might be possible to use another piece ofnd to trade with them, but it is impossible to take the mountain back. It''s good like this too. They have to pay taxes when doing business anyway. In the summer, some of the workers will have nothing to do and they go to the wharf to help; they will earn some money too. With boat shipping, the cost of good transportation can be reduced. This river connects to the Jing''shui River, which leads to the Wei River. All routes in every direction will be open and it will be convenient to travel anywhere. I really do feel sad that this money is earned by other people. The opportunity was given to the Zhang Manor because they were capable and they did give out 1500 taels of silver. Do you think there are other ces in the San''shui County that can be used to earn money that other people haven''t discovered yet?" Of course Magistrate Cheng did not dare to go back on his words. Disregarding his ns to seek discipleship, even if it was just a normal manor that did not have a mastermind, he would not recklessly go against them. At the administrative office, every single person, from the janitor that sweeps the yard to the bailiffs, have received some sort of benefit from the Zhang Manor. It did not take much thinking to realize that if he announced this decision, the people from the administrative office that were working outside will definitely secretly deliver the news to the Zhang Manor first. At this time, dealing with the drought is the main task at hand. It will not be toote to ask the Zhang Manor when my lord will help them deliver grain during the summer fall. Even if my lord can''t use it, the new county magistrate that seeds my lord can use it. Wasn''t it already decided that someone from the court will be sent down to see if they''re willing to work properly, otherwise... " Even though the Magistrate Assistant did not say the remaining part, Magistrate Cheng understood that he has received enough benefits already and that he should leave some behind for the next magistrate. He nned to promote someone from within the county, but if the Imperial Court did not allow that and insisted on sending someone else down here, then it needs to be watched if that person is able to do work for the San''shui County and listen to orders. If a person from a different countyes, it would be impossible for the person to establish a foothold in the San''shui County. Once they were done discussing their inner thoughts, both of them felt relieved. Magistrate Cheng took the document and had a look at it. It was a request sent to the county to get some well-digging equipment. This was simple, so he immediately signed and stamped it. Just when he sent someone to arrange this matter, Song Jing''gong rushed over again. Preliminary arrangements had been set up at the river already and two people were found to supervise the digging of the river. Song Jing''gong had other matters to discuss with the county magistrate, and this time, he was here to deliver some benefits. "Zi''jin is here? How''s the work proceeding over there? With the wharf and that ce on the mountain, life at the San''shui County will be better in the future. Don''t forget to help me thank the people at the Manor on behalf of the county when you go back." Magistrate Cheng greeted him and then asked people to serve tea. Song Jing''gong sat down, paused for a while, and said, "My lord, the construction work over there has started already. I havee here to ask my lord for help." "Could it be that you have encountered some difficulty? Tell me about it." Magistrate Cheng couldn''t figure out what Song Jing''gong came here for. "Thank you, my lord, it really is a bit difficult. There is not enough manpower. Does my lord know any ces in our county that are suffering so terribly from the drought that there are not many people working right now? I am willing to hire them. If there are any families that depend on women to earn money, they cane to help cook food." Song Jing''gong selected two kinds of people. ording to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan''s words, this approach allows them to contribute back to the society. In the future, if there are any other matters, the same approach will be used. "My lord really treats the people as your own children. When the construction isplete on the mountains and for other scenic spots, there will be more jobs for the people in San''shui County." Song Jing''gong continued saying. "What jobs? Carry sedan chairs up the mountain? That works." Magistrate Cheng could only think of this. These are found at the bottom of several mountains. It didn''t matter how tall the mountain was; it was mainly for entertainment purposes. Song Jing''gong shook his head. "What my lord is talking about is just an ordinary thing. What I want to say is to let some people embroider some items. When some wandering intellectse by reciting andposing poems, these verses can be embroidered onto arge handkerchief . These handkerchiefs can be sold at the restaurant at the Zhang Manor, and the handkerchiefs from there can be sold here. It should be put on disy for five days before it''s sold. This way... " "This way, when the people here are thinking about their own poems, they have to go to the Zhang Manor to see the poems. For one, they would want to see how much their poems are worth, and the other is to hear other people''sments. This is a good way to get people to visit both ces and also bring friends with them. Both sides can make a lot of money, and also, those people would need to travel by carriage, so the people in the county who rely on driving carriages can also get a lot of ie. But if the person is not good at writing poems, will you wait for the poet to buy it himself? " Hearing Song Jing''gong''s idea, Magistrate Cheng was shaking from excitement. The business model was designed well; the two locations were so far away but they were interconnected. Not only could the Zhang Manor earn a sum of money, but it could also help many people in the county. It would be great if all other merchants were like this right now. "My lord does not have to worry that some of the handkerchiefs would not be bought by people. If no one is willing to bid for the handkerchief, then the Manor will send someone to buy it. It is nothing more than stimting the economy in the county. The poets'' names and addresses will be recorded down, so when the holidayse, another handkerchief will be embroidered and sent to them along with other gifts. The Manor will find a ce to store these purchased items. Regardless of whether the persones to see it in person, or if the person bes famous, it is still a type of ie. The people at the Manor also said that the route to travel from here to that ce on the Manor will be set so the coachmen can drive the carriage on the same road each time. Pavilions can be built along the road for people to rest at. Next to the pavilions, people who are not doing well in the county seat could set up a stall to serve tea or wine. This is another job opportunity created. Although, the pavilions have to be repaired by the county. " Seeing that the county magistrate was happy, Song Jing''gong decided to reveal his ns for the future too. He believed that Magistrate Cheng will be able to use it, but if he leaves, then Song Jing''gong will see how the next county magistrate is. If the new magistrate is not good to the Zhang Manor, then Song Jing''gong will definitely not let him have this political achievement. Magistrate Cheng was not able to say anything else at the moment, so he kept nodding his head in agreement. When Song Jing''gong left, he stood at the entrance of the Administrative Office and watched Song Jing''gong''s figure be smaller and smaller as he disappeared in the distance. When he couldn''t see him anymore, he turned around and went back. As soon as he came back, he rushed to go find the Magistrate Assistant to ask him to find a way to reserve some money. The money could not be used all at once since he still had other uses for it. He had thought about it a bit more and then decided to call the Secretary General Zhao Xiang over to tell him about these things. He nned to promote the Secretary General as the next County Magistrate. If he didn''t tell him now and he waited for Song Jing''gong tell him, then Secretary General Zhao Xiang might misunderstand Magistrate Cheng. Magistrate Assistant Zhang Ming''sheng was also on the side listening. He also thought about how he would have an opportunity to be promoted when the timees, so he was happy. However, he suddenly became depressed, and he said, "By then, Sanshui County will be a pot of gold. Probably a lot of people would want toe here to be the county magistrate, what should I do?" "Xu''yang, just waiting is no good. Once the San''shui County is rich, it will not be as simple as having two auspicious omens to be further promoted. When the timees, you can go ask the people over there. Perhaps, they would have a new n". Magistrate Cheng pointed in the direction of Zhang Manor. Book 1: Chapter 97 Book 1: Chapter 97 As the sun slowly sets, the sky and water both reflected waves that were stained red and the clouds chased the swan geese''s song. The swan geese''s song blended with the wind and each birdcall told other swan geese to return home. The kind mother spoke gently as smoke covered the twilight. After summer, there was still a month of work left to do in the fields. The weather was getting hotter; when night arrived, people who couldn''t fall asleep looked at the starry night sky outside. The Manor residents had worked all day long so they did not spend their time like that-- only the people of the master household were that leisurely. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan had chives-filled buns at night and they finally felt full after drinking some spinach soup. They quickly entered dreand afterying down on their bed. After about four hours, Shi''liu woke them up and they realized that there were still some people that were unable to sleep and were still wandering around. "Xiao''bao, everybody is a bit too energetic. Let''s find some entertainment activity for them. They can''t even sleep at night right now. When the weather bes even hotter, wouldn''t they have to stay up all night? That would interfere with their ability to work the next day." Wang Juan sat in front of the desk and was about to study, but when she saw that the light in the rear window changed from light to dark, which should have been caused when someone moved passed the torch in the yard. "There is no use to having any entertainment activities. If you let them y mahjong, it is very likely that they will y for the entire night. It''s evident that they have done too little work during the day. It''s mainly because more people have been hired to work in the yard, so after dividing up all of the work, there''s not much for each person to do. Since you can''t sleep, let''s study." Zhang Xiao''bao spread the paper onto the table and flipped open the book. He was thinking about the knowledge he learned from his father, and began to review. He admired the energy of these servants. He grinded the inkstick1 while he spoke to Wang Juan, "They can be given more work to do during the day. How about letting them go to the mountain to pick wild vegetables? They can pick bracken fern and if they find monk head'', which is the balloon flower, or tycodon grandiflorum, they should pick more of it. When they bring it back, it can be sprinkled with salt and then sealed in a jar, or it can be sun dried. It can be eaten during winter when there are no veggies to eat." "Okay, let''s do that then. So it seems like we need to find more work for them in the future, so that they can fall asleep at night from tiredness." Wang Juan thought that this was a good idea. Those who were still wandering outside don''t know their Young Master and Young Miss have found fun things for them to do. The next morning, the majority of the two master households'' servants took a day''s worth of food and water, and made their way up the mountain. Their have been assigned to collect anything that is edible, stay in groups of two or three, and be careful of snakes and insects. The little children on the manors who were originally ying around thought that something major happened because they saw that so many people left the master household. When they asked around, they found out the people were going to pick vegetables in the mountain. The children gathered together to discuss, and then they decided to go to the mountain too, but they did not dare to go too far. It was not too tiring since they spent their time eating and ying while they foraged. In the evening, the children delivered the foraged items to the master house first. Although they were just kids, their foraging speed was not slower than that of the adults, and the group of little children actually collected two big sacks of mountain vegetables. They ced the sacks outside the master house and waited for the people inside toe out and get it. It was normal for the people from the courtyard to work outside so there was no need to pay them extra money. The little children were busy working the entire day, so of course, they should have been rewarded. The housekeeper brought out some salted duck eggs, and gave each child two duck eggs. The children were content to receive just anything. Furthermore, two salted duck eggs were a lot already. If it was eaten conservatively, it can be eaten for five or six days. They ced the duck eggs into their pockets and left while cheering happily. The workers from the courtyard came back at ater time. It was not known how far they went, but they were all listless. They brought back dozens of sacks, and together the sacks weighed more than 3,000 catties. If they were all pickled with salt, then the amount of salt needed would be a lot, so this was not doable. Thus, they decided to pick out the better ones and brine them while the remaining ones were ced in a cool ce and dried in the shade, and then they can be hung in a ventted ce. This way, it could be stored for a long time. When those people wanted to go to bed after having dinner in a hurry, they were instructed to study words. The three special ss maids from the inner yard were responsible for teaching these people. After studying for two hours, these people finally couldn''t stand it anymore, and, one by one, each went back to their rooms, and immediately fell asleep. No one stayed upte that night. "What do you think? The method works, right? We have gained a lot of things and resolved their insomnia." Zhang Xiao''bao spoke to Wang Juan while they were studying at night. "Okay, but in two days when there are no more mountain vegetables, what else can you get them to do? You can''t possibly ask them to go to the mountain to chop wood, right? You have to arrange something that they can do for a long time. Except for working during some festivals and doing farm work, on normal days they don''t seem to be doing much work?" Wang Juan found that after more people were found to work at home, the workload was lessened. She and Zhang Xiao''bao helped to n most of the things. Although the efficiency was improved, there was now excess manpower. She was not foolish enough to let the workers clock in at nine and clock out at five, and then enjoy nightlife. Zhang Xiao''bao also did not want to see so many people have this much free time since this will make them bezy. If they have things to do during their free time, then it was easy to handle, since they had something to look forward to in life. However, if they did not know what to do during their free time, then it would be troublesome. They must have a goal, even if the goal was one that they had to blindly ept. Hearing that Wang Juan asked him to think of a long-term solution, he thought for a bit and then he shook his head, "No, you can''t confine them with a long-term job. They need to think that the work they do is fresh and new. Shi''liu, Xiao''hong and Ying''tao were exceptions. They have already regarded their job as an honor, and they love their jobs from the bottom of their hearts. If their job was changed, they would think that we have found them unsuitable for the job. Get these people to pick mountain vegetables for another two days, then let them work on the lotus flowers. Weren''t the lotus flowers that Magistrate Cheng found were all ced into the pond? Let them work on this first, and then after two days, let them raise shrimps and crabs. Don''t let them get too familiar with the jobs. Swap them out with a different group of people and assign them a new job every two days. The disadvantage of this is that we cannot expect the things we raise will have a high yield, and they will die easily. The advantage is that when they encounter something they are not familiar with, and if they want to satisfy their masters, they must learn from others, and others have to learn from them." "I see, in the process of teaching others, they will get a sense of satisfaction in return. This will also strengthen their intemunication, and at the same time, they are forced to take everything seriously, otherwise they will not be able to answer the questions other people ask them. It would be embarrassing if they were called out by another person." After Zhang Xiao''bao said this, Wang Juan realized that they had to use their own money to train these people. If a person developed a habit to do work seriously, then the person will keep the habit when the person works on a different job. In order to be better at teaching others, the person had to learn seriously, and then think hard to summarize their experience. The two of them wrote a few more lines, and then Wang Juan spoke again, "In fact, not much money will be lost. The so-called loss is actually the difference between the expected output and the actual yield. The transnted lotus does not cost money. We have ponds already; we can ask the shrimp and crab sellers for the baby shrimps and baby crabs. I think this will work. Other than some vegetables in the backyard, there should be some nts that can be grafted, like fruit trees. There will always be new job waiting for them. Let''s continue writing, and then sleep after a while. " Unknowingly, the Dragon Boat Festival will be here soon. The Spring Tige ended several days ago. The crops were looked after, and everyone was waiting for the harvesting season toe. The wheat has already been cut once already, and the second cutting will be der. At the same time, construction of the restaurant at the Manor waspleted. The supply of MSG to the three restaurants in the county seat has always been very minimal, and it was reserved to be used in their own business. Of course, the names behind these businesses were not the Zhang and Wang families. The Zhang and Wang families have always been pure farmers. The Zhang family''s ancestors have a bit of political credit, so they can be regarded as patriotic descendants. As for business matters, they had no connections with the merchants. It was other people who upied the Zhang and Wang family''s space to do business. Even the mountain near the Little Luo''shui River was simply bought by the master of the Zhang family to be rented out to people. As for what business they conducted, it had nothing to do with the Zhang family. Construction at the Little Luo''shui River was notplete yet. The river still needs to be dug, and the levee needs to be repaired. The buildings need to be built ording to building codes and standards, and the wharf also needs to be built. These projects were carried out simultaneously and it solved the problem of having many unemployedborers in the county. The small road and pavilions on the mountain and the man-madeke at the bottom of theke can only start after the other projects areplete. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, those who collected wormwood, collected wormwood and other medicinal herbs. During this time, they collected everything that could be foraged. The two Zhang and Wang Manors also purchased a lot of medicinal herbs during this time, and it was Zhang Xiao''bao who paid for these. The supply at the apothecary was going to be low eventually, so they stocked up on these items too. It was finally the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Zhang and Wang Manors began to give out bamboo leaf rice dumplings2 to their residents again. The restaurant was also opened on the same day. Strings after strings of firecrackers were ignited as if they did not cost money. Magistrate Cheng brought some people from the administrative office over to congratte them. Zhou Kong did not lie; he also called people from the prefecture toe join him to eat and drink for free. Song Jing''gong''s name was well-known, and he has attracted many friends toe here to support the restaurant. These people knew about the opening two days beforehand, and they all raced to write poems at home while they still had the time so that they could attract the spotlight on the day of the opening. Even a remote ce like the Tu''qiao Vige became more lively because of the opening of the restaurant, which made all the residents in the three manors happy. It was impossible for Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan to participate, let alone stand at the entrance to wee customers. The adults in the family all left, leaving behind only the two of them to y in the yard. "Xiao''bao, are there any bamboo rice dumplings that children can eat? Children like us." Wang Juan looked at others steaming or boiling the bamboo rice dumplings. She was craving it, but she was also worried that it would be difficult to digest. She asked Zhang Xiao''bao boredly. "There should be? I was thinking about using rice that was not so glutinous like normal rice, and then add some minced meat and other fillings inside. Wrap it all up, and then steam it, then it can be eaten." Zhang Xiaobao analyzed. "Stop talking. How is that still a bamboo rice dumpling? Zhou Kong mighte over to ask things again, and we have had to answer him." Wang Juanid on the chair, and then she closed her eyes and fell asleep. Trantor''s Notes
  1. Grinding inkstick
An inkstick is a form of solid ink. To produce ink, the inkstick is grinded against an inkstone with a bit of water.
  1. Bamboo leaf rice dumplings (zong''zi)
This is made by wrapping glutinous rice in bamboo leaves, and it is usually wrapped to be shaped like a tetrahedron. It can be be in without any fillings, or have a sweet filling like red bean paste, or a savory filling with pork, Chinese sausage, salted duck egg, etc. This rice dumpling is eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival tomemorate the death of a famous patriotic poet named Qu Yuan. The story goes that Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River, and in hopes that the fishes won''t consume Qu Yuan''s corpse, the people threw rice dumplings into the river to feed the fishes. Book 1: Chapter 98 Book 1: Chapter 98 Chapter 98 The Drought Continues To Worsen Zhou Kong, Magistrate Cheng and the others immediately left after having lunch at the restaurant. Only Song Jing''gong and the people he brought along were still eating and drinking at the restaurant. It seemed that tonight they were going to keep the lights on and recite poems until dawn. Some that could not hold their liquor well had fallen asleep on the spot and did not depart; they nned to wake up at night to continue the battle. Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t expect Zhou Kong and Magistrate Cheng to bring in a lot of money to the restaurant. Usually, a person that came down from the prefecture to stay here for a few days would not spend all their time drinking wine. It was the same case for the people Magistrate Cheng brought too. A trip back and forth would take up the entire day, so it was not worth it toe here just for a meal. The purpose of getting those two toe was that once the construction ispleted at the Little Luo''shui River, the two ces will be connected and those that were jealous of the business will realize that these two ces were under the protection of the County Magistrate and the Can Jun from the prefecture. This way, rivals would be more cautious, and would be wary of making any movements if they were not capable ofpeting. As for those that were capable, they will be dealt with separately. Both Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were already waiting for Zhou Kong toe over and ask about things, but he left right after eating. It was as if he forgot about the masterminds'' existence. However, this made the two of them feel less tensed. The Dragon Boat Festival passed by with lively celebrations. This year, apart from the Zhang and Wang Manor that had given out bamboo rice dumplings to their residents, the Ge Manor also copied them by giving out bamboo rice dumplings too. This year, the Ge Family did not have to pay grains to the Imperial Court, but the residents still had to pay to their Master family. There will be arge surplus, so this was considered as giving back grains to the residents in advance. Furthermore, the restaurant has also opened, and the three are operating together, so they could not continue to be stingy anymore. When the rice dumplings were sent, the Ge Manor''s residents were able to straighten up their backs and be proud since they finally had something to brag about when they met the Zhang and Wang Manor''s residents. Aftering over to show support, Magistrate Cheng rushed back to the administrative office and then rested for a while. He looked at the sky and noticed howte it was already. He called Magistrate Assistant Zhang Ming''sheng over and he prepared some side dishes and a small bottle of wine. In the dark night, they began to discuss things. "Xu''yang, many days have passed without rain. Not only has grain production decreased, but water is running out for people and livestock to drink. If we don''te up with a n, people will die from thirst." Magistrate Cheng poured out a bowl of wine for the Magistrate Assistant, and spoke while sighing. A mncholic look lingered on his face. The Magistrate Assistant held the bowl in both hands, and waited for the County Magistrate to finish pouring. He gently ced the bowl in front of himself, and then spoke sorrowfully, "Six days ago, there was a bit of rain on the east side of the county seat, but the rain stopped after less than two hours. It was not even enough to moisten the ground. Right now, the ground at many ces in the county are still dry and cracked, and there is not much watering out of the wells." Magistrate Cheng also knew about this situation. He stretched out his chopsticks to pick up some food, but he stopped and drank arge sip of wine instead. He exhaled out a breath of alcoholic air "The water in the well is lesser now, can it be dug deeper down? Is it possible to dig out more water?" "It''s possible, but the well is no longer in the same condition as when it was first dug. Now, if a person wants to be sent down, it will not work unless the well was wide enough. If we want to dig deeper, then the well needs to bepletely torn apart first. My lord, if it can be like that auspicious well, such that water cane out after a bang, then it would be great. That well is still providing water to a lot of people." The Magistrate Assistant joined him by taking a sip of wine too. He spoke with the Magistrate, and as he spoke, his troubled expression suddenly showed some hope. He and the Magistrate knew how that auspicious omen came to be. The Zhang Manor used this to make an exchange with the people at the prefecture. As a result, water came out of the well after a bang, and there was still quite a bit of water even until now. When Magistrate Cheng heard this, his eyes lit up. That is right, was there anything that the Zhang Manor cannot do? Why didn''t he think about asking them? Since one well can produce water, then with that many wells, there should be a lot of water. "Good, that''s way too excellent. Xu''yang, you have done a good job. If the matter can be resolved, the people of the San''shui County will thank you. Hurry, call Chen Dong over here, and get him to rush to the Zhang Manor. Even if he has to beg, then he should beg them to help. This matter is rted to the life and death of so many people. If it is impossible to get their help, then Iwill kneel there until wateres out." Magistrate Cheng made up his mind. He didn''t know how the people at the Zhang Manor made watere out of the well. Perhaps they borrowed some magical force that would eat away at one''s lifespan, but he had no other way. When the timees, he will ask if it actually reduces one''s lifespan by a lot, then he has toe up with another n; after all, it is not just one well. If it is reduced by a few days, then a longevity tablet1 could be set up in the county seat to remind the people in the county of who sacrificed their life to bring water to the people during this time. A report will be sent to the throne too. They will first make watere out of the well, then send in the report. Chen Dong happened to be on the nightshift that night, and he came in when he heard that his name was called. He waited for the County Magistrate to finish speaking and then promised, "My lord, don''t worry, I will rush over there as quickly as possible and let them know about the dire situation over here. I believe the Zhang Manor would not just stand by and watch." "Go ahead, if they are sleeping and cannot be woken up, then wait until dawn. The restaurant over there should open, so just go there and wait in the meantime. You might be able to eat some food and drink some wine." Magistrate Cheng ordered him to not dawdle and he got Chen Dong to leave. "Come on, Xu''yang, let''s have a drink together. I really don''t want to eat anymore. There is still food here, but the people might not even have water to drink." Magistrate Cheng felt relieved temporarily and was in high spirits again, and asked the Magistrate Assistant to eat food and drink. Chen Dong also knew that the matter was serious. He brought two horses out of the administrative office. He did not stop at all and switched between the two horses. Surprisingly, he arrived at the Zhang Manor in just three hours. He saw that the restaurant was still brightly lit. Chen Dong licked his lips; he really wanted to go in and drink a bowl of wine, but at the same time, he knew the people would not take his money. It was still more important to get things done first so he endured the dry thirst in his mouth. He arrived outside of the Zhang Household''s yard and knocked on the door twice, and the night watchman opened the small door to look out. To the night watchman''s surprise, it turned out that a bailiff had arrived. The magistrate had just left at noon. Could it be that on their way back, they got lost, and the administrative office did not see them return so they came here to ask about the Magistrate''s whereabouts? This was not something he could deal with on his own, so he ran to the back to wake up the housekeeper. Housekeeper Zhang had also just fallen asleep. Everyone else could go to bed earlier, but he couldn''t since he was in charge of a lot of things. He got up reluctantly and walked to the living room, and Chen Dong was waiting there. Tea was served, and he chugged down two bowls. Then he began to talk about the purpose of his arrival. He waited for Housekeeper Zhang''s reply, but he had to go ask the masterminds first. Housekeeper Zhang estimated the amount of time it would take and said to Chen Dong, "Wait here for a while, I will go ask whether it can be done or not, then I wille back and tell you." After speaking, Housekeeper Zhang left the living room and walked towards the Young Master and Young Miss'' courtyard. He knew that his Young Master and Young Miss were just about to wake up to study at this time. If not, then he would have to get the bailiff toe back tomorrow morning. When Housekeeper Zhang arrived, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were having a meal. They were still growing so they became hungry quickly and they ate food whenever they had the time. After Housekeeper Zhang reported the matter, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan nced at each other and reached consensus. He said to Housekeeper Zhang, "Go tell that bailiff to use a map and circle out the wells that he wants water toe out from, then send it here. He does not have to do anything else. Also, tell him that not every well will have a lot of watering out, and that doing this kind of thing will shorten one''s lifespan, so it can be done only this one time." Housekeeper Zhang took the order and left. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan looked at each other again, and sighed at the same time. A lot of gunpowder will have to be made. They had no choice but to mention that it affects one''s lifespan, otherwise someone from the court would make them bomb the other two ces and the surrounding areas'' wells too. This was not doable. "Xiao''bao, how about artificially increasing the rainfall by cloud seeding? Recently, there are always clouds floating above, but it doesn''t rain. I''ll try to make some rockets, do you this will work?" Wang Juan suggested. "Sure. Then you canunch me up there with a bucket of water in each hand, and I will pour it wherever you want me to pour. Even if you can make a rocket, and it shouldn''t be hard to create theunching equipment, but I can''t make dry ice." Zhang Xiao''bao spoke as he reached out his to touch Wang Juan''s forehead to see if she had a fever. "Don''t touch. It''s just a random suggestion. People should always hold onto a bit of hope, and carry that hope when working. I believe you will make dry ice and even liquid nitrogen at some point in your life." Wang Juan knocked away Zhang Xiaobao''s hand. "Dry ice? Believe it or not, if you force me too hard, I''ll be a dried corpse tomorrow. Hurry up and eat; it''s going to be cold soon. This is fungus soup, it''s expensive." Zhang Xiaobao knew that Wang Juan was just joking to ease the atmosphere. Just anybody else would know that cloud seeding was not necessary at this time. After finishing off the bowl of soup to drink and eating something else, Wang Juan said, "How are we going to arrange this? We can''t let others discover this secret, so we can only bomb the ces when others are not paying attention. Then, it must be at night. We need to assign some people. Er''niu counts as one, and his elder brother, Da''niu, is another. Who else is absolutely reliable? "Hu''zi is fine too. I''m not certain about others. Just the three of them should be enough. Quite a bit of money has to be spent on buying materials, and we can''t get reimbursements from the County Magistrate. Let''s do it like that. Read your book." Zhang Xiao''bao did not have many good candidates right now so he had to trouble those three to work hard. Housekeeper Zhang told Chen Dong what the Young Master said, and Chen Dong became happy when he heard it. He got up and wanted to rush back to tell the magistrate the good news, but Housekeeper Zhang stopped him. He told Chen Dong that even if he goes back now, the County Magistrate will be sleeping already, and that it would be better if he waited until 5:00 am before rushing back. This way, by the time he makes it back, the magistrate will be awake. There was no need to arrange a ce in the yard for him during this time; Housekeeper Zhang asked a night watchman to take Chen Dong to the restaurant, eat something, and take a good rest. His horses were fed and allowed to rest too. When Chen Dong arrived at the restaurant, he was served two main dishes: one meat and one vegetable dish, and four side dishes. A small bottle of wine was heated up, and he was given a bowl of rice. Because it was a joint business of three families, a different tab was made and it was considered as a special hospitality expense. Chen Dong was not in the mood to enjoy the food; he quickly finished eating and then went toy down and sleep. The next day he woke up by himself and left with his horses without even eating breakfast. When he arrived at the Administrative Office, he didn''t care whether the magistrate was awake or not, and he ran inside and shouted, "My lord, it''s set , the matter is set. " Trantor''s Notes
  1. Longevity Tablet
This is a memorial tablet created for people who are still alive, and is ced in a temple. It is usually created tomemorate a benevolent person''s good deeds. People would burn incense and bow in front of this tablet to pray that the person on the tablet will live a long and good life. Book 1: Chapter 99 Book 1: Chapter 99 Boom~!" After the first thunder-like noise sounded, several other booms were heard at the Lin''he Vige in the San''shui County. It was four quarters after the Yin hour, which was about four in the morning. The people in the vige were awakened by the noise, but they thought it was going to rain and that it was the sound of thunder. They couldn''t fight their sleepiness and went back to sleep. Some elderly people who were light sleepers wanted to see the rain, so they put on their clothes, opened the door, but stayed inside and looked out. The stars were still twinkling in the dark sky. Other than the coolness of the night, not a bit of moisture could be felt in the air. A lot of dog barks could be heard, but nothing else seemed to be different. "Why were there thunders? Why is the Heavens striking down dry lighting? Ah~!" An old man who had opened the door and stood there watching outside sighed, muttered a few words and then returned back into the house. "No, go back to sleep. I don''t know, some scoundrel must have done some amoral crime and is being smite with lightning by the Heavens right now." The old man spoke while he moved back to the floor mattress that was stuffed with hay. It took him a lot of effort to squat down. He took off the clothes that were draped on his shoulders, and he rolled up the clothes and ced them where the pillow should be. He pulled over half of the nket and fell asleep with his back facing the olddy. In the darkness, the olddy squinted her eyes and helped the old man pull the nket up to his neck. Sheid there thinking for a while, sighed, and then she drifted off to sleep too when she heard the old man''s snoring. In the morning of the next day, the little children in the Lin''he Vige got up first. They each dragged their family''s water barrel to the well to fetch water. The water in the wells was the most abundant in the morning, and the least in the evening. It was not like this back then; usually the water level would rise even while water was being fetched. If a person wanted to see the bottom of the well, then several adults had to take turns to pump out the water for about two hours. Even then, the water level will slowly rise again after a while. Today, they thought it was the same as always. They dragged heavy wooden barrels toward the side of the well. Some families had two or three children so while the older one dragged the bucket, the younger one ran to the well to reserve a spot. It was no different right now. A bunch of children race each other to the well. The older child also had to look after the younger one to make sure they didn''t fall into the well. The well did not have a winss, so there was no hanging bucket to block the opening of the well. Wells like this usually didn''t have any safeguards. Some had a wooden board, and some have the openings left open just like that. Even if a full grown adult, let alone a child, could not be saved if they fell in, When they headed out, the little child would run towards the well that was the closest to their home. If there were no differences in distance, then they would run towards the one with lesser people. One of the family had three children. Two of the older ones were girls and the young one was a boy. One of the girls ran towards the well first, while the other girl looked after their younger brother. When she and her younger brother were at the opening of the well, they saw that their sister was standing there spacing out. "Cao''er, what are you doing? Be careful, you might fall into the well." The older sister had to take care of her younger siblings. She looked at the tall grass that was spread apart near the opening of the well while anxiously asking her sister. Cao''er arrived there first. Before the others made it there, she looked into the well first and she vaguely felt that there was actually more water in it and that the water level was much higher than the previous few days. There was white light reflecting of the water surface in the dark, which made her very certain of it. Hearing her sister''s question, she hurriedly said, "Sister, there''s more water now. Hurry up and get some water so we can look at it." The elder sister noticed that there was a different smell around the area, and it was very unpleasant smelling. Seeing that her sister was still standing there, she went closer and looked down. She also felt that the water was higher than before. Half a bucket of water was pulled up, and the three siblings looked inside curiously. "Eldest sister, second sister, this water is too muddy." After seeing it, the little brother said to the two sisters. "Let''s ignore that for now. Let''s save this spot and wait for daddy toe fetch water." The eldest sister saw the water too, and although it was a bit muddy, it was still better than nothing. At this time, other children also arrive here one after another. There were two boys who didn''t need an adult to apany them to fetch water because they were courageous enough. Even if it meant that their parents would give them a spanking even after the water was fetched, they still wanted to do more for the family. They saw that there was people standing there already and tried to get them to hurry up. If a person wanted to get water first, they would usually have to have some quarrels. Today, the three siblings that were in front were really easy going and had moved away. The two boys were twins and they were both ten years old this year. The others kids moved out of the way, so they did not bother to act courteous. They carried their barrel near the well, estimated the distance, and put their barrel down. Then, they lowered down the well bucket that was still dripping wet. They listened carefully to the movement inside the well. When they felt that it was ready, and half of the well bucket was full, they worked together to pull hard on the rope. When the well bucket reached the top of the well, they tilted the well bucket, and poured the water into their own barrel. The boys were not as attentive as the girls were, and they didn''t even pay attention to whether the water was muddy or not. After they poured out of the water in the well bucket, they lowered it down again. After a few times, they finally filled up their family''s wooden barrel that they brought with them. They worked together to drag the barrel home. "What did I tell you? I asked you to save a spot, and yet you took your younger brother to fetch water again. If you two fell in, how would your mother and I live? I''ll beat you to death, you disobedient child." "Father, I''m the younger brother. Today''s water level was higher than usual, so we went to get some more water first. What are you hitting me for?" The beaten child yelled. It didn''t actually hurt. He experienced worse when he fought with the children in the vige. It was mainly because he was scared of being disciplined by his parents, so when he was hit by them, he would cry. The father put his raised hand down, and he looked at his other son. He couldn''t help it. After so many years, as long as the two children stood together, he couldn''t tell which one was the older one unless he could see their birthmarks. In particr, these two children usually yed together, and they always wore the same clothes. The other child saw his father''s gaze sweep over, and he took two steps back, "Father, I''m the younger one. Older brother, don''t push the me onto me." "Older brother, how can you talk nonsense without even batting your eyes? Fine, it''s not like I never got beaten in your ce before. I''ll be the older one this time then." The other child immediately spoke. The father patted his own forehead with his hand. "Don''t talk anymore, both of you, just stop. You both are the older brothers, and I''m the younger brother. Later, you''re not allowed to swap your clothes. When we get home, I''ll tell your mom to figure out which one is which. Prepare yourself." The father really had no other choice. He kept on hitting the wrong child, and his wife alwaysined to him about this. The child who has done the wrong thingughed secretly, and the one who has done nothing wrong could only cry and feel wronged. He was not as good as his wife at distinguishing them from their voices, or just from taking a quick nce. She could immediately recognize who was who without ever making a mistake even if the two children swapped their clothes, or even if their faces werepletely covered in mud. The father wasn''t actually nning to beat up his two sons too badly; he was just worried that the two boys will keep on going out to do things by themselves in the future. If there was some sort of danger and something happened to either one of them, he would never be able to move on for his entire life. At the same time, he felt that his two sons were sensible, and he knew that they were just trying to help him get water. Looking down at the water in the bucket, he realized that it was a lot more turbid than usual. Only then did he remember what his son had said earlier about the water in the well being higher than usual. When he looked at the water, his eyes suddenly widened. Of course he knew when a thing like this would happen: when the well has been recently dug, the water inside will push out the muddy sand, and the water level will rise, but it was muddy water. Several people would have to take turns to remove the water from the well until the bottom of the well can be seen and all of the muddy sand is gone. Once that is done, clear water wille out. Of course, in addition to this, this would also happen if there was an earthquake, and then the water will also be very turbid. However, the chickens in the vige were not jumping about and the dogs were not barking, so it was not possible that there was an earthquake. Could it be that someone dug the well again? After he said that, the other people thought about it too. They didn''t care about fetching water anymore, and they were getting ready to report this to the county seat. Before they had even left the vige, they head other people talking about the same thing for other wells too. "Then it is considered that there were auspicious omens everywhere in the vige." The water level in most of the wells have risen up and there were so many thunder sounds, so that smart person called this a miracle. Trantor''s Note
  1. Water bucket/ well bucket
If you have a hard time picturing this exnation, please have a look at this diagram that I found on the inte; the concept is very simr. Book 1: Chapter 100 Book 1: Chapter 100 After discovering that out of the nine wells in the vige, seven of them had more water, the people in the Lin''he Vige were all happy. They didn''t have to worry about running out of water anymore. They could even add more water to the paddies that had insufficient water. The children also didn''t have to reserve a spot near the wells anymore. The seven wells were all surrounded by arge crowd of people. Each one of them took off their shirts, and began to take turns to remove the water from the well, and the water was transported directly to the paddies. There were two remaining wells--- one of which was in disrepair due to age and was missing a part, and the other had no change in its water level. Someone immediately reported the situation to the county seat to try to proim this as an auspicious omen, but the person was pushed away by the Magistrate''s ugly expression and was told to not spread the news. Standing in the hall were the Secretary General, the County Lieutenant, and the bailiffs who knew about the matter, and none of them had any smiles on their faces. They knew that behind these people''s joy, there was a person sacrificing their life span. How was this auspicious? That was not water...it was clearly blood and tears. They all believed Chen Dong''s words. They believed that the masterminds at the Zhang Manor had used their own lifespan to draw in divine power for the sake of the people of the San''shui County. The County Magistrate, County Lieutenant, Magistrate Assistant, and the Secretary General all felt conflicted in their hearts. They wanted to let the people in the county have water to drink, but they were also afraid that something bad might happen to the two masterminds of the Zhang Manor. They were unable to bnce the weight of the two sides. The bailiffs did not care that much; they only hoped that the people at the Zhang Manor would stay alive and live well. Hearing that the people in Lin''he Vige wanted more auspiciousomens, the bailiffs really wished that they could beat them up with batons. "Well, Xu''yang, if there are any other things today, help me handle it. I will first go to the back to check some past omissions." Magistrate Cheng was the happiest and saddest person. He was the one that sent a person to the Zhang Manor, and then not muchter, there was water in a vige; however, he worried about the masterminds in the Zhang Manor. After the Magistrate Assistant agreed, Magistrate Cheng returned to his own courtyard without saying another word. He also ordered the servants to leave. He found some incense candles, and brought it back to his study room. He grinded ink, and wrote "my two teachers" on the paper and he left the paper on the desk. He lit the incense candle, and then knelt down. After saying this, Magistrate Cheng kowtowed three more times before he got up. In the next few days, not only did the wells in the Lin''he Vige had more water, but also the wells in several other viges. The wells that had water gained more water, and the wells that had no water had water now. From time to time, someone reported these urrences to the administrative office as auspicious omens. The more the people of the administrative office heard about this, the more ufortable they felt in their hearts. "My lord, how about we send someone to the Zhang Manor to talk about it, and tell them to stop for a while. Water can be transported from the other viges to those viges that are still affected by the drought. Lightning is sent to strike the wells so that the people can have water, but what about the health of the people at the Zhang Manor? They''re using their lives in exchange for all of this." The bailiff whose wife was pregnant went up to the Magistrate Cheng and knelt there crying and begging. Of course, he heard of the news from Chen Dong. His family had benefited a lot from the Zhang Manor; his wife was able to eat and sleep well. The Zhang Manor even sent ady to teach his wife how to exercise and how to hum a few songs that were supposed to be beneficial for their unborn child.posted on If this was someone else, he would think that they were trying to mess around with him, but since it was done by the Zhang Manor, he did not dare to have any doubts. How could he forget about this kind of care that they gave him? At the beginning, he thought that if the Zhang Manorkilled someone one day, he would pretend that he hadn''t seen it. Now, what he thought about was that if the Zhang Manor wanted to kill someone, he would grab a sword and do it himself. When Magistrate Cheng heard the bailiff''s words, he didn''t know what to do for a while. Chen Dong said that they will only do it this one time, which meant that the two masterminds of the Zhang Manor will not die from this. However, in the past two days, wells in some viges had more water and water came out of dried up wells, and he could sense that the bailiffs became more anxious. He originally wanted to create a longevity tablet for them, but the Zhang Manor did not agree. He didn''t know the names of the masterminds, and he didn''t know what they looked like, so he could only give up on the idea for the time being. Looking at the bailiff who was kneeling there, Magistrate Cheng suddenly had an idea, and said to him, "Tomorrow, help me bring some products that the Zhang Manor does not have and give it to them. Also, help me ask them when they n to stop. If they''re going to stop, then I''ll tell the people to stop transporting the water to other ces. But if it didn''t matter, then I''ll also issue a notice to tell the people to not go out at night and do not go outside to check if they hear any noise. What do you think?" Seeing the bailiff acting like this, Magistrate Cheng he didn''t know what else to say. In particr, if the next county magistrate was not from the San''shui County, it would be difficult for the official assigned by the imperial court to handle this matter. Those type of officials hated the power of the locals the most, and at the same, they also feared the power of the locals the most. Naturally, the bailiff didn''t know that the County Magistrate had thought so much, and when he heard his words, he left happily. He nned to go to the Zhang Manor to ask the questions tonight. "Wang Juan, do you think tonight''s moon is the roundest? Grandpa made me mooncakes2." Zhang Xiaobao was so energetic tonight that he couldn''t fall asleep when lying on top of the bed. He was looking out from the half-open window while he spoke softly. Wang Juan was already feeling sleepy and she wanted to sleep, but when she heard Zhang Xiao''bao''s words, she had to open her eyes and say, "Comrade Zhang Xiao''bao, please stop saying that, there are still many days before August 15th. When the timees, I will make mooncakes with you, alright?" "Oh, thank you. Actually, it has nothing to do with August 15th. Today is the Orphanage Director Grandfather''s birthday. Look at how round the moon is. Grandpa must be on the moon looking at me." Zhang Xiao''bao continued. His voice was very soft, but it was loud enough for Wang Juan to hear. Wang Juan stared at the window with her eyes, and it looked like she was trying to close the window with telekinesis. She turned her head and saw that Zhang Xiao''bao was still looking outside nky. "There''s no one on the moon, right? No one can stand the cold and the heat. Fine, don''t look at me like that. There are people up there, but it won''t be your Orphanage Director Grandfather. There''s Chang''e and Wu Gang, and the other living thing would be a rabbit. "Comrade Wang Juan, let me ask you, why do so many ces with water have graves buried there?" Zhang Xiao''bao changed the subject. "Xiao''bao, you''re a good person. The country has wronged you, but don''t hate the country. After all, these departments are made up of people, not machines. You have learned so much psychology, so how could you not understand? I came here with you, so just think of this aspensation." Wang Juan knew that Zhang Xiao''bao would always enter a special mindset whenever he thought of the Orphanage Director Grandfather, and at the same time he had already made arrangements there, so she said this gratefully. Zhang Xiao''bao shook his head. "What qualifications do you have to represent the country? How do you know that I am patriotic? What I love is the people''smunity'', what I love is a kind of inherited tradition. The Chinese nation is not a certain republic. What I want to maintain is a type of spirit, not a specific object. Some people say that the four ancient civilizations are ancient India, ancient Egypt, Babylon, and ancient China. Others say it''s ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, ancient India, and Mesopotomia. Others say it''s ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, ancient Maya, and ancient India. Some even say it is ancient Lon, ancient Egypt, ancient Maya, and ancient Rome. These are not important; what''s important is who''s civilization is passed on. India? Their history needs to be filled in by other countries'' history. Maya? They have left behind words but they have lost people who can interpret them. Egypt? They even lost their own writing, and they don''t know their origins. This is the country that I acknowledge. I am not proud of my ancestors'' glory, but I am sorrowful for my inability to inherit. Who wouldpete with China in terms of culture, food and drinks? I. " "Xiao''bao, before the wells were bombed, why did you remind them to use a geomanticpass?" When Zhang Xiao''bao was talking about his radical ideas, Wang Juan suddenly interjected and asked something that had nothing to do with what Zhang Xiao''bao was talking about. Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t answer for a while and he was panting heavily. After a while, he smiled at Wang Juan. "People say that finding a good wife can make men feel relieved. I didn''t understand it before, but now I finally understand it. They know to pour cold water on you when you are excited, and cheer you up when you''re feeling down. When you''re..." "Xiao''bao, what is the purpose of the geomanticpass? Is it used as a maicpass?" Wang Juan interrupted Zhang Xiaobao again. "Oh, you''re talking about that thing, I really don''t know anything about fortune telling; I didn''t learn it back then. There was actually a person in there that told the fortune for a minister, and he ended up going to jail. I know one thing--- the geomanticpass is affected by water and the maic field. Usually, fortune tellers will try to find locations where the geometricpass ceases to function, and the fortune teller will think that it is the Heaven''s will for thepass to be unreadable. In fact, that ce is usually a ce with a lot of water. If you don''t believe it, you can take a look. As long as you use that thing and go to a ce where thepass doesn''t work, you will most likely be able to dig out a coffin. The orphanage was like that too. Originally, we intended to dig out a cer, but when the ce was dug around, we found a coffin. But we didn''t care about it at the beginning, and we moved it to a different area. You know what a cer is, right? It''s a brick and cement-covered underground room that can be used as a ce to store veggies. Zhang Xiao''bao finally snapped out of the state that he shouldn''t have entered, and talked about the geomanticpass. "I know, I know, I know about this. Some ancient corpses were so well-preserved because there is water in the buried ce. Coffins are usually sealed quite well, but the pressure created by the underground water is so high that water can force it''s way into the coffin, and force the air out. With the air removed, the surroundings are sealed again. When the water level drops, the water will seep out, and another seal is created again. This makes the inside of the coffin be a vacuumed space. By the time people dig it up, the body inside is preserved really well because no oxidation has urred. " Wang Juan added some details, and at the same time, she also figured out why Zhang Xiao''bao asked people to use a geomanticpass to determine which wells to bomb. It was not used to tell fortune, but it was used to find underground water.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Comparable to the age of turtles and cranes
It was believed that turtles and cranes can live up to a thousand years.
  1. Grandpa made me mooncakes
This is a lyric from a children song. The song starts off with "The moon on the fifthtenth day of the eighth month, Grandpa made me mooncakes".
  1. Yan''huang people
This the name of the ethnic group of Ancient China that inhabited the Yellow River basin area, and is said to be the founders of the Chinese people
  1. poems lines like plentifulmon reeds
This is the first line of a famous poem "Common Reeds" (). Book 1: Chapter 101 Book 1: Chapter 101 At the San''shui County, many ces had watering out of their wells, while some wells have copsed and some well did not change. The drought was still continuing, and has not beenpletely resolved yet. The only concern was that the people would die from thirst due to theck of water. Magistrate Cheng originally wanted to create a longevity tablet for the two masterminds of the Zhang Manor, but his idea was shot down by the Manor, so he could only tuck this matter away in his heart. Some rich people heard that many wells had more water, so they went to take a look at it and when they did, they noticed a familiar smell. They thought it was the smell of firecrackers, so they bought a couple dozen of them, and tossed the ignited firecrackers into a dry well. There was a short continuous series of popping noise, but there were no other responses. The person looked at the smoke wafting from the well, and he was certain that firecrackers could not be used to st the well. After smelling the smell, he felt that it was different smelling, so he had to give up. Originally, he wanted to find out how it was done so that he can help people from other locations get water and make money out of this. The wharf that Song Jing''gong was responsible for was still under construction. From the looks of it, it would not be fullypleted untilte autumn. If there was only a drought, then there was nothing for He''nan Division to be afraid of. Crop failure was inevitable even though they were able to take water from the Yellow River. It was because since the beginning of spring, there were more locusts in these two areaspared to other ces. At the beginning, the people didn''t notice since there were grasshoppers jumping around every year, and it shouldn''t have been any different this year. Who would have thought that as the drought progressed, more and more grasshoppers would appear. The big ones grew to two inches long, and when it pped its wings to fly by, it seemed like a chicken had flown past. Seeing these locusts eating crops, the people lit incense burners outside the field and kept bowing on their knees. However, no one tried to get rid of the locusts or let their houses'' chickens eat them. Later, the swarm of locusts filled the fields and covered the skies. The people in the Prefecture Office not only ignored the matter, but they sent in a report asking the emperor to build locust temples. Li Long''ji knew about the dangers of the locust gue, but it was difficult to manage and other ministers did not try to stop it. The only exception was Yao Chong, who was really keen; he promised the Emperor that he would take the responsibility and he also threatened other ministers, and the final verdict was that no one supported him and no one opposed him. He personally went there to check the disaster and eradicate the locusts. At this time, the Zhang Manor in the San''shui County also started getting into action. The 10,000 picul of grain were divided into two parts. Xu''si was told to stop working at the market, and he was told to secretly transport one part of the grain to He''nan. The remaining part was given to Er''niu to be carried by carts to the County Seat. When Magistrate Cheng heard the news, he knew that it was time for him to depart. He arranged the affairs in the county, and brought half of the bailiffs with him. He was getting ready to go to those two ces to help out with the disaster, but to be exact, he was delivering grains. Ying''tao has hatched a lot of chicks, and they were distributed to the residents to raise. She set out with more than 6,000 chickens and all of the ducks and geese Xiao''hong raised. Some of the people from the yard that had nothing to do also joined the journey to help feed the chickens and pick the eggs. This time, Ying''tao and Xiao''hong brought two-days'' worth of fodder for the poultries to eat. They had to pick routes that had a lot of grass or grasshoppers. ording to the Young Master''s instructions, as long as eggs wereid, the eggs would be traded with the locals for money or cloth. Evenst year''s grain can be given in exchange. Some children caught various insects to feed the birds, and they were also given eggs. "Everything is up to Er''niu. Whether our family can continue to enjoy this treatment or not will depend on Er''niu''s response. There are also a lot of grasshoppers here; some were hiding in the mountains. Let''s deep-fry them. Call Da''niu toe back from the County Seat and get him to try to make cakes. Then he could exchange cake for grasshoppers with the children on the manor. This thing is good; it''s high in protein. After frying it, we can eat it with salt and pepper. Let''s not eat grains anymore, and let''s eat grasshoppers everyday instead. I''m determined to be able to beat a five-year-old child by the time I turn three. " Zhang Xiao''bao was holding in his anger this entire time because he and Wang Juan were not allowed to go over there in person. He waited for everyone else to leave, and then he began toe up with ideas. "Eat it everyday? You can eat by yourself. I won''t apany you. No matter how much protein the grasshopper has, can it bepared to rice and white noodles? I don''t know how you even became a conman." Wang Juan also wanted to go out and have a look. She wanted to know what other ces were like, but she ended up being locked up at home, so she was also depressed. Seeing that Wang Juan did not want to eat grasshoppers with him, he found a middle-ground. "How about frying grasshoppers in a batter?" "Are you obsessed with grasshoppers? Why don''t you get them to catch more, and then grind them into fine powder after drying them, and then use the powder to make cookies and desserts for the children in the vige to eat to add more nutrition to their diet? When we grow up, they can be the most loyal guards, and then go on to expand the borders, no, it would be time for cultivating the culturable wastnd and the Seedling Protection Team needs to be stronger." In the past few months, Wang Juan heard about four incidents of children dying and felt a little pained about it. One of them was a six year old from the Ge Manor. He died after bing sick. Life was too fragile. The full time doctors that were working in the yard were all sent there, and one qian1 of ginseng was used, but all this did was keep the child alive for a few extra days. In addition to medical reasons, the other part of the problem was the children''s daily nutrition. Healthy children are more resistant to diseases. Usually, the children got enough exercise by ying around, but their protein intake was not enough. Things like grasshoppers were not eaten unless there was a famine. If this was a long time ago, then locusts were good items. Zhang Xiao''bao understood what Wang Juan was thinking of. He paused to think for a while and said, "It''s useless to just eat some grasshoppers. When this matter is over, let''s build the school, and then find some students that didn''t pass the Imperial Examinations toe and teach the children. Their three daily meals will be carefully nned and the children will be healthier. "Supplying raw materials is the most unprofitable. It''s better to sell them in our own store in the San''shui County. It''s not a big deal, so we can easily arrange it. It seems that before theye back, the two of us will have nothing to do. We should think about how to help your dad with the Imperial Examination." "Okay, starting from tomorrow, let''s get my dad to look at the scenery outside. You have to cooperate with me. I am not so familiar with many poems. You must have been exposed to a lot of learning when you were a child, so I''ll rely on you in this area." Zhang Xiao''bao wanted his father to be a Xiu''cai2. He could hint at some political and economic ideas, but he had no clue about poetry. "Okay, tomorrow morning, let''s go find your dad and get him to go out to learn something and then we can give him some hints." Wang Juan agreed. * When Er''niu arrived with all of the carts, County Magistrate Cheng Ling''xiang departed on the same night. Recently, he had also been paying attention to the disaster situations in those two ces and he knew that he will receive acknowledgement if he goes over there now, and his rank will also be raised. With such arge team, it will take at least half a month to go from San''shui County to there given that they rush along the way. On the other side, Ying''tao and Xiao''hong also urged their team to move more quickly. The chickens, ducks and geese were not very obedient. In particr, when they encountered water, the ducks and geese would want to go in and y. Fortunately, Xiao''hong had the clever goose Rong''rong with her and it understood whatever Xiao''hong wanted it to do. They were busy tending the front and back of the group and they herded nearly 10,000 poultries along the road to eat while walking. When the people in the inner courtyard were working, they also had to watch both sides, and the back, otherwise it would be easy to lose a few of them. This was all money. When encountering roads that had fields on both sides, as long as there are grasshoppers, Xiao''hong and Ying''tao would lead these poultries to eat them. With those meats, the poultries naturally rejected eating millet, so they all ran around with their necks low. They were able to eat all kinds of insects; even the locusts that flew a bit lower will be snatched by the chickens. After half a month, Magistrate Cheng''s team arrived first, but it can''t be said that all of them arrived. The food carriages were still behind. Magistrate Cheng was nning to get in touch with the Right Prime Minister Yao first. He already knew the news that the Right Prime Minister had also left the Capital, and he was about to arrive soon too, so Magistrate Cheng was able to meet him. The only thing he worried about was whether the food could be delivered in time. They were already going as fast as they could already, and it would take them more than ten days to walk to that ce. They didn''t know if they can make it there in time to see the Right Prime Minister. "Xiao''hong, take your time to lead the team. I have to go ahead first, otherwise the person will be gone by the time we get there. Then, we won''t be able to exin our Young Master when we return. At the very least, we need to let that Yao person know that we put in a lot of effort." As she walked, Ying''tao became more anxious, and she discussed with Xiao''hong.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. One qian
One qian is about 3 grams.
  1. Xiu''cai
Xiu''cai means "distinguished talent", and this is an entry level degree given to those that passed the Yuan''shi/ college exam. Book 2: Chapter 1 Book 2: Chapter 1 Volume 02 At first, the people in the disaster areas were unwilling to help catch the locusts. Some even brought home a fewrger-sized locusts to raise them, but they died anyways since they weren''t well taken care of. It was not easy for Prime Minister Yao to convince the Emperor and the Imperial Court officials to let him eradicate the locust gue. The work progress at the local area ended up being so slow, and only slight changes were observed after he sent several orders to the local officials to organize manpower. Unfortunately, the locusts were even more numerous after being undisturbed for long periods of time. Thus people worried that they would spread to other prefectures. Recently, themoners began to catch the locusts too, but the effect was not great. When Yao Chong was preparing to send down a stricter order, the army of people from the Zhang Manor rushed over, which made him feel quite relieved. Xiao''hong greeted Ying''tao and several officials, and then she rushed to herd the poultries into the farnds or the wild fields. Chickens, ducks and geese were herded here in a hurry for the past few days, so they couldn''t eat properly. With the leader goose in the front leading them, they all charged into the fields. The chickens moved their two legs and pped their wings as they raced forward with their heads lowered to the ground. All the locusts that appeared in front of them were devoured one at a time. The locust disappeared into their stomachs after they moved their beaks and stretched out their necks. They weren''t too worried about chasing after the flying locusts since they focused on eating the ones in front of them. It waspletely different for the chickens, ducks and geese since they can directly store the locusts in their stomachs. For those locusts that flew to the front of the poultries and were able to fly away, they were considered to be lucky for the time being. As for those that flew in the wrong direction, they ended up descending in front of their natural enemies. Before they evennded on the ground, they were snatched mid-flight by the clever poultries'' raised beaks. After humans or other animals eat food, they need to rely on stomach acid for digestion, but poultries grind their food in their gizzards. Inside the gizzard was the grit that they swallowed when they ate food, and it helped them digest the food more quickly. Some of them even pooped while they ate. In particr, when they were herded here in a rush, they were in a constant state of being half hungry so they have lost a lot of weight. Now that there was so much food in front of them, they put all of their effort into eating. They were raised to be free-range so their drive for food almost reached an insane level. They could eat two-thirds of their body weight or even their entire body weight of food in a day. It was not hard to imagine the number of grasshoppers a chicken that big needs to eat. Some of the more powerful chickens that were able to fly more than two meters above the ground expended a lot of energy just from eating. In just half an hour, those chickens, ducks and geese became small dots in the distance. There weren''t much millet on the crop fields they passed by, but they didn''t care since there was so much meat in the front for them to eat. Wherever they swept through, not a single locust could be spotted anymore. asionally, there were a few locust wings that were not swallowed, and they mixed in with chicken feathers and were blown away together by the wind. The prime minister, the officials, and the people who came to see themotion were all taken aback by the scene. So many poultry charged over, and in a blink of an eye they ran away again. Not only did they eat the locusts, but they also left behind a lot of manure along the way. The people were happy to see this since they did not have to go through the trouble of adding fertilizer to the fields next year and this can save them a lot of work. When Ying''tao saw this scene, she thought about her Young Master''s orders. She "recruited" some people among themoners to follow behind the poultries to pick up the eggs under the supervision of the people from the inner courtyard. They got to keep one for themselves after picking up fifty eggs. The amount could be umted too. If they collected 50 eggs, then they were directly given an egg. If they collected a total of 150 eggs over two days, then they can be given several eggster on, or they can ask to be given something else and Ying''tao would try to fulfill their request. There were nearly 10,000 poultries, and only a few were male and the rest were females. There were still a lot of roosters on the Manor, but they were not sent here. Usually, they were able toy more than 6,000 eggs a day, but because their diet was better now, they can break their record andy seven thousand. The price paid for increasing the quality of the diet was roughly the cost of two hundred eggs. They had nothing else to do on normal days anyway, so they did not mind following behind the poultries. Even if they were given only one egg every two days, they would have fifteen eggs in a total after a month. In the past, this amount of eggs was not considered to be a lot, but right now, this was a lot. After they heard about the cost of the items that Ying''tao offered in exchange, themoners chose the eggs. The price offered by Ying''tao was within the usual exchange range instead of the current inted price of food. It did not take a long time for Ying''tao to find a hundred people. The people that camete missed their opportunity. If there were too many people, then it would take each person several days in order to collect enough eggs to receive an egg in return. These one hundred people were selected based on the state of their family---whoever''s family was having the most difficult times were chosen. The other people who weren''t selected didn''tin even though they were unhappy since Ying''tao and them came from so far to help, and they picked people who suffered the most, so they couldn''t scold anyone even if they wanted to. They also had their own way so it was fine if they couldn''t collect eggs. They all started to catch locusts elsewhere, and even the children in the family insisted on helping. Some crops that obviously did not have grains forming on them were cut down and made into simple chicken coops. They found Ying''tao and the others for a discussion. They said that at night, the poultries could sleep in the coops, and they would also provide them with locusts as a midnight snack. Xiao''hong, Ying''tao and the others were puzzled as to why these people were so enthusiastic. One of the people from the inner yard understood what was going on and stepped out to exin. The person exined that these people were aiming to collect the poultries'' manure to use as fertilizer. Since it was certain that this year''s harvest was going to be bad, many families had no choice but to sell their livestock to earn some money to survive. People ate less, and consequently, the umted fertilizer in the local area was going to be greatly reduced thising year. In order to have a good harvest next year, they had to find a way to save up manure so that they can use it as fertilizer for thend. Even though Xiao''hong, Ying''tao and the others came over here to offer some help and earn some money, after they heard this, they also felt sorry for the local people. Ying''tao was the first person to work for Zhang Xiao''bao, and she was a brave and responsible person. She immediately ordered, "Get someone to return to the Manor on a quick horse, and use a carriage to transport all of the eggying poultries from the residents over to here as soon as possible. Bring the young chickens here too. Tell the residents that they will bepensated with eggs---give each person an egg every two days." A person in the inner courtyard who heard Ying''tao''s orders felt that the Master family had paid too much. That person also knew that not all of the poultries were brought here in the first ce because it was too difficult to properly calcte who pays what. The Zhang and Wang manors had a total of 244 households, and there were 196 households raising chickens, ducks and geese, all of which were hatched from eggs tended by Ying''tao. By now, the first two batches were ready toy eggs. "Follow my order. I''ll take full responsibility for all of the consequences. That''s not how it should be calcted. The residents raised the chickens to get eggs, not to save fodder, so they must bepensated. Hire a carriage, and go fast. There is still a lot ofnd here but the number of chickens and ducks we have right now is simply not enough." When Ying''tao arrived here, she had the highest authority'', so no matter what decision she made, the others had to obey it unconditionally. Even if she said to kill all of the poultries, the others had toply. If she did something wrong, it was up to the Young Master to decide what will happen to her, but whoever dares to not obey orders will be beaten up first and then brought back to the Master house. The person from the inner courtyard couldn''t dissuade her, so he had to follow her orders. That person found a few horses and took another person along with him, and rode back to the Manor. The two of them had a headache when they thought how each household had around 200 chickens, ducks and geese in total. How do they even find enough carriages to transport them? Yao Chong noticed the swift movements and skillful horse riding techniques of the two people from the Zhang Manor, and he nced at the guard next to him. The guard immediately said, "Master, those two must be of military background. Look at his movement when he mounted the horse just now; he must have been trained for at least ten years. Judging by how he maneuvers the horse, he must have been on the battlefield before." "Yes. I heard from Magistrate Cheng that the Zhang Manor hadter hired more people to work in the inner yard. It seems that these two people were hired then. This kind of people would usually do some misceneous chores, but when critical timese, they can charge into the battle. When we go back, investigate which locations have soldiers that have resigned. These two people are still not old, so someone must have been bribed." He spoke to the secretary next to him, "Remember this. Tonight, I am going to make a report to praise the Zhang and Wang Manors in Tu''qiao Vige, San''shui County, Bin Prefecture. I''ll fulfil the wish of that old man from the Zhang Manor. They gave grains, brought the poultries, and put in so much effort. All of the local officials are watching, so I can''t hide this even if I wanted to." Yao Chong really couldn''t understand why the Zhang Manor valued their one hundred household fiefdom so much. But since that was the case, it was actually much easier for him to handle. It''s just a small matter, so they can have it. If he didn''t award them, then he would truly lose the heart of the people. Now, the surrounding prefectures knew the usage of the 10,000 chickens, ducks and geese and they even sent people over to invite the poultries to their ce to eat locusts. "My lord, I think that the Zhang Manor deliberately did this. They created such argemotion to force you to redit them. Maybe it''s better to put it off for now." The secretary also knew how troublesome this matter was. The Zhang and Wang Manors used "righteousness" to pressure them, so it was a given that this put them on the spot. "Nonsense. They got into action before I even arrived here. Everything will depend on what that person I sent to investigate the matter says when he returns." Yao Chong''s doubts were even greater now. Book 2: Chapter 2 Book 2: Chapter 2 Thank you to Jesse formissioning chapters 02, 03 and 04!
Chapter 02Unanswered Questions A dayter, the two people who were sent back by Ying''tao arrived at the Manor. The speed was only a little slower than travelling 600 li a day1. First, they found the housekeeper to inform him of the situation. However, one of them couldn''t suppress his opinion and objected to the decision. As a result, the housekeeper went to find the Young Master. Zhang Xiao''bao was yingwei''qi2 with Wang Juan. Even though he was bullied in the game over and over again by Wang Juan, he still enjoyed it. "Young Master, Ying''tao asked to transport all of the poultries in the Manor over to her. One of the two people who came back was absolutely against this. Should we?" Housekeeper Zhang waited for his Young Master to finishing cing down a stone onto the board before he spoke. Wang Juan was about to set down another stone, but she stopped when she heard the Housekeeper talk. Zhang Xiao''bao turned to look at Housekeeper Zhang, and thought for a bit, "Let the person who objected remain on the Manor; there''s no need for him to go back. Send another person to rece him and follow Ying''tao''s instructions. The arrangement must be made fast. Give two catties of oil to those two people." Housekeeper Zhang didn''t quite understand his Young Master''s intentions. Was his Young Master satisfied or dissatisfied that the person objected? He wanted the person to remain, so it was obvious that he was dissatisfied, but why did he award them with oil?posted on "Young Master, the Master family does not have to yield to the servants. So...?" Housekeeper Zhang thought that his Young Master felt that it was unfair to make him stay, so he had to make up for it with a reward. Thus, Housekeeper Zhang felt that it was his duty to teach his Young Master how to treat the servants and that it was not the correct to be that kind. Zhang Xiao''bao motioned Wang Juan to continue ying, and turned his gaze back to the board. Then he said to Housekeeper Zhang, "It is neither a reward nor a punishment. I think he will interfere with Ying''tao if he goes back there. I''m rewarding them because they have worked hard. Later, arrange a new position for that person who disagreed; he is not suitable for cooperating with others to do work together." "Then what position is he suitable for?" Housekeeper Zhang was unable to understand what the Young Master said, so he asked another question. "Alright, there are many things that you need to manage, so I''ll teach you something. That person is suitable for supervising others; much like being a Censorate3 official. He does not need to be correct every time and he just need to be able to look at matters from a different perspective. There''s not a job position like that right now, but there might be one sometimeter." Housekeeper Zhang thought about it and agreed in his mind. Even though he felt that his Young Master was able to thinkprehensively, he still asked with slight worry, "Young Master, what if he thinks he has done something wrong, and does not dare to speak up in the future?" What he actually wanted to say was that this person might think that he has been punished, and will consequently be timid--- this would mean that they lost a useful person. "Then that means that he has to learn more. A person who is prone to changing on the whim is not useful. It will be fine if you let him do more of other work and practice." After seeing Wang Juan putting down another stone, Zhang Xiao''bao also put one down too, and at the same time he spoke to the Housekeeper Zhang. Housekeeper Zhang did not have anything else to ask anymore. While thinking about how good his Young Master was, he went back to help arrange things. There were so many poultries that they could not be transported in just a few carriages so more carriages had to be found from other locations. * More than two hours before the two people arranged by Ying''tao came back, two other people arrived the Zhang Manor. It was a man and a woman that were both under thirty years old, and also rode four horses. Once they arrived, they left their horses at a resident''s house and asked the resident to help feed the horses. On their way here, they noticed that a lot of the manors were short of water, but when they arrived at the Ge Manor, they discovered that the crops in the fields were growing quite well. It was as if the crops were not affected by the drought at all, so this made them feel shocked. After they crossed the Little Bridge, they were first surprised by the restaurant built on the water, and then they were beyond the state of shock and they felt like they were dreaming when they saw the rice seedlings on the Zhang and Wang manors. Those rice seedlings were a wild mess in the paddies. Given their state, the seedlings should not be able to grow well, but they surprisingly grew to be more lush than normal. Whenpared to the rice seedlings they had just seen on the Ge Manor, one was like a burly man and one was like a skinny beggar. Both of them simultaneously thought of the same thing, "No wonder my lord asked us toe here to check. It was evident how different the Zhang and Wang manors were from others just by looking at their rice seedlings." The two remembered their missioning here. They walked along the raise ridges in the water paddies and made their way deeper into the manor. When they arrived at the front of a house, they saw a six or seven-year-old child kneeling in the courtyard. The child happened to be facing outside so he saw both of them. "Child, howe you''re kneeling outside? Did you break something at home and are being punished? Tell me about it. I''ll give you money and you can buy a new one." The man asked first. Judging by his past experiences, this young child broke something. After asking, he waited for the child to thank him, but the kneeling child nced at the two of them, pressed his lips together, and didn''t saying anything. While he said that, he threw the money over, and it happened to fall right beside the child. Somehow, he managed to toss the coins to a spot that was within an arm-reaching distance from the child and the coins did not roll off to somewhere else. The little child smiled, but he didn''t even pick up those copper coins. He asked the two people, "Tell me, what do you want to do here? Only an evil person or robber acts solicitously for no reason. I advise you to leave quickly. It is not easy to trespass the Wang Manor." "Uh!" The man was exasperated by the child''s words. He turned to look at hispanion, and the woman quickly said, "Child, we are not bad people, we..." "I know, you are good people. You sneaked your way to my house for no reasons, and when you saw me kneeling here, you thought I broke something and you offered me a few coins to make me happy just so that you can ask me the questions you have. I am grateful towards you two, so like a fool, I answered everything you asked. Then, after answering your questions, I will be punished to kneel here for ten days or half a month. I have seen many people like you before. What kind of bad person will tantly call themselves a bad person? When people go into jail, probably everyone will say they''re innocent. What I have said just now should have given you a lot of information already. Leave quickly. " The child didn''t wait for the woman to finish speaking and he interrupted her. His speech made the two of them feel that they did not encounter a little child but a sly fox instead. They were unwilling to leave just like this. The woman smiled, "Little child, you are so smart, did your family teach you to speak like that? It''s a pity, your family must have been unable to properly educate you; do you know how to read?" "Hmm, I like to listen to what you say the most. I am happy when I am praised by others. When I am happy, I hope that people will continue to praise me. Okay, let me tell you something. I can read, but I don''t recognize much. I was punished to kneel here because I read too many words incorrectly. My teacher said that I always want to y when I was in school. I just told you one more thing. If you are satisfied, then leave." The man and the woman were truly frightened by the little child in front of them. It seems that he knows everything. The man feltpelled to ask, "What did you tell us? We still don''t know anything yet." "Are you pretending to be stupid? The first thing I told you was that I was taught to be wary of people like you. The second thing I told you is that the children on the manor can go to school. You should be wondering why the Manor wants a small child like me be this cautious? Why residents can go to school? Who built this school? How much does the Manor have to pay the teacher? If you use your brain, you can guess a rough idea. " While talking, the child stood up and massaged his own legs. After feeling a bit relieved, he knelt down and keep his head lowered again. "Little child, how could you stand up? Aren''t you being punished?" The woman wanted to find a breakthrough. "Just because I''m being punished, it doesn''t mean I can''t stand up. The point of punishing me is to make me think carefully about why I should go to school and who found us a teacher. When I was talking to you just now, I figured out something and stood up to find some relief. Now I''m thinking about the second thing." The little child looked proud while speaking. "Then can you carefully exin to us?" The man asked again. The little child shook their head, "Look around on the Manor yourself. Don''t expect to get answers from others. The Zhang and Wang manors'' residents will not say anything. Visually take in as much as you can." Seeing that the little child refused to speak, the two of them had to give up. Of course, they couldn''t go in and pick up the few coins they threw in earlier. They listened to the little child and turned around and left. They nned to go see the ces on the Manor for themselves. The child waited for the two of them to leave, and then the kneeling child jumped up. There was no time to care about the copper coins on the ground. First, the child ran into the house and said to his parent, "There''s an outsider on the Manor asking about things. I told them to go see for themselves. Do we need to notify the Master household? It''s obvious those two are rich people." "Hurry and go back to school if you''re done talking. Study hard and don''t let the Master family worry about you." The child''s mother stopped her needlework and exined to the child. The little child turned around and ran towards the Master''s house. After thinking about it, the child turned back. "Mother, you go tell them. I will keep an eye on those two people." After the child ran off again, the mother pulled on the emergency bell. She waited for the bell on the other end to sound, and then she talked into the bamboo tube about what was going on. The man and the woman didn''t know that news could be delivered that quickly on the Zhang and Wang manors. As they walked, they suddenly realized that something was wrong. The whole manor was too quiet, and the only noise that can be heard was the croaking of frogs. Not a single person was in sight, and no voices can be hearding out of the houses.
Trantor''s Notes 1. 600 li a day 600 li is about 300 km. The literal meaning of this phrase is "rushed 600 li". It is usually used to describe the speed that horseback messengers deliver mail. The quickest possible speed is 800 li (400 km) a day. 2. wei''qi This a two-yer strategy board game that ismonly known as Go. It uses ck and white ying pieces called stones. 3. Censorate This is a high-level supervisory agency in ancient China that acted as the eyes and ears of the Emperor. It is a branch of the centralized bureaucracy, and it parallels the Six Ministries and five Chief Military Commissions. Book 2: Chapter 3 Book 2: Chapter 3 Thank you to Jesse formissioning chapters 02, 03 and 04!
Volume 02 Chapter 03: Building A Swimming Pool And Discussing The Comers "Jade that is not carved cannot be an ornament. People that do not study cannot understand righteousness. ... The three rules of interpersonal interactions: The ruler and the subordinates must be mutually just1... " A man and a woman continued to walk in the ufortably silent environment. They suddenly heard a voiceing from the front, and when they listened more closely, they heard a few children talking amongst themselves. When they walked forward to get closer, they could clearly hear what these little children were talking about. The two stood there in ce to listened to them, and there were shocked and surprised the more they heard. What was going on? They were reciting three words at a time. It sounded catchy and it seemed to be very meaningful. This must have been the school that the little kneeling child was talking about.posted on "Where did they find this teacher from? Why does the lesson material sound so unfamiliar?" The woman listened for a while. Although it seemed like she was muttering to herself, at the same time it also seemed like she was questioning the man beside her. "I''ve never heard of it before too. This Manor is so different from other ces. Everything here is so confusing. There should be people on the manor right now, but look, not even a dog can be spotted." The man also didn''t understand what he was facing. It seemed that this ce was not a Manor, but a ce that could devour people at any moment. It was mysterious, and even the children were different from other ces. Naturally, they didn''t know that someone had already spread the news of their arrival, and everyone on the Manor was told to go home. If observed carefully, it can see be that there some of therger tools that were not easy to carry were left in the field. The text that those children recited was the Three Character ssic. Zhang Xiao''bao doesn''t know this text, but Wang Juan remembers it clearly. Two days ago, she changed some of the text''s contents and sent it to the school for the teachers to have a look. When the teachers saw it, they were mind-blown. Although the text was easy to memorize, it was very informative. Within the text, there was a lot of things for the children to learn. Even people with a Xiu''cai degree would have benefited a lot from reading this text. posted on The two teachers who failed the imperial examinations wanted to know who wrote this text, but no matter how they asked, the people who came to send the Three Character ssics said that they didn''t know. This made them feel angry, but also admiration. The only thing they could do was to analyze the text and then teach it to the little children on the Manor. * In the courtyard of the Master Household, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were instructing people to build a swimming pool for the two of them. It was five meters wide and ten meters long. First, they got people to dig out a pit that had to be shallow since their family objected to it being deep. However, it wasn''t too shallow since it was about one meter deep. The bottom of the pit was covered with sand, and then filled with water such that the water level reached their necks. "Xiao''bao, you have conned so many peoples before, have you never encountered a time when you had to make cement?" Wang Juan stood beside the construction site, watching the people digging and leveling the surrounding pool wall. She felt that it would be better to use cement so she asked Zhang Xiao''bao without even turning to look at him. "I think you need to heat stones with some limestone or something. Then you continue to heat it until it bes cement. Why do want to use cement? If you really want to have a better swimming pool, just userge pieces of bluestone. When we make more money, we will use marble." Zhang Xiao''bao said a few things, but he still didn''t say exactly how cement was made. He changed the direction of the conversation so that Wang Juan would think about using natural stone. In response to this answer, Wang Juanughed. "Just say you can''t make it if you don''t how. Why bother mentioning using bluestone or marble? It doesn''t need to be so extravagant. Having a ce like this better is than that small river. After we fill it with water, we can let the water heat up under the sun. This way, we don''t have waste firewood.posted on "I don''t know how because I didn''t have a chance to learn. I''m not ashamed of that. They will probably be done digging the pit before noon, and the sand can probably be filled in the afternoon. This will be our ce to exercise until the weather turns cold." Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t care whether or not he could make cement. Cement seemed to be made by heating a bunch of materials together. In the future when he had more excess money, he could just find someone to try heating randombinations of materials, and eventually, there wille a day when cement is made. Like Zhang Xiao''bao, Wang Juan didn''t care much about cement. She was satisfied if there was a pool where she could swim in. She watched those working people''s sweat drip like falling rain and said, "There are still a lot of bones in our warehouse that have been frozen for three months. Give the workers some bones to nibble on during lunch; this would make them ecstatic. Have you thought about how to deal with the two people who came to the Manor?" After Wang Juan finished talking about lunch, she talked about an important matter. Those two people were too stupid since they asked about things so tantly. If they were spies, they might actually seed because who would believe that a spy would be that stupid? "Nope. They can collect as much information as they want. They must have been sent by the person surnamed Yao. They have been wandering around for nearly four hours. They were here early in the morning; I wonder if they''re hungry?" Zhang Xiao''bao analyzed what the person who came here two hours ago said, and felt that the man and the woman were sent from there. It was not like he was allowed to make the two people disappear off the face of earth, so he could only allow matters to follow its natural course. All that can be arranged were arranged already. Even a little child was that cautious already, let alone the adult residents. "Since you are not worried, then let''s just leave them alone. It doesn''t seem like we can swim today. Maybe the water will be warm by tomorrow afternoon. The volume is too great; if we let people boil the water, then we need to boil at least one-third of the pool''s volume. Calcte how much water would be needed." Wang Juan felt a bit impatient waiting so she tried to kill time by chatting with Zhang Xiao''bao''s and then she gave Zhang Xiao''bao an arithmetic problem. "Are you that bored? Do I even need to calcte it? It''s about 0.85 meters high, 10 meters long, and 5 meters wide. With water, it should be forty-two tons. If we take into the ount the amount of water seeping through the gaps in the sand, then we need 45 to 48 tons. Do you think we''re too tall?" Zhang Xiao''bao was quite proficient at working with numbers. After all, he needed to be able to count money so he had to learn a few things about mathematics. "We''re not that tall. We''re more than two years old already. Your parents and my parents are not short. Our grandparents aren''t short too. We usually exercise our body and n out our meals, so we''re slightly stronger than normal children. That''s normal." Wang Juanpared themselves to other children and realized that she and Zhang Xiao''bao were a few centimeters taller and a little bit heavier. The difference was not that significant. After all, they didn''t exercise to the point of harming their own body just for the sake of increasing their strength. "Will you look like a bodybuilder in the future?" Zhang Xiao''bao asked jokingly. "I''m not going to talk to you anymore. You''re just pretending to be confused. Didn''t you see what I looked like before? When I went to catch you that day, I was wearing a skirt. I wonder how many people felt sorry for me when the explosion happened." Wang Juan began tough as she talked.posted on "That''s good then. You need to work hard to grow to look like that. Then, whenever I have free time, I''ll bring you out to show off to people. I''ll go beat up anyone that finds you pretty and want to take you for themselves. That''s considered as legal self-defence, right?" Of course Zhang Xiao''bao remembered what Wang Juan looked like at that time. To prevent people from finding out about her, she put on makeup and wore a miniskirt. It was a pity that he was about to die so he didn''t think much. Now that he recalled, her physique was really good. Normal people cannot even fathom how much explosive power was contained in that body. "What are you smiling about? You look like a creep right now. You''re thinking about dirty things at such a young age. There is no such thing as a good man. Well, except for my rtives. I''m not going to sleep next to you tonight, you creep." Wang Juan was angered by Zhang Xiao''bao''s expression. "I''m a creep? Who threatened me back then? And how was I threatened? I don''t know about other men, but the deputy chief at your office has two sugar babies. When three million dors was sent, I knew who was going to capture me. Surprisingly, you''re only worth three million. A female soldier who can stand up for the mothend and risk her life to perform missions has a price of three million." "So, it was him. I knew that something was wrong with him. Don''t talk to me like that. What three million? That''s not true." In this moment, Wang Juan finally knew who had betrayed her. She clenched her little fist and she really wished she could go back and immediately beat the man until he passes out. "Not just three million. In my heart, real soldiers like you are priceless. I have never used money to gauge your worth. That three million was the value of your deputy chief''s reputation and dignity. Don''t worry, I died. People like this will eventually encounter karma. Your deputy chief will die of a cold or a minor illness." Zhang Xiao''bao had never dared to disrespect someone like Wang Juan, and he regretted making this joke when he saw how Wang Juan reacted. "Ahh. I have no idea if you abide tows, but whatever you do can be exined with morals. Let''s not talk about that anymore; it''s history already. We can''t swim in the afternoon, so where should we go y after dinner?" Wang Juan calmed down after hearing Zhang Xiao''bao''s words. Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t know where to go. They had entered a bottleneck period in terms of exercises. They could not continue to increase the amount of training they do, or else they might hurt their bodies. Witnessing Zhang Xiao''bao''s silence, Wang Juan suggested, "Let''s go up the mountain. I have never been at the top of mountain ever since I got here."posted on "No. Let''s go to the field and take a look at the toads. If the two of us want to go up the mountain, then a lot of people wille along. This will attract other people''s attention2 and waste manpower." Zhang Xiao''bao quickly rejected Wang Juan''s proposal which involved bothering other servants in the courtyard. Wang Juan thought about it for a while and sighed helplessly. One''s status pre-determined a lot of things. She and Zhang Xiao''bao also had to take into considerations of others, otherwise they would have not built a swimming pool. Things like swimming in the small river should never be done in the future. It was good to go look at the fields too. When Wang Juan thought of this, she pulled Zhang Xiao''bao to their room to go eat. The earlier they ate, the earlier they can depart. She said to Zhang Xiao''bao, "Those two people should be hungry too, right? Should we feed them? " "Yes. Tell the restaurant right now that when they see a man and woman ordering food, rmend to them the most expensive dishes and tell them that the cheaper dishes are all sold out." Zhang Xiao''bao replied. Trantor''s Notes
1. These are a few lines taken from a Chinese ssic text called Three Character ssic . This was written in the Song Dynasty which is the dynasty thates after the Tang Dynasty. This would exin why no one else has heard of the text before in the novel. The original text was written in triplets of characters so that it was easy for children to memorize. However it would be impossible to have its trantion be in triplets of words, so I provided a more lengthy exnation of the lines. 2. attract other people''s attention The literal meaning is "hit grass and startle the hidden snake". It means to act rashly and alert the enemies. Book 2: Chapter 4 Book 2: Chapter 4 Thank you to Jesse formissioning chapters 02, 03 and 04!
Volume 02 Chapter 04: Feeling Sleepy In The Warm Summer It was almost noon, and the people at the swimming pool were using the little bit of time left to finish making the pool. No matter what, they insisted on finishing everything before eating lunch. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan finished their meal at this time and left on their wooden bicycle. The people in the inner courtyard were already ustomed to how their two little masters did things. If they went out alone, then the ce they''re going to was absolutely safe. Otherwise, they would ask for servants to apany them. This saved the people in the inner courtyard a lot of worry. Their two little masters were sensible. Whenever there was some dangerous thing to do, they would discuss with others first. If they did not consult others, then what they were going to do was absolutely safe. Therefore, the people in the inner courtyard did not worry about Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan leaving this time. They didn''t worry about their two little masters not just because their two little masters understood the significance of matters, but more importantly, it was because now that the Manor''s children going to and leaving school and running around, there were people everywhere on the Manor. Furthermore, there was the Seedling Protection Team patrolling the area and they would also help take care of their two little masters. posted on "The little tadpoles are all grown up now. I remember that when I eavesdropped on ss lessons, there was a book called Little Tadpoles Finding Their Mom''. At that moment, I was thinking that if I was a tadpole, how good it would be to be able to find my mother at the end. Let''s go. Let''s not look at the fields anymore. Let''s go to the restaurant and have some tea. Stop forcing me to peddle by myself. This isn''t a bicycle from the modern times. Do you want to tire me to death?" Zhang Xiao''bao spoke while pedaling and looking at the fields on both sides. Later, he noticed that Wang Juan wasn''t moving and her legs were also raised up too. This was not a bicycle with a chain, and it doesn''t have any bearings. It just has two pedals on a wheel. If you pedaled a circle, the wheel will rotate a circle. A person would die from exhaustion if only one person pedaled the two-person bicycle. "Oh, I''ll start pedaling now. Let''s sit on the first floor when we get to the restaurant. Maybe we can still see the man and the woman and see what they will do during the meal." Wang Juan put her foot next to the wheel and started pedaling. She controlled the direction of the bicycle to head to the restaurant. The children who had finished school were also running around. asionally, a person saw a water snake and reached out their hand to grab its tail. They twisted the snake''s body around their arms, and then grabbed the snake''s head to make it open its mouth. Then, they ced the snake near their robe and let the snake bite down on the cloth. Once they pulled the snake away, the snake''s fangs were pulled out. Now, it be a threat-free snake. The child slung the snake around his shoulder and brought it back home so his father can enjoy the snake while drinking wine. By the time Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan pedaled their way to the Between Clouds and Water Restaurant, there were four water snakes hanging on their bicycles. The bored busser that was standing in front of the restaurant saw the Young Master and Young Miss, and he hurriedly went forward to greet them. He put away the bicycle, and while he held the four water in his hands, he led them inside the restaurant. "Was the four teacher''s food for today delivered yet?" Zhang Xiao''bao asked as he walked in. "I haven''t delivered it yet. Today''s prepared food is stir-fried meat with bean sprouts and egg with cucumber. The food will be ready in just a bit. Young Master, what do you want to eat?" The busser replied next to him, and the four snakes that he hung on his arms asionally twisted around.posted on "It''s not delivered yet? That''s fine too. Cook these four snakes and deliver it to them too. In the past two days, they should be tired from working on the Three Character ssics. Just get some tea for us; we ate already. We''ll stay on the first floor. "Zhang Xiao''bao yawned and walked with Wang Juan towards the area near the window. There were quite a few people in the restaurant right now. Almost the entire second floor was upied by people who think they are well educated and wealthy. Even if there was no water below, they asionally recited a few poems. The people who dined on the first floor were primarily merchants whoe to buy puffed rice. Puffed rice was sold once in the morning and once in the afternoon, and everyone can only buy one sack at a time. This way, some merchants who had to travel a farther distance to get here would have to buy one sack in the morning and another sack in the afternoon. This allowed them to transport back two sacks to sell. Naturally, they would also have to find a ce to eat lunch. The more budget-conscious person will bring their own food to eat, and then order a bowl of wine from the restaurant for three coins. But those who were less stingy chose to eat in the restaurant. The restaurant provides a kind of meal that cost ten coins. The meal consists of arge bowl of rice, a meat dish and a vegetable dish that were ced together on a te withpartments, and a bowl of egg drop soup that did not have a lot of eggs in it. For a while, the restaurant appeared livelier. At night, more people woulde, and there will be meals that cost three cents each. It contains a bowl of rice with stir-fried gourd slices, or noodles with thinly sliced meat, or noodles with fried ck bean sauce. These meals were designed for people who were going to the market. Those who have eaten this meal can pay one coin to stay in a room that has burning wormwood that was twisted into ropes to repel mosquitoes. Pillows and bedding were not provided, and there was only some hay toy on. If the person wasn''t even willing to pay a coin, then they can stay at shared resting area at the market. The three sides were covered by curtains made of straw mats, and the remaining side was uncovered. There was no mosquito coil made of wormwood and the people could sleep however they want. posted on These things rted to the bazaar were all ideas suggested by Xu Si, who had already left to sell the grains. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan didn''t really care how he managed the ce. Right now, Er''gou was there to help run the ce. "Unfortunately, there''s no dirt-cheap simple lunch boxes. Otherwise, we will be able to sell the meals to more ces. Xu Si is really good. He runs the bazaar so well. In the past two months, the bazaar actually earned five taels and four qian1of silver." Zhang Xiao''bao sat on the chair next to the window and spoke as he looked out with his chin raised up. Wang Juan waved to a waiter. The waiter was used to this already, and he brought over two special tall chairs. He reced the Young Master and Young Miss'' chairs with the taller chairs so that the two of them could sit morefortably. Sitting on the tall chair, Wang Juan pulled away the window curtain so that she could see outside more clearly, "Xu Si is indeed really good; Ge Ying''xi from the Ge Manor must be in immense regret now. We''re the ones with the power to set the prices. In two months, only five taels of silver were earned, but that''s not including the value of the items we have in stock. If that money was included, then we earned at least 20 taels of silver. When more peoplee to trade in the future, our profit will not be just 20 taels. Quite a bit of money will also be earned each month when the people from the bazaare to the restaurant to dine. We said he was worth one hundred taels of silver, and he was indeed worth one hundred taels. Ge Ying''xi sold him for just a few taels of silver; he must be regretting it so much. " During the time they talked to each other, the tea was served. The tea was not prepared like how it was prepared here without salt and ginger. Zhang Xiao''bao taught people how to make it. Even though he had not done it himself before, but he knew how to talk eloquently. As an international con-man, it was inevitable that he had to interact with some people from the upper-ss and talk about art or about tea ceremony. He had no choice but to learn. posted on The tea leaves used were stolen from other ces by people sent out before the Qing''ming Festival2 came. It was indeed stolen, and in particr, the newly sprouted top leaves were stolen. Those who were not caught would leave some money in an obvious ce in the tea yard. More money would have to be paid if the person was caught. Up to now, no one has been arrested yet. The tea ced in front of Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan was Xin''yang Mao''jian tea; it was mainly because the area where the tea nt was grown was rtively close. It was in He''nan, so people can be sent there to steal tea leaves. If it was Xi''hu Dragon Well tea, then it would be very far away. The tea was poured out, and each person held a cup in their hand and drank the tea slowly, or drank all of it in one go, or sipped a bit and felt that it was too cold so they dumped it and poured out another cup. "Can''t you think of a way to get some Tie''guan''yin tea and Pu''er tea? I don''t like to drink green tea." After taking a few sips, Wang Juan felt that the tea was slightly bitter tasting andcked a hint of sweetness. So, she asked Zhang Xiao''bao to find a way. Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t have any good ideas. One of those two teas is fully fermented and the other is partially fermented. Girls prefer to drink those types of teas since it can help with weight loss. After thinking about it, he said, "It''s better to drink flower teas like chrysanthemum tea or jasmine tea. Or how about we ferment this Xin''yang Mao''jian tea leaves, what do you think?" "Can this even be fermented?" Wang Juan asked whileughing. "Yes. Why can''t it be fermented? Do you know how Pu''er was made? It was picked and carried away in a basket, and while it was carried, it rained and the tea leaves got wet. The tea leaves were still carried, and it eventually dried up. After it got wet again, it was allowed to dry again, so the leaves began to ferment. A person who ate too much meat drank tea made from those tea leaves and found out that the tea was good for the gastrointestinal tract, aids digestion, and cleans the intestines and stomach." Wang Juan was stunned by Zhang Xiao''bao''s exnation, "Really? Were the teas that I drank before also had its tea leaves soaked in rain?" "It doesn''t matter what you drank. The important thing is that this method allows for tea leaves to be fermented. It''s not just rain---the person who carries the tea also contributes their sweat. The taste is really unusual. Think about, if you carry such heavy tea leaves while travelling through the mountains with a walking cane, you will have to frequently stop to take a rest. Would it be possible to not be dripping in sweat? posted on Zhang Xiao''bao was better than Wang Juan when it came to talking about these kinds of things. He only heard about this since he often drank tea with people. In addition to using horses and mules for transportation on the Ancient Tea Horse Road3, a lot was transported on people''s backs. Along thatwork of caravan paths, there were areas with mudslides, heavy rainstorms,ndslides, all sorts of situations that could ur. During the discussion at the tea tasting session, that person said that this was what they wanted to taste---the more effort ced in the production of the tea, the more well it tasted. Therefore, Zhang Xiao''bao felt veryfortable after cheating the person 160 million. The more pained that person was, the morefortable Zhang Xiao''bao felt when he spent that money. "Don''t tell me. I won''t drink that kind of tea anymore. It''s nauseating. Did you say all of that deliberately?" Wang Juan felt nauseated after listening to Zhang Xiao''bao. She didn''t even want to touch the tea in front of her right now. "Young Master, Young Miss, those two people are here." A waiter came to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan and reported in a low voice. The two people he mentioned were of course that man and woman who came to collect information. "Oh? They''re here? Good. Later, tell them that there is no space on the second floor. Let them eat on the first floor. If they don''t want to eat, then so be it. When they order food, bring out that menu--- the golden menu. Go on. Don''te over to use anymore." As soon as Zhang Xiao''bao heard the news, he became energetic. He gave the waiter some instructions, and then he started to pay attention to the entrance of the restaurant. Trantor''s Notes
1. four qian is roughly 20 grams. 2. It wasmon for tea leaves to be picked before the Qing''ming Festival, which falls on a day between April 1-4, depending on the Chinese calender. 3. Ancient Tea Horse Road was awork of caravan paths that winds through the mountains of Si''chuan. Yun''nan, and Tibet. Book 2: Chapter 5 Book 2: Chapter 5 Thanks to Yaro formissioning this chapter!
Volume 02 Chapter 05 No Results To The Inquiries, The Young Childe Arrives After a short while, two people came in one after the other through the door. Walking in the front was a woman, and the one following behind her was that man. As soon as the two came in, the waiter greeted them. "We''re looking for a room on the second floor, and we want to be able to see the outside scenery from where we sit." The woman gave the waiter a dozen coins that were tied together with a string that she had prepared in advance. The waiter smiled happily as he spoke to the two people: "There are no more rooms upstairs; they are all upied. How about you dine on the first floor?" He acted like he was a bit unwilling to speak to them and was nning to give back the money in his hand. It was as if he was telling them that it was fine if the two of them didn''t want to eat and that if they did want to eat, then they had to eat on the first floor. The woman''s rounded eyebrows frowned, then ttened out again. She spoke with a smile, "Alright, list all the good dishes you have here, then I''ll decide what to order." "There is a menu in the restaurant, so you can look at that. Once you''re done ordering, I''ll go to the kitchen and tell the chef to make it." As if he was a magician, the waiter conjured up a half-inch thick menu. He was grateful that the restaurant had menus, otherwise he would be exhausted by the time he finished listing all of the dishes'' names. The man and the woman did not expect that the Between The Water And Clouds Restaurant operated like this. The woman spoke again, "But neither of us can read, what do you think we should do?" "What you have said is correct. Some guests are indeed illiterate. That''s fine though. There are drawings on the menu. You will know what the dish is when you look at the drawing. If you think that dish looks good, then you can ask me about it and I''ll describe it to you." The waiter grew to admire the Young Master more and more since he was able to address every tiny detail. The woman and the man found a ce to sit down. They opened the menu and looked at it, and they felt that something was wrong. The price of each dish was all above five taels of silver. They flipped through all the pages and to their surprise, the most expensive dish cost 300 taels of silver and the cheapest dish was five taels of silver. These prices were not affordable for ordinary people. The man gaped at the most expensive dish. The woman closed the menu and said to the waiter, "How is that everything in this restaurant that expensive?" As soon as she said this, she regretted it. Just now she said she didn''t know how to read, but sheined that the price is high even though the price was written in words on the menu. The waiter immediately made a panicked look. He lowered his head and bent over as he said, "Forgive me, I made a mistake by bringing out the wrong menu. This menu is for the distinguished guests to order from. Right now I''ll go get you the cheaper one. The cheapest dish is a bowl of soup with tbread on the side; it only costs a coin. Those dishes taste better. It''s perfect for people like you to eat." This time, the waiter spoke with a louder voice. No only did that man and woman heard him clearly, but all of the surrounding guests heard too. Everyone else turned their head to look at them, and some people even showed looks of contempt in their eyes. A person even whispered to hispanions, "They want to go up to the second floor just like that? They seem to be well dressed so I thought they''re rich. Who would have thought that they''re fakers? Tomorrow I''ll also take out the clothes I wear during the Chinese New Year and pretend to be rich too." When the man and the woman heard this, their expressions suddenly changed. The woman snatched the menu from the waiter, flipped through it, and said to the waiter, "Do you not understand the humannguage? I meant to ask you: are the dishes really worth that expensive price? If it is not delicious, don''t me me if I smash this Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant." "You are putting me on the spot. How would I know if it tastes delicious or not? Everyone has different preferences so it''s hard to cater to the taste of everyone. If you eat it and think that it''s delicious, then it''s delicious. If you eat it and insist that it tastes bad, then it tastes bad. It''s just like how some people love eating onion, ginger, or garlic and they think that the more is added, the better. For those that hate it, then it''s the opposite." The waiter did not fall into the trap that she set up. Whether it tastes delicious or not depends on the wordsing out of a person''s mouth. Even if it is undeniably delicious, a person can speak nonsense without even batting their eyes. What can be done about a person like that? "Hmm. Serve these four dishes, as well as this soup, and two jars of wine." The woman ignored the waiter''s response and randomly pointed to items on the menu. She was here to collect information about the Manor, but she didn''t get many answers. When the little kids got off school, she tried to ask one of them, but the kid looked at them with suspicion. They wanted to ask the teacher, but after the teacher spoke in bouts of magniloquence, the two of them were sent out. They did not understand a single word that the teacher said so this made them feel even more frustrated. Since they couldn''t get any answers there, they decided to go to a ce with a lot of people. Thus, they chose to go to this restaurant. They knew that the Between The Water And Cloud Restaurant was owned by the Manor. While waiting for the food, the two of them began to listen carefully to other people''s conversation in hopes of picking up some information from their words. However, they didn''t hear anything useful even by the time the food was served. They heard that there was a bazaar here and that this area was still doing well despite the ongoing drought. Both of them had already known these two pieces of information. When they came, they saw the things in the field. They weren''t just good---they were extraordinary. However, this information was not enough for the Prime Minister. The two looked at each other and decided to ask someone. Whenever they set their gazes on a table, they found that the people at the table avoided making eye contact with them---it was obvious that they didn''t want to talk. The two of them knew that other people felt that they would be hard to talk to since they were able to purchase expensive dishes. The people were also concerned that they might get into trouble if they identally said something wrong The two people looked around, and they were surprised to discover that there were two three or four-year-old children sitting there drinking tea. Although surprised, they also came up with an idea. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan didn''t know that those two had overestimated their ages. They pretended that there was nothing wrong and they both calmly drank their tea. The temperature of the tea was obviously not enough, but they didn''t tell anyone to pour it out and add more water. The woman looked over to where Zhang Xiao''bao was and felt that since they were in the middle of drinking tea, it seemed like a bad idea to bring food over there right now. Those two kids were able toe here to drink tea so the two kids muste from a family that had a bit of money. Then she looked at the clothes worn by the two children and she finally understood that it was not as simple as having a bit of money''; just their clothing alone was worth taels of silver. When she came to that conclusion, she gave the man a look to instruct him to stay here and continue eating. She went over to the kids to talk and ask questions. She figured that since they''re from rich families, they should know more than most people. She did not expect that the moment she stood up and walked a few steps in their direction, six or seven people in the restaurant suddenly stood up and looked at her with suspicious eyes. At the same time, two waiters came over. One waiter stood near the two children, and the other one stood in front her to block her off. The waiter smiled and said, "May I help you with anything?" At this time, she and the man realizedthat something was wrong. She just wanted to get closer, and she was just a woman too. The people and the waiters in this restaurant were overreacting, weren''t they? Right now, the atmosphere felt really strange, and they also felt the same strange atmosphere when they were at the Manor just now. Seeing the expression in the waiter''s eyes and that he had no intention of backing off, the woman smiled and said, "It''s nothing. I just find those children to be adorable so I want to talk with them." "Oh, this... the children are too young to understand much. They''re not very brave. If you idently scare them, then... If you want to go over there, then go." While the waiter talked, he suddenly changed the direction of the conversation. He backed away but the other waiter didn''t move. He remained standing next to the table, and he ced a chair down for the woman to sit on. The other people who stood up saw the waiter doing this so they all sat back down. However, the waiter was still a little worried. When he was talking just now, he nced at the Young Master and when he saw the Young Master had nodded slightly, he had to back away. The woman didn''t know about this since her and that man''s field of vision was blocked by that waiter. Knowing that she was allowed to go over, she tried to make the smile on her face more affectionate. She sat down on the chair, and watched the two children that were looking at her with curiosity. The woman smiled at Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, and the two of them gave her innocent smiles in return. They were chubby, with long eyshes, and big eyes. Anyone who saw them would not be able to resist giving them a little peck on the cheek. "Tell your older sister, how old are you?" The woman lowered her seniority rank1 and asked softly. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan blinked a few times and then brought their little hands to the front. They counted their fingers carefully, and then after a while, they stretched out three fingers and replied quietly, "Three years old." Seeing the two children''s cute movements, the woman stretched out her hand and wanted to hold them in her arms, but the waiter that was standing there suddenly said, "Would you like a pot of tea?" This interruption was too obvious. The woman had no choice but to hold back the impulse in her heart. She asked Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, "Little child, who do you have in your family?" "Good people." Wang Juan replied. "Her." Zhang Xiao''bao pointed to Wang Juan. "Good people, yes, good people indeed. You two belong to the same family? You''re really obedient. Can you tell me where you live?" The woman wasn''t able to get any decent answers with her previous question, so she asked another question. "We live at home." Wang Juan replied. "On the bed." Zhang Xiao''bao chimed in. "Well, okay, where is your home?" The woman asked. "In the yard." Wang Juan said. "Where?" Zhang Xiao''bao asked in confusion. "Then what are your surnames?" The woman tried her best to keep her breathing steady. "What''s myst name?" Wang Juan asked Zhang Xiao''bao. "It''s different from mine." Zhang Xiao''bao replied. The woman felt that she was going crazy. After asking so many questions, she didn''t even hear anything useful. Just as she was about to continue asking, a child''s voice came from the door of the restaurant, "This Between The Water And Clouds Restaurant looks pretty good. Buy it for me. The farnd on the Zhang Manor looks good too. Buy it for me too. Let''s go, let''s go upstairs to eat first." The voice was not quiet. Everyone on the first floor looked over there, and saw an eleven or twelve year-old boy dressed in a light blue brocade robe walking with a group of guards into the restaurant. Others didn''t know where the child came from, and his tone of speech was haughty. The woman stared at the jade pendant that was hanging from the child''s waist and she made an iprehensible look.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Lowering her seniority rank
In the text, the woman refers to herself as "older sister", but given her age difference with Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, she is probably old enough to be called "auntie" by them. By lowering her seniority rank, she''s trying to appear to be more approachable.
  1. Jade pendant
Although the jade pendant that hangs off one''s waist may just be decorational, sometimes it can be used as a symbol of status or a symbol of a n. Book 2: Chapter 6 Book 2: Chapter 6 Volume 02 "Xiao''bao, do you see those people? They''re probably the ones who bought that manor. They don''t seem like they''re easy to deal with. He''s so hedonistic; do you think he is the son or the grandson of the royal family?" Wang Juan''s also turned her head pretending to be curious. She took a nce with her eyes widened and then she mouthed the words to Zhang Xiao''bao. Zhang Xiao''bao had been cooperating with Wang Juan for more than a year so they understood each other really well. After that brief nce, both of them divided up the workWang Juan focused on observing that child and the people surrounding him, while Zhang Xiao''bao watched the behaviors of the other people on the first floor. Just now he caught a glimpse of that woman and he read the expression in her eyes. Then, he replied to Wang Juan, "I can''t tell. He''s probably not a very important person. The two people Yao Chong sent aren''t that scared of this child. Maybe he''s a distant rtive of the royal family. At least, he''s not Li Long''ji''s son or grandson and he''s not from the family of the prince that stepped down." "Are you sure? Li Long''ji has five brothers. He gives others the impression that he values brotherhood, yetat the same time he puts his brothers under surveince. He''sing over; have you figured out how to deal with him? It''s not easy to work with a prodigal person. Even if you give him business trades to earn money, he might not put effort into it. He just wants to take our ce." Knowing that Zhang Xiao''bao could not make urate judgments due to theck of information, Wang Juan became a little anxious. Although she belonged to the Wang Manor, if something happened to Zhang Xiao''bao''s side, her family would try to run away too. If worstes to worst, they could sell both manors together. However, she knew what Zhang Xiao''bao''s stance was: thesends were his family''s life, and he would not let others take it away. If something happened to Zhang Xiao''bao, what else can she pursue in her life? That would be true. With him, the two of them can talk about things that only the two of them can understand. They can help each other,encourage each other, and rely on each other. If she was just by herself, the world would be gray. Zhang Xiao''bao smiled sweetly, "Don''t worry. It''s good that he''s a prodigal. Trickery can be used on a gentleman and bribery can be used on a viin. There are ways to deal with a young prodigal like him. Later, when we go back, we''ll send out a notice to organize a game for the kids on the Zhang, Wang, and Ge manors. The winner will get five pine flower eggs1. I''ll start making pine flower eggs when I get back. Although other people may like it, I actually dislike eating that the most. In addition to the eggs, the person will also receive a medal made from a tael of silver. The first game is a Rubik''s Cubepetition. The second game will test their understanding of history. The winner will be given the same medal but it will be made of gold instead and they''ll be given 50 pine flour eggs. The third game isan intelligence test; we wille up with two brain teasers. The reward will be a silver metal and 10 pine flower eggs one. The fourth game will be a calligraphy petition. The reward is a gold medal and 50 pine flower eggs. After the four games, whoever won the most will be given a trophy. It has to be big and made of iron. The surface has to be coated with ayer of gold. It should be two meters tall, and the diameter will be half a meter. " Wang Juan saw Zhang Xiao''bao''s confident appearance and she knew that he had a n. After she finished listening to him describe the four games, she still had no idea what Zhang Xiao''bao was trying to do. "How does this rte to whether that guy is hedonistic or not? It is not good for the body to eat too many pine flower eggs. If you give them fifty at once and they eat all of them all by themselves, then it would be bad if they get nauseated from it." Wang Juan did not quite understand what Zhang Xiao''bao''s was thinking of. Zhang Xiao''bao looked at the waiter who was stopped the child to exin that there was no spots left upstairs, and said to Wang Juan, "The second and fourth games are prepared just for him. He is still young, so he would definitely want to y. If you don''t invite him, he will force his way into the game. You have to consider what kind of education he received before. In terms of history and calligraphy, which child on the three Manor canpare to him? For a person like him, the things he has to learn will not be ordinary. Even if he didn''t like learning, he still has to pretend to learn a little bit so he must be more knowledgeable than the children on the Manor. Plus, the remaining two games are more fun, and there will be a lot of children ying with him. There is no way he could resist this kind of enticement. " "Rubik''s Cube? If this thing is made of wood, it won''t be that durable, right?" Wang Juan now understood that there are unique ways to deal with hedonistic people. Rubik''s Cubes were suppose to be made of stic so it was more durable. Given the day and age, the other option was metal, but metal is too heavy so only wood can be used. However, if wood was used, the moving parts are prone to breakage due to friction. "It depends on what kind of wood it is. We''ll find some good wood, and it willst for at least a few days. As long as this thing is made, when a cube breaks or is taken apart, other people will be able to replicate the design. Kites are more prone to breakage, but many people still fly kites. How much do you think a silk kite cost? How much does a Rubik''s Cube cost?" Zhang Xiao''bao corrected Wang Juan''s pragmatic thinking. When ying, people tend to ignore the cost, such as lighting firecrackers. The most important thing is to achieve the goal. "Alright, I''ll listen to you. I can y Rubik''s Cube with just one hand. What you have to solve now is that those people want to go upstairs and they seem ready to force their way up. Should we let go to the second floor? If they go up, then what should be done about those two people??" Wang Juan moved her little hand as if she was ying with a Rubik''s Cube, and then she asked Zhang Xiao''bao to solve this conflicting situation. Zhang Xiao''bao also understood that if they let that kid go upstairs, then it will be hard to exin to others. He told the waiter standing to the side, "I''m going home." He opened his arms while talking, which suggested to the waiter to carry him in his arms. The waiter was so excited that he didn''t know what to do when he saw that the Young Master wanted him to carry him. His eyes widened in disbelief, and he found another waiter. The two of them each carried a toddler while pushing the bicycle and left the restaurant. They walked nearly a hundred meters before putting Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan down. The waiter that was carrying Zhang Xiao''bao just now rushed back to the restaurant. Seeing that those people were still asking to go upstairs and were ready to fight, he said quickly, "My distinguished guests, there really are no spots left on the second floor. However, if you want to view the faraway scenery from up high, you can go to the highest level. We can set up a tent canopy up there, and you can drink and enjoy the scenery. It''s just that the price..." The wait didn''t continue talking and he looked at the eleven or twelve year old child. "We can go to the top? How much does it costs? Hurry and show me the way." The child really didn''t care about the money. "It costs one hundred taels of silver to dine up there. Do you want to go up now?" The waiter''s voice trembled when he said this. It was way too expensive. If this wasn''t the Young Master''s instruction he would never dare to ask for 100 taels of silver. The child looked at the people around him. When he saw that they all showed troubled expressions, he knew that none of them carried that much silver on them. He put his hand his sleeve, which obviously looked heavy, and when he took his hand back out, he was holding a pouch in his hand. He opened the pouch, and took out a few bright yellow objects from it. There was a bunny, a pony, and even a small fish. He handed it over to the waiter. "I only have this, is it enough?" After throwing out this sentence, he walked up. "It''s enough, it''s enough, but these..." "Take good care of it. Someone wille over with silver to take back these items in exchange. If any item is missing, then say goodbye to you head." A person among the group interrupted the waiter with a threat, and when the person scoffed at him when he followed the rest of the group upstairs. Seeing that the group had went upstairs, the waiter did not dare to dawdle, and he ran outside with the items. He had an idea what the items were. He heard from others that when people in the pce reward people, they give out pieces of gold that are special shaped and have a symbol imprinted on it.Even if no one came to exchange it, he would not even dare to spend the gold pieces. The waiter knew that the manager would not be able to handle a matter thisrge, so his only choice was to deliver it to the Young Master and see what arrangements he will make. "People can go up to the roof top?" The woman was still thinking about the jade pendant. At the moment, she couldn''t recall who would have such a thing, but she knew that it was definitely from the pce. Seeing that the people had left, she asked the waiter. "Yes, it''s possible. The rooftop has no covering, and it stands among the floating clouds. The price is a bit high so ordinary people don''t go up there." The waiter was sharp-witted and knew how to answer questions. "Young sister, since we''re pretty much done eating, how about we head back earlier." The man spoke. He was thinking about the identities of those two children, and he was nning to follow behind them and see. "Okay, we should be going now." The woman was aware of the situation now. They can investigate those people upstairster, but the tasks that the Prime Minister''s assigned to them can''t be dyed. The two children were absolutely unusual. As soon as she moved, there were people that tried to protect them, so how could they be ordinary people? The two payed their bills, and left with one person following closely behind the other person. Not all of the dishes were served yet, and the side dishes on the table were untouched. When the two of them left the restaurant to chase after them, at a far distance ahead, they saw the waiter who was given the gold pieces was talking to the two children about something. Because they were too far away, they couldn''t hear the conversation, so they had to keep going forward. After walking a few dozen steps forward, the waiter had turned around and was walking back. The two children were sitting on something odd looking, and their legs were moving extremely quickly. The roads in this area of the Manor were made well, and were pressed down really hard to make the road more t and solid. Since it hasn''t rain recently, the road was still in good condition. The man and woman wanted to go to them, but they were stopped by the waiter. By the time they got rid of the waiter and continued to chase after them, the two children and their odd ride had arrived on a little hill. Just when the men and women were happy and thought they would be able to catch up, they did not expect that one of the toddler had something in their mouth, and when the child blew hard on it, a sharp piercing sound had spread far and wide. The Manor''s little kids, who refused to answer their questions earlier on, all rushed to a ce in the front. Nearly thirty people surrounded the two little toddlers, and then they saw that the two little toddlers were sitting on top of that unknown thing and they were carried forward by others. Seeing this scene, the man and the woman finally gave up their ns of continuing the chased. The woman looked there and said, "They''re the little masters of the Zhang Manor and Wang Manor. The few restaurant guests who were eating on the first floor that stood up were the manor''s residents." The man also agreed, "Well, no wonder the two little children dared toe out to y. After a whistle sounded, everyone on the manor who heard it got into action. Look over there, the adults of the families that lived near by are outside now too."
Trantor''s Notes 1. Pine flower eggs This is a type of preserved duck egg that is produced by chemically cooking the egg by soaking raw duck eggs in an alkaline mixture of y, ash, quicklime, salt, and rice hulls. After a while, the egg white will turn clear ck and chewy, while the yolk will turn creamy and greyish. The name "pine flower"es from the pattern that appears on the peeled egg. Book 2: Chapter 7 Book 2: Chapter 7 Volume 02 Chapter 07 Giving Away Information During The Investigation "Xiao''bao, we can''t just keep hiding from them. We should give them some information and then send them away. If they keep staying here, then matters will be dyed; Prime Minister Yao is still waiting for them to return. Let them know about how our manors gave the Ge Manor rice seedlings and how well the seedlings are growing. We can also let them know about how we helped the Ge Manor during the drought. What do you think?" While Wang Juan was being carried away on the bicycle, she quietly asked Zhang Xiao''bao. Zhang Xiao''bao tilted his head slightly and nced at those two people from the corner of his eyes. He nodded his head, "Okay, let Er''gou find someone from the Ge Manor. If the story is told by other people, it sounds more convincing." The Manor''s little kids didn''t understand what their little masters were saying. They all grinned while carrying the bicycle because they felt that being able to help their little masters was the happiest thing on earth. The Young Master had talked about the whistle before, but it was never blown until now. It was finally used today for the first time. Under the protection of the little children, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan returned to the yard. After the bicycle was ced down, the little children ran off before Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan could thank them. A special feeling lingered in Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan''s hearts. "This is the first time I realize that those children are better than the bodyguards I had in the beginning. They make me feel safe." Zhang Xiao''bao spoke with a smile. "I agree. They have some sort of familial love and bodyguards don''t have that. Let''s arrange the things. We should sleep next to the swimming pool at noon today; it will be cooler there." Wang Juan agreed even though she knew that those children could not bepared to Zhang Xiao''bao''s bodyguards in terms of professionalism. The two of them had a discussion as they made their way to the swimming pool. By now, the workers had already begun the process of filling the pool with sand. The fine sand was sifted out and thrown into the pit. Once they were done with that, they could add in the water. Zhang Xiao''bao asked someone to bring Er''gou, who was running the bazaar, over and he was given orders. Er''gou assured them that he wouldplete the task and left. Then, the two of them began to sleep. * "Should we go back and check on those people on the rooftop?" The man and the woman were still standing not too far away from the restaurant. They had spaced out for almost half an hour; it was unclear what they were thinking about. When someone quickly ran by, they came back to their senses and he broke the silence with a question. The woman looked over to Er''gou but he was far off in the distance already so she gave up on her n to stop him and ask him questions. She still couldn''tprehend what was going on with the Zhang and Wang manors. It was as if everyone on the manor had some kind of illness. She waited for that person to disappear off in the distance before she spoke, "There''s no need to. We don''t need to care about those kinds of things. Let''s go ask the people on the Ge Manor. I highly doubt that the people there will also hide from us. The three manors are so close to each other so they''re bound to know something." After saying that, the woman strode towards the Ge Manor. The man took a look at the faint figures moving around on the restaurant''s rooftop, and then turned and left. The two crossed the bridge and saw a person squatting motionless on the edge of the field with his eyes fixed on the rice seedlings in the field. Even when they deliberately made their footsteps louder, the person only turned his head to nce at them, and then turned his head back again. Seeing this scene, the two felt a tremor in their hearts and they thought, could it be that the people of the Ge Manor are like the other two manors too? "This brother here, it looks like your crops are not bad this year. When ites to autumn, you will have a great harvest, won''t you?" The man stepped forward, and he squatted down with the man. He looked to the fields too and asked with a casual tone. "What do mean not bad''? With the drought this year, the entire San''shui County might not even harvest half of the amount the grains that were harvested in the previous years. This year, even rent is exempted." This person from the Ge Manor nced at the two of them with suspicious eyes while he exined the situation. He was worried that the people will say that his fields were in a good condition, and he would have to end up paying rent. Production was reduced in the other ces in the San''shui County, so it was only natural that it was reported that the production on the manor here was also reduced. "Yeah, you''re right. It is indeed a bit worse, so it''s necessary for rent to be exempted. Howe the crops here are not as good at the ones on the other two manors? If I were you, I would also use the new seeds." The man was aware that the whole county was suffering from a drought, so he understood why the resident spoke like that. With a good harvest here, they can store a lot of grains and their family will be more well off. He went along with the resident said and then casually asked about the rice nts on the other two manors. He even sighed and shook his head while talking. The Ge Manor''s resident finally appeared a little bit happy. "You got that right. The rice seedlings there are indeed better than mine. However, new seeds weren''t used. Look at mynd here. That nt, and those nts in the front. Don''t you think that they''re about the same size as the ones on the other two manors?" The man and the woman looked at the ces the man pointed to, and surely enough, there were some rice seedlings that were better than the others in the field. After looking carefully, there were several other simr seedlings, but they weren''t as good as the ones on the Zhang and Wang manors. Although they weren''t as good, they were good enough. "Yes, it''s almost the same. Are there other nting methods? Why do the same seeds produce different nts?" The man asked another question. The resident sat down and ced his hands on hisp. He looked longingly at the little bridge opposite to him, and said, "There is a way. We need to buy seedlings from the Zhang Manor and nt them down. Look at those rice seedlings. Back then, strong winds knocked over all of the rice seedlings growing there. During that time, the people in our Manor had the desire to die when we saw that. We cried as we fixed the fallen over seedlings. The people from the Zhang and Wang manors also came to help. But fixing the seedlings was pointless since their roots were damaged. Our Master was kind. He helped us buy a lot of seedlings from the Zhang Manor so that we can rent the fields. Look, they have now grown to look like bigds. " "Huh? Renting? It was able to grow this well?" The two asked in surprise at the same time. Even though they didn''t know how to farm, they know about the general idea. The woman asked again, "Since they came here to help, were they not scared that the nts in their own field would be blown over?" "Blown over? It''s not the same. I''ve seen the seedlings in the Zhang and Wang manors'' fields. They weren''t that big yet during the time, but they all stood upright in the water like they were big fat guys that were well fed. The seedlings stood confidently in the water with their hands on their waist. The wind could blow however it wanted; some of the bigger seedlings even blocked the wind for its younger siblings." It was obvious that this resident thought of the seedlings on the Zhang and Wang manor as humans. He waved his hands around as he spoke and his face was ruddy with excitement now. This was such a stark contrast with the dull appearance he had at the beginning. After he finished talking, the resident saw that the two people were in a daze, and he continued to say, "You probably don''t know, but what I rented in this field is the kind that was nted in their fields. I wonder how they made the seedlings. Next year, I will trade for their seedlings again." "Oh, so their seedlings are more sturdy. That''s good. You must nt those ones next year. I''m worried that there''s going to be another drought next year and the harvest will be bad again. These poor rice seedlings." The man sighed regretfully. "Don''t be afraid, so what if there is a drought? There''s no need to be afraid of droughts with the Zhang and Wang manors here. You two have no idea how great the Zhang and Wang manors are. This year when the Spring Tige was approaching, there was not a single drop of water. Everyone was so anxious. When the Spring Tige arrived, they let us carry their precious water back to here. Later, we couldn''t carry the water anymore, so they set up bamboo poles from there to here and there was an opening to pour water into. After a day of work, the water over there was pretty much all poured through the bamboo poles. So many bamboo poles were used, and it was all paid by those two manors. They''re such good people. Then, they helped us change the seedlings here." As long as the resident talked about the two manors, he seemed quite excited. He stood up from the ground, stomped his feet and pped his hands because he wanted to express his gratitude. "Where did they get the water from?" the man asked. "Where did ite from? Of course, it was stored in advance. Sixrge ponds were filled with water early on, and there were seven wells. Oh, now it is ten. Our Ge Manor also dug three of them. They used their ponds to raise fish and grow lotus, and for ducks and geese to swim in. I heard that they sent their poultries to some other ce a few days ago. They said that there are many locusts, so they must try to help, regardless of the far distance. They''re such good people." The man and the woman looked at each other, and the woman spoke again, "They are good people, not bad at all. We were there just now. They even built a school for the kids. It''s a pity though. The residents don''t have that money to begin with and now they have to pay for their kids to study. It must be hard for them." "Pay? Pay what? Are you saying that the manors are asking their residents to pay something to the teachers? That''s impossible. The money is paid by their master families. Even the food the kids eat at school is paid by the master families. This is nothing though. During festivals and holidays, their master families will give their residents gifts like clothes and food. They even help the residents raise poultry together. I heard them say that after the autumn harvest, the kids from the Ge manor can go to school too; although they won''t be given a meal. When they have more chicken, ducks and geese, they will let the residents on the Ge Manor help raise them too. When that timees, life will be so much better. I hope that the the elders on the two manors can live into their hundreds. They are all such good people." When the resident talked about this, he got excited again. He acted like a good new life would appear tomorrow. His eyes that were once a bit cloudy turned clear now. These two people finally understood why when they inquired information earlier, no one said anything, and why so many people arrived when the whistle sounded. Their Master gave them all of the benefits that could be given. If anyone wanted to bribe the residents, then that person can keep daydreaming. "I see, you''re right. Those people must live to their hundreds. Is there anything else that you know?" After knowing the reason behind why they faced so many difficulties, the two wanted to obtain more information from the resident''s mouth. This way, they could go back and report to the Prime Minister. They were very satisfied with what they had gained this time. "Nope. What else do you want to ask? This is all I know." The resident shook his head and said nothing else. He had already followed Er''gou''s instruction and said what was necessary to say. As for the other things, he refused to disclose more. When the two looked at the resident''s expression, they gave up their intention of continuing to inquire for more. They felt that it was good enough for a resident to know this much. They thanked him and left. The resident also grinned and he walked back as he hummed a tune that he didn''t know the name of. He was very happy that he was able to help the Zhang and Wang manors. "Are we going straight back now?" The man asked the woman next to him as he watched the resident walk away. "Let''s not go back yet. Let''s go to the restaurant to see if anything happens, and report it to the Prime Minister." The woman was a little worried about any conflicts that might arise over there. If that was the case, then it would be difficult for the Prime Minister to handle. After all, the Zhang Manor had done a great job. Book 2: Chapter 8 Book 2: Chapter 8 Many thanks go to Jesse formissioning chapters 08-12!
Volume 02 Chapter 08 A Bit Of Warmth In The Heart Vast green hills and lush green grass. Flying birds soar high with their wings spread wide. The jade-like pond reflected light off of its crystalline surface. Chatter andughter upstairs; lifting wine up and drinking from goblets. The wind blew and the bells chimed; faintly resonating throughout. The clouds covered the bright sun. Long flute notes sounded from afar. A sudden brief nce. People fleeing the disasters, staggering every step they take. Only then does one know that the country is dying. Water and clouds were on the side, but this was not heaven. On the rooftop of the Between The Water And Cloud Restaurant, the young childe dressed in extravagant clothes was standing in the center of all the noise. While enjoying the surrounding scenery, a flute note sounded and he saw that there were evacuees over there. A person was holding his wife''s hand and carrying his child while ying the flute and begging for money. The young childe finally woke up from the whimsical trance and he was reminded of the many ces that were suffering from the droughts and locust gues. His mood turned bad. "Why hasn''t Li Cheng bought this restaurant yet? Get a person to go check." The young childe''s mood was ruined. He couldn''t bear to look at the family for too long, so he vented his anger on others. The man hurried downstairs, then after a while, he came back. He whispered to the young childe, "Li Cheng has left. I heard from the manager that this restaurant has three owners, and the restaurant can only be sold if all three of them agree, so Li Cheng went to find the three owners." "Okay. Let''s leave, I don''t want to eat here anymore. How could those officials let the evacuees flee to this ce, do those officials only care about eating and not about working? They should be killed. What a killjoy." The child dressed in brocade spoke impatiently. He turned around and went down the stairs. The people around him immediately followed behind. The money for going to the rooftop was given, but the money for the meal was not paid yet and they had actually ordered a lot of different dishes. However, the manager didn''t dare to stop them from leaving. Ever since he saw those gold pieces, he knew that they were not ordinary people. He ordered the waiter to see them off. They nned to ask the person who is going toe retrieve the gold pieces to pay for the meal too. They will take how much that person is willing to pay; if the person didn''t pay the full price, then they will just have to ept it. Two waiters went to clean up the rooftop. They noticed that the food was barely touched, and quite a bit of wine was drunken. Both of them sighed and thought about how wasteful rich people were. The two waiters kept the dishes that were not easily perishable and saved it for dinner. They looked at the dishes that won''tst a long time and they shook their heads. They ate a few bites from it and threw it away. They didn''t dare to resell these dishes to others like how some other small shops would do. The Master family had issued a strict order about this at the beginning. They weren''t allowed to earn this dirty money. While they were fretting how wasteful this was, they heard the sound of a fluteing from below. They lifted their heads to have a look and they saw a family of four that had fled to this ce. The youngest child was carried by the man and the woman held the hand of a little girl that was about six or seven years old. They were dressed in ragged clothes and looked very pitiful. The two waiters nced at each other and they finally knew what to do with all of these food and the big steamed buns that were still untouched since it was just served. They disregarded the other dishes and ced the quickly perishable items into a carrying tray and brought the steamed buns along with them. They also brought three pairs of chopsticks and a spoon, and they quickly made their way downstairs to greet those four people. Despite their speed, not a single drop of the soup sshed onto the tray. As soon as the young childe walked out the door with the group of people, he noticed that someone walked past him and he could smell the delicious fragrance of food. He scanned the ce with his eyes and he saw two waiters running while carrying trays of food. The dishes looked extremely familiar. His memory was good so he still remembered some of the dishes'' names: sea oyster and winter melon soup, young bamboo shoot sd, steamed beef bone marrow, shrimp with tofu. There were only three dishes and one soup. "Those are the dishes we just ordered. These dishes can''tst a long time. Do they want to sell the dishes to those four people?" A servant standing beside him also had a clear look at the dishes and said to the childe. "Scram. Are you a fool? Do those four people even have money to buy food? If I knew about this earlier, I would give them the food myself. At least I''ll be thanked. If my father heard about it, he would even praise me. This Between The Water And Clouds Restaurant is pretty good." The childe red at the person behind him. He kind of regretted that he didn''t give the food to those people himself. "They are indeed pretty good. You are so amazing, you knew what was going just at a nce. The people in the restaurant are quite kind-hearted." After being scolded, this person quickly continued to tter him. "Get away from me. You need to learn more from Li Cheng in the future. What does being kind or not have to do with me? The people who have been affected by the disaster will be taken care of by the government. What I meant was that the restaurant did not keep the untouched leftovers to resell to others. Otherwise, if they did resell it, how would they be able to give to the evacuees? They would have to force them to buy it." The childe red at this person again. This person said the wrong thing twice in a row, so he was now scared of making any otherments. He said to the childe, "Let''s go back. You said you like the pond here, so let''s dig one too. It will be bigger than theirs." "Wait, let''s keep watching, then I''ll be able to tell my father more about what I saw here. If I don''t know how to answer my father''s questions, I''ll definitely be scolded by him. If that happens, you will be beaten with a stick too." "Yes, yes, you''re right. Let''s keep looking. I don''t want to be beaten." When the person heard that he might be beaten, he trembled and continued to agree with the childe. This time, the childepletely ignored him, and he walked towards that direction. By the time he got closer, the family of four had already understood the two waiters'' intention. They kneeled on the floor and tried to kowtow, but the two waiters stopped them. One of the waiters noticed that the childe has came back with his group of people, so he quickly said, "Don''t thank us. We were told by this young childe here to make these dishes just for you. Look, the dishes are freshly made. After the waiter said, the four of them turned their heads and looked at the group of people. It was obvious that the young man belonged to a wealthy family. They didn''t think about anything else and turned around to kneel to those people. They started kowtowing even from a far distance, and they expressed their gratitude. This young man originally just wanted to have a look at the situation over here, so that he could answer his family''s questions. Seeing what was happening and hearing them express their gratitude, he suddenly felt better again. He got people to help those people stand back up and then he said, "You don''t need to do that, you really don''t. It''s all because of the natural disasters. Stand up, stand up. Eat some food first. Look at these children, they must be starving. Waiter, get the kitchen to prepare a portion of snow fungus and bird''s nest soup. Put it on my tab again." "You are so benevolent. I''ll go right now. When we were upstairs earlier, if you didn''t mention it, we wouldn''t have known that there were evacueesing here." The waiter naturally knew what to say and what not to say at this time. After saying this, he ran to the kitchen. The family of four were helped up. They found a rock and ced the food on the rock and ate under everyone''s watch. The child that was carried on the father''s back was too young and could only eat soft things, so the soup and bone marrow were given to him. The little girl was the most sensible; she waited for her parents to eat first. While she was eating the steam bun, she took care of her younger brother. She chewed on the bun as she shyly smiled at the childe. Others didn''t feel much when they saw this since they already knew about the hardships in the world so they were desensitized already. The childe was the only one that had seen this kind of thing for the first time. Seeing the four people eating, he didn''t know what to say. In particr, when that girl, who still had mud on her face, smiled at him, he suddenly felt a little guilty. When the girl wiped her brother''s mouth with her sleeve, he felt a little envious. At that moment, he felt that he was not as happy as the kid. He watched the kid smile after taking two bite, and his drool and food fell out of his mouth again; this made him smile too. "Let''s go back first. If it''s toote, the butler might tell Prin-- the master, and I''ll be beaten." The man spoke again at this time. The young childe''s smiling face immediately turned gloomy. He stared at this person and said, "You don''t need to be beaten by others. When we go back, I will teach you what to say and what to do. Twenty hits. I won''t forget." After being disturbed, the childe didn''t continue thinking about those things, and he said to the other waiter that was still here, "Once they''re done eating lunch, what are they going to do about dinner? Go get some in steam buns." The waiter left to go get the steams buns. The young childe continued, "After they''re done eating dinner, what are they going to do tomorrow? Give them so many to start a small business." While talking, he was about to take out some money, but he suddenly remembered that he only had gold pieces and the gold pieces were kept by his servant. Even the restaurant didn''t dare to spend it, not to mention the four evacuees. He looked at the surrounding people, and they immediately searched their own bodies for money. Some managed to find a few silver beads, and some found a few coins. The four people turned away when they saw the silvers. It wasn''t because the silver couldn''t be used, but it was because they were scared that someone would prey on them. They could only take the coins. The father kneeled and kowtowed saying that he can''t take the money. Although the grown ups might be able to survive the hardship, the children might not. "Young childe, I have some money too." The person who was going to be beatenter took out a string with seventy to eighty coins. The coins were the standard kai''yuan tong''bao1. The coins were not light. Who knows why he would carry around all that money for no reason. When the childe saw the coins, he was happy. He took them and gave them to the four people in front of him. He nced at the person who was going to be beaten and nodded. Since the childe didn''t say he spared from a beating, he had to give another idea so he said, "Young childe, you can tell them that they don''t have to go too far to do business. At night, there will be a bazaar. The prices of all kinds of things are fair. They are not allowed to buy inrge quantities so they can only buy a little at a time. When the sun rises, they can walk about 20 li2 away and try to sell the items. They might be able to earn about eight to ten coins, and this should be enough for them to buy food. They can also save some of the money, and buy a small hut to live in when it gets cold." When he spoke, his voice was not quiet. Not only did the childe hear him, but the four people heard him too, and they knelt down to kowtow again. Fortunately, the man knew who to bow to. If he knelt down to the person who came up with the idea, then he would have harmed the person. The child got someone to help the man up, and then he praised the idea, "Good. This idea is not bad. You don''t have to be beaten anymore. When we go back, you will be awarded five taels of silver." "Benefactor, tell us what your name is. We will remember your name for the rest of our lives. If we survive, we will work hard for you--- as hardworking as horses and cows." The man cried appreciatively as he asked for their benefactor''s name. "Umm...My..My...My surname is Li and my name is Wang''xun. You don''t have to remember it. Live well. If you really can''t find food, then go eat at the Between The Water And Clouds Restaurant, and add it to my tab."
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Kai''yuan Tong''Bao
This was the main type of coin issued during the Tang Dynasty. As opposed to previous coins, this coin had a prescribed coinage alloy (83% copper, 15% lead and 2% tin) and its production was more highly regted.
  1. 20 li
This is about 10 km Book 2: Chapter 9 Book 2: Chapter 9 Many thanks go to Jesse formissioning chapters 08-12!
Volume 02 Chapter 09: The Bailiffs Travelled Fast To Deliver Good News This childe that imed to be Li Wang''xun scared everyone when he spoke, but they were relieved when they heard what he said his name was. After saying the words he needed to say, Li Wang''xun did not stay around to let those people continue to kneel down in front of him. Nobody else tried to persuade him since the person who tried to persuade him earlier almost received a beating. No one dared to say anything. The snow fungus was grown by Shi''liu. The process was simr to growing wood fungus, although some of the exact details had to be altered. Shi''liu was very dedicated to her job and she somehow figured out how to grow the snow fungus. Right now, she was working on pine mushrooms. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan tried to dissuade her, but she still persisted. Seeing that she was so determined, the two of them allowed her to continue working on it. She refused to turn back until she hit a dead end. If Shi''liu was able to grow pine mushrooms, then Zhang Xiao''bao would have the confidence to let her grow yellow morels. Even in the modern times, not to mention this era, the price of yellow morels was expensive. Some of the yellow morels were so expensive that there were no buyers. Unlike other mushrooms, yellow morels were not sold in kilograms and were sold in grams instead. Although there were three dishes, a soup and several steamed buns, the four people devoured all of it in a very short amount of time. Not a single drop of soup was left behind. The child''s metabolism was quick; he drank soup just a while ago, and now he had to pee. His little eyes looked at the new item that was freshly served. While being carried in his sister''s arms he stretched out his arm with open hands in that direction. "Waiter, quick, feed the child. Actually, let me see what great things you have inside the bowl." Li Wang''xun never had this feeling before. The more he looked at that child, the more he liked him. He told the waiter to bring the soup over to the child, but he was scared that the waiter was going to trick him, so he went forward to have a look. He felt relieved after checking that not a single ingredient was missing from the bowl. While the sister held her younger brother in her arms, she thanked Li Wang''xun as she wiped her tears. Just from hearing the name of this soup, she could imagine how much it was worth. She could not fathom eating a dish like this back then, not to mention during this famine. A bowl of soup like this could be exchanged for rations that wouldst several years for her family. In addition to the snow fungus and bird''s nest, there were also lotus seeds that were boiled until they became soft, and rock sugar. It was sweet and fragrant. Children had a natural strong craving for sugar, so they can''t stop eating after taking a bite. This had nothing to do with whether it was sweet or not; it was mainly because sweetness represents sugar and sugar is exactly what the human body needs. This was due to a kind of gics. The more ignorant the children was, the more they craved sugar. Once again, the child was drooling while he was eating, but this time, before his sister wiped the drool away for him, Li Wang''xun took out a silk handkerchief to help the child wipe the stuff around his mouth. When his hand touched the child''s tender cheeks, he couldn''t resist gently squeezing his cheeks. The parents were worried that the child would cry, however, unlike before where the child would cry when touched by strangers, the child actually widened his eyes and smiled. He opened up his arms so that Li Wang''xun could hug him. Li Wang''xun was just about to stretch out his hand, but he was stopped by the person beside him. At this moment, the person who was almost beaten pulled the waiter aside and told him about the situation, and the waiter immediately knew what to do. "Young childe, don''t worry. Let the Between The Water And Clouds Restaurant take care of the family. Our restaurant needs a dishwasher and a firewood chopper. Oh, the dishwasher only needs to do eight hours of work a day. We also give every dishwasher a special meal of in pork knuckle soup; each bowl has at least half a knuckle." When the waiter said that to Li Wang''xun, he was actually lying. When did their restaurant serve food that helps with breastfeeding1? The sry that given was already higher than other ces. A pig only has a few knuckles, so how could they feed their workers this. This cost will have to be added to the young childe''s tab. Li Wang''xun was happy when he heard this. He didn''t really understand how the things inmoners'' lives worked, so he assumed that it was normal for dishwashers to be given pork knuckle soup. When he looked at the mother, he knew that she usually didn''t eat enough and couldn''t produce enough breast milk. He wasn''t too stupid and he knew that pork knuckle was beneficial forctation, so he nodded his head in relief. He instructed, "Okay, that''s good. I''lle back in a few days, and if I don''t see the four of them, or if I find that they are hungry and thin, then don''t me me for acting ruthlessly. Make sure the pork knuckle soup is good and that the saltiness is ptable. I know that you use a special type of seasoning here; use more of it in the soup." "Huh? Ptable saltiness? Add more of that seasoning? Young childe, that won''t work. Too much of that seasoning cannot be added. The saltiness..." "What? Do you dare to not listen to me?" Li Wang''xun''s face turned dark. He didn''t wait for the waiter to finish talking and he asked angrily. "Benefactor, please don''t trouble them. I prefer to eat light tasting food. I want in pork knuckle soup without any salt or other seasonings." There was no need for the waiter to speak this time since the child''s mother spoke. She naturally understood what she should eat for her child, and she must swallow down the taste no matter how disgusting it was. Salt could not be added. When Li Wang''xun heard her say that she didn''t want seasoned or lightly salted foods, he didn''t wouldn''t force her, so he nodded slightly, "Okay. Waiter, do you understand?" "I understand, I''ll remember it for sure. Water will be used to stew the pork knuckle, and we will make sure the pork knuckles are extra fatty. " The waiter didn''t care who said the wrong thing, and he nodded urgently in agreement. "Waiter, you must make the soup the exact way that you described. Take this money." The eyes of the person who was almost beaten turned red when he had to take out more coins to give to the waiter. The person was touched by what a mother would do for her own child. Now that there was someone taking care of the family of four, there was no reason for Li Wang''xun to stay here any longer. When he was about to leave, Li Cheng, who was in charge of buying the restaurant, hurried over. He didn''t even bother to wipe his sweat and he reported to Li Wang''xun, "The masters of the Zhang and Wang families have gone to the temple to burn incense, and the master of the Ge Manor is ill and has been taken to seek medical treatment. There was no one there apart from the housekeeper, but I wasn''t able to speak with him. We won''t be able to buy the restaurant for the time being. "That coincidental?" Li Wang''xun frowned and he obviously didn''t believe it. "Yes. I have already asked the residents on the three manors. At the beginning, they refused to say anything, so I gave them quite a bit of money. The residents of the Zhang and Wang manors took the money and told me that early in the morning, the masters have left the manors in carriages. It was the same for the Ge Manor too." Li Cheng had spent three taels of silver in total this time. He was a bit pained by this since he used his own money. Li Wang''xun finally believed it, "Okay, after you go back, go get ten taels of silver. Let''s not talk about this today. Alright, let''s go back now. Tomorrow, go get people toe over here to ask about the family of four, and if they''re eating and sleeping well. " "Yes, I''ll do that." Li Cheng replied back respectfully. While they were talking, a man and a woman also came over to watch. They didn''t stand too close, so the person protecting Li Wang''xun just watched them and did not shoo them away since they feared that doing that would make their young childe unhappy. "What do you think? The Zhang and Wang manors are skillful, aren''t they? They threw in two taels of silver, and they got nothing in return. If this was any other household, the whole entire household could be bribed. When we were there this morning, the carriages of both families were still in the manor, but in just a short while, the carriages disappeared. We can''t stay here anymore; they already know that we''re here. If I guess correctly, they even know who we are. If we make them unhappy, they might kill a few cows and frame it on us. If everyone on the three manors say that we did it, then even if we didn''t do it, no one will believe us." The woman''s mind was more attentive. She was able toe to this conclusion by analyzing this matter. The man was courageous and had good skills, but he was a bit weaker when it came to deducing. After hearing this, he said, "Don''t be afraid, as long as the case is handled by the local authorities, we don''t have to worry about anything. Now I know that the prince''s son is not bad. He knows to help the poor." "You only saw this side of the story, but in fact, it was the Zhang, Wang and Ge families who really wanted to help the people. When the waiter came out, he deliberately walked passed the young childe. If the master family didn''t arrange this earlier on, why would that waiter do that? Remember, we can expose our identities. If the local authorities find out, then that means Magistrate Cheng would know. I think they''re in it together." The woman corrected the mistake in the man''s words. Just when the man wanted to retort back, they heard a rush of horse hooves. They turned to look and saw three people who should be the San''shui County''s bailiffs. Each of them had two horses. They rushed through the disturbed dust and just arrived at the Little Bridge. One of them shouted loudly, "Reporting to the master of the Zhang family. At two quarters after eleven, the Little Luo''shui Wharf waspleted. Congrattions. Mister Song has ordered people to work on the two restaurants. Congrattions." The man was dumbfounded when he heard this. Before they came here, they did learn about the ce called Little Luo''shui. That was where the auspicious omen appeared. Right now, it was before three in the evening. They travelled such a far distance in just three hours. They''re speed was just a bit under travelling 600 li a day. The Zhang and Wang families were able to make the county seat''s bailiffs travel here just to report good news. If it was an emergency report instead, then they might even travel at a speed of 800 li a day. "Do you see? Do you still think the local authorities will take care of you? Look at that speed. They came over from Little Luo''shui, not from the Administrative Office. The bailiffs need to know about the situation at the Little Luo''shui first before they can rush over to deliver the news. Do you have any idea how much time would be spent during that time? If there really was an emergency, I truly believe that they would travel at a speed of 800 li a day. They will put in all of their efforts. The horse will tire out but the rider will continue on, and ride into the horizon." The woman sneered and spoke to the man. At that moment, the six horses and three men galloped past them, leaving behind only the sound of horses hooves and the dust that had not yet settled. The man didn''t know what to say this time. He found it too scary. It seemed like the rtionship between the manors and the bailiffs was not ordinary. It seemed like the Administrative Office was run by the manors. From the expressions of the bailiffs that just rode past, he could tell that they were more than willing to ept this task without making a single word ofint. "Then, we know so much already? Let''s go?" The man asked, feeling a little frightened. "Pay attention, pay attention, everyone pays attention. The children of the Zhang, Wang and Ge Manors can join thepetition now. Prizes will be given to the winners. " At this time, a little child''s voice travelled to them.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Pork knuckle soup and breastfeeding
It is believed that mothers that are breastfeeding should eat pork knuckles, which is high in protein and fats. Book 2: Chapter 10 Book 2: Chapter 10 Many thanks go to Jesse formissioning chapters 08-12!
"Anyone between the age of six to thirteen can participate. Thispetition is divided into four games. The first game is a new thing called Rubik''s Cube. The winner will get five pine flower eggs and a championship medal that is made from a tael of silver. The pine flower egg is a secret food made by the Zhang Manor. The second game will be a history quiz. The winner will get a gold medal and fifty pine flower eggs. The third game is an intelligence test, and the winner will get a silver medal and ten pine flower eggs. The fourth game is a calligraphy contest, and the winner will get a gold medal and fifty pine flower eggs. If a person wins all four games, then they will also be given a trophy that contains gold. " The child''s voice travelled far and everyone here heard. Other people didn''t react, but the older sister who was carrying her brother, and Li Wang''xun''s eyes lit up. The girl''s thoughts were simple; if she participated and won, then she would be given a lot of things. She wasn''t sure what pine flower eggs were, but she knew that since it was a secret food, it should be worth a lot of money. After she sells it, she can buy pretty clothes for her mom and better food for her so that her younger brother can have more breast milk. She can also buy a beautiful hairpin for herself to wear. Her younger brother''s diaper was already gone; it was ripped a long time ago after countless washings. She can also get some better cloth to make a new one and this would be morefortable for him to wear. She can save the rest of the money for her younger brother so that he will be just as well off as other families'' kids. Li Wang''xun''s thoughts were even simpler. After hearing about these four activities, he felt that he could easily get first ce in two of the games. Which children on the manor couldpare with him in calligraphy and historical knowledge? That was exactly what he studied. He was originally about to leave, but his interest was piqued at this time and nced at the person next to him. Before others reacted, Li Cheng understood what the young childe meant, and shouted out to the children who were about to run pass, "Hey, are the children of the three manors the only ones allowed to participate?" The little child stopped, thought for a moment, and said, "Nope. Outsiders can also join too, but they need to pay a tael of silver. The Rubik''s Cube costs money to make. Uncle, you can''t join, you''re too old to y." "Don''t leave just yet." Seeing that this child and the other children were about to leave, Li Cheng quickly shouted again, and then he said, "Do you see this person next to me? He''s our young childe. He''s not thirteen yet; he''s only ten. Can he join? When will we be given a Rubik''s Cube?" The little child stopped and looked at Li Wang''xun. He nodded and said, "He looks like he''s under thirteen. Okay then. Give me a tael of silver. I''ll tell you upfront, it costs a tael to participate in one game. If you don''t have money anymore, then don''t y. It would be distressing if you don''t win anything. Don''t worry about the Rubik''s Cube. No one has one right now yet. More can be made tomorrow. Once it''s made, go to the Between The Water And Clouds Restaurant to pick one up. Are you done deciding yet? If you''re done, then pay the money. I still have to go deliver the announcement to the people of the Ge Manor." "I''m done deciding already. It''s just four taels of silver, right? Take out all the money you all have." Li Cheng was able to be Li Wang''xun''s confidant so of course he was not an ordinary person. He knows that the young childe doesn''t care about this small amount of money. He asked the people around him, and they took out all of the silver and gold they had. However, there were no copper coins since the coins were all given to that family of four just now. Li Wang''xun stepped forward this time and ced a gold piece in the child''s hand. "I want to join, and this girl will join too. I''ll pay for her too. Bring this to the restaurant and ask them to exchange it for money. Tomorrow morning, I''ll send someone to get the Rubik''s Cube. Let''s go." The little child did not act courteous at all. He took hold of the gold and asked the other people to go on first to make the announcement at the Ge Manor. He ran to the restaurant by himself, and soon returned with some paper written by the manager and also some silver. Li Cheng took the paper; he didn''t doubt the credibility of the document. Even if the three manors didn''t admit that the restaurant was run by them, he would eventually find a way. He nodded to the young childe, and the group finally left. They walked towards the newly purchased manor. After waiting for them to go far, the waiter didn''t dare to dawdle. He ran towards the Zhang Manor, and when he got there, he looked for the housekeeper. The concierge knew that the restaurant''s waiter had important information to deliver, so they didn''t dare to neglect the matter and Housekeeper Zhang was quickly brought over. "That person has joined the games. His surname is Li, and he goes by the name Li Wang''xun. He arranged for an evacuee family of four to stay at the restaurant. The other two people who were investigating the manors stood nearby to watch, but they didn''te over." The man said all of these lines in a single breath, and then he turned around and ran back. This information soon reached the ears of Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. The two were watching the water in the swimming pool gradually settle and be clear. "Xiao''bao, do you know that person named Li Wang''xun? Who is he? Why haven''t I heard of his name before?" Wang Juan was chewing on a piece of orange in her mouth. It was so sour, her puckered, but she didn''t forget about asking Zhang Xiao''bao. "I don''t know. I have never heard of this name. Back then, I heard a lot of people talk about history, but no one has ever mentioned that there was such a person in the royal family of the Tang Dynasty. What was his name again? Li Wangxun? It''s just a small trick. His name is Li Xun1. He''s Li Long''ji''s second brother''s son." Zhang Xiao''bao thought about it carefully, and finally figured it out. Hebined thetter two words into one word. This was a trick that he used a long time ago and he didn''t care about using it anymore. "Oh, I get it now. So he''s Li Xian''s son, and then he was adopted by Li Cheng''yi. Is he a prince, or...or..." "Or is he the governor of Prefecture Bin? That''s right, it''s him. He was given the most important official post--- the first rank Si''tu official position. He''s Li Long''ji''s brother, so it''s no wonder his son ran over here. They heard that an auspicious omen appeared on our manor. This is easy to handle. It''s not scary to encounter a powerful opponent as long as we know his identity. If we don''t take advantage of such good circumstances, then I feel like we''re disappointing the people of the San''shui County. Didn''t he agree to join the games? He wants to have fun, doesn''t he? Watch me arrange this. This time, no one can stop me from securing the Zhang family''s one hundred household fiefdom. Even the emperor can''t. Well, unless he wants everyone in the world to know that he has treated his brother badly. " Zhang Xiao''bao tapped his face with his fingers and smiled. "Okay, you can n it out. Just don''t kill anyone. This kid is not bad. He knows to help people who are fleeing the famine. Usually these evacuees would be taken away by the local authorities and sent elsewhere since they still hadnd. Surprisingly, he didn''t care about this, and he directly let them stay at the restaurant." Wang Juan was afraid that Zhang Xiaobao would use excessive means so she limited the content of his ns. She also praised the adopted child of Li Cheng''yi, Prince Shen, who was also the biological son of Emperor Li Xian. She believed that if Zhang Xiao''bao was willing, then it would be possible for him to kill Li Long''ji right now, given that she doesn''t try to foil his ns. The Imperial Pce might be highly guarded, but can the defense be as high as a certain country''s official residence? In the end, Zhang Xiao''bao got the person sick, and after falling ill the person never got up again. The person passed away after two months. If it weren''t for this, there wouldn''t be an international arrest warrant issued to catch Zhang Xiao''bao. What happened was that the country didn''t allow China to participate in the Olympic Games held in their capital city and they maimed the torchbearer there. After three days-- just three dayster, the prime minister became ill. This action made all of the country leaders want to kill Zhang Xiao''bao to settle the anger in their hearts. Of course, most people didn''t know about this since it was an international-level secret. A person like him had money and a perfect organization, so who wouldn''t be afraid of him? When he boarded the ne, people didn''t blow up the ne. It wasn''t because he was handsome; it was because he actually used the mostmon and profound name, Zhang Xiao''bao, and he was just a child from an orphanage. Other than his own country, no one else knew any detailed information about him. Zhang Xiao''bao gave Wang Juan a look to calm her down, and then he said, "Don''t think of me as a devil. In fact, I onlyck a pair of wings. I am an angel, really." "Okay, I admit. A fallen angel, right? You''re kind since you''re willing to help all the people you want to help, and make all of those people thank you for their entire lifetime. You''re evil because you can easily kill anyone you want to kill, and make people fear you for their entire lifetime." When Wang Juan heard what Zhang Xiao''bao said, she pursed his lips and gave Zhang Xiao''bao a conclusion that was not that conclusive. Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t care at all, "That''s why I am a real person. I have my shorings, my strengths. I understand love and hate, and I have no resentment in this life...I have existed." "Alright, just don''t lie to me. I don''t mind killing a liar if necessary." "Can you bear to kill me? Do you think you can kill me?" Zhang Xiao''bao asked. "I''llmit suicide." Wang Juan replied. "Don''t. I won''t lie to you. If you die, who will I speak the words of my heart to? Liars can feel loneliness too, really." Zhang Xiao''baopromised. Just like how Wang Juan did not dare to imagine losing him one day, he did not want to lose Wang Juan. This had nothing to do with love. The main reason was that two of them understood the same world. If the other person was gone, who would be there to hear the snapping of a musical string2? He can''t possibly talk to the people here about finance, currency, Murphy''s Law, or why gunpowder explodes, let alone discuss idealism and materialism. The saddest thing in the world is to not have a single person understand oneself. "Okay. You don''t need to raise your hand to make the promise; I don''t believe in these kinds of things. Hurry up and find someone to make a Rubik''s Cube. People are going toe get them tomorrow. If I knew about this earlier, I would have studied weapon engineering, then I''ll be able to make a sniper rifle. At a distance of 1,500 meters, I can kill whoever you want to kill. You can be an observer for me." Wang Juan saw that Zhang Xiao''bao had actually raised his hand to make a promise, and she suddenly smiled. He said he won''t lie to her, but he just started to. "Okay. Here''s the arrangement. We can''t deal with the kid with just this little move. We still need to bring something else out. Does he think it''s easy to cross the Little Bridge?" Zhang Xiao''bao put down his hands andughed.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Li Wang''xun and Li Xun
In Chinese, Wang Xun is written as (wang) (xun), and when these two characters are joined together, it forms a new character , which is also pronounced as "xun".
  1. Hearing the snapping of a musical string
This refers to a poem written by a famous military general. It means "no one understands my heart, so even if the strings of my musical instrument snaps, no one is there to hear it". Book 2: Chapter 11 Book 2: Chapter 11 Many thanks go to Jesse formissioning chapters 08-12!
Volume 02 Swarms of dragonflies flew close to the ground, or turned to the pond. They asionally touched the water surface to leave behind ripples, then they artfully flew around a lotus leaf and continued flying to an unknown location. The dry sandy soil was exuding heat, and looking at it made people feel like they were in a distorted trance. The chirps of the cicadas were buzzing unceasingly. The tree leaves covered with a thinyer of dirt were slightly curled. The insects that rested on the leaves spat out foam to envelop it body away from the heat. The old yellow dog ran into the water basin with his tongue out and he licked it vigorously a few times. Then, he hid under the big pagoda tree, and heid in the tree''s short shadow with his paws stretched forward. He rested his head on his paws, and his ears hung low on both sides. He squinted his eyes and asionally looked at the chickens walking casually by. The chubby house cat jumped to the window sill and curled herself into a ball. She didn''t even move when the door creaked open. The little swallow went out with its parents to look for food. The swallows ate the dragonflies, and the dragonflies ate the insects. The old cow stood steadily in the cattle pen and he stared nkly at the things around him, as if he was reminiscing the paths he had once walked. Only his tail kept flicking to drive away the mosquitoes and flies that wanted toe over to take advantage of him. After the bell rang, it was break time for the little children who have been studying for the past hour. There were still three more hours until lunch time, but the children were already waiting in their seats. After a while, someone brought them food. Their lunch included a small bowl of goat''s milk that released a musky smell, a te with two veggie-filled buns, and a crispy brown fried egg. Originally, this period was supposed to be an exercise period, but it waster removed since the kids helped with work at home, yed in the mountains, and swam in the water. Before eating, the teacher lectured them, "A meal, a portion. One must think about how hard it is toe by. " The little children agreed in unison to study hard in the future and repay the master family, then they started to eat. The teacher nodded with a smile. He held a book in one hand to read, and he asionally drank the cold sweet mung bean soup provided by the master family to relieve the heat. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juanid in the swimming pool in the Zhang household''s yard, and they each covered their face with a lotus leaf. Shi''liu, who has finished her work already, was sitting on a small bench on the side to keep watch of her two little masters. She was also holding a book in her hands, and she asionally yawned from feeling tired. She was exhausted from thinking about growing mushrooms these past few days, but she still could not make any progress. "Xiao''bao, do you think my family can get some rewards this time? Like the feifs your family has. That would be great for my family." Wang Juan''s voice came from under a lotus leaf. She waited for a few seconds, but Zhang Xiao''bao still didn''t respond. She reached out and touched him. Zhang Xiao''bao''s body immediately sank into the water. Just when the water was about to enter his mouth, he moved quickly and fixed his posture. He actually fell asleep. Wang Juan had to repeat her words again. "Oh, you''re asking about this? It should be possible. After all, those grains and poultry are under the name of the Zhang and Wang families. We gave out so much, so we''re bound to get something back in return. The Imperial Court can''t disappoint the people. I had a dream just now. I dreamed that the six ponds on our side were all connected together and there are several small bridges on the manor. The boats were swaying in the water while the people in the boats were humming melodies and picking lotus seeds in each pond. There were little fishes swimming and ying in the clear water. " While talking, Zhang Xiao''bao moved his two calves gently, and he swam to the shore. He pulled a wooden boat that was ced in the shade and he pulled into the water. Then he pushed the boat while he swam towards Wang Juan. There were snacks and juice on the boat. They were scared that cold beverages weren''t good for their stomachs, so they didn''t put ice in the juice. Wang Juan drank a sip of fruit juice and smacked her lips. "The waterway should be designed well. It should have high and low sections. It is best to directly connect the ponds to the small river near the front of the door. The water path should be in order, starting from the first pond, and then at the end, the sixth pond can flow into the river. We also need to remember to install the, or else the fish will swim away. We can hold a special wine drinking ceremony1 too. We just need to build a wooden corridor along the small river, and then nt some trees on the open space on both sides. From afar, it would look like a painting, and up close it will look ethereal. As long as we don''t upy the fertilend, no one will care about what we build. Even when winteres, people can drink warm wine and enjoy the snow. " "Yes, and look for flowers and willows2 in summer." Zhang Xiao''bao added in. "Let me drown you." Wang Juan reached out and pressed Zhang Xiao''bao down. * At noon, the day was getting hotter. Some people who were idling around with nothing to do decided to spontaneously set up a stall on the small bridge. Today''s new pricing did note out and everything was the same asst night. No one dared to break the rules. If someone broke a rule, then the person would be kicked out. Er''gou ate some food in a hurry, and was about to get busy again. He checked which stall needed to be restocked, if the meat was still fresh, if anything at the food stall was broken, and if the food handlers washed their hands. He only collected yesterday''s rent since they haven''t sold anything today yet. At the same time, he told a few stall owners that there were too many dirty things left uncleaned when they leftst night, and he asked them to keep that in mind today. Then he made small talk with a few people he was familiar with-- they talked about things like whose toddler was able to walk now, or whose pig stopped eating. They drank a bowl of tea at a tea stall while chatting. When they were done, the tea stall owner refused to take their money, so they left behind a small packet of salt as a payment. There were now more people eating in the Between The Water And Cloud Restaurant. Today, Li Cheng went around looking for the manors'' masters, but to no avail. Afterwards, he went to fetch the Rubik''s Cube, and he also ate lunch at the restaurant. He went up to the second floor and ordered a few dishes and chilled grape wine. He also asked the waiter to chat with him. again. It was a given that the waiter didn''t dare to refuse. He stood on the side and helped Li Cheng pour wine. He muttered silently in his heart thinking about what he could say and what he could not say. "Let me ask you a question. Are you from around here?" Li Cheng took a sip of wine and another bite of food, then he ced down his chopsticks and turned to ask him. "I am. My family lives on the manor. Including myself, we have been there for three generations." The waiter replied back respectfully while filling Li Cheng''s wine ss again. He picked up two ice pieces and ced them in the wine. "Then do you know what your Master is busy doing all day? Why can''t I meet them?" Li Cheng asked again. The waiter shook his head nkly, "I don''t know. How could my Master tell me what he''s doing? Maybe there''s something important? How about you keep checking?" "Then do you know if there''s anything important going on these days?" "Important things? Yes, I actually know a little bit. My Master is a good person. He heard that there is a ce suffering from a severe drought and a locust gue, so he ordered people to bring grains and our chickens, ducks and geese over there. The grasshoppers there are in bad luck. You might not know, but the chickens on our Manor are different; they started eating grasshoppers when they were young. I still remember that there was a chicken called Ol''ck. That guy, oh man was he abnormally clever. Regardless of where the grasshoppers were hiding" "That''s enough. I see, Ol''ck is a good chicken. Let''s not talk about that for now. Are there any other major issues?" Li Cheng felt satisfied when he heard the first part, but after listening a bit more, he found that something was off so he quickly interrupted the waiter. The waiter stopped despite wanting to continue talking. He swallowed two mouthfuls of saliva. Since he continued asking, the waiter had to respond. "Other major issues? Yes, the swineherd on our manor has an old sow that just gave birth to piglets. Guess how many there were? Twelve. Oh man, it was actually pretty scary to see. We knew that pig was different; she was able to climb trees, oh man..." "Stop. When I''m asking you questions, don''t make up random stories. How could a pig climb trees? Are there any other major issues?" Li Cheng wondered if this waiter was clever or dense. "Oh, that pig can actually climb trees. The wind was strong so a tree was blown crooked, and then the pig was able to climb up that tree. Let''s talk about something else then. I heard that a wharf was built on the Little Luo''shui River in the San''shui County. Oh man, that ce is huge. The mountains were dug up, and I heard that when the workers were digging, they saw a gigantic snake. Oh man, that snake was two zhang3 long. No one had the guts to catch it and it just slithered away on the sand. Oh man...." "Oh man, stop talking about the snake. Let me ask you, how is your family''s life like?" Li Cheng finally figured that this waiter was not stupid at all. He was more than clever. When he asked the waiter anything, the waiter would just talk about things that everyone else knew, and he did not disclose a single word that shouldn''t be mentioned. The waiter still kept a respectful demeanor. He helped Li Cheng move the dishes closer and replied, "It''s okay. My family is pretty good nowadays. We raised chickens and they were taken away on a carriage to eat grasshoppers over at that ce. I also caught four piglets. By the time it''s New Year''s, they will be big enough and I''ll ughter one of them so my family can eat pork. The remaining three can be sold to earn some extra money for my family. " "Sigh~! In my opinion, your family''s life is not very good. The pigs can''t be sold for much since oher families will also be selling pigs during the New Year''s. It might be better if you find a new Master." Li Cheng took a liking towards this waiter--- he was smart and he had tight lips. The waiter shook his head, "We don''t need to sell the pigs ourselves. The Master will set the price and negotiate with other merchants. We will ughter the pigs first and sell them at different prices ording to different ces. The same goes for the chickens, ducks and geese." "Aren''t you scared that your Master will deceive you and deduct part of the money?" It was the first time that Li Cheng heard that the master helped the residents negotiate sales, so he assumed the master wanted to take advantage of them. "If the master wants to deduct some money, then so be it. The master will have some extra money to spend on the New Year''s." The waiter replied with an indifferent tone. This time Li Cheng was even more surprised. Is it possible that the residents of both manors were stupid? They didn''t even care if their master made deductions. That''s good though; it''s hard to find such honest residents elsewhere that were this willing to work for the master. If they were brought to the new manor, wouldn''t it be great? Thus, he decided to try to buy them. "Do you know that there is a new manor over there? The master of that manor is more amazing than your current master. Even the local authorities will have to respect that manor''s master. How about you tell this to the families you''re close with and move to the new manor together. When you move there, a house will be built for you, and you can pay a small portion of the cost every year, and the house will be yours in just a few years. Then you can raise chickens if you want to, and you can catch pigs if you want to catch pigs. During the New Year''s, you will be given some fabric to make new clothes. What do you think? It''s impossible to find a master this good." The waiter almost couldn''t hold in hisughter when he heard this. It seemed like the people from that manor didn''t inquire carefully about the things here. How could theypare to the tailor-made outfits provided by the Zhang and Wang manors? How could theypare to being able to receive gifts that were delivered personally by the Master''s wife? Raising chickens? Where would they buy the chicks from?
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Special wine drinking ceremony
During this ceremony, people will sit along the side of the river and a goblet of wine will be ced in the upstream portion of the river. Whoever the goblet stops in front of will have to pick up the goblet and drink the wine. Originally, the purpose of the ceremony is to dispel bad luck, butter, it became a game for poets. The person that the goblet stops in front of will have topose a poem, but if they are unable to, then they would have to drink the wine as a punishment.
  1. Looking for flowers and willows
This is a euphemism for courting young girls or ying around.
  1. Two zhang is about 7 m.
Book 2: Chapter 12 Book 2: Chapter 12 Many thanks go to Jesse formissioning chapters 08-12!
Volume 02 Li Cheng worked hard to lure him in, but the waiter was still unconvinced. "Are you sure you really don''t want to go there? If you go over there, I''ll give you the best things. I will give you a house, some grains, and money. I''ll treat you better than the current residents, and everyone else will envy you." In order to pull this person over, Li Cheng promised him a lot of things. After the waiter finished listening, he poured Li Cheng more wine and said, "I heard a story a few days ago. In the story, there was a shepherd who saw a sheep in the wild and he told the sheep that he would give the sheep good things. The sheep followed him back, and when they arrived at the sheepfold, the shepherd kept his promise. He fed this sheep the highest quality grass and every other sheep was envious of this sheep since they ate the lowest quality grass. However, that sheep left the next day. The shepherd chased after the sheep and asked him, I gave you the best of everything, so why are you leaving?'' The sheep said, I thought you treated all of the sheep the same way; I didn''t expect that I was the only one who would receive special treatment. Once a new sheepes, I''ll be the same as the other sheeps and I would have to watch the new sheep eat tender grass, wouldn''t I? ''" Li Cheng didn''t expect this waiter was capable of saying something like this. After listening to him, Li Cheng was stunned for a while before he asked, "Are the neers on your manor not treated well?" "Quite well, but not as well as the older residents. Although I''m just a waiter, if I fall ill one day, the Master household will send a doctor to treat me and I wouldn''t have to pay a single coin. Neers will have to pay a portion of the cost, and for the time being, they''re not allowed to owe money. In fact, before this year''s winter, our Master will build new houses for us. Last year, our Master didn''t have much money, so he only helped with repairs. We are able to work since we have arms and legs, so we didn''t want our Master to pay for it, but our Master said, "The residents have worked their fingers to the bones for the Master family, so how could the Master family let the residents eat in the wind and sleep without shelter.'' " While the waiter spoke, he still retained a respectful tone, but Li Cheng was able to detect a sense of pride in his voice. This made Li Cheng feel frightened because it was now clear that it would be hard to take over the Zhang and Wang manors. "Let''s not talk about this anymore. This thing in my hand is called a Rubik''s Cube, do you know how to solve it? Do you know what the brain teasers will be? I can buy the questions from you." "This is the first time that I have seen something like this, so I have never yed it before. I also don''t know what the brain teasers are. Even if I did know, I will not disclose it." The waiter replied back resolutely. Li Cheng had no other choice but to bring the Rubik''s Cube back and let the son get familiar with it as soon as possible. If he can get first ce in three of the games, then he will surely get that damn trophy. He didn''t understand what was so good about the awards that the young childe insist on participating in the games. This meal made him very ufortable. He didn''t find out any good news, and he got bad news instead. The residents on the Zhang and Wang manors couldn''t be bought, and he couldn''t use his identity to oppress them since the Zhang family sent so many poultry. If something really happened, that Yao Chong, would not care who the young childe''s father was and would report whoever needed to be reported. Others might get away with it, but Li Cheng will definitely be pushed out as a scapegoat, and being beheaded will be considered a light punishment. Seeing that he had left, the waiter cleaned up the table, and ced the leftovers together to give to that family of four. The food was primarily for the little girl. The restaurant could not provide her family with higher quality food like the dishes ordered by the wealthy customers since it was too costly to make. Two horses galloped on the main road. One horse was in the front and the other one followed behind. The man and the woman quickly arrived at the He''nan Division where the Prime Minister was at. The two people didn''t care whether the horses were tired or not, and they rushed over to the Prime Minister''s temporary residence. They got off their horses and ran straight in. Yao Chong''s original intention was to leave this ce as soon as possible, but after he found out about the Zhang manor and how there were so many poultries eating the locusts, he decided to stay for a while. Since he didn''t dare to obliterate this great achievement of theirs, he had to learn about the details so that he could write a detailed memorial to the throne. Hearing someone outside reporting that those two people had returned, he quickly called the two in and questioned them. After he learned about the Zhang Manor, Yao Chong sat there to write down a few things, and then he let out a long sigh. He got his secretary toe over, and when the secretary had a look at his writing, the more he read, the more surprised he became, "My lord, the Zhang Manor''s business trade is not small. Although they''re a manor, they''re involved in businesses. My lord should keep them in check " "Who''s involved in businesses? They are a proper manor that has been farming theirnds the entire time. They didn''t partake in buying and selling. Selling the surplus items on their manor is not considered as partaking in trade. Buying goods at a cheap price and then selling them at a higher price is considered as partaking in trade." Yao Chong felt that the secretary was a bit dense, so he briefly reminded him. "Yes, yes, what my lord has said is correct. They didn''t partake in trade. What are my lord''s ns when more poultries arrive?" The secretary came to his senses, and went along with what the Prime Minister said. When it came to business trades, as long as the person''s name was not attached to the business, no one could find any faults. On the one hand, Yao Chong was happy that more poultries wereing, but at the same time, he felt a bit troubled. A normalmoner cannot be given an official position despite achieving such a significant aplishment. How will he give the Zhang and Wang manor''s benefits without giving them an official position? From the looks of it, what they want the most were fiefs. "Ask Magistrate Cheng toe over." Yao Chong couldn''t think of a n, so he had to ask the San''shui County Magistrate toe over and discuss what to do. When Magistrate Cheng arrived here in this area, there was nothing for him to do. He idled around all day and asionally when he was in a good mood, he went to help pick eggs. However, he received negativements from the other egg pickers since from their perspective, he was fighting with them for eggs. "My lord, are you looking for me?" After Magistrate Cheng arrived, he asked respectfully, and then he began to inquire about the important matters. "Hmm." Yao Chong snorted softly while acting a bit arrogant. He looked away and tried to nonchntly ask, "The Zhang Manor wants to keep their fiefs, and the Wang Manor wants to get some too. They shouldn''t hold hope for receiving some sort of official position, but I can help with the fiefs. As for the new residents and newnd, I have no control over that. Do you know what ns the two manors have?" "Huh? You have no control over the new residents andnd? Then...then they have to find it by themselves, which will cost a lot of money, right? This is troubling for me too. The Zhang and Wang manors have done a lot of good deeds, but the rewards given by the Imperial Court seem a bit...you know?" When the Magistrate Cheng saw that the Prime Minister was finally giving in, he was happy, but he had to appear like he was troubled. He wanted to help the Zhang and Wang manors get more benefits. "Oh, this situation is really difficult to handle. How about we get them toe over to pick a few people from here who are willing to join their manor? However, thend cannot be given." This was the first time Yao Chong made a troubled expression in front of Magistrate Cheng. If he was that manor''s master, he would be unhappy too. He wasn''t the kind ofmoner that didn''t understand anything, so of course he understood the importance of getting benefits. After speaking, he stared at the Magistrate Cheng. Magistrate Cheng held back his happy mood and said, "What my lord has said is correct. The Zhang Manor should think about it themselves. They can''t possibly ask the Imperial Court for benefits just after bringing nearly 10,000 poultries, hundreds of thousands of catties of grain, and then sending another 20,000 poultry by carriage afterwards. When doing good deeds, people shouldn''t expect too much out of it." His words pointed out that the Zhang Manor has done so much, but whether the manor wanted to receive benefits are not and whether the Imperial Court were going to reward them or not were two separate matters. Yao Chong felt a little unhappy when Magistrate Cheng presented him this disguised threat, but he couldn''t say anything about it. Suddenly, he thought of what the two people who came back had said, and he said to Magistrate Cheng, "I heard that every resident on that manor is very protective of their master. I wonder what methods the Zhang and Wang manors used. Could it be that when the contract was made, they added some conditions that coerced the residents?" While Yao Chong spoke, he acted like he was in deep thought. Magistrate Cheng admired the Prime Minister from the bottom of his heart. Since the Prime Minister had arranged for someone to go investigate the manors, it was not surprising that he knew how protective the residents were of their master. It was astonishing that he was able to ask a question like this. He was not an ordinary person and he was able to be the prime minister for a reason. "My lord, I have never heard that the two manors have forced people to sign unfair contracts. Maybe it''s because the residents have lived there for a few generations? If my lord still has concerns, how about I go back to check it out, and then I''ll report back to my lord." "That''s not necessary. I believe that since they can help with the disaster relief, they will definitely not mistreat their residents. Someone must be spreading false rumours out of jealousy. I am going to report this matter truthfully, and then you just have to testify when the timees. It''s gettingte, you should might as well stay and have dinner with me." Yao Chong already knew from the words of those two people that the San''shui County''s Administrative Office operated as if it was run by the Zhang and Wang manors. The bailiffs travelled at a speed of 600 li a day just to deliver good news. If there really was any problem, the bailiff would travel at a speed of 800 li a day down the main road that was 60 li long and the smaller road that was 40 li long. Magistrate Cheng quickly said that he still had some matters to handle, and he got up and left. He didn''t think that the prime minister wanted to invite him to just dinner. "Li Cheng, find me more people to help me figure out this thing. Why is it so difficult? I have been trying to solve it for so long, but I only got one side. There''s a total of six sides." Inside the newly bought manor, Li Xun fiddled with the Rubik''s Cube in his hand. He thought he was smart, but it took him a long time to solve just one face. The other five faces simply couldn''t match. If it weren''t for the fact that the six sides were matching when he first received the Rubik''s cube, he would have thought that he was being tricked by them. Li Cheng was not familiar with this thing, so he could only agree to go out and find someone to help. However, he couldn''t find just anyone-- the person has to be good at ying Baguenaudier1. He wondered who came up with this Rubik''s Cube thing. When Li Cheng left to go find help, Li Xun put down the Rubik''s Cube and began to think about the brain teasers. He had no idea what brain teasers were. He figured that the questions were supposed to test if a person was good at using their brain or not. He got a few people to ask him a few questions that weren''t too difficult since the kids on the manor wouldn''t know a lot of things anyways. He was finally happy when the person who was found did not have any difficulties solving the Rubik''s Cube. Li Xun thought about how he would win the trophy this time and how he could show it off to his father.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Baguenaudier
This is a Chinese puzzle that is also known a Chinese Rings. The goal of the puzzle is to disentangle a loop from a sequence of rings Book 2: Chapter 13 Book 2: Chapter 13Volume 02 Chapter 13: Never-ending Misceneous Tasks Two dayster, the carriages carrying the poultries from the Zhang and Wang manors arrived. Along the way, there were a lot of things to worry about, such as taking care of what the poultries ate and what the poultries drank. Since the poultries were unable to see their original owners, they were ruffled. Regardless of whether it was day or night, the poultries were noisy. There were more than 20,000 poultries in total. When the poultries got off the carriages, they didn''t know where to run to. The hens usually gathered next to the roosters, and the roosters were ready to fight each other. Dozens of them died on the way but fortunately, there were no infectious diseases. After the poultries came, it was troublesome to get them to work. They were arge mess, and some would even attack people when they got too close. Just when others were at a loss, Ying''tao made an appearance. These poultry were all hatched by her and in particr, when the poultries were young, Ying''tao was the one who took care of them for a few days. Large ones and small ones were sent out and brought in batches by batches and this made her exhausted. Even just taking care of the eggs caused a lot of blisters to form on her hands. When these poultries saw her, they all wanted to move towards her. Even though they have grown a lot already, they still saw her as their mother. After a bit of work, the poultries settled down a bit. There was no need to continue to keep them in cages so they were herded to different locations. They were divided into several groups, and there was food along the way for them to eat. There was no need to worry about getting water for them since the grasshoppers have a high water content, and they could also get some water from dew. Including the poultries that were here first, there were a total of more than 30,000 poultry that were dispersed to the ces in He''nan Division where the locust gue was the most severe. The poultries raised by the locals were also brought together by the local authorities, but there was a slight dispute in the distribution of eggs. It was impossible to distinguish which family''s poultryid the eggs so quarrels often arose over the number of eggs that each person can collect. There was a selfish and dishonest person that only had a rooster and two hens, but he imed that his poultries produced three eggs everyday. He only backed down when the local bailiffs intervened and gave him a warning. There was not so much trouble on Ying''tao''s side. More people were hired to help pick up the eggs and this became another source of ie for the people here. Tens of thousands of eggs were produced everyday. Ying''tao, Xiao''hong, and the others followed their Young Master''s instructions to sell the eggs on the spot. If the locals had no grains, then other items such as wood, dried fish, shrimp, cloth, domestic animals, metal tools can be used to exchange for the eggs. This area was next to the Yellow River and not too far from Shan''dong so they had ess to the sea and they could easily find items from the sea such as kelp and crabs. These items could also be used to exchange for eggs. In addition to using the eggs to exchange for items, one tenth of the eggs were brought to other Divisions and Prefectures to be sold. The money earned was used to buy and ship grains and resell it. This was done in hopes of further pushing Yao Chong to quickly get the credit for the two manors. Yao Chong did not return to the capital yet, which was located not too far away. He wanted to stay here for a few more days to see how the situation progresses. The presence of more than 30,000 poultries put him under great pressure. He was also confused why they allowed people to exchange those items for eggs, so he got Magistrate Cheng toe over. "My lord, are you looking for me?" Magistrate Cheng respectfully greeted him when he arrived. He was not nervous at all right now, unlike how he was at the beginning when they first met. The arrival of the 30,000 poultry boosted his confidence. "Yes. Let me ask you, it makes sense that the Zhang and Wang family are trading their eggs for the other items, but why are they obsessed with those things collected near sea? Howe five catties of shell powder and those rotten fish and shrimp are worth an egg? And seven catties is worth a duck egg, and ten catties is worth a goose egg? What do they want these useless things for?" Yao Chong heard his subordinates say that many people were collecting up these items that no one wanted at the nearly dry Yellow River so that they can trade it in for all kinds of eggs. However, Yao Chong couldn''t figure out why. Magistrate Cheng knew why--- it was used for feeding chickens. It was obvious that these poultries were stronger than other poultries and they were able toy more eggs. Every night, there were people at every market in San''shui County collecting items; regardless of what the item was, as long as it was edible, it was picked up. At the beginning, he didn''t know that the Zhang Manor was behind this, butter he noticed that the markets were more cleaner than usual so he sent someone to investigate this matter. Whenever the bailiffs had free time, they also helped pick up items and then they would send it to the Zhang Manor after the items were dried. After inquiring more about it, they found out that it was used to feed the poultries. He knew the answer in his mind, but he didn''t talk about it. If he did, then others would know about it, and this would cause the value of it to increase. The area near the sea was not under his control, so he was notpelled to help them. Thus, when the Prime Minister asked him about this, he made a confused look in his eyes. "My lord, this is my first time hearing about this. You''re right, what are they going to do with these items? Near the sea, these items are just trash, who would want them? I think those two manors are deliberating helping out themoners. If they just gave the eggs to themoners, themoners will grow suspicious of them. Maybe these items can be brought back to be used as fertilizer. " Yao Chong did not find Magistrate Cheng''s response to be satisfactory, and in particr, thest part about fertilizer did not make sense. It would make sense to use freshwater shrimps and fish to make fertilizer, but using saltwater creatures did not make sense unless they wanted to turn their high quality soil into medium quality, and medium quality into low quality. The salt will remain in the soil and affect crop growth. "How about you go ask them about it. I heard that a lot of eggs went bad when it was transported to other Prefectures so the amount of grains that could be traded for was also reduced. How about they transport salt over and brine the eggs. The salt has to be paid by the two manors, but when they exchange the eggs for grains, they can keep a portion of the grains to cover the cost of the salt." Yao Chong thought for a while and then he spoke to Magistrate Cheng. This was actually an under the table way of giving the Zhang and Wang manor some benefits. The salt used for brining depends on how much brine is needed for each jar. Because the salt was used to help with exchanging grains with other prefectures, a discount can be given when buying the salt. Furthermore, after the salt-brined eggs were removed, the brine can be reused. This way, the brining process will use less salt. They can also sell the salted eggs to others at a higher price while also keeping a portion of the grains for themselves, and then selling the rest of the grains at a normal price. In any case, they will be able to earn some money. He was the prime minister so he couldn''t just sit there and watch them keep investing in more and more money with no return. When Magistrate Cheng heard this, he was happy and he quickly agreed, "I understand. I''ll go ask right now, and tell them about what you said. My lord is a really good official who is considerate of themoners. I''m inferiorpared to my lord. " "Well, this is the benevolence of the Imperial Court and the Emperor." After Yao Chong finished speaking, he didn''t want to continue talking to Magistrate Cheng so he picked up a book and made a posture that implied he wanted to read. Magistrate Cheng was also sensible, so he immediately said a few lines of ttery and retreated his way out. He hurried towards the ce where Xiao''hong and Ying''tao were so that he could tell them the good news. As for the matter that the Prime Minister asked about, he could just tell the Prime Minister that the Zhang and Wang manors were unwilling to answer. Xiao''hong and Ying''tao have been busy these past few days. They had to keep a clear record of all of the types of eggs brought back and give the workers their payments in the form of eggs. They had learned some things about bookkeeping from their Young Master. It was a little tricky at the beginning, but they eventually became proficient at it. After hearing the news that Magistrate Cheng brought back, the two of them immediately sent someone to deliver the message back. They also allowed people to trade jars for eggs so that they can use the jars to salt-brine the eggs. * The two manors were also busy arranging the children''spetition. The original n was to start thepetition in two days, but none of the children has been able to solve all six faces. In fact, it wasn''t just the children that were unable to solve it, but the grown-ups couldn''t too. Despite this, a lot of Rubik''s Cubes were sold in the meantime. Zhou Xi''hu even came over to ask about the production method, and he disassembled a few of them to analyze its structure. He wanted to find people to mass produce the Rubik''s Cubes and sell it to other locations. The money that was earned will also be shared with the Zhang Manor, just like before. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan had been in the swimming pool for several days in a row, and today they finally decided to not swim. They found someone to start constructing a bathhouse that had a steam room for their family to use. The two of them were racking their brains trying to think about what kind of stone they should use. Even until now, they couldn''t decide. "Forget it, I don''t want to think about it anymore. Let''s just use mai''fan stone. There''s no electricity, so we can only pour water onto heated charcoal. None of those childrens were able to solve all six sides. Should we give them some hints?" Wang Juan really couldn''t recall what tourmaline was, so she had to pick one at random. She reasoned that at least mai''fan stones were not harmful to the human body. Then she discussed with Zhang Xiao''bao whether they should teach them how to solve a Rubik''s Cube. Zhang Xiao''bao had been in a steam room countless times before, but he had never studied it carefully, so he also didn''t know what to select. He put the matter aside for the time being, and said to Wang Juan, "I don''t think we need to tell them. It''s no big deal; we can just dy the start by a few more days. If other people can find a solution to it, then the people here can too. The people of the Tang Dynasty are not that stupid. How about five days. Let''s start after five days, and then whichever child has solved the most faces within the specified time will be the one that wins. We can also use this time to find those intellectuals who think they are smart to watch thepetition and learn. Later, we could have anotherpetition just for adults at the Between The Water And Clouds Restaurant. " "Your purpose of organizing thesepetitions was to lure Li Xun in, so it doesn''t matter if you spent money, but if we make apetition for adults, then even more money would have to be spent." Wang Juan didn''t realize what was going on at the beginning since she was fixated on thinking about the spent money, but after she finished speaking, she suddenly had a moment of realization. She continued speaking to Zhang Xiao''bao, "You want to use this opportunity to earn money, right? I knew it. You had ulterior motives. You want others to pay for your advertising fees. You will be able to rent out some stalls to people selling all sorts of snacks and they cane here to help you advertise." "Oh my, it could work out like that? Why didn''t I think of it?" Zhang Xiao''bao looked at Wang Juan with a surprised look, but Wang Juan ignored him. His acting skills were really terrible. "Alright, that is my n. You guessed correctly. Let''s figure that outter though. We should discuss what kind brain teasers should we give them? It needs to be appropriate for this era, and it has to be interesting." Zhang Xiao''bao changed the topic. "It''s simple, listen to me. A person is walking on a single-nk bridge, and a wolf suddenly appears in front of him. He also discovers that there is a tiger behind him. All of them want to eat him. Surprisingly, he..." "I''m going to doze off. Choose a different one. It should be easier to understand." Before Wang Juan could finish her words, Zhang Xiao''bao interrupted her. Book 2: Chapter 14 Book 2: Chapter 14 Baguenaudier After the Rubik''s Cube "Xiao''man, do you think this is correct? Oh, it isn''t? Then I''ll try something else... this is also wrong." In one of therge gardens at the back of the Between The Water and Clouds Restaurant that were reserved for lodging guests, the little girl that was arranged to stay here by Li Xun was ying with her younger brother. The little baby had just drunk milk for the first time today and wasughing foolishly. It was unclear what his sister had said to him. Every time his sister smiled at him, he would smile too and drool. After being served food and pork knuckle soup, the mother was able toctate on the second night. She hugged the child in her arms and she happily fed the child. Now that she was in charge of dish cleaning, she always made sure that every dish she washed was nice and clean. She never needed to be urged by others to do more work. After washing the dishes, she would rush to do other work as soon as saw it. She was extremely grateful that the young childe Li Wang''xun found her a job. His status was probably too high to hire a person like her to work for him. Thus, she can only do as much as she can for the restaurant. She knows about the price of the pork knuckle. She ate a whole knuckle every two days and this was an expense that even ordinary people can''t afford, let alone a poor family like hers. The young childe didn''t send anyone over again these two days to ask about her family, so if the restaurant wanted to mistreat their family, no one would know. It could be said that the young childe had explicitly told the restaurant to care for her so it made sense that the restaurant wouldn''t disobey his orders, but her child, Liu''er was also taken care of too. For the past few days, her children were fed with high quality food. She knew that the food was the rich people''s leftovers, and some of the dishes weren''t even touched. Howe they didn''t resell it to others? Howe the waiters didn''t eat the food themselves? A full te full of hand-rippedmb meat was brought over before. If this was nothing, then what about the tailor-made clothes? It was said that everyone in the restaurant must wear the same clothes, so it made sense that herself and her husband had to wear it. However, clothing was also made for Liu''er and Xiao''man. In particr, Xiao''man was given an outfit made entirely of silk. When he wore the silk outfit, Xiao''man felt sofortable that he couldn''t stop smiling. A lot of diapers were also prepared for him. When the diapers were brought over, to their surprise, the diapers were floral scented, which was done by smoking the fabric with fragrance1. They treated her family so well that if she didn''t do work to make up for it, she would feel extremely guilty. They also gave Xiao''man a lot of toys, and among the toys was a baby walker. A thin hoop was made using wood, and it was connected to three small wheels by three wooden dowels. The hoop also had a suspended fabric seat. The seat was perfect for Xiao''man to sit in. He either sat in the seat without moving around, or walked around when he felt like moving. There was no worry that he would fall over. This item was too rare, so they have never seen it before. "Mrs. Fang2, help bring twenty tes over here." Just as she was thinking about things, a waiter in front of her shouted out to her. "Yeah~! I''ming." After hearing that someone called for her, she went to get twenty tes. She inspected each te one by one to see if there were any chips on them. If there were chips, the restaurants absolutely did not use them. Other smaller stalls would continue to use the dishes even if they were chipped. When she came over with the tes, he took the tes from her hands and ted the food. The waiter sighed while looking at her leaving figure. "Ga''zi, hurry up, what are you doing? Could it be that you have set your eyes on her?" The chef was waiting to serve the food onto the tes. Seeing that he was spacing out, the chef spoke up. "What do you mean? I''m only fifteen years old today. I''ll get a wife when I have more money saved up. I was thinking about how pitiful her family was. Good thing they encountered us though. Otherwise, I have no idea how they would turn out. Xiao''man only started growing some flesh on his bones these past two days. Before this, he was so skinny, he was curled up into a ball." The waiter passed the te to the chef and spoke emotionally. The chef put the food on the te and gave it to another waiter who was responsible for serving food to guests. He looked back, "There are so many people in this world who are suffering, can you care for all of them? The master family are the nice ones. That person surnamed Li threw them here and didn''t care about them anymore. When the master family heard about this, they even made clothing for their family. Today they sent over the fattest pork knuckle. I''ll prep itter and stew it until it''s mushy, then she can chug it down while holding her breath. When you have time, go check on those two kids. Make sure they don''t hurt themselves. Didn''t the master family bring some sort of drawings over? Liu''er looked it at and she said something about one hundred and sixty-five. We should treat their family well. The master family has requested that we give them good food, and that we give Liu''er a midnight snack. I heard that the master family wants to hire a doctor for the restaurant. If someone bes ill after eating, then they can go see the doctor, and the doctor can look after Liu''er too. If she falls ill, she can be treated immediately. " "Oh, right. I heard about that. Chef Ni, please continue working, I almost forgot something really important. The master has instructed that we must give Liu''er and them fruits. I''ll go get some for them right now. I don''t understand that drawing either. I stared at it for a while and I still couldn''t make anything out of it." The waiter waited for the chef to finish talking. He didn''t dare to make further dys so he briefly said a few words, and then grabbed some fruits. He swiftly cut it up to make a te of fruits and carried it to the small yard. When he came to the small yard, he happened to see Liu''er make thest two moves in solving the Rubik''s Cube. All six sides were solved. He was stunned. He was nearly ten years older than Liuer. After ying around with the Rubik''s for a long time, he could only solve one face at most. He didn''t expect that a child of this age could solve all six faces. "Xiao''man, I finally know how to solve it. It''s actually not too difficult. After I win, I will buy you good things." Liu''er''s voice snapped the waiter out of his daze, and he quickly approached them with the fruit te. He said to them "Younger sister Liu''er, you are so amazing. I can''t believe that you solved this Rubik''s cube in just one day. Is it okay if you show me how you did it?" "Thank you, Brother Ga''zi. Here, scramble it up and I''ll show you how to solve it. It''s actually very easy. I came up with a solution to tackle this puzzle. I''ll tell you about itter. Come on, Xiao''man, after drinking this juice, you will grow up to be strong and powerful, and then you can do more work and show filial piety to our parents." Liu''er saw that there was fruit juice among the fruits that Brother Ga''zi had brought to them. She smiled sweetly as she ced the Rubik''s Cube in Brother Ga''zi''s hand, and then she gave the juice to her brother to let him drink first. After recovering from the shock, he thought about how Liu''er could have just shifted the unscrambled Rubik''s Cube twice and reversed the moves. Seeing that Liu''er was busy feeding her brother, he turned his back towards them after he took the Rubik''s Cube. By the time Xiao''man finished drinking the juice, he had already scrambled up the Rubik''s Cube. He stretched out his hand and handed the Rubik''s Cube to Liu''er. With suspicious eyes, he watched Liu''er fiddle with the cube. He had his eyes wide open so that he could watch her clearly. If Liu''er could really solve it, he wanted to learn from her. Liu''er took the Rubik''s cube and inspected each side. She moved both hands quickly and in less than a quarter of an hour, she had solved all six sides of the Rubik''s cube right in front of him. She handed it over again and said, "Brother Ga''zi, I only figured out the strategy recently so I''m still a bit slow. I''ll be better when I practice more. Once I win the prize, I''m not going to y with this anymore; it''s not fun." Still feeling dumbfounded, Ga''zi took the Rubik''s Cube and looked at it carefully. There was nothing special about this particr Rubik''s Cube so he finally believed that she was able to solve it. At that moment, he saw Liu''er in a new light. No wonder his Master treated Liu''er''s family so differently. He heard that if a person doesn''t understand a particr rule behind the Rubik''s Cube, it would be extremely difficult to solve. Liu''er never learned this rule before. She only received the Rubik''s Cube this morning, and it was still bright out. She actually solved it in less than a day. What did the person who delivered the Rubik''s Cubes say? A person who doesn''t have a good brain shouldn''t even bother ying this, unless the person knows about the rule.'' "Ga''zi, what are you doing? Taking Liu''er''s toy?" Just when the waiter was in a daze, the voice of Housekeeper Zhang was hearding from the gate of the yard. Ga''zi was so frightened that he immediately stuffed the Rubik''s Cube back into Liu''er''s hand. "Housekeeper Zhang, why are you here? I didn''t snatch Liu''er''s toy. I came to give them fruit. Liu''er just solved this Rubik''s Cube, so I wanted to have a look at it. She''s really amazing." The waiter turned around and exined to Housekeeper Zhang. "I see." Housekeeper Zhang replied, and then he turned to look at Liu''er and said, "Miss Liu''er, do you not have toys to y with anymore? The Master thought of this ahead of time and has ordered me to give you this toy that is made just for you. This is called Baguenaudier; everyone else ys this. Also, there''s this. No other ce has it. It''s called Hua''rong Path3. Cao Cao is trapped here and you need to help him escape using the least number of moves. The Master said that within two days, you will be given a new toy. At night, a teacher wille teach you historical facts. There are still five days left until thepetition. The master said that the history trivia, Rubik''s Cube, and brain teaserpetition are designed for you, so you will at least win twopetitions. Liu''er, my master has said that regardless of what you want, the master family will try their best to give it to you. Tell me, what do you want? " As soon as the housekeeper''s finished speaking, Liu''er and the waiter showed different expressions. Liu''er couldn''t understand why the master of the Zhang family would treat her so well. She looked at the two new toys in front of her. For the Baguenaudier, it seems like if there were an odd number of rings taken off the handle, or an even number of rings on the handle, the handle can be removed. The puzzle could be assembled by doing the opposite. The waiter was no longer surprised by Liu''er. He suddenly thought about regardless of how amazing Liu''er was, she was iparable to his Young Master and Young Miss. The housekeeper''s words were quite self-exnatory. The master'' he was referring to was actually the two little masters. The housekeeper was sent here the moment when Liu''er was able to solve the Rubik''s Cube. He thought about what Liu''er said just now. She said that after she wins the prize, she wouldn''t continue ying this since it was too easy. The Young Master and Young Miss was actually able to predict this? Furthermore, they sent a new toy. After making theparison, the waiter concluded that Liu''er was really nothingpared to those two. How amazing. Good thing he was a loyal person. He did not waver when Li Cheng presented all of those benefits to him. If he did, then the Young Master will definitely know. The Administrate Office will not care much if a master beats their servant to death since his family have signed life-long contracts. Even if they didn''t sign life-long contracts, the result will be the same since the Administrative Office belonged to the master family. "Liu''er, are you done thinking yet? This is the first time the master treated others like this." Housekeeper Zhang asked Liu''er again.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Smoking fabrics with fragrance
This was done by exposing the fabric to the fragrant smoke that is released when burning aromatic materials.
  1. Mrs. Fang
Fang is just her surname and does not refer to teeth "fangs". Also, the waiter actually refers to her as "sister-inw" as it ismon to refer to a friend''s or co-worker''s wife as "sister-inw". Since this is notmon in Western countries, I changed the trantion to "Mrs".
  1. Hua''rong Path
This is a Klotski puzzle that is based on a fictitious novel called Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The goal of the game is to slide the blocks so that thergest block, which is suppose to be Cao Cao (), can escape. Book 2: Chapter 15 Book 2: Chapter 15 Thank you Yaro formissioning this chapter!
Liu''er''s train of thought was disrupted by Housekeeper Zhang''s voice. She smiled shyly while saying, "I don''t want anything. It''s enough that my parents and Xiao''man have food and clothes. Right now, we don''t have a ce to go to so we''ll live here for the time being, but when we have money, we will build our own house. I was distracted by this Bagaunaudier just now; I didn''t mean to not answer you." When Housekeeper Zhang heard what Liu''er said, he felt that he had begun to like this little girl. She always thought of others before herself. She didn''t know that the one the Young Master and the Young Miss were after was her. If it weren''t for her, they would not treat her family this well. Thinking of what his Young Master told him to say when he came here, he then asked, "Liu''er, when you look at the Bagaunaudier, are you thinking that in order to remove the handle, you need an odd number of rings off, and an even number of rings on? "Yes, that''s it. In fact, it can be said that if you want to put the rings on, then you must first take it off; if you want it taken off then it needs to be put on first. Put it on then on, on then off, off then off, off then on. There are odd rings on, and even off. Even on and odd off. To take nine rings off, start with taking one ring off. To put on nine rings, start with putting two rings on. Each ring is linked from one to nine." Liu''er nodded seriously. She also saw the housekeeper in a new light since she felt that he was able toe up with the same idea as her. Housekeeper Zhang was unable to resonate with her. At this moment, he had the same thoughts as the waiter. He felt that his two little masters were always capable ofing up with a well-conceived n since they were able to predict what Liu''er was going to say. Although there were some discrepancies, the general idea was the same. "Uncle, I really don''t want anything. Are you angry at me?" After she had finished speaking, the housekeeper didn''t say anything, so she asked worriedly with tears in her eyes. "I''m not angry, I''m not angry. Liu''er is such a good child, how can I be angry? I''m happy. When Liu''er finishes thesepetitions, other teachers wille to teach Liu''er in the future. Some specialize in teaching mathematical calctions, calligraphy, and something called natural science.The master household will provide you with books to look at. Don''t worry about the house, Liu''er. My master has already said that as long as Liu''er studies hard, he will build a beautiful house for Liu''er''s family and make winter clothes before winteres. " The housekeeper didn''t dare to let Liu''er cry. His two little masters had told him several times that Liu''er must be happy. "Why are you so good to us?" Liu''er was a little surprised that the master of the Zhang family had taken care of her family. She kept feeling that it was unbelievable. "Because you''re a good child. I like good children a lot. You can go have a look at the school on the Manor when you have time. If you want to learn there, then join the ss. If you think the teacher teaches too slowly, then we will find a private teacher for you." Because Housekeeper Zhang couldn''t tell her that this was his Young Master''s arrangement, he could onlye up with a random excuse. Liu''er''s high IQ does not mean that her EQ was also high. She only thought that the Zhang Manor helped her family because they were good people, and she didn''t think that she herself was the actual reason. She nodded her head urgently and said, "Uncle, don''t worry, Liu''er will definitely study hard and repay the Zhang Manor. Xiao''man, why are you peeing again? Look, you have soiled the little vehicle." Liu''er didn''t forget to take care of her younger brother when she was talking. As soon as the younger brother peed, she picked him up, smiled at the Housekeeper Zhang and the waiter, and walked into the house. Housekeeper Zhang knew what to do, and he looked back at the waiter, "Ga''zi, remember, take good care of her family, especially her. This is the Young Master''s orders." "I know, I know. Whenever I have time, I''lle here to have a look." The waiter didn''t expect that their Young Master would be this good to them. He agreed and followed the housekeeper out. At the same time, he was wondering in his mind, Liu''er was indeed different from ordinary people. In addition to the Rubik''s Cube, Liu''er seemed to know how to solve the Bagaunaudier just after a nce. He also had one at home too that he usually yed around with it. He either ended up identally undoing the steps he just made or the pieces were stuck. He didn''t understand what she meant by odd off even on''. Was she actually a six year old child? No wonder his Young Master thinks highly of her. * "Her IQ is actually so high, she''s about to catch up with me, Xiao''bao, what is your IQ?" Wang Juan was watching Shi''liu make vermicelli, then she looked at Zhang Xiao''bao, who was reading a book next to her. "Isn''t that good? We will have another person to help us do things in the future. I think it''s a waste for her to be just an ordinary talented girl; she should at least be a female CEO that manages several Divisions---sort of like a general officer. However, a general officer would be responsible for military and politics, and a CEO deals with business. I know you have a high IQ. You had your masters degree when you were fourteen years old--that''s something I can''t achieve. I can''t evenpare to you. I have a low IQ. How would a person with a high IQ end up in jail? I''m an honest person. I just wanted to have food to eat. The food in the prison doesn''t cost money; at most, I would just have to do some manualbor. Sometimes, you just want to work to earn food to eat, but you simply can''t find a ce to do that. " Zhang Xiao''bao put together a lot of spice powders to make thirteen spices mix1. He had learned this thing before. He didn''t learn it when he was in prison; he learned it from a man who sold thirteen spices mix. He had just left the orphanage at that time, which was after the flood. He felt that the thirteen spices seller had a nice singing voice so he followed behind him. The man felt that Zhang Xiao''bao was pitiful, so he took him with him. Later, the man was hit by a car and died, but the driver fled. Zhang Xiao''bao reported this to the police, however they ignored him after they learned about what happened. From that, he knew that the driver had a strong background, so the poor Zhang Xiao''bao had to continue wandering on his own. As for what happenedter on, it was of course simple. That driverter died after getting hit by a car. The car was the same model and it even had the same license te, and it happened at the same ce. This was how Zhang Xiao''bao was. He will definitely seek revenge. After being wronged as an orphan for some many years, what kind of ethics andws can he possibly think of? Who has ever shown him the justice of thew? Wang Juan didn''t know what Zhang Xiao''bao was thinking at this time. She nodded and said, "Oh, yes, there are plenty of people with even lower IQs. The IQs of those that you have deceived are not very high. Among them is a 26-year-old doctoral student, and a deputy minister. How did you do it? He was highly praised by the media at the beginning." "Yeah. It must be due to the tragedy within the education system. I firmly believe this, otherwise why would that fool build a primary school in a mudslide-prone area just to attain political achievements? The location was so far away from where the children live. It takes more than an hour to drive there and a new road had to be built. If I don''t con him, who should I con then? He had just grafted more than nine million yuan from building the school, the highway and the school bus. Why would a person with a high IQ go after this little amount of money?" Zhang Xiao''bao pursed his mouth in disdain. He smelled the thirteen spice mix he just made, and he suddenly turned his head and sneezed with an achoo''. Wang Juan looked at Zhang Xiaobao and suddenlyughed, "I now believe what you said. What kind of a person with a high IQ would directly smell the thirteen spices mix? The ingredients you have here seems to be a bitcking." "You don''t understand this. A sneeze can ease the tension in the body. Who said that thirteen spices mix only have 13 kinds of spices? The one that I helped sell had 16 kinds of spices. Later, he taught me that there were two more, but it''s not easy to buy. Depending on what you cook, you can prepare it ording to different recipes." As soon as Zhang Xiao''bao talked about the thirteen spices mix, his hand movements were different. He took a piece of paper and the small spoon that was used for mixing the spices. He spreaded the paper open in his hand and added different spices onto the paper. He shook the small spoon steadily so that the spices were sprinkled evenly. Wang Juan was stunned when she saw this action since it was something she had never seen before. Zhang Xiao''bao not only worked with his hands, but he also started talking, "It''s hot in summer and cold in winter. You need to drink some soup while you eat tbread. Put green onions first, then ginger, but it''s better to put my thirteen spices mix than putting ginger. Winter days are short and summer days are long. If you want to eat vegetables and get sweaty, remember to add some fennel. You have pulled out two yuan, but I don''t want two, I only want one. Don''t say that there''s not a lot of ingredients. Eating too much sichuan peppercorn will hurt your stomach and intestines~... ...." Zhang Xiao''bao seemed to have returned to the times when he was helping the man sell thirteen spices mix. His little hands fiddled faster and faster, and his little mouth sang more and more smoothly. Shi''liu was busy making noodles over there, and suddenly, she heard the little boy sing something she had never heard before. She stopped and turned around to look. Seeing her Young Master''s appearance, she felt that he was even more cute now. It seemed like he was selling seasonings while singing very nicely. Wang Juan''s eyes were wide open. It was the first time she heard someone else sing like this. She had heard a person singing in a sketch made nearly a hundred years ago, and she felt that the person was not as good as Zhang Xiao''bao. As long as Zhang Xiao''bao sees that you have made a small move or changed your expression, he will change what he sings so that the listener will be able to rte to the lyrics. She never knew that international con men could be like this. If this was back then, who would believe that he could sing so beautifully about thirteen spices mix? As she listened, Wang Juan''s eyes turned red. She thought of what it was like at the time. Other children followed their parents and acted cutesy while Zhang Xiao''bao had to sit in a ce surrounded by cloth with opened cloth bags in front of him. He had to observe the various expressions of the people around him to distinguish who wants to buy and who is just watching the excitement. He would have toe up with ways to get buyers to buy more, and to convince those who don''t want to buy to buy. "You won''t lose out if you buy it for one yuan. WIth that money, you can buy ginger, but you won''t be able to buy garlic afterwards. Look at my thirteen spices mix. For two yuan, you can get a whole jar of spices. If you think it''s still too little, I will give you some more free of charge." While Zhang Xiao''bao was singing, his hand folded the paper into a funnel shape. It was already full, but he still added more in. It was obvious that not a lot of profit could be made. A big pouch like this was different from the boxes that can be bought from supermarkets. He could probably earn a tenth of a yuan. How did he even live through those days back then? She noticed that Zhang Xiao''bao had be engrossed into this. Whenever he added in a few particr spices, he frowned a little bit every time. Wang Juan knew that the cost of those particr spices were expensive. It took so much effort just to make that amount of money. It must have been really hard for him. Wang Juan''s tears finally flowed down uncontrobly, and she shouted: "Don''t sing anymore, I''ll buy it, I''ll buy all of it."
Trantors Notes
  1. Thirteen spice mix
This is a spice mix made of thirteen different spices: orange peel, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, angelica, sichuan peppercorn, star anise, nutmeg, gngal, white pepper, cloves, liquorice, and cardamon. Book 2: Chapter 16 Book 2: Chapter 16Volume 02 Chapter 16: Making Instant Noodles During Idling Times "This little sister here, don''t be so anxious. Other people are still waiting on the side. Although the thirteen spices mix is good, you can''t use too much of it at once. One pouch willst you about half a year. Half a yearter, I''ll still be selling thirteen spices mix here." Zhang Xiao''bao was still immersed in the memory of selling thirteen spices mix, and wasn''t aware of what was going on for a short while. He had a special smile on his face, and he added two more spoons to the paper. "Xiao''bao, do you still want to make instant noodles or not? You keep on adding these things, but have you added salt and MSG yet? Stop it already." Wang Juan wiped her tears away. She squatted down and stopped Zhang Xiao''bao. She stared into his eyes while speaking. "Oh, right. I''m making the vor packet for instant noodles. Haha, I forgot. I thought I was selling thirteen spices mix. Let''s save these for cooking. I added too much star anise powder so it''s not suitable for instant noodles. If therees a day where we have offended some unreasonable and powerful people and there are no other ways to survive, I will sell thirteen spices mix. I will definitely be able to make a fortune." Only until Zhang Xiao''bao was stopped by Wang Juan, did he jump out of the past. The days of selling thirteen spices mix are long gone. Wang Juan nodded with red eyes, and she touched Zhang Xiao''bao''s face distressingly. "Yeah, I believe you are the best. If that time doese, I will sell it with you. Who on earth is Zhang Xiao''bao? He''s an amazing person who can call the wind andmand the rain, and support the weight of the sky. Who dares to talk about money in front of you? Who is qualified to rant about hardships when standing next to you? Do we still need to make sauce packets?" "How about let''s not make that? Maybe we can wrap some dried veggies and dried meat together instead. We don''t have materials to package the sauce. We can''t put it in porcin jars, can we? If we do, how much would we have to sell it for? If that doesn''t work, then we can consider putting the sauce inside the noodles and deep-fry it together with the noodles. Didn''t we already agree that we will make a coin of profit for every two portions sold? We can sell it to travellers; by eating this, they won''t be nutritionally deprived on long journeys." Zhang Xiao''bao summarized their ns in a few words, and then proposed a new approach. He smiled at Wang Juan again to reassure her. "Okay, we''ll put it in the noodles, and then when we fry it, the taste will be great. We absolutely cannot put beef in the meat and vegetable package, or else we will be running the business at a loss. Tell me, have you ever polished shoes before? When I get leather shoes in the future, I won''t even bother with wiping it clean myself--- I''ll get a professional to do it." Wang Juan also returned a smile, and she whispered to Zhang Xiao''bao. She was really curious about Zhang Xiaobao''s past. "I actually did polish shoes before. Once, I polished the shoes of a kid that was about my age, and he gave me his newly bought ice cream. It was too sweet though. It''s fine if you don''t know how to, I''ll teach you." Zhang Xiao''bao wrapped the bag of spices that was on his hand and put it aside while he whispered to Wang Juan. "I don''t want to learn. I''m stupid and have a low IQ. It''s good enough to just have you. I trust you. I want a pair of brown boots made from deer suede, and I''ll leave the maintenance job to you." Wang Juan replied with a smile. Shi''liu turned around while humming lightly the tune her Young Master was singing earlier. She had to roll out the dough really thin so that the cut noodles would be thin, and she had to deep-fry the noodlester too. She had no idea what her Young Master and Young Miss were nning to do. What was instant noodles? The taste must be decent since the noodles were deep-fried and there were a lot of spices cooked together with the noodles. Then then wouldn''t it be better to directly add the spices to fresh noodles? Why does it need to be deep-fried first? She couldn''t make sense out of it, but she figured that her Young Master and Young Miss can''t be wrong. It didn''t take much time for Shi''liu to roll out the dough, cut it into thin noodles and lumped the noodles into a ball, and then she brought the noodles to the kitchen. She heated up the oil and put the noodles in for frying. After a short while, the noodles turned golden and a fragrant scent floated out. After frying 20 portions, she finally finished frying this entire batch. She removed the excess oil and then ced the fried noodles onto arge te. She carried the te back and asked Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, "Young Master, Young Miss, the instant noodles are ready. How is it eaten?" "It''s done already? Okay, I''ll tell you how it''s eaten. Go get arge bowl and a small bowl, and bring it here. Cut some marinated meat and fresh vegetables. Don''t forget to get the salt and MSG. Bring some hot water too." Zhang Xiao''bao looked at the fried noodles and asked the Shi''liu to bring over some things. Shi''liu worked quickly and it didn''t take long for her to grab the items Zhang Xiao''bao wanted. She waited on the side to see how they prepared it. This time, Wang Juan was the one that did the work. She put the noodles, meat and veggies into therge bowl, and she saved a bit of green onion on the side. She got Zhang Xiao''bao to prepare the spices, and then she tossed into the bowl. Hot water was added and the small bowl was used as a lid to cover the noodles. The only thing left to do was wait. The aroma in the bowl rose slowly. Shi''liu sniffed the scent and swallowed back her drool. She couldn''t wait to try it out. After about a quarter of an hour, Wang Juan said to Shi''liu, "Okay, you can remove the small bowl now. Be careful, don''t scald yourself. Add the green onions in, then mix it. Have a taste and tell us what you think.." With the Young Miss'' permission, Shi''liu eagerly walked over and picked up the small bowl. She sprinkled the pieces of green onions in and mixed it with a pair of chopsticks. She took a bite, and nodded in satisfaction. "Young Master, Young Miss, this noodle is really delicious. It tastes like shredded pork noodles. So it turns out that the Young Master and Young Miss want to eat shredded pork noodles. You could have ordered me to make that; it''s easier to make than instant noodles." Shi''liu''s words left Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan speechless. "Xiao''bao, tell Shi''liu which one is more instant. I''m not good at exining." Wang Juan pushed this difficult task to Zhang Xiao''bao. Zhang Xiao''bao had to demonstrate from all aspects the advantages of transporting this instant noodlepared to shredded pork noodles. It was easier to store, easier to prepare, and it tasted good. It can be soaked with water, or even with just cold water, but it can be chewed dry without water too. Although the fried noodles tasted good when eaten dry, it was a bit hard to swallow. If conditions permit, they can be carried with roasted flour at the same time. Shi''liu was persuaded by the Young Master''s eloquence and felt that the situation was just as the Young Master described. Even though the instant noodles upied a bit more space and was a bit more expensive than roasted flour, it was better than ordinary roasted flour. The main thing is because the noodles can be crushed into powder and be eaten as roasted flour, but roasted flour cannot be made into noodles. Also, no one would put these kinds of dried vegetables into the roasted flour, let alone the seasonings the Young Master had prepared. "Young Master, Young Miss, I understand it now. Am I supposed to work on this? I have to find two people to help me---the fungus has grown bigger again." Shi''liu suggested to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan to add more workers. Wang Juan shook her head, "You don''t need to work on this; we just wanted to let you taste it. Just like the mian''pi, get someone else to work on it. It''s not like it''s a precious thing." "Then I''m going to find someone now. Should I get someone else to prepare the seasonings too? " Shi''liu was relieved that she can still devote her time to researching mushroom cultivation. "Don''t tell others about the seasonings, let Xiao''bao make it. Even though it looks like there are just a few spices, there''s a lot behind matching spices. Make more and then deliver them to our own restaurant. MSG and the seasonings will absolutely make the dish taste better. Just find someone to make the noodles." Wang Juan wouldn''t agree to giving the recipe of the thirteen spices mix to other people. When she was watching Zhang Xiao''bao put the spices onto the paper earlier, she noticed that different amounts of each spice from the big bags were added in. There were two big bags that seemed to be more expensive and, so the amount added was intentionally reduced. It was definitely not as simple as it seemed. It was not just random spices mixed together. In particr, more spices were added inter, and once one spice was added, another had to be added too. ording to the theory of two extremes, it is the harmony of yin and yang. ording to the scientific theory, only thebination of these two things can neutralize the issues of the human body. It was also the same for vors. For example, sometimes when there''s too much vinegar, then it is necessary for sugar to be added. Of course, Shi''iu did not refute, and she ran out after hearing the order to find someone to make more noodles so that the Manor can have another kind of ie. "Okay, we can take a break now. Let''s go swimming. It seems like the kids on the Manor only have an IQ of only 60, what should we do? No wonder they study so hard, but their grades are still bad. Should we test the kids on the Ge Manor? And then bring the smart ones to our Manor?" After waiting for Shi''liun to leave, Wang Juan led Zhang Xiao''bao to the back and asked as they walked together. In contrast, Zhang Xiao''bao did not look down on those children with IQs of 60. Sometimes IQs are not everything. Everyone has their own talent, but it ultimately depends on whether you can find it and whether you are willing to spend a lot of energy and financial resources to develop it. "Test them then. We can''t let the truly outstanding people around us go by unnoticed. Usually, it''s easier to train people with high IQs. Back then, that Liu''er was tested too and I didn''t expect that the results would be promising. We got hold of their household registration from the police office and kept it on the Manor." Zhang Xiao''bao looked up at the sky, and he felt that today was particrly sultry. Then, he said to Wang Juan, "Later, let''s find an old man to see if it is going to rain, and see if the ants will move out." "Then we can''t go to the swimming pool. You burned all of the ants in the yard to death using limestone powder. It''s good if it rains, it will be cooler. The ground is about to crack. We always sprinkle water on the ground here, but the other ces are so dry, there are probably a whole bunch of open cracks. It''s a pity that there''s no smelting process yet so we can''t make a good water pipe. Given the technology now, it''s too expensive to make a section of an iron pipe. People are better off just carrying the water on their shoulders. If we do have pipes, we can warm up the house in winter." Wang Juan raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead. She hastened her pace because she wanted to dive in the water earlier. * Three days passed by in a hurry. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan gave Liu''er some tangrams and other intellectual toys. Liu''er was able to learn quickly under the guidance of her teacher who came to give her private lessons. She didn''t need to learn to write since it was enough for her to memorize the historical events. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan don''t want Li Xun to win the trophy in the end, since that would make him overly arrogant and feel that the children on the Manor were iparable to him. They will only let him win one game so that he can prove himself, and then this would be a good setup for the next step of their n. In these three days, the heavens finally sprinkled rain from the sky. For three consecutive days, there was no heavy rain, but light rain never stopped. The water in the river gradually rose, and there was a tideing in everywhere. However, the rain came toote, and it could not solve the drought. Some people were even more afraid that it would rain again when the grain was ripe.
Trantor''s Note I apologize for not uploading chapters consistently! I''ll try to squeeze in more chapters when I have more time. Thanks for being patient and showing support. Book 2: Chapter 17 Book 2: Chapter 17 Volume 02 Chapter 17: The Competition Proceeded When The Rain Stopped Zhang Xiao''bao stood in front of the window to watch the rain outside. The rain didn''t seem heavy at all, but it never seemed to stop. He muttered, "There''s no water shortage here anymore, but I''m unsure about the ces where the harvest seasons begin earlier. The harvest season is about to start over there. The grains in their fields won''t even need to be collected; it will sprout and has to be nted. " "That shouldn''t happen, I think? If that''s the case, this year''s grain prices will rise a lot. Some ces aren''t experiencing a drought; likewise, it can''t be that it''s raining everywhere in the country right now. The drought-stricken areas will already have a low harvest, so there''s no huge difference if more is lost. When the timees, the Imperial Court will help them out. This Li Long''ji person is quite good during the early days of his reign." Right now, Wang Juan also felt tired of the endless rain. This was mainly because of the humidity in the house and because she couldn''t go to the outdoor swimming pool. It was fine to stay in the house and do nothing, but if she wanted to read a book, she would have to light up the inside of the room. Zhang Xiao''bao felt that his worries were indeed a bit unreasonable and excessive. Grain shortage has nothing to do with the Zhang and Wang manors and there will always be other people that will handle the problem. He can''t possibly sell some of his harvested grains without making any profit. He already achieved his goal of getting some work credit for his family so there was no longer any need to worry about this problem anymore. He did not n to buy the grains at low prices and deliberately price gorge during this crisis since not a lot of money can be earned. It was not the same case as when he sent grains during the drought because the amount of grains was not a lot-- it was under twenty thousand catties. If he wanted to take advantage of the situation to earn a fortune, then he needs tens of thousands tons of grain. That would easily catch other people''s attention since the amount was too great. If he did this, then his family would lose their achievement and have their stable lives disrupted.posted on "Xiao''bao, how about you go outside with an umbre and catch some fishes? It''s easier to catch them right now. Once I heard someone say when you go fishing when it''s raining, the chance that the fish bites the bait is higher." Wang Juan was a little irritated by the weather. She noticed that Zhang Xiao''bao was silent, so she proposed this idea to him. "That depends on the kind of fish. I''m not going to go. If I want to catch fish, then I''ll catch the fishes in our family''s ponds. It has been raining for two days already, so the ground should be moistened. This is the perfect time to get people to connect those six ponds now. Digging into the ground should be easy. " Zhang Xiaobao didn''t want to catch fish. He and Wang Juan were only able to drag a very small and they weren''t able to throw the out that far either. They had no idea how long it would take to catch any fishes if they stayed on the shore. They couldn''t even consider fishing with a pole because if they encountered a slightlyrger fish, the fish can drag the two of them into the water. "That''s good too. We should check how many straw capes1 and straw hats are left at the store, and then give them to the residents so they can dig the trenches in the rain. We will take care of their food and pay each person three coins. Get the doctors in the Manor to make some medicinal soup; we can''t let them catch a cold." Wang Juan agreed with Zhang Xiao''bao''s words and immediately arranged it. The residents had nothing to do at home so as soon as they heard that there was work to do, each families''borers came out with tools. They didn''t care much about the meals and the pay since doing work for their master was the wish they had in their hearts. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan didn''t stay in the house anymore. Shi''liu apanied them and she held up arge umbre. They ran to the small river in front of the yard to watch the water level slowly rise. The number of guests at the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant have decreased by a lot. The only people that stayed at the restaurant were some travellers who were unwilling to travel home in the rain. The market was unaffected and the number of people who went to the bazaar was actually more than usual. Those people mainly came here to sell vegetables. The vegetables were fine with being drenched by rain; in fact, after the vegetables got wet, they looked fresher. The price set by Er''gou was slightly raised, but the price of fruits has been lowered. At this time, the fruits that were usually sweet were not sweet anymore. When the evening came, the rain finally became heavier. Even though the booming loud thunder sounded, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were not at all disturbed by therge noise, and they still got up to study. Shi''liu sat at the doorway instead of sleeping today. She yawned and watched the two young children studying there. From time to time, she was frightened by the thunder, but when she saw that the lights inside and outside the house were still on, she calmed down.posted on In the yard of the Between The Water And Cloud Restaurant, the four evacuees did not go to sleep either. Xiao''man kept crying, so his sister had to hold him in her arms. While she was trying to memorize the stuff she learned, she tried to coax her younger brother. Their parents were talking quietly amongst themselves. Just like what Wang Juan said, it did not rain everywhere. Not a single drop of rain fell in the He''nan Division. Xiao''hong and Ying''tao sat near the window and they were busy with bookkeeping. Quite arge number of eggs were collected in these past few days. A portion of the eggs were pickled, and another portion of the eggs were directly traded for other items. They tried their best to not keep the eggs since there was no ce to store them. Yao Chong has sent two reports in a row, but even until now, not a single reply was received. He was unsure how long the matter at hand would be dyed. He had already nned to leave early tomorrow morning, and Magistrate Cheng had also arranged people to pack things up and prepare to leave at dawn the next day. After all, the San''shui County still needed a magistrate. Only those businessmen who brought grains over here to reap some benefits didn''t have any intentions to leave. Deep down in their hearts, they resented Xiao''hong and Ying''tao because not only did they bring so much grains to give out for free, they also used those eggs to trade for more grains from the surrounding areas so that they can lower the grain prices here. The businessmen who arrived here much earlier to sell grains did indeed earn arge sum of money. These people wanted to earn even more money, so they took the money they earned to buy more grains. However, when they returned back to here, the locals no longer fought like crazy to buy grains. Almost all of the local government offices have posted notices saying that arge amount of grain will be shipped in soon, so there was no need to buy grains at high prices anymore. Er''niu was not like those people. He followed his Young Master''s instructions and sold all of the grains he had in possession. Then, he rushed to travel to Shandong. He had a lot of tasks toplete, so he did not make any dys. In addition to transporting rocks, he also had to go to the seaside just to buy seaweed. After he finishes using up all of his money, and the seaweed has dried, he will bring everything back to the Manor. * Two days passed by quietly. While the children were waiting with anticipation, the sun finally came out one morning. Perhaps the heavens knew that the children were anxious. There was a thunderstormst night, and before dawn, it turned into a clear sky. The Zhang and Wang Manors'' young children that were of the appropriate age were all ready for thepetition. Each child had a Rubik''s Cube in their hands, which was a lot of Rubik''s Cubes when added together. There were fifty-five people. Even some families that did not have any children at home came to watch the excitement. For families that did have a few kids, they of course led their children here to participate in thepetition. In addition to those kids, there was also Li Xun, the childe of the Li family. His team of people was the most spectacr looking. Including the children that were not part of the manors but had heard about thepetition, there were more than 80 people. In particr, the two children of the schr'' that frequented the restaurant to talk about poetry were also there.posted on The father of these two children may not be good enough for the Imperial Examination, but he was good enough to teach them. They started learning calligraphy from the age of three and four. The children were now eleven and twelve, so their skills were pretty good after practicing for all these years. The appearance of all of these unfamiliar children gave the children on the manor a lot of pressure. They felt that the title of first ce had just feld away from their sight. When Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan learned about this situation, they had a discussion. At the end, they decided that they could absolutely not make any remedial measures orfort the children. It would be good for the manors'' children to see how good others were, so that they won''t have the misconception that they were better than others just because they knew a few words. After seeing the gap, they will be more motivated to study harder. If a few children ended up feeling too defeated, then their mindset could be fixed through some persuasion. The person the two of them looked forward to the most was Liu''er. They wanted to see what she would be able to do this time. Thepetition was just about to begin. The venue was chosen in the open space in front of the Between The Water And Clouds restaurant. People had already covered the ce with sand, and neatly arranged the tables and chairs. The four treasures of the study2 were ced on the tables. The little children all sat in the chairs while looking around from time to time. They appeared a little bit nervous. Many people were around watching; there were the residents of the manor, the adults who came with their children from outside the manor, and those bored schrs'' who sat down beside the window of the restaurant. The first contest was the Rubik''s Cube. Originally it was supposed to be calligraphy, but Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were afraid that once the manors'' children lost, they would no longer have the confidence to show off their true strength. They didn''t expect them to win first ce; it was enough for them to show the best side of themselves. Zhang Xiao''bao was carried by the two maids in the yard so that he could look down from the roof of the second floor. Ropes were also tied to their bodies because they were scared of identally dropping their little masters. Today, the roof was not open to the public. "Xiao''bao, I heard that were two children from outside the manor that was good with calligraphy. Do you think Li Xun would lose to them? If Li Xun didn''t win even once and ended up hating thispetition, then we might have foiled our own ns. "posted on Wang Juan was watching the situation below, and then she turned her head and gave Zhang Xiao''bao a look. She moved her lips as she asked Zhang Xiao''bao. "Probably not? No matter what, he was educated in that kind of environment, and the teacher that was found to teach him is better than any other teachers out there. Calligraphy not only requires practice, but alsoprehension. He is definitely more mature than some children of the same age." Zhang Xiao''bao was actually a little worried. What if Li Xun was a reallypetitive person, but he failed to give his best performance during thepetition and ended up losing? Then, things will be troubling, and the future ns need to be adjusted ordingly, but doing so would lower its effectiveness. While they were talking here, thepetition on the other side was about to start. All of the children''s cubes have been collected, and the cubes were jumbled up in the same way by designated people. Afterwards, the cubes were given back to everyone. Following the instruction to begin, the little children all worked hard to rotate the Rubik''s Cube in their hands. Some children are anxious, and the harder they work, the slower they were. Li Xun appeared to be more calmpared to other children. When he got the Rubik''s Cube, he nced at the others first. He felt that he could win the game. After inspecting the Rubik''s cube with the person his family found for him, they easily solved two faces. He doubted that anyone else was also as good as him. Two hands were ying with the Rubik''s Cube and each movement was made just the right amount of strength. Just when he solved two faces, a little girl shouted out. "I''m done. "
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Straw capes
This is a traditional Chinese raincoat that is made from rice straws.
  1. Four treasures of the study
This refers to the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Book 2: Chapter 18 Book 2: Chapter 18 Volume 02 Chapter 18: Royal Mannerism Takes Winning and Losing Lightly Right after the voice was heard, the children''s hands stopped moving and they all turned their heads to look over in the direction of the voice. They saw a little girl dressed in red with her Rubik''s cube raised up high in her hand. She waved her wrist around to show everyone that she solved all six faces. A child''s mindset was not as good as that of an adult. When they saw that someone had finished solving the Rubik''s Cube and the first ce title was gone, they couldn''t help but cry. They originally nned to solve some parts of the Rubik''s cube before the incense stickpletely finished burning1, but now, all hope was gone. The few children that were crying were all from outside the manor, and two of the children were from the Ge Manor. The children from the Zhang and Wang manors looked at the solved Rubik''s, and then turned back around and continued to y with the Rubik''s Cube in their hands as if the first ce title was not taken yet. After seeing this, the person who came with Li Xun frowned. If only some of the little children from the Zhang and Wang manors acted like this, it would be fine, but they all acted the same way. This meant that they learned about some particr thing. Wang Juan was satisfied with how things turned out. These children made her feel that spending a lot of money on training them was not a failure. People who can endure loneliness and continue to work hard while watching others around them seed are the most suitable people at survival. Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t say much. He nodded and continued to look down. Li Xun took in a deep breath. He also did not drop the Rubik''s Cube from his hand and he remained just as calm as before. His hands didn''t even shake. He knew that the title of first ce was gone, but he couldn''t act like those other children and stop too. If he did that, then it was not going to be as simple as losing. He had his own sense of glory. When the incense stick waspletely burned, all the children who were still working on their Rubik''s cubes stopped and ced it onto the table. Some only had one face solved, and some didn''t even have any faces solved. The one that was slightly better was Li Xun''s cube since it had four faces solved, and one of the other face had two rows solved and was only missing the middle row. Normally, he had never solved the cube to this degree before. After Housekeeper Zhang made a signal, the servants handed out iron medals to each of the children. The medals had the children''s names written on it. There were medals prepared for those who gave up too, but those medals were not given to them. Even if some of them have already solved two faces, they were still not given anything. Some of the adults who were watching were sensible enough to understand that the children who gave up were not even as good as children who still insist on trying despite not solving a single face. The children, who were crying again now, were ignored and the second game proceeded to begin. The nextpetition was calligraphy. Li Xun was still as calm as before. When he started to write, his mind did not wander off. However, the other children, who were normally quite good at calligraphy, had lost a bit of their confidence because of the previouspetition, so the quality of the characters they managed to write were not as good. Liu Er, who won the first game, was also there writing. She had never learned to write before or even know how to read. At this time, her approach was simple, and that was to stand there and watch others write. In particr, she watched her benefactor. What Li Xun studied was Wang Xi''zhi''s2 way of writing. The tip of his brush moved fluidly, but at the same time, it was powerful and determined. At this moment, his entire mind was immersed in the writing, and he didn''t notice that there was a little girl next to him watching.posted on Liu''er wanted to say hello to him, but when she saw her benefactor didn''t even look at her, she knew that it was not a good time to disturb him. The only thing she could do was keep watching. When she saw her benefactor had written twelve characters, she turned around and ran back to her own desk. While standing in front of her desk, she picked up her brush. She recalled the characters written by her benefactor, and began to write. When the first character was written, the strokes were too thick, and when the second character was written, the strokes were too thin. When the third character was written, it was impossible to tell that it was a character at all. By the time the twelfth character was written, it was more like a painting. She somehow ended up drawing out the characters Li Xun had written, despite not even recognizing the characters. After finishing writing out twelve characters, she ran over to look at Li Xun''s written characters again. She looked at a few characters, and then ran back to her own table to continue writing. A schr, who was on good terms with Song Jing''gong, came closer to have a look. He shook his head after looking at each person. When he looked at the two children who were normally quite good at calligraphy, he shook his head and spoke to the person beside him, "Their mind and heart are not focused. Such a pity." When he walked over to where Li Xun was, he was taken aback for a while. He spoke to the person next to him, "I see some potential. Given a few more years of practice, he isparable to those who have been practicing for ten years plus." After Liu''er came over to watch Li Xun, they followed her back. They looked at the written characters in front of Liu''er and they were about to turn around and leave. This child did not know how to write and had no skills at all, but when they were just about to leave, he suddenly saw Liu''er write another character. He had no choice but to stop in his tracks this time. He pulled on the person beside him who had already turned around to leave, "Brother Gao''peng, look at this child. Look from the beginning to the end." After he said that, other people also became interested and turned around and looked at her characters again. Liu''er was concentrated at this moment so she was not distracted by them at all. She did not know that her benefactor was writing out the "Poems of King Teng''s Pavilion3". She was now writing the line, ''Objects change, stars move, how many years of passing autumn". A few of them stood there to watch her write. After thest autumn'' character was written, Liu''er did not have a chance to run over to continue reading the benefactor''s characters because the man who was referred to as Brother Gao Peng couldn''t resist yelling out.posted on "Good! Well learned. From the first character, it can be seen that the little girl has never written a character before. By the time this autumn'' character was written, her writing had be more elegant. Little girl, what''s your name? How old are you this year? I intend to ept you as a disciple, are you willing?" As he spoke on, he began to ask about her affairs and wanted to ept a disciple since she had a natural talent. Once he spoke out his thoughts, the other people were unepting of it. They all rushed to take her in as a disciple. This frightened Liu''er, and she left her spot to run over to Housekeeper Zhang. She only felt safe when she tugged on his sleeves. The two guards, who were once standing beside Housekeeper Zhang, were now standing in front of them. One of the guards stood directly in front of Liu''er. The guards were instructed by the Young Master to take good care of this person. At this moment, Li Xun had finished writing thest character. He put down his brush and he felt that his entire body was weak. He looked at his handwriting and smiled. He didn''t know what was going on today---not only did he solve four faces instead of three, his writing was also better than before. He rotated his wrist as he looked around, and he happened to see Liu''er hiding beside Housekeeper Zhang. The little girl no longer looked like the person that he once helped. Back then, Liu''er''s clothes were not good, and her body was thin and her face was sallow. Right now, she had apletely different appearance. Li Xun only remembered that little girl to be the first one who finished solving the Rubik''s cube just earlier. With people protecting her, Liu''er was no longer scared. She blinked her big eyes and looked around everywhere. When she saw that her benefactor was also looking at her, she thought that her benefactor still remembered her. She pulled onto one of the guards and made her way to Li Xun. With a dull thud, she knelt down on the ground, "I, Liu''er, greets my benefactor. You''re really amazing; you know how to write so many words." "Hurry, please get up. You are...?" Li Xun thought hard, but he still didn''t figure out who this little girl was, and asked suspiciously. "Benefactor, I am Liu''er. In front of the restaurant that day, you gave me and my family a lot of food and asked the restaurant to take care of us. Benefactor, you are a good person." Liu''er was feeling anxious when she learned that her benefactor didn''t remember her anymore. After she gave a reminder, Li Xun finally remembered that something like this did ur. Looking at her now, he knew that the restaurant was taking good care of her. The clothes she was wearing were made of silk, her shoes were made with satin, and her little cheeks were rosy looking. He said a few more words quickly and he tried tofort Liu''er. The second game just ended, and the third game started. Next was an intelligence test. This time, more people were needed to help out in thepetition. Every child has a person next to them to ask the questions. If the child can answer the question correctly, the person will ask the next question. If the child can''t answer it, the person will tell the child what the correct answer is and then move on to the next question. The children have never heard of these kinds of questions before. Someone was washing clothes for a long time, but his clothes were still dirty, why?'' The person was washing other people''s clothes.'' A thing has four legs, but it can''t walk, why? ''''Because it''s a table. '' Questions like these were asked one after another. Most of the children were dumbfounded when presented with these questions. On normal days, they were never exposed to these things at all. The most amazing one was Liu''er. After getting three questions wrong in a row, she finally understood how to answer these kinds of questions, and she was able to answer six of thest remaining seven questions correctly.posted on Li Xun also gained some experience after answering five questions incorrectly and he got three out of the remaining five questions correct. In the end, he ranked second among all of children. At the same time, he also felt that these kinds of questions were really fun, so he told his servants to immediately write down the questions so that he can ask others the same questionster on. Liu''er had won two games already. Even if she doesn''t win thest one, she will not fail. The rest will depend on whether Li Xun can win thest round since he was first ce in the calligraphy test just now. Thest round was a test on historical facts. Liu''er had learned a lot from her teacher. She was not given any hints before the test began, and the person who came up with the questions didn''t recognize her, so the fairness ofpetition was ensured. This time, the children were not individually asked, but instead, it was a race to answer the questions. Whoever answered the question first will be awarded a point. There were a total of 20 questions, but if there was a tie, then the people who were tied will answer the extra questions until a winner can be decided. At this time, Liu''er was finally able to demonstrate her high intelligence and her ability to react quickly. When she was learning this, she was also a quick learner. She answered five questions correctly in a row. When everyone looked at her in shock, she suddenly thought about her benefactor who tried to answer a few times, but she always beat him to it. In order to repay her benefactor, she decided that she wouldn''t steal his chances to answer anymore. Li Xun began to do better in theter questions, and he managed to answer nine questions correctly. There were three questions left that no one answered, and three questions that were answered by three different children. Just when Housekeeper Zhang was about to announce Li Wang''xun''s victory, Li Xun took the jade pendant off his body and said: "I... I have lost. Liu''er is the winner. Liu Er had let me win. Liu''er, take this. If you ever encounter something difficult in the future, take this to...to the Li Manor over there and ask them for help." While saying thest few words, Li Xun had stuffed the jade pendant into Liu''er''s hands. He found that Liu''er was indeed smart. He felt that helping her back then was worthwhile since sheat least knew how to be grateful. Just when he finished giving her the jade pendant and turned around to leave, Housekeeper Zhang came to the front. "Childe Li, my master would like to ask you something. It is something that concerns the people of the Great Tang." Trantor''s Notes
  1. Incense stick finish burning
Since incense sticks are all about the same length, and will take the same amount of time to burn, it is usually used as a way to measure time. It''s usage is just like an hourss, but it measures only half an hour.
  1. Wang Xi''zhi
He is regarded as the greatest Chinese calligrapher in history.
  1. Poems of King Teng''s Pavilion
This was a famous piece of literature written by Wang Bo during the early years of the Tang Dynasty. I was nning to save this chapter for Monday, but since I''m done tranting already, why make everyone wait even more? Thank you for waiting patiently and thank you for supporting me! Book 2: Chapter 19 Book 2: Chapter 19 Cheers to littlistwolfpup formissioning this chapter!
Volume 02 "It''s about the people of our Great Tang?" Li Xun, who was about to leave, couldn''t help but stop when he heard these words. If it was anything else, he could easily reject it. No matter how powerful the masters of the Zhang and Wang manors were, they meant nothing to him. If they wanted to invite him, then it would depend on his mood, however, Housekeeper Zhang''s words forced him to go there to have a look and listen to what they have to say. At the very least, he was still surnamed Li, and at the same time, he still has a special identity, so he has to care about these kinds of things. If he manages to aplish something, then he will definitely be praised. This was exactly the aplishment that he has been hoping for ever since he was a child. "Childe Li, pleasee here." As soon as Housekeeper Zhang saw Li Xun''s expression, he knew that Li Xun would not refuse. He stretched out his hand in the direction of the Between The Water and Clouds Restaurant, and he walked towards there. Li Xun nced at the children again, then he nodded and followed behind the Housekeeper with his few personal guards. He believed that the Zhang family would definitely not dare to lie to him. Those children did not win even once. Whilst they were unhappy, several people came out of the restaurant and each person had a te in their hand. On the te was an object that was shaped like an egg, except that there was ayer of paper on the outside which made it hard to tell what it actually was. Five of these were ced in front of every child who persisted inpeting in all four games. As for those who lost confidence and quit halfway through, they were each given only one. While speaking, Ga''zi even walked in front of everyone with the egg in his hand. These people looked at the egg, and it was exactly how he described it to be. It obviously looked like an egg, but it was a translucent ck colour that carried a bit of red and also some yellow. It was sort of like jelly since it jiggled slightly, and it was covered with patterns of pine flowers. They had never seen such a thing before. Everyone stared at the waiter while waiting for him to continue talking. "You shouldn''t eat too much of this egg. You can eat one or two at a time, but you shouldn''t eat it every single day. Perhaps you don''t know what this tastes like. That''s fine, we can cut some and let everyone have a taste of it. " After Ga''zi walked a circle around the crowd, he signalled for others toe out to cut the eggs into pieces. Each egg was cut into eight wedges that were all approximately the same size. They were ced on tes and brought to everyone so they can have a try. Some people felt that their bodies were too precious so they were unwilling to take risks. After picking up the egg pieces, they watched what others were going to do. The people of the Zhang Manor who came to apany their children did not have worries like that. They did not believe that their master would harm them, so they ate it as soon as they picked them up. A special vor entered their mouths, and they all nodded and praised the egg. They eximed about how delicious the egg was. "You finally seeded in making pine flower eggs today. Xiao''bao, when we get up tomorrow morning, we will eat pine flower eggs and lean meat porridge. I''m craving that." Wang Juan wasying on her stomach next to Zhang Xiao''bao and spoke while smacking her lips a few times. Zhang Xiao''bao shivered, "I don''t want to eat that. I don''t like to eat this thing. It has a weird smell. If you want to eat it, eat it yourself. Don''t drag me in with you." "From this, I can tell you don''t know how to enjoy yourself. If you don''t want to eat it, then forget it. I''ll eat it by myself. Obviously, you don''t know what it means to enjoy the blessings of life." Wang Juan was different from Zhang Xiao''bao. She liked eating pine flower eggs, and especially those that were made using the traditional technique. Unfortunately, she didn''t know how to make it, and Zhang Xiao''bao knew how to make it, but he doesn''t eat it. This egg can be used to make rice porridge, or it can be directly eaten after its cut into wedges. When she ate it back then, she felt like it was best paired with white rice. She liked to toss in some tofu, and she would be able to eat two bowls of rice with it. She heard that it was harmful for the body to eat this, but she ate it ever since she was a child, and none of the harms ever showed up in her. The only regretful thing was that the majority of the ones she ate were made using special techniques, and it was not made using limestone, rice husk and mud. It was clean, and looked no different from ordinary eggs and the taste was not as good. The people below didn''t know how this thing was made. When they saw that somebody ate it, they ate it too. Some said it tasted good, and some said it smelled unpleasant, but the taste and aftertaste were much stronger than ordinary eggs. Seeing that they were happily eating, Zhang Xiao''bao was also happy even though he never took a bite. He said to Wang Juan, "This thing was only made because there''s no way to store all of those chicken eggs. Other than making salted eggs, the only other way of preserving eggs is to make it into pine flower eggs. Storing salted eggs takes up too much space. After they''re done brining, they must be cooked and then thrown into brine again. That''s too troublesome. Make sure the people in the yard work carefully and don''t leak the recipe. All of the dirt, rice husk, lime powder and salt must be washed off with water, then dump that water with all that stuff into the manure tank. It''s good to add more stuff into there; it would make great fertilizer. " "Five coins each." Zhang Xiao''bao gave a terrifying price. "It just uses up a little bit of brine, limestone powder, rice husks and soil. How could youe up with such a high price? There are manymoners who can''t afford to buy it. That''s the same cost as a gosling, and it has to be a female gosling. See, female ones are more valuable." Wang Juan didn''t expect that Zhang Xiao''bao would dare set such a high price. The cost of making pine flower eggs was less than a coin, so it meant that he wanted to make a 400% profit. Zhang Xiao''bao did not think like Wang Juan. "The value of the mother goose reveals how significant the male goose is. As long as there is one male goose in a flock of geese, not only will he help the mother goose so that she cany eggs to produce offspring, but he also ensures the safety of the geese. The price cannot be changed. No matter how good the pine flower egg is, can itpare to steamed sponge cake? Can it bepared to a poached egg with runny yolk? People who don''t have money will usually eat eggs boiled. I don''t intend to market this item as an every item food item. Many people like to eat braised beef, but how many people can actually afford to eat it? Do people who don''t have money absolutely have to buy pine flower eggs to eat? It''s not salt. It''s not a necessary consumable. It has to be five coins. We have to look at what kind of eggs they are. Ones that have more pine flower patterns and are more red have to be sold for ten coins each. This difference between the two types has to be emphasized. Why not earn those people''s money while we can. " "You really are a capitalist. When pursuing profit, your heart is ck." Wang Juan agreed with Zhang Xiaobao''s statement that the nutritional value of pine flower eggs was never as good as normal eggs. Both of these require vinegar for sterilization, and in particr, aged ck vinegar was used. Bacteria was used to destroy bacteria. However, she still had to refute that high profits came with high risks after all. Some people can''t stand seeing others doing well, and they will find ways to cause others trouble. Everyone knows how much an egg costs, so if they really did sell it for five and ten coins, things would beplicated. The buyers might not say anything since they like the taste, but there will always be others that wille up with destructive ideas. Zhang Xiao''bao naturally knew what Wang Juan was thinking about, and he tried to persuade her, "What is going toe will alwayse. Unless you don''t want to further develop this ce, you can''t run away from the things you need to face. I''ll sell the recipe to whoever dares to target this business. It''s just pine flower eggs anyway. At that time, I''ll make sure that they regret spending that money. I can just announce the recipe to the public---secretly announce it. If we sell ten copies of the recipes, they will definitely think about who leaked the secret. If we raise the price of the recipe by several folds the day after we sell it to them, do you think they would still suspect us?" "Right. What did you study? Could it be possible that they also studied criminal psychology? Do they also have the same experience as you?" "Are you scared now? Then don''t lie to me. What''s with all this male goose, female goose nonsense. Do you eat honey? Do you know which position is highest in a beehive?" Wang Juan bobbed her happily. Of course Zhang Xiao''bao knew what the social structure of beehives were like. He nced at Wang Juan, who was looking proud. "Actually, you don''t need to be so vague. You can just say Wu Ze''tian, or that Empress Xiao. They''re both not ordinary people. Good thing you''re in this time period. ording to your personality, perhaps the cavalry will be trampling all over the ce already." "Okay, let''s not talk about this anymore. Let''s talk about that Li person. Do you think he will fall for the trap? Oh no, I mean, will he cooperate with us?" "No problem at all. This is a brand new idea. Most people can''t think of it. The more a person thinks that they''re on the top of the pyramid, the more they think about these things." Li Xun, who was being calcted right now, didn''t even know that there were two people on the rooftop talking about him. At this moment, his whole body and mind were focused on things that could affect the entire Great Tang. Father Zhang personally came out to discuss matters with Li Xun this time. He could never push his son and daughter-inw out to the front of others. Although he was normally a bit of an introvert, right now he appeared to be quite lively. In the eyes of other people, it was a bit unbelievable, but Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan understood that their father was introverted because he wanted to study well and then surprise everyone when he suddenly rises up. In fact, he was not an introvert at heart. . Father Zhang had nothing toment about his son. If he had to tell him what he felt in his heart, it was pride. At this time when facing Li Xun, he voiced out his son''s thoughts bit by bit. The matter was not troublesome, and was actually very simple. He needed to invite Li Xun to help organize and participate in a children''s game activity in the San''shui County. The activity was divided into three events. One is the grasnd, the other is the desert, and the other is the t terrain. The children had to undergo survival training in these three ces. Each eventsts for five days, and including the time it takes to travel back and forth, the entire activity willst about 25 days. It was too dangerous inside the forest, so that area was excluded. ording to Zhang Xiao''bao''s words, the activity was supposed to let all children adapt to living in various environments and improve their fitness. The children''s age was selected to be between eight and twelve years old. Book 2: Chapter 20 Book 2: Chapter 20 Volume 02Chapter 20 Smarten Up When Taking Money The more Li Xun heard, the more reasonable it sounded to him. With this activity, many children can receive a chance to exercise and train their bodies. He thought about the environment he lived in. Usually he also has to do some exercises, such as horse riding, archery, etc. After all, his imperial uncle is amazing in this area. As his nephew, if he wanted to be appreciated, he had to learn the same things. At this moment, an opportunity was presented to him, it was absolutely impossible for Li Xun to refuse. After agreeing to the request, the date was set. The first area was the grasnd. The only disagreement was that Li Xun did not agree with setting the time frame to five days. He insisted that eight to twelve years oldd should be there for ten days. It was unclear why he made this decision, but he also wanted five to eight year olds to participate too. However, they only can stay for three days, and they will be taken care of at night. As for the older kids, they were all on their own. Father Zhang knew about this child''s identity, so naturally he did not go against his wishes. If a person like Li Xun was there, he will definitely have personal guards around him, so nothing bad will happen to the children. The ce for the grasnd has also been selected to be at the Luo''chuan County near the Luoshui River. There is a pasture there with a few thousand horses. The number of horses were not toorge, and the pasture was not too big. If a horse was ridden across the pasture from the south end to the north end, it would only take half of a day, and from the east end to the west end, it would only take a day. After discussing the matter, Li Xun left and returned to his manor with his medal. The other children also followed their parents home. The busy day was over. When it was almost evening, those people who often came to the restaurant had new ideas after seeing the children''s game. They proposed that another game should also be held, and in particr, the intellectual game since they found it very interesting. When they first heard the questions, it sounded like jumbled nonsense, but after hearing about the answer and thinking more carefully about it, it actually made sense. They ended up reserving the entire second floor of the restaurant, and the roof floor was included too. Knowing that there were more adults who also wanted to y the game, the two of them got together to discuss because they wanted to gain even greater profits. "Xiao''bao,e and take a look. This is a design I made---it''s for cing the advertisement. We should ce an entire row of it on the road outside. On the ad, we can ce the names of the stores that are willing to pay. How about we charge them fifty coins a day for one spot, is that expensive?" Wang Juan pushed a piece of paper with drawings on it to Zhang Xiao''bao and asked. Zhang Xiao''bao''s drawing skills were worse than Wang Juan''s by more than one or two levels. He was better at talking, but if he had to talk about specific details, then he was iparable to Wang Juan. He looked at Wang Juan''s banner design and shook his head. "The banner you drew is good, and it can also p in the wind, but if the banner is made of cloth, the production cost will increase by a lot and lesser profit can be made. The most important thing is that the banner can only open up and stand upright in the wind, but when there''s no wind, people can''t see the design and words on the banner. We need to make some changes. Let''s not use cloth, let''s use paper. That way, we don''t have to use dye, and it can stand upright all the time. We can use sticks to set up frame, and then glue the paper onto it. If it''s two windy, then we can poke holes into the paper---that way the paper won''t rip when the wind blows onto it. Even if it rips, it doesn''t matter since we can kjust make a new one. This is the second time; the scale isrger thanst time. The price shouldn''t be too high. Let''s make it thirty coins a day---fifty coins is a bit too much. That''s not a small amount of money. I really don''t have the heart to earn money from those merchants. It''s not easy for everyone." If Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t say thatst sentence, Wang Juan would have really believed his words. However, once he mentioned that he did not have the heart to earn money, Wang Juan began to pout her lips. There was no such thing as a good con man. It was just like crocodile tears. Who would believe that the crocodile was pitying the animals that it ate? Sure enough, before Wang Juan said anything, Zhang Xiao''bao began to draw things out. asionally, he picked up the brush and added a few strokes to the paper. When he was done drawing, Wang Juan came in closer to have a look. She felt like making this thing would waste a lot of material. Wang Juan stared at Zhang Xiao''bao sitting there looking at the painting, and asked him. "That''s not what I mean. Of course, you can use one pole for a banner that is two meters high, but mine is five meters high, and the frame is different. You can also stick fabric on it. It should be big, gigantic---the bigger the better. It''s best if it''s a banner that is three-meter by three-meter or three-meter by two-meter. We can ce in front of the road that is used to go to the Ge Manor so that people can see it at first nce. First we''ll ce small banners along the road for others to see. Thirty coins for one banner. If that''s too much, then 20 coins is fine too. When all of the spots are rented out, then we will put up therge banners, and then let them fight to rent it. We don''t need to put that many. We can space them out, so ten is probably enough. This cost is higher since fabric is used. The starting price is 200 coins a day, 300 coins for two days, 350 for three days, then 1500 coins for half a month, and 2,500 coins for one month. What do you think?" Zhang Xiao''bao expressed his thoughts and waited for Wang Juan to praise him. Wang Juan looked at Zhang Xiao''bao for a moment, "I think you are in the middle of a dream. Those people aren''t stupid. The brainteaser game onlysts a day and yet you''re expecting others to buy the spot for a month? Furthermore, you aren''t telling them at the beginning that there was going to be a big banner. Once they''re done buying the smaller ones, you tell them about therger one. What about the next time? Will they stille back?" "You don''t understand this. The small banners can have discounts, such as extending the time or lowering the price when buying it again, right?" Zhang Xiao''bao was very familiar with this kind of thing. It wasn''t much of a skill and anyone who dealt with these kind of things before would know about it. "Will anyone buy it for a month? The longer the time, the more we can earn. If I am a merchant, I won''t buy a ce at this price. I can always make my own banner and put it at the front. What can you do about it? I''ll make it even bigger than yours." Wang Juan continued to find faults in his idea. To be precise, she wanted Zhang Xiao''bao to speak out his true thoughts. She didn''t believe that Zhang Xiao''bao did not take these aspects into consideration. Zhang Xiao''bao nced at Wang Juan and said, "Okay, okay, I''ll tell you. You won''t even let me act mysterious. It''s mainly because I''m scared that you think my trick is too wicked. For that kind of game, it canst for one day, but why not drag it out for ten days or half a month? You can have preliminary rounds, rematches, round-robin tournaments, and then the final match. Each match must be held individually, and not all of the games are yed at the same time, so the contest cannot bepleted in a day. Contestants can race to answer or contestants have to all take turns to answer. You also have to introduce the contestants, right? What if someone has some good poems? They can''t miss the opportunity to show everyone their face." Wang Juan finally remembered those entertainment shows. She never really had many opportunities to watch them, and she was always busy with work. She asionally took a few nces at them, but she found them boring so she never continued watching. After Zhang Xiao''bao mentioned all of this, these old memories resurfaced in her mind and she finally understood what he was thinking about. "No, no, no, we can''t insert ads. If you insert ads, what are the contestants going to do in the meantime? There''s no recording equipment." Zhang Xiao''bao refused to insert ads, and he went on to say, "There are prizes. How about we say that the prize is the Four Treasures of the Study? It''s such a good opportunity for the ces that sell paper, brushes and ink. They can give us money and we''ll use their products as prizes. Also, we can stick things on our waiter''s clothing--- things like particr shop names. Although, it''s better to reserve that for ourselves. The restaurant at Little Luo''shui also needs ads. Am I too kind? " "You are too shameless. If it was up to me, I won''t provide you with those products. What can you even do about it?" Wang Juan once again followed the train of thoughts of people from this era to find loopholes for Zhang Xiao''bao. Zhang Xiao''bao put down the brush. He put his two small hands behind his head, leaned back on the chair, and looked at Wang Juan from the corner of his eyes. "This is the wicked n that I was talking about." "What''s the n?" Wang Juan turned Zhang Xiao''bao''s head to face her. "Think about it. There can''t be only one ce that sells stationery, right? Especially on that bustling street in San''shui County. I''ve never inquired about it, but there should be maybe three or five stores. We can send someone to go to those ces to buy brushes, ink, and paper in bulk. We don''t need that many inkstones, otherwise it will be just a waste. When we get people to buy them, get them to go into one store to look at the products. The person next to them can say that the other store''s products are better so it''s better to go to the other stop. Then, these people will go to the other store. They''ll repeat this at every shop and not buy anything. We''ll send several groups of people to do this. After the stores be irritated, we will send another group of people, and this time, they will make actual purchases---they will give a down payment. We will get those stores'' shopkeepers toe, and we''ll ask them whose products were the best and whose price was better. Then, we''ll select the store that''s the worst. We will tell them our evaluation of each store, but we will speak negatively about the good products and praise the bad products." "Be patient and let me finish. This time, we will order some products, and leave right after ordering. Immediately afterwards, we will send other people to discuss with them about buying products for the schrs at Little Luo''shui to write with. We must let these shopkeepers understand." Zhang Xiao''bao took a sip of water and exined to Wang Juan again. Book 2: Chapter 21 Book 2: Chapter 21 Volume 02 Chapter 21: Disputes Arose in a Harmonious Family Wang Juan still didn''t fully understand what Zhang Xiao''bao said. Normally, at a time like this, the people from the Between The Water and Clouds Restaurant shoulde over for a discussion, but it seems like Zhang Xiao''bao''s had other ns. "How does this help us? We can''t just stir things up like this? Do we really have to buy that many brushes and that much ink? We won''t be able to use them all." "How could that be possible? I n to buy only one batch. We will buy some from several stores, and thenter, we will return the products. We''ll tell them that the schrs there felt that these stores'' brushes and ink weren''t that good and were much worse than the ones bought from outside of San''shui county. The stuff at the Little Luo''shui needs to be bought from ces outside." "Why?" At this point, they will be very angry. Then, send people from the Between The Water And Clouds Restaurant to discuss making purchases. They will mention that there will be a lot of schrs partaking in apetition at the restaurant and the restaurant has decided to buy their stationeries. A person from another simr store that is from outside the county will join in too. This person is actually an actor'' that is in the cahoots with us. When the right timees, the actor'' will not only offer to give products for free, but also pay the restaurant to use their products so that San''shui County''s schrs can know which store sells good products. What do you think the local businesses will do? " Zhang Xiao''bao outlined his entire n and Wang Juan nodded vigorously. She stretched out her thumb. "Awesome. Don''t you find that tiring? Just for this kind of thing, we have to make several purchases and find people to cooperate with us. Is it worth it? What are we going to do with all those purchased items?" Wang Juan admitted that Zhang Xiao''bao''s n was indeed quite perfect. It first messes with the harmony of the local businesses and then it also gives some recognition to the store at the Little Luo''shui. Of course, they wouldn''t be able to refund the things they bought unless they discuss this with the store at the time of purchase. However, doing so would raise their suspicion. The appearance of the actor'' near the end was the most powerful move. With this move, the situation was not only a matter of pride, but it was also a matter of future business trades. No matter how Wang Juan thought about it, she felt that it was a bit uneconomical to devise such a n just to get a few sets of the Four Treasures of the Study. Zhang Xiao''bao really couldn''t understand why Wang Juan didn''t think more about it, so he had to continue to exin, "This is not as simple as getting their products once. People now don''t have the practice of sponsoring others. Whenever another activity is organized, others will follow the way things proceeded this time. "Oh, you should''ve said that earlier. I get it now. This is such a trivial matter. You can arrange it by yourself. Now, let''s put the trivial stuff aside and discuss the important stuff. Let''s talk about that person who''s going to be prince in the future. What are we going to do with him?" Wang Juan felt that she was a bit slow thinking in this matter, and she unreasonably ssified this matter as a trivial matter and began to change the subject. "Let''s see what he''s nning to do first. It''s good enough for our manors to just cooperate with him. Let''s go swimming. We can order others to deal with the trivial stuff whenever we have the time." Zhang Xiao''bao was''t petty enough to fight with Wang Juan over this matter. There was no reason for him to make things hard for himself. When the day was about to get dark, the two of them ran to the swimming pool. They took a quick dip and immediately got out--- it was like a quick shower for them. * The children from the Zhang Wang and Ge manors that received medals after participating in thepetition had a good dinner that night. Even though the little medal was worthless, it was impressive in the eyes of the adults at home. The pine flower eggs that were brought back were stored away for the children to eatter on. The adults took a bite and didn''t eat more of it. Today, a few outsiders bought a lot of pine flower eggs before they went back. The peeled ones were either five coins each or ten coins each. It was unknown what the egg was like on the inside if it was unpeeled, so the unpeeled ones were seven coins each. The buyer was lucky if they ended up with a good one, but if it was not a good one, then it would be a loss. After the adults of the three manors learned of the price, they were reluctant to eat the pine flower eggs that their children had won back. Some of the more sensible children noticed that their parents didn''t eat the eggs, so the children didn''t eat them too. In the end, nobody in the family of five ate any of the pine flower eggs. When the children from Zhang and Wang manors came back from thepetition, they received additional rewards from the master''s family. This time around, they were directly given money--- each person was given ten coins to bring back home for their family. This idea was proposed by Wang Juan. She was touched by the never-giving up spirit of these children. After the children''spetition was over, it was not just Liu''er who won in the end. She naturally got a lot of prizes, money, and she was also given the big trophy. The greater victory was that the organized actions of the Zhang and Wang manors'' children surprised the middle-aged man who followed Li Xun to thepetition. When they returned back to the manor that day, he told Li Xun about his opinion of the situation. He was a teacher hired by Li Xun''s family. Li Xun was stunned after listening to his teacher talk. He didn''t expect such a simple thing entailed so manyplex concepts. After hearing about it, he immediately ordered a school to be set up on his own manor and a teacher to be found to teach the manor''s children. He didn''t believe that his own manor was inferior to the Zhang and Wang manors. Wasn''t it just giving the residents things? If other people were able to give things away, then he was able too. In fact, he can give away things there were even better in quality. Next time when there''s a chance, anotherpetition should be held to see which manor''s residents were better. Once this order was made, Li Xun began to get busy with the tasks involved with training the "mothend''s" children. This was a challenge for him and it was also a way for him to please his family. He wrote each letter by hand and then he ordered his servants to send the letters to families that had a decent amount of wealth. He also ordered people to post notices throughout the San''shui County. After the families with children knew about this, they sent their children to stay at the courtyards behind the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant so that they could sign up when the timees. By now, Li Xun had already treated the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant as his own ce. When he met Father Zhang today, he did not forget to mention the idea of buying the restaurant. However, Father Zhang declined by saying that it was difficult for him to make a decision without other owners present. How could he sell his son''s and his daughter-inw''s creation? Housekeeper Zhang didn''t expect that money could be earned froming up with these kinds of questions. He went back happily and told Zhang Xiao''bao this, but to his surprise, Zhang Xiao''bao outright refused to sell the questions. He and Wang Juan spent the entire morning writing, and they wrote hundreds of questions that were more appropriate for an adult''s level of intelligence. Zhang Xiao''bao asked Housekeeper Zhang to bring the questions back to the restaurant, but he had to keep this a secret. Each question was ced in a separate envelope. The words "Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant Intelligence Questions" was written on the envelope, and the words "Between the Water and Clouds" were also written at the bottom on the paper inside. This was Zhang Xiao''bao''s and Wang Juan''s n. How much money can be earned from selling the questions? In the future, if everyone still likes to y this kind of game and were able toe up with questions on their own, then as long as someone talks about intelligence puzzles, the first thing others will think of is Between the Water and Clouds. Thepany''s brand is incorporated into the people''s culture, and that''s the true victory. On the afternoon of the second day, the people Zhang Xiao''bao sent out to mess with the business'' rtionships rushed to the ces. This time it was chaotic. Usually, thepetition between the businesses was fierce. On the outside, they appeared to be friendly to each other, but on the inside, they never ceased topete with each other. After this delicate rtionship was disturbed by others, the businesses'' true faces finally surfaced. After Zhang Xiao''bao was done arranging this kind of wicked affair, he selectively ignored the conflicts that might arise between the businesses in the San''shui County. He and Wang Juan were in the middle of worrying. They had no idea what Wang Juan''s father was thinking. When he knew that many children would participate in the wilderness survival game, he also signed up his daughter and son-inw. Who let Li Xun change the rules such that five to eight year olds can participate? ording to Zhang Xiao''bao''s and Wang Juan''s original n, only children of the ages between eight and twelve, so Wang Juan''s father would never sign up his two children. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juanxiao were a little bigger than the other babies when they were born. Zhang Xiao''bao was eight and a half catties, and Wang Juan was a little lighter, eight catties and six taels. These two chubby children were well liked by the family the moment they were born. Luckily, their mothers'' luck and health were good, so there were no idents duringbor. Because they were the little masters of their manors, and Madam Zhang Wang provided them with enough milk, they ended up being muchrger than other children. After they arrived here, and after going through a year of exercise, and eating and drinking an immense amount, they looked like they were four years old. In fact, there were some five or six-year-old children who were not asrge in size as the two of them. Even after he had returned home, he was still arguing with his wife. It did not take long for Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan to hear about these two pieces of news: their names have been added, and Wang Juan''s parents were not very peaceful at home. The two had to discuss and decide whether they should go or not. It was okay to y around on the grasnd, but it was not interesting. It was supposed to be a survival game, but what kind of dangers are there on a pasture? Furthermore, at night, they would be fed a good meal made by adults. If this was called survival in the wild, then what should the things the two of them did before be called? "It''s so worrying. What was my dad thinking? Why did he sign us up? There is not something a notable family would do. Do we even need topare ourselves to others?" Wang Juan''s biggest worry was whether his parents would fight or not. "Your family was never a notable one to begin with. Your father''s idea is actually not wrong. I heard that your grandpa also supports him. What kind of mindset is this? It should be the mindset of minor peasants? A little selfish, a little utilitarian, a little bit prideful, and slightly scared of being looked down upon by others, a bit..." Book 2: Chapter 22 Book 2: Chapter 22 Volume 02 Chapter 22: No Poor People In The Survival Training "Don''t look down on my family. I have made my decision. Let''s go. What do you mean by the mindset of minor peasants? This is called the mentality of a bright mind." Wang Juan didn''t give Zhang Xiao''bao another chance to continue to belittle her family and she had made up her mind. "Then let''s go. We''ll get Housekeeper Zhang to follow us. We should see if we can buy some horses from there. Mare''s milk is quite good too. It can be bought and made into cheese locally, and then transported back here for the children to eat. It can also be made into other dishes too, but we first need people to get used to eating these kinds of foods." Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t really care whether he went or not. If they did go, then they would just be ying around anyways and it was nice to go outdoors too. There was nothing about Wang Juan''s father that he was dissatisfied with. Everyone''s way of thinking was different. He can''t expect everyone to follow his and Wang Juan''s arrangements, could he? In the future, he will have to ask his mother to tell stories to Wang Juan''s mother, and subliminally teach and guide Wang Juan''s father, so that he does not always want to get ahead of others. Even though everyone has this kind of mindset, it was best to suppress it as much as one can. The two families needed tomunicate with each other more frequently, and discuss any ideas together. "Okay, then let''s prepare. We will have to go over there in just a few days. I heard that this time, the duration will be longer. The older children have to stay for ten days, and the younger ones have to stay for three days. Let''s just treat it as reminiscing the past. Let''s tell my family about this decision. My mom keeps worrying about the two of us. My mom is the better one of the two; I have no clue what my dad is thinking about the entire day." Seeing that Zhang Xiao''bao also supported her, Wang Juan knew that Zhang Xiao''bao''s was amodating her. She could never teach her father, let alone change who her father was. She could only try to influence him as much as possible. Thinking of making influences, she nudged Zhang Xiao''bao and asked, "I''ve already taken this into consideration. We''ll use the madam strategy''. We''ll get my mother to often tell your mother what happens if a person doesn''t stay level-minded. There are many stories of this kind--we can just ask my father." Zhang Xiao''bao spoke about the idea he hade up with just now. Wang Juan was not satisfied with this, "How slow would that be. I want it to be fast, so that he can mature more quickly." "Then we''ll have to get him toe in contact with some prudent people. If he sees a lot of these types of people next to him, he will naturally learn from them. Let your dad go out andmunicate with those kinds of people. Send Song Jing''gong to follow him too, so that he doesn''t get tricked too badly by those people. Some sufferings are okay though. In fact, it''s good if he gets slightly tricked a few times." This time, Zhang Xiao''bao came up with one of the most supportive and effective methods. It was just like when parents want their children to walk more steadily, they can only let the children fall over a few more times. There were no other methods that were faster than this. "You have worked so hard, Xiao''bao. You even have to worry about my family." Wang Juan rested her chin on her hands as she thanked him. "No, this is not hard work, this is joy. When you can do the best you can for your family, you should feel the things that are part of the process. Whether it is sweetness or pain, it is still a form of joy." Zhang Xiao''bao spoke as he reflected on his thoughts. He was never saddened by things like this before. "Yeah, it''s joy. It really is joy. Xiao''bao, you are so kind. Hurry up and prepare. If we''recking anythng, then we need to immediately get someone to make it for us. Since this is survival training, then it has to feel like surviving in the wild." Wang Juan pinched Zhang Xiao''bao''s face as a reward, and then she began to wonder what should be brought there. She and Zhang Xiao''bao each had a sharp needle in their sleeves. In addition to this, they needed a small shovel that can be used for digging. They also needed a nket, a hat to protect against the sun, some premade medicine, an iron bowl, a small knife, rope, salt, a backpack, and flint for fire. The flint they needed was the type that can create a spark when struck lightly since she and Zhang Xiao''bao were not that strong. Wang Juan listed off all of these items to Zhang Xiao''bao. After listening for a while, Zhang Xiao''bao suddenly said, "Let''s get people to make some small shovels and bowls---the type that children use when they pretend y. Those items can be treated as products given by the sponsors. It must be high quality, and it must not cause harm to the children. The words carved into it should be Between the Water and Clouds''. Later on, when this bes a bigger business, we will still use this brand name." "Good idea. Starting from an early age, the children will have this idea ingrained into their minds that Between the Water and Clouds'' is a good ce, and the products from there are also the best. We will let the name Between the Water and Clouds'' apany them as they grow up. Should the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant also sponsor anything? Let''s find a few cooks from the restaurant to cook the food. The ingredients should also be provided by the restaurant. This must be implemented quickly, otherwise, when those schrs'' arepeting in the intelligence games, others will know about the benefits of sponsoring and will try to steal this business opportunity. " As soon as Wang Juan heard what Zhang Xiao''bao said, she also input her thoughts. This type of business model where the consumers were targeted since they were a child was the most powerful kind of tactic. When she was young, there were also many things that she can''t forget even now. For example, when someone mentions a doll, the first word she thinks of is barbie''. With the decision made, the two of them started to get busy. A special type of bag needed to be made for them: it had two straps that went over the shoulders and another strap that went around the waist, and the fabric had to be durable. The clothing they wore can no longer hang loose. Someone was sent to report to Wang Juan''s house so that her parents would stop arguing. They were told that the two children had decided to go. Housekeeper Zhang went to the other manor to discuss the sponsorship with Li Xun. All the things needed would be provided by the Between the Water and Clouds. Housekeeper Zhang was also relieved. It was written on the paper that the things used in this game can only be produced by the Between the Water and Clouds, and no one else was allowed to join in. After Housekeeper Zhang left happily, Li Xun got the middle-aged man, who was hiding behind the folding screen, toe out, and he said, "Shi''fu, are the owners of this Between the Water and Clouds short-sighted? They are actually willing to give out so much money. Look at what''s written on the contract---they''re paying for everything. Even the carriages used to get to that ce is provided by the Between the Water and Clouds. There are three locations. Now that I think about it, there will be a lot of children that are participating. Even three to five hundred taels of silver might not be enough to pay for all of the expenses. See, it''s written here that they will take care of all of the foods the children will eat, and they promised that the ingredients would be good. They''re also paying for the toys and prizes that will be given to the children. I really don''t understand. " While listening to Li Xun''s words, the middle-aged man looked at the words on the paper, and also wondered what was the purpose of giving out those things. Was it just to please Li Xun? How could they spend a few hundred taels of silver just to please Li Xun? "No, it''s not that simple. There must be other things that we didn''t think about. The amount of money is actually not that much. They''re earning quite a bit of money everyday from Little Luo''shui River alone. That''s right, the Little Luo''shui River. I heard that at the beginning when they were buying that ce, nobody actually wanted that ce. However, when the ce was owned by them, they built a wharf, a restaurant and other ces there. This made a lot of people envious, or even jealous." "Shi''fu, are they going to do the same thing to that ce as they did with Little Luo''shui River? But they didn''t ask for anything. No matter how I look at it, it still seems like they''re giving away money for nothing. I think they''re acting like fools. Just by looking at the children on their manor, it''s quite obvious that they really like children." At this moment, Li Xun suddenly had an idea. After speaking, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was the case. In particr, since there were two children on the two manors, it made sense that they were spending money on the children because they liked children. "It''s not as simple as you think. Let''s wait and see. Things will be more clearter on. Everything about the Zhang Manor appears to be so different from elsewhere." Li Xun did not refute, and he nodded, "Okay, let''s wait and see. I''ll go find a person to ask how many children have signed up by now." * News from the restaurant has been received, and they learned that more than 30 people have signed up in the past two days. Those children were sent here by rich and notable families. Those who were further away did not arrive here yet. Nobody from the Zhang and Wang manor signed up since the duration of the game was too long so people feared that it would disrupt the children''s studies. The only children from the surrounding manors that signed up were the two little manor masters. The other residents'' children didn''t dare toe. "Why aren''t they going?" Wang Juan wondered. It was such a good opportunity. Not only can the children have fun, the apanying parents could also eat delicious food for free and sleep in tents for free, and not a single coin has to be spent. It''s a good thing. They''ll also get a gift in the end." "Of course they''re afraid. What kind of person is Li Xun? Everyone who came that day saw how wealthy and powerful he was. When they think about how there will be so many rich and powerful people gathering together, they will worry that their children might bump into those people and they won''t have the money to pay forpensations. Those who live far away, how would they have time to send their children here? They also don''t have the time to apany their children around. How much work will they have to put aside?" Zhang Xiao''bao finally understood this now. The poor families'' children won''te. Being poor didn''t mean that the parents don''t care about their children. If their children came, then their parents would have toe too and too much time will be wasted. "Huh? In other words, our n failed this time?" Wang Juan thought about it for a bit, and she came to the same conclusion. "We didn''t fail. The purpose was to get Li Xun involved. Whether there are poor children or not, he will still find this interesting. Next time, we''ll find something else for him to do. Furthermore, children from poor families aren''t under strict control. They spend their entire day running around in the vige. If you throw them into the mountains, they will be able to find food to eat, so why would they need to be trained? Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t feel like they failed at all. It was enough to just achieve their goal. "Okay, then let''s get to know the rich and powerful people to see how they speak and do things, and we will learn from them. I''m guessing Li Xun will bring the children from his manor." When Wang Juan talked about Li Xun, she smiled. She knew what Li Xun was going to do. Book 2: Chapter 23 Book 2: Chapter 23 Volume 02 Just like what Zhang Xiao''bao said, none of the children from poor families went to sign up. However, the children Li Xun invited all came. A person was sent to report the child''s name, and they didn''t have to pay any registration fee. When the timees, their family will send their children here. By the time Li Xun received the news, there were a total of 53 people that signed up. This number was reasonablyrge, but it was too far from what he nned. His purpose was not to find a group of people to y together-- he was still thinking about improving the nation''s physical fitness. In the past one or two years, soldiers were needed to fight foreign nations. If he could handle this matter well, his Emperor uncle would be happy. When he heard about the low number, he asked the messenger, "Why are there so few people? Aren''t there three manors nearby? There are a lot of children there, right?" "Young Prince, I don''t know why there are so few people. Nobody from the Zhang, Wang and Ge manors signed up, although there are a few from outside of these areas that signed up. The waiters there told me that those who signed up are from rich families. Young Prince, how about I get someone to post another notice, or my Young Prince can make a mandate." "Mandate? Can I send mandates? How could I do that? Go there and ask why the children of Zhang and Wang manors didn''t sign up. They''re the ones that gave me this idea. Go tell them that their manors'' children muste. Ten children of each age need toe. Actually, just five, ten is too many." Li Xun was worried. If it was other people, he did not dare to force his request on them, but this was fine to do to the Zhang and Wang manors. His idea was simple. Who told you to give me this idea? Now that the idea is realized and I have made my moves, not a single person from your sides areing. You''re obviously trying to undermine me. The messenger ran out immediately. Fortunately, the ce was not far away. Not too long afterwards, he ran back out of breath and reported, "Young Prince, I''ve managed to obtain the answer. The people on the Zhang and Wang manors felt that the duration of the event was too long and it would disrupt their children''s studies. They said that they''re willing to send five children of each age, but the children need to be swapped out after each location change. Otherwise, the children who are going will fall behind in their schoolwork." "Alright, that''s good. Aren''t there a lot of children on my manor too? Let them go too. They don''t have ss to attend. How many children are there that fits the age requirement?" Li Xun was satisfied now since they gave him a reasonable exnation. Originally, it was supposed to be five days, but he changed it to ten days. Those little children did not receive the same treatment as him. If he didn''t study during the day, then he would be taught at night. Who on the manor could invite the teachers to go to their house to personally teach their children? "Young Prince, in our manor, there are eleven children that are five to eight years old, and nine that are eight to twelve years old. That''s a total of twenty children that are old enough." The messenger had the matters on this manor memorized very clearly because he was scared that the Young Prince will suddenly be in the mood to ask him some questions. If he was unable to answer and he ends up angering the Young Prince, then the consequences.... Li Xun was almost pushed to the brink of going crazy; he considered getting four-year-olds to join to increase the number of participants. The messenger looked troubled and replied, "Young Prince, there are four-year-olds, but all of them are weak and can''t endure hardships. Even some five-year-olds can''t do it. Do you think...?" "Five-year-olds can''t? How could that be? I saw that all the children on the Zhang and Wang manors were all good. Could it be that the food their residents ate was different?" Li Xun was puzzled. "Young Prince, you are correct. It is true that the food is different. The food they usually eat is only slightly more expensive than the food here. They asionally ate meat, but that''s the case for the adults. The children ate differently---they ate good food everyday. I heard people say that they don''t eat at home. At school, regardless of the child''s age, they are provided with two meals everyday. In the morning, they''re given milk and eggs, and in the afternoon, they''re given a vegetable dish and a meat dish. Children grow really quickly. If they''re given better food, then it is immediately evident. How could our manor''s children evenpare to them? Young Prince, if the Zhang and Wang manors'' children had to fight children of their age, one child can fight off three children that are from our manor. It is not hard to imagine how good they will be at surviving in the wild. I also heard that as long as those two manors have anything good, they will think of their manors'' children. Even when a cow fell to its death, soup was made for the child to drink. As for us... " When the messenger spoke up to that point, he did not dare to speak on. After the Young Prince arrived here, he didn''t give much benefit to the residents. After those people sold thend to him, they saved up the money and were reluctant to spend it. Everyone was usually like this so it was hard to notice any oddities. However, it was different now. The differences in those children can be detected at a nce. Now, many people on the manor secretly regretted their decision. They heard that on the day the Young Prince bought the manor, the Zhang manor also sent someone to buy theirnd. Unfortunately, it was a step toote. The people who sold thend back thenined and med each other. They ranted that they should not have sold thend so impatiently, and that they should have waited for the Zhang manor toe and buy it. He did not expect that those two manors would give the residents'' children such good meals to eat. Looking back at the children that were there that day, he recalled that every single child had plump rosy cheeks. "How about this, there are still a few days left before we go to that ce; in the meantime, go arrange food for those children to eat. Give them four meals a day-- no, four main courses and when they''re done eating, let them y for a while. If they feel hungry again, give them food whenever they want it. There must be both meat and eggs. They should be able to grow a bit more, right?" It was a bit toote for Li Xun to regret, so he had to rush the process. However, when he asked the messenger, his voice was filled with a bit of uncertainty. "Yes. Young Prince, please rest assured, Children grow really quickly. They can grow quite a bit after a night''s sleep. As long as there''s enough food, they can grow chubby in just a few days. I''ll go arrange this right now." The messenger was delighted to hear what the Young Prince said. This way, the residents would notin anymore, and he could feel a bit more relieved. Just when he was about to leave, Li Xun spoke again, "It''s not good if they can''t sleep well. Go, get me some ice and ce it in their houses. Find people to drive mosquitoes away for them too. There''s no way that my manor could be inferiorpared to the Zhang and Wang manors." The messenger felt that his Young Prince has gone crazy. If ice was delivered to the residents and the mosquitoes were driven away, then the expenses will not be small. He wanted to dissuade the Young Prince, but at the same time, he was too scared to speak up so he could only consent. Suddenly, he remembered something, and spoke again, "Young Prince, I heard that the two children from the Zhang and Wang families have signed up. There''s one boy and one girl." "Good. They''re not too bad then. But I remember that those two children are less than five years old, right?" Li Xun was happy at first, then suspicious. "Young Prince, they''re over two years old, but they have grown to be big. They''re muchrger than other children of their age. They look like they''re four, and they''re more stronger than some of the five year olds on our manor. They have probably eaten better food." The messenger was rather well informed in this regard. Li Xun recalled and he felt that he seemed to have seen the two children before, and they were indeedrger than the others. He nodded, "I see. Remember to get people to take care of them and don''t let anything happen to them." "Shi''fu, what do you think should be done about this matter?" After seeing his Shi''fu, Li Xun told him everything and asked his Shi''fu to help him out. The middle-aged man didn''t know what to do, but after pondering for a while, he said. "This is easy. Since those who aren''t wealthy can''te, then only find families that are wealthy. Write the invitations yourself and deliver it to each family. I don''t think they would dare to reject you. As for figuring which family isrich and has kids, we can ask the administrative office." Li Xun now had a framework to work with. He ignored what his identity was and he ran back to the study room to write the invitations himself. In the past, how could he possibly write invitation letters to people? This time, he wrote very simple invitations. He left a space to write in the name, and then he wrote down the body of the invitation letter. When the timees, the name can just be filled in. Although it didn''t really look polite, who couldin while knowing who wrote the letter? When Li Xun was busy finding people, the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant was almost done preparing. The next day, the intellectualpetition between the schrs'' was going to begin. This game was still rtively new to all of the schrs''. The little gs were ced into the ground, and tenrge gs rumbled in the wind. Of course, neither therge nor the small gs could be blown straight by the wind because they were already fixed to a frame. Various store names were written on these gs, and therge gs can be spotted from afar. What people didn''t expect was that these big banners were all upied by stores in the San''shui County that sold brushes, ink, paper and inkstone. Those stores were holding in their anger and they wanted to fight for the top at the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant. They also wanted those schrs'' to use their products. Some of the schrs were from the ce near Little Luo''shui River. The people at the stores were enjoying the gratification of seeking revenge. How dare you say that our products aren''t good. What do you have to say now? You still have to use our products in the end. Who let an outsider''s storee here to steal business. What do you think now? We bought all ten of therge gs for one entire month. The stores'' employees felt particrly satisfied when they heard people''s exmation when they came here and saw the banners. Each employee came here to watch the excitement and to show their faces to everyone who came. The Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant also did a good job in this regard. From early on, they have been spreading news that so-and-so stores have provided so-and-so products. Before the intelligence game had even started, many people had memorized the names of these stores. Some even directly stated that they would go to a particr store to buy things in the future. Book 2: Chapter 24 Book 2: Chapter 24 Volume 02 Chapter 24: Hard To Guess Their Thoughts Without Any Clues Many people were surprised that it would have this kind of effect. Some of them saw this kind of thing for the second time, and some saw it for the first time. During the very first time, not many people paid attention to it because the participants were all children, but now that they were adults and that there were also those gs, in the midst of being surprised, this particr method wasmitted to their memory. "Shi''fu, I finally know why Housekeeper Zhang was willing to provide us with supplies. Look, it''s written here. When the timees, we need to make it clear that the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant gave the stuff to me. Li Cheng just told me that three stores had went to him and offered to pay for the supplies needed during this survival game. One said that he would pay for everything, and he would even make clothes for them too. Another person said they were willing to put out two thousand taels of silver upfront. Shi''fu, we have lost money. " Li Xun was sitting at the roof floor of the restaurant. Nowadays, a lot of rich people are willing to pay to be seated at the roof floor for a change of environment. The roof floor of the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant was more expensive than booking a private room on the second floor. Since only a group of people can go up at a time, and there must be less than twenty people in the group, whenever people get a chance to go up there, they get to enjoy their time in their own little world. Li Xun had heard the words that were spoken by people with loud voices, and Li Cheng came to report just now, so now he finally understood why Housekeeper Zhang left so happily after the contract was signed. Li Xun ced down the contract that was in his hand and he spoke to the middle-aged man. Listening to what Li Xun said and looking at his expectant gaze, the middle-aged man sighed helplessly. "Nothing can be done. They have a copy of the contract too. If we want to go back on our words, then we would have to murder them all, and we will have to make sure no one finds out about it. Do you think that would even work?" "No. I never thought about killing them. Even if someone ns to kill them, they might be able to kill the master of the manor, but can they kill all of the residents on the manor? If all of the residents are killed, my Imperial uncle will not be that forgiving. It''s too frightening to kill that many people at once, and it would definitely be investigated thoroughly. Furthermore, the Zhang manor is a ce where an auspicious omen appeared before. If the people from the ce where an auspicious omen appeared all died, then could it be that what appeared was not actually an auspicious omen? And that my Imperial uncle did not govern the country well? Shi''fu, let''s stop talking about killing people. Is there any other way? " Li Xun was frightened to death when he heard his Shi''fu mention killing people. It was fine to not care about the people of the Zhang manor when they''re still alive and not give them any benefits, but if he tried to kill them all, then the auspicious omen will be implicated. How could something bad happen to a ce where an auspicious omen appeared? If something did happen, then how could that be an auspicious omen? "There''s no other way. How about you go to Housekeeper Zhang and tell him about this, and see if he has any ns? I think they will not make things hard for you given your identity." The middle-aged man wasn''t serious when he mentioned killing people just now. He didn''t have the guts to do that. Only the person who tied the bell can remove the bell.1 Since Li Xun wanted to benefit from this situation, he could only go ask them for help. Li Cheng was busy dealing with an endless amount of people that wanted to give away money for nothing. When he heard that the Young Prince was looking for him, he had an excuse to leave, and he ran off. His forehead was covered in sweat, but it wasn''t due to the heat, it was due to being pestered. After waiting for Li Xun to finish speaking, Li Cheng knew that this time he would not be pestered by others, but instead, he had to pester other people. He found Housekeeper Zhang, who was responsible for arranging this, at the restaurant and he said to him, "Housekeeper Zhang, can we go somewhere to talk?" Of course Housekeeper Zhang didn''t dare to refuse. He followed Li Cheng to a ce with no one else present and then he asked, "I wonder what matter Mister Li needs to talk about?" "This...this is a long story." Li Cheng spoke bashfully. These things sounded simple, but if he made any mistakes, then he would be too ashamed to stand in front of his Young Master and Young Miss. This was the first time he heard about this idea. He was afraid that this would anger the schrs, so he went to ask them, and to his surprise, the schrs agreed happily. They said that the weather is hot, so it was good to have a bowl of water prepared. After hearing these responses, Housekeeper Zhang felt relieved. Seeing that Li Cheng wanted to wait to see who could be more patient, Housekeeper Zhang no longer had the patience to keep stalling here. Li Cheng didn''t expect Housekeeper Zhang''s words would be so direct, so he was taken aback for a moment. He had to tell him what the Young Prince ordered him to do. "Housekeeper Zhang, your restaurant has now epted other people''s things and set up banners for them---those are all good ideas. What my family''s childe want to know is that can you allow other people to get involved with the survival game? They''re all the Great Tang''s people." "Oh, so that''s the situation. That''s easy to do." Housekeeper Zhang no longer made remarks out of amazement about his Young Master and Young Miss anymore because he was now desensitized. Just today, when he was about to leave, his Young Master came looking for him. His Young Master told him that if Li Xun changed his mind, then another n will be used and we will still receive the benefits we deserved. After saying this, his Young Master gave him some brief instructions. The instructions made him feel a bit puzzled during that moment, but now after thinking about it more carefully, his Young Master''s words were truly the words of a prophet. He was able to predict everything. Fortunately, he was used to this. Everything that his Young Master and Young Miss said was correct, and everything they did certainly brought in profit without losing any money. The only thing he needed to do was listen to their words and follow their steps. "So Housekeeper Zhang has agreed, then... can the things written by the Childe be...?" Li Cheng was relieved when he heard Housekeeper Zhang''s words. It seems that Housekeeper Zhang was quite easy to talk to. Right now, he wanted to take back the contract. Housekeeper Zhang smiled. Right now he felt like he had the control of everything in his hands; although his Young Master was the one that allowed him to have this feeling. He said to Li Cheng, "Mister Li, do not rush and let me finish. I believe that the childe of your manor wants other people to join in, but you may not know that this is ratherplicated and it will tire people to death. However, Mister Li does not need to worry. My manor knows how to handle this. How about you return and ask if this matter can be handed over to the Between the Water and Clouds? Then, you will only have to wait to receive items and money. What do you think?" Before thinking of anything else, he thought about that gold. That gold was rewarded to the Young Prince by the people in the pce. Later when he gave it out to the restaurant, he thought that he would get something out of it; for example, pay less money to them. However, when he arrived, he found out the waiters told everyone they encountered that the childe at the Li Manor was kind and righteous, and he used his own money to help the poor and weak. They mentioned that the Between the Water and Clouds was not as good as the Young Childe Li; after taking his money, all they had to do was arrange a ce for the family to stay at and give that breast-feeding mother half a pig''s knuckle everyday. What they did was nothingpared to the benevolence and righteousness of the Young Childe Li. Li Cheng remembered that he was baffled during that moment. They told everyone about this, so how could he dare to give them less money? If he didn''t give enough money, then he would bebelling his Young Prince as an unrighteous person. Not only did he not get any money, he also had to pay the full amount and give more moneyter on. He even rewarded the waiters some money too. How could he gain anything from a ce like this and from a person like him? He could only dream on. A few days ago, Housekeeper Zhang went to their ce and offered to be responsible for everything in the survival game. He hesitated about this at first and then he thought that Housekeeper Zhang was a good person. However, today he found out that what Housekeeper Zhang offered to give was much lesser than what other people offered to give. Thinking of all the past events, when he heard Housekeeper Zhang agreeing so readily now, he felt a gust of cold air rise from under his feet and couldn''t feel the heat of the beaming sun anymore. "Mister Li? Mister Li? Say something. Do you agree to allow the Between the Water and Clouds to help?" Housekeeper Zhang waited for a while, but after seeing Li Cheng spacing out, he asked him again. "Huh? Oh, this thing. Housekeeper Zhang, I can''t make the decision. Why don''t you wait for me to ask the childe, and then I''lle find you. That contract..." Li Cheng didn''t dare make any agreement. Who knows what will happen this time? It was better to go back and discuss this. As he spoke, he stretched out his hand for the contract. "Oh no, Mister Li, my memory is so bad. That thing is left at home. It''s right on the table in my master''s study room. How about you go back and discuss it first, while I go get it now?" Housekeeper Zhang was not a fool. How could he give back the contract before settling the matters? What can be done to them if they change their mind after taking back the contract? "Alright, then I''ll trouble Housekeeper Zhang to that. I''ll leave now to go ask." Li Cheng had no choice but to turn around and run to the roof floor of the building. He repeated the conversation he had just had with Housekeeper Zhang. "Shi''fu, what do you think?" Li Xun was also a little afraid of this ce. The people here did not act ording to normal logic. There was no way to guess what they were going to do. He really wanted to use his identity to suppress them, but he didn''t dare to. How could he dare mess with the auspicious omen? The Court Supervisor2 wasn''t going to go easy on him; he could be impeached if necessary. "This...?" The middle-aged man also felt unsettled about this. He also had no idea what the Between the Water and Clouds actually wanted. The Zhang manor''s response was too prompt. They were just thinking of changing their mind and just after they sent someone to discuss this, the Zhang Manor immediately agreed and mentioned adding another condition to the contract. No matter how he looked at this condition, it didn''t seem like it would cause any harm to the Li Manor. But, was this possible? It seems that the Between the Water and Clouds has never suffered a loss before. The Zhang Manor was really good. After thinking for a while, the middle-aged man only came up with one thing, and he said to Li Cheng, "Go back and tell Housekeeper Zhang that as long as the items and money those businesses have agreed to give us are not reduced, then let him take care of it. Make sure contracts are made, then get him toe over."
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Only the person who tied the bell can remove the bell
This is a Chinese proverb that describes the person who created the problem is the only one that can resolve the problem. I kept the literal trantion here since I found it interesting.
  1. Court Supervisor
This is the government official that is responsible for supervising what goes on in the Imperial Court, and give his opinion or offer suggestions to the Emperor. Book 2: Chapter 25 Book 2: Chapter 25 This week''s chapters!
Volume 02 Chapter 25: Turning Sponsorships Into Business Deals The middle-aged man couldn''te up with any other ideas. The only thing that he could think of was that Housekeeper Zhang wanted to take a portion of the money that others gave them. He couldn''t figure out what the result of this would be like. Fortunately, the people here were reasonable. Even though Li Xun and them regretted their decision, they didn''t reject them directly. Instead, they made a proposal that seemed to do no harm to Li Xun and them. He felt that he was a bit of a failure to resort to doing this. How was he any different from a rascal? Even if he seeds, relying on this method will only show that he was ipetent. Anyone else like the Young Prince cane here and do the same thing, so why would he be needed? After Li Cheng left, the middle-aged man felt that he was about to be an elderly person soon. Even though he clearly knew what he was facing was a scheme, he couldn''t figure out what was going on, let alone find a way to counteract it. Li Cheng left quickly and also came back quickly. As soon as he saw Housekeeper Zhang, he smiled and said, "Housekeeper Zhang, the childe has agreed. When will you have time to go upstairs to write a new contract? The one fromst time?" "Oh, okay, let''s go up right now then. Mister Li, don''t worry, I have it here. Look, is this the right one?" Seeing that they had agreed, Housekeeper Zhang finally breathed a sigh of relief, and he took out the paper from the inside of his sleeve. He shook open the folded paper to show Li Cheng. Housekeeper Zhang first greeted Li Xun and then he took out the contract and returned it to Li Xun. Afterwards, he began to write a new one. When the old contract came into Li Xun''s hands, Housekeeper Zhang didn''t worry that Li Xun would just tear up the paper and deny the contract. The people from the Imperial family couldn''t possibly be that shameless. After a short while, the new contract was created. Both parties signed the contract, and then Housekeeper Zhang brought the contract with him to go look for the businesses that wanted to discuss sponsorships with Li Xun. Li Xun, who didn''t understand what was going on, ordered Li Cheng to follow behind him to see what Housekeeper Zhang wanted to do. Housekeeper Zhang didn''t try to shake him off. He walked around the inside and outside of the restaurant and found fourteen businesses that wanted to sponsor the survival game. He invited all of the businesses'' decision makers to a private room on the second floor. Li Cheng did not shy away and he also followed them into the room. "Everyone, everyone." Housekeeper Zhang yelled twice and asked the fourteen decision makers to look at him. Then he continued, "Thank you for the assistance you have offered towards the survival game. Unfortunately, there are too many people. Thus, Young Childe Li has handed this matter over to the Between the Water and Clouds. Everyone, please have a look, this is the contract that we have just signed." While speaking, Housekeeper Zhang took out the contract and showed it to the fourteen people. After they were done reading it, they nodded to admit that this was true. "Housekeeper Zhang, since you''re the one handling this matter, I wonder which store you have in mind?" An extremely thin man with high protruding cheekbones spoke up first. Other people also nodded; they all wanted to know his answer since it was better than being kept in suspense. They have seen how effective the advertisements that Between the Water and Clouds made were. Each and everyone of them wanted to do the same thing during the wilderness survival training. They knew for certain the children who came to this training were either wealthy or notable. "Shopkeeper Yu, you don''t need to be anxious. I''ll tell everyone right now. Shopkeeper Yu''s shop is the top butcher''s shop in the county. Almost all of the butcher''s shops in the town are owned by Shopkeeper Yu. Everyone, how about you all write down what you want to give on a piece of paper--- this will be used as evidence in the future." Everyone had no clue that Housekeeper Zhang was ndering Shopkeeper Yu in his heart. Hearing this proposal, they all felt that it was a good idea. Everyone wrote something down. This way, regardless which one was selected, it was selected fairly. Just when they lifted up their brushes to write, Housekeeper Zhang spoke again. "Everyone, you have to think clearly when you write. For example, Shopkeeper Yu''s shop sells meat, so he can give those children meat. Shopkeeper Shang''s store sells fabric, so the children''s clothing can be taken care of by his store. Likewise, everyone should not write down an item that is inferior to another store''s." With this reminder, everyone had a sudden moment of realization. Each person carefully thought about which item of theirs would receive the approval of others. When they started to write, they also used their arms to carefully block the paper so that others can''t see what they wrote. It didn''t take much time for the fourteen people to finish writing. They carefully blew the ink dry, folded the paper and handed it into the hands of Housekeeper Zhang. Housekeeper Zhang took the papers, but he didn''t even look at them, and he directly gave them to Li Cheng. He asked Li Cheng to send the papers to the people on the roof floor so that can decide whether these items are enough. Li Cheng didn''t expect that Housekeeper Zhang would not look at it at all. Despite that he was shocked, he did not dare to neglect his duties, so he immediately turned and left. "Everyone, perhaps you don''t understand why I have done this. I''ll exin to everyone right now. If two tigers fight, one of them is bound to be injured. I don''t have the heart to see anyone of you be left out. Thus, I worked hard to help everyone with the sponsorships. There are a total of fourteen businesses, and six of them sell the same things as each other. For example, Shopkeeper Shang and Shopkeeper Zhu both operate fabric stores. The two of you must be thinking that if we use one store, then the other one won''t be used. Wrong. What I meant was that this thought is wrong. We will use both stores. The two of you must know that there are three stages in this game, so the two of you can provide the clothes for the first two stages. The clothes that are suitable for wearing on the grasnd are absolutely different from the clothes that are suitable for wearing in a sand area. The two stores can each work on one type of environment. As for who makes clothes for the grasnd and who makes clothes for the sand area, the two stores can discuss this by themselves. When the third stagees, we will ask those children which one they liked more, and the more favored store can continue providing clothes for the children. As for the other store, we are sorry to say that you lost your chance. When Housekeeper Zhang said these words, those two people had already started staring at each other. It was as if they wanted to use their gazes to fight for a victory. Housekeeper Zhang ignored them. He couldn''t be bothered by how others n topete with each other. As long as they provided the clothing, then everything was fine. As for the remaining four businesses, it was also two storespeting against each other, so he handled them the same way. After the six people''s affairs were settled, Housekeeper Zhang spoke to everyone again, "Everyone, we want all of your things. Remember what you wrote down, including the amount of money, and when the timees, we will tell everyone who provided the items that are used. After Housekeeper Zhang said this, the expressions on the fourteen people''s faces didn''t look good. Their original n was to pay for all of the expenses, so they wrote down arge sum of money. They didn''t expect Housekeeper Zhang would divide things up this way. Some of them wanted to back out, but at the same time, they felt discontent. They were hoping that someone else would back out so that they could reap more benefits. It was a pity that no one decided to leave. After all, the children''s families were not ordinary this time, and there was a chance that these families would use their businesses in the future, so they didn''t dare to quit now. For example, Shopkeeper Yu wanted to back out, but if he did, then things would be troublesome. Many people saw hime here, and there was also Housekeeper Zhang, the people from the thirteen stores, and the person upstairs. Once he backs out, other people will no longer buy his shop''s meat and all kinds of rumors will spread. You havee here, but in the end, they didn''t buy your shop''s meat, so that must mean that your shop''s meat is not good. Shopkeeper Yu felt that Housekeeper Zhang would definitely do this, and he would even spread the news that he backed out. At almost the same time, the fourteen people let out a sigh and they submitted to their fate. They all gave in. Housekeeper Zhang did not finish speaking yet, so he continued, "Everyone, the Between the Water and Cloud has helped everyone so much. We shouldn''t be receiving any benefits from any of you, but the Between the Water and Cloud is not mine alone. There are quite a few people waiting for their bread and butter, so another tenth of the value of the things you have written down needs to be paid to the Between the Water and Cloud. Whoever disagrees can find the person upstairs. If he agrees, then you don''t have to give a tenth of the items or money. Everyone should not think that it''s expensive. This is a good deal. In the future, the Between the Water and Cloud will still provide everyone with the same opportunity, and we will discuss that when the timees. There will be chances for other sponsorships or for certain urgently needed purchases. If you encounter anything that is difficult to resolve, you can also find the Between the Water and Cloud, and we will helpe up with a solution. Today is the first time, so that''s why we asked for a tenth. In the future, we can discuss new conditions. For example, for ten thousand pieces of cloth, the Between the Water and Cloud will not dare to take one thousand pieces. Perhaps it will be one hundred pieces or perhaps it will be fifty pieces. " After Housekeeper Zhang finished speaking, he didn''t say anything else. He looked at the fourteen people sitting there, waiting for someone to quit. The fourteen people were simultaneously angry and happy. No one was willing to give out more money, but they felt happy when they thought about the extra business opportunities that will open up in the future. "Housekeeper Zhang, I agree. I''ll write you a contract right now." Shopkeeper Yu spoke up first. When he got here, he asked around a bit and he found out that the Zhang and Wang manors were raising a lot of pigs. This was the perfect supply for him. When the others saw that he had taken the lead, they also all agreed. The fourteen people started writing again. The smile on Housekeeper Zhang''s face did not change the entire time. This time, the amount earned had greatly surpassed the amount they had to pay at the beginning. Although they made advertisements for the stores, when the timees, the words managed by the Between the Water and Clouds'' will be added at the bottom of the ads or be mentioned during the introduction. When the fourteen people finished writing and handed the papers to Housekeeper Zhang, Li Cheng came down from upstairs and heard about what was going on. He stood at the doorpletely dumbstruck. In his mind, he thought, "So that''s why. Not just any ordinary people cane to this ce. '' Book 2: Chapter 26 Book 2: Chapter 26 Volume 02 Chapter 26: Registration Ends Today Mats of green grass, gloomy cast in the sky. The sound of the zither and flute urges on. After several days of preparation, the schrs'' intelligence game finally began. Although the restaurant saved a bit of money because they didn''t need to prepare ice, they felt that it was a bit of a pity. The sky was frighteningly gloomy today. They were afraid that a sudden rain would wet the banners outside, and they were also afraid that the people who came to watch would rush to leave. The violent wind swept the sand and struck various ces. The banners outside couldn''t bear the attack, and they broke one by one. Seeing this situation, Housekeeper Zhang was terrified. He was afraid that the merchants who had spent money would be dissatisfied, and he hurriedly found Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, who were drinking soup in the corner of the first floor. "Young Master, this is troubling. Quite a few of the banners outside have been badly damaged by the wind, and the advertisements on them are ruined." Housekeeper Zhang spoke nervously to Zhang Xiao''bao. A cold shiver washed over his entire body when he saw the worm-like thing in the soup that his Young Master and Young Miss were drinking. He felt nauseated. He had no idea what that thing was. In the middle ofst night, those things were brought over from Xiao''hong''s ce. They were raised in the water, and when it arrived here, they were still alive. "Huh? Damaged? That''s not surprising. I told you. If we don''t coat the paper, it would rip in the wind. Holepunching it was pointless. Now what? I was right, wasn''t I? Housekeeper Zhang, you''re just in time for soup. It''s really vorful." While Wang Juan was talking, she scooped some soup from the big soup bowl for Housekeeper Zhang, and there were even some worm fragments in it. Housekeeper Zhang was on the verge of crying. Was this food even fit for human consumption? In the morning, he had seen what they looked like---they were a bunch of moving red worms in a basin. However, his Young Miss had scooped out the soup for him, so how could he not eat it? His two little masters were also drinking the soup too, and their tastes were definitely more exquisite than his. Housekeeper Zhang gritted his teeth, and he picked up the bowl and chugged down all of the soup in two gulps. Even if this was poison, he would still drink it, so this soup that his little masters were drinking meant nothing. "How is it? Isn''t it delicious? Not just anybody gets to drink this soup. This thing is even better than wood fungus. Actually, no, they''re not even the same type of item. This is more expensive than wood fungus. Isn''t the taste very rich? Eat more of this, it''s good for yourthat area. Xiao''bao, tell Housekeeper Zhang what it''s good for." Seeing that Housekeeper Zhang drank the whole bowl of soup, Wang Juan continued to talk. After speaking, she felt it was inappropriate for certain words toe out of her mouth, so she cued Zhang Xiao''bao, who had his head lowered while he drank his soup. Zhang Xiao''bao was in the middle of enjoying the soup when he was interrupted by Wang Juan. He lifted his head, and he looked at Housekeeper Zhang and said, "If the banners are broken, then so be it. In fact, that''s even better. Get someone to glue paper to it. Glue it everytime it rips. We need to let those people who spent money know how much we value this matter. No biggie. Eat those pink things in the bowl, don''t be wasteful. If you''re not going to eat it, give it to me. If I give you Pepino melon, you will just swallow it whole. Give it over to me. " Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t care if the glued paper banners would rip again. He has already prepared for this. Regardless of how many banners rip and how fast they rip, they can be repaired just as quickly. The merchants here didn''t think about quality issues. What they were concerned about the most was whether others cared about them. Restlessly repairing the banners while they''re being damaged will leave a good impression. The only thing he was dissatisfied with was that Housekeeper Zhang drank only the soup, and he left the innkeeper worms behind at the bottom of the bowl. In his opinion, a steamed bun that cost 10,000 yuan was no different from a steamed bun that cost 0.1 yuan. If he wanted to eat it, then he would eat it. Even if it was a 0.1 yuan steamed bun, he couldn''t tolerate it all if someone threw it away after eating two bites. Glug glug. Housekeeper Zhang poured a bit more soup into the bowl and without hesitation, he poured everything in the bowl into his stomach. He didn''t want to be beaten like that male servant from the inner courtyard. During the Qing Ming Festival, his master gave gifts to the servants and held a celebration dinner. He clearly remembered that the food was served in a way that he had never seen before. When the foods were made, they were ced inrge basins, and whoever wanted to eat it could use the bowl and chopsticks in front of them to take the food. At that time, Shi''iu repeated three times that everyone should only take as much as they could eat. It was alright to eat as much as the person wanted to as long as the person could finish all of the food they took. One person was too gluttonous, and after eating a bunch of food, he still filled his bowl with pieces of fatty meat and even sprinkled green onions and ginger on top. However, in the end, he ate only half of it. That person got into big trouble. The Young Master and Young Miss were also eating with them, and when they heard that someone didn''t finish their food, they immediately called the house guards over. The person was whipped exactly forty times without any mercy. From them on, everyone knew that their Young Maser was different from other people---he absolutely did not tolerate wasting food. Their Young Master didn''t feel like it was a waste if a person ate a tael of wood fungus stir-fried with meat, but if a person didn''t finish eating the few remaining leaves of nched spinach, then that person would be in trouble. They will be punished with at least ten whipshes. Wang Juan watched Housekeeper Zhang resist his disgust while drinking the soup, and she shook her head helplessly. She couldn''t do anything about this. She knew what Zhang Xiao''bao had experienced before, and he had an almost reverent attitude towards food. In many people''s opinion, the saying a lot of hard work went into each grain of rice'' didn''t mean much to them. They might think that a farmer''s hard work had nothing to do with them and that the food was bought with money earned from their ownbor and not obtained for free, so why should they care if the farmers have worked hard? But for Zhang Xiao''bao, it was a different situation. He always wanted to save more food for himself. No matter what he ate, he looked extremely happy. It has been more than once where Wang Juan had to tell him that fish bones cannot be eaten at his current age. If something bad happens, there are no hospitals here that could treat him. She had never seen Zhang Xiao''bao leave behind leftovers. At the beginning, when Zhang Xiao''bao saw his family''s leftover food, he frowned. Wang Juan couldn''t understand this kind of obsessive behaviour of his, but perhaps if she lived like Zhang Xiao''bao for a while, she would understand. "Do you feel full now? This is really a good thing; it''s even more expensive than wood fungus." Zhang Xiao''bao asked with a smile as he watched the housekeeper finish off everything. "It''s delicious, it''s delicious, it''s so delicious. Young Master, how can you make such a delicious thing? Oh, I''m going to get people to glue those banners right now." Housekeeper Zhang didn''t even know what that thing tasted like, so he could only agree with his Young Master. Zhang Xiao''bao watched Housekeeper Zhang leave in a hurry, and then he picked up a piece of innkeeper worm and put it in his mouth. "He is not even aware of how blessed he is. I can''t believe drinking innkeeper worm soup made him this scared. Last time I even saw him eat pig kidney. How could pig kidneys be better than innkeeper worms? Dummy." "Why do you have those two shorings? One is towards food and the other is towards the poor and weak." "I''m not a deity--- I''m a human, and humans have shorings. You''re not the first person to discover my shorings; back then, quite a few people knew. Do you want to use my shorings to your advantage? You can try to." Zhang Xiao''bao was still calm as always, and he didn''t feel scared at all. "I''m not going to try. I think a person who understands what kind of shorings he has and still retains his shorings is standing on the border between heaven and hell." Wang Juan was not a fool. She understood after thinking about it for a bit. Sometimes when you can clearly see another person''s weaknesses, you shouldn''t attack because it might be a trap. "Okay, I''m done eating; the little bit that is left is yours. Can you still eat? If you can''t eat anymore, give it to me, I''ll eat it." Zhang Xiao''bao was unwilling to waste time on something that was meaningless. "I''m not full yet. Xiao''bao, I want to go up there and see how the schr''s are ying the intelligence game." Wang Juan didn''t eat as fast as Zhang Xiao''bao. She was controlling her eating speed this entire time. She scooped some of the hearty bits into her bowl, and ate as she discussed with Zhang Xiao''bao. "I''m going to go there for real then. But what will I say after I go there? I''m such a small child. Help mee up with an idea." Wang Juan said a little troubled. Of course Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t know what was going on in her mind. He never studied female psychology before and he didn''t know that a lot of times, women are the first to take on responsibilities and obligations. Wang Juan was not that good at earning money. She had already received the news from the Magistrate that the Wang family will also receive a special reward: fiefs. Zhang Xiao''bao was the one who helped her family receive this. Some of the resident''s treatments were made possible by taking items from Zhang Xiao''bao''s warehouse. She wanted to take responsibility for a few household duties. She was a strong woman, but she was used to living in a family where her father had the final say. Even her mother, who was the deputy minister of municipal affairs, also had to listen to her father when at home. In her mind, her father was not only a family member, but also her idol. Zhang Xiao''bao possessed some of her father''s temperament; in fact, he was slightly better. She subconsciously acknowledged this kind of identity without realizing it. Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t know about this type of imperceptible influence on the mentality. He looked at Wang Juan with a little worry and he wondered if she was suddenly emotionally unstable. "What are you looking at? I told you toe up with an idea." Wang Juan changed again at this moment. This type of mentality couldn''t be exined using logic and theories. Zhang Xiao''bao just witnessed Wang Juan''s character abruptly change in a short period of time, and was dumbstruck by this. He mumbled, "How about this, after you go up, if they question you, just tell them I''m just looking, I won''t say anything''." "Tell me now, are you stupid or am I stupid?" When Wang Juan heard Zhang Xiao''bao''s response, she really didn''t know what to say to him. "Forget it, don''t go up. Let''s just listen to the results when it''s over." Zhang Xiao''bao''s mind wasn''t focused on this topic. Seeing that Wang Juan didn''t insist on going up, he didn''t continue to talk about this, and he changed the topic by saying, "Let''s go ask how many people are participating in the wilderness survival training. That''s what we should be really getting ourselves involved with." "Alright. Brother Ga''zi, I want to ask you a question." Wang Juan also gave up on the n to go upstairs. If she went up, it would be hard for her to exin herself. She listened to Zhang Xiao''bao and she waved her arm. Ga''zi was pleasantly surprised by this sudden attention, and he ran over to Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao. "Brother Ga''zi, how many people have signed up by now? I remember that registration will end tonight." "Young Master, Young Miss, there are a total of 133 that registered. There are 77 children between the ages of eight and twelve, and the remaining 58 are all five to eight year olds."Ga''zi replied back respectfully. "In that case, tell Young Childe Li to get ready to leave soon then, don''t wait anymore." Wang Juan ordered. Book 2: Chapter 27 Book 2: Chapter 27 Volume 02 Chapter 27: Who''s Better, Who''s Worse Li Xun really didn''t want to continue waiting. There were 133 people: 77 people in the older group, and 58 people in the younger group. Actually, there were only fifty-six in the younger group---the other two were Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, who weren''t old enough. Therefore, including them, the total number of participants was 135. The intelligence game at the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant was stillmencing. ording to the arrangement, it will take at least half a month for the game to end. The restaurant not only brought in some advertisement money, but the money they earned from selling wine and food was also greater than before. The people from those fourteen stores also prepared the items they had to prepare. The one hundred plus children were not from ordinary families, so if they can get the children to like any of their products, a lot of business opportunities would be guaranteed in the future. The carriage sellers drove beautiful carriages to Tu''qiao Vige. Early the next morning, the children were apanied by their families to the ce. Each one of them were beautifully dressed. It was hard to tell whether they were preparing for an outing or preparing to spend a few days in the grasnd. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were close to that ce. After they tidied up, they carried a backpack and left the house with thepany of people from their household. Wang Juan''s father wanted to follow them, but after Wang Juan persuaded him to stay home, he finally gave up. The two men and two women that went with them were people from the two manors. The women were responsible for taking care of them, and the men were of course responsible for protecting them. Li Xun brought a lot of people out with him. He was the one who organized the activities so it was a given that he had to take good care of other people. When everyone got onto the carriages, the carriages majestically headed towards Luo''chuan County. The adults didn''t interfere; it was fine as long as the children were not in danger. They saw this as an opportunity for their children to y. Furthermore, it was not easy to encounter a chance to y with the Emperor''s nephew. Seeing their children running around, they thought it was a good thing because at least it showed that their children were incredible and it was impossible to deplete their energy levels. They were hoping that when they arrived at the pasture, they could show that their children were better than other children. In the end, it took them two days to arrive even though the travel time was supposed to be just one day. Along the way here, they had to stop several times to rest. The children were still young, so after bing tired from ying, they didn''t want to sleep, but instead they wanted to eat good food. The carriages stopped, and the children got out of their own carriages. They felt that the sight was novel when they looked at the vast grasnd in front of them that seemed to extend on forever. The children looked at each other, and an idea of racing each other arose in their minds. When Father Zhang told Li Xun about this matter, he never mentioned any specific details. Li Xun found someone to figure out how to tell the children which direction they should go in. However, how far they need to walk depends on each child''s ability. In order to help the children identify the direction, people nted a g every ten or so zhang1 in the grass field. There were also people standing guard not too far away, so if the child ran to the wrong ce, these people could go over and correct them. In order to physically train the children, Li Xun came up with a way, that is, the children were not allowed to bring their own food. All the food the children carried had to be removed. They were only provided with a meal in the morning if they woke up, and nothing was given in the noon. In the evening, tents would be set up and people would prepare food for them. This time, he was determined to make these children suffer. He also received the same treatment, and the snacks in Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan''s bags were taken away. They didn''t n to eat them at the beginning; they just brought them along just in case. The group of children rested all night, and early the next morning, all of them got up excitedly, got dressed, and followed the team to advance forward. As soon as they set off, all the children except Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan ran ahead like wild horses. Even Li Xun was no exception. "Let''s go, don''t expect to catch any wild animals. They have cleaned the ce up. Let''s eat some nts at noon." Wang Juan saw Zhang Xiao''bao looking around so she thought that he wanted to catch something to eat at noon. She briefly tried to persuade him and she went ahead first. Zhang Xiao''bao looked around again. He looked up at the blue sky, took in a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. He followed after Wang Juan while saying, "I wasn''t expecting to catch something, I just wanted to see what kind of nts are there. Later we can dig and eat the stuff near the roots of the nts." "Have you found any then?" Wang Juan saw several wild vegetables. On the pasture here, the grass was tall. Even though the ce had been specially cleaned, some patches of grass were more than half a meter high, and when she and Zhang Xiao''bao walked in there, the tips of the grass reached their waist. Fortunately, some of the grass has been cut to feed the horses, so there was a unmarked path. Wang Juan nodded. She also knew that these things were edible. Although some of them had parasites on them, the chance of bing sick was very low and the parasites can be killed with salt. Despite the low probability, it was better to avoid anything that was avoidable. The two of them walked at the back, but of course, there were adults who followed them. Some of these adults were sent by Li Xun to protect them, and some were parents who wanted to see their children act brave and heroic''. At this time, they looked at the two children walking at the back and felt that they were much worse than their own children, who were running at the front. They shook their heads, thinking that in just a short while the two children would leave here crying. "Li Cheng, those two children belong to the Zhang and Wang manors, right? They''re walking a little bit slow. They''re far worse than the children on their manors that we sawst time. Theyck the enthusiasm that other children have." Li Xun''s teacher, the middle-aged man, also followed behind. After seeing Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao, he spoke to Li Cheng, who was beside him. "My lord is correct. After all, they''re just a bit over two years old, so they''re not as good as others. I got people to fully prepare everything; nothing dangerous can happen." Li Cheng agreed and went along with what he said. The other adults were also chatting while walking and each of them were excited like little children. They specificallypared Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan with their own children. "Brother Xin, take a look. Those two children havee here too---that''s ridiculous. ording to their current pace, I have no idea how many days it would take for them to get there. I saw your son earlier; he can run so fast. How wonderful, he indeed possesses the demeanor of Brother Xin from back then. " An adult watched Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan while talking to another person next to him. There was a smile on that person''s face, and he also replied, "Look at what Brother Lei said. Your kid is not ordinary either. I think your son was the second one to start running. Look, you can''t even see him anymore." Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan didn''t know that they had be the negative exemrs in the mouths of others, and became targets of criticism. Each time after they walked a bit, they stopped for a short while to dig with a small shovel. They found tender wild vegetables, some smallrva in the soil, and they even dug up a few earthworms. They took out a small box, which was made from iron sheets, from their bag. They ced these things inside and sprinkle some salt on it. Afterwards, they continued forward and continued digging. The group had set out at seven in the morning, and two hours passed away quietly while the children were running and jumping around. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were done preparing enough food for noon and night. They fixed their backpack and started to walk more quickly. The two of them took turns carrying the backpack and they moved forward with their heads lowered. The people walking in the front were responsible for looking for the path to go through, and the people following behind could rx since they only needed to follow the pace of the people in front. This way, they didn''t have to use up too much brain power and physical stamina. Travelling at the same pace also reduced the resistance created by the grass. "Older Brother Xin, look, those two little kids are rushing now. What a pity, even if they rush right now, they will get tired soon. The children in front have already run far ahead already." The person surnamed Lei saw that Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan had sped up, and started talking to the person next to him again. The person surnamed Xin also nodded a little bit, acknowledging this, and went along saying, "Indeed. It''s toote. I can''t even see the shadows of those boys now. They won''t be able to walk anymore in just a bit." The two of them didn''t say a word. They adjusted their breathing rate, their walking posture, and rushed forward bit by bit. Two more hours passed, and the sun in the sky seemed a little bigger. The children running in front finally ran out of energy, and all of them were hungry and they drank water continuously. At every few gs in the front, there was water ced there for them to take. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan rushed the entire way. They finally saw the figures of the children in front of them, and hurried forward. Some of the little children couldn''t walk anymore so theyid down at the camp set up for the five to eight-year-olds. Some children persisted on because they wanted to get ahead of others. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan stopped at a spot that provided water, and took out two iron bowls from their bags. One wasrge and one was small. Therger one had a diameter of 20 cm and the small one was about 10 cm in diameter. They ced the bowls down neatly, and took out a paper bag from the backpack. After opening it, they poured out the small white chunks and powder into the big bowl. Then, they ced the small bowl into the big bowl. They got some water, and ced the collected wild vegetables and bugs into the small bowl. The water they prepared was poured onto the powder mixture in the big bowl. The powder mixture immediately began to bubble and it released a lot of heat. The two of them looked at the small bowl and asionally, they poured out more of the powder into the big bowl. By the time the third pack of powder was used up, the water in the small bowl finally boiled, and the contents in the small bowl became soup.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Zhang
A length unit; each zhang is about 330 cm. Book 2: Chapter 28 Book 2: Chapter 28 Thank you Littlistwolfpup formissioning this chapter!
Volume 02 Chapter 28: Rushing Along The Way Without Running Out Of Energy "Let''s eat. "Zhang Xiao''bao sprinkled some minced ginger into the soup, and the two of them began to eat. They each took turns taking bites and it didn''t take much time for them to eat all of the wild vegetables and bugs. Those adults who followed behind as they constantly criticized them couldn''t say a single word at this time. They were shocked by what Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan did. It turned out that they were digging for lunch when they were walking along the way. These two little children were too daunting. Surviving in the wild? Look at them, they''re the ones that are actually surviving in the wild. While the other children starved, they enjoyed their meals made from ingredients obtained from their surroundings. Whose children were they? Astonishing. "Brother Lei, it seems that our children are going to go hungry. I wonder if they will have the energy to run in the afternoon." The man surnamed Xin didn''t dare to look down on Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan anymore. They even knew about looking for food to eat, and now they had drawn in closer with the children in the front. In an afternoon''s time, not only did they catch up with the other children, but it was easy for the two of them to overtake everyone else. "That''s right. Who told the other kids to just fool around? Sigh~! Big Brother Xin, did you see the thing those two kids took out earlier? Later today, I''ll get someone to make that thing and let the kids use it tomorrow." The person surnamed Lei felt that his face was burning hot right now. Just now he kept making negativements about other people''s children. He kept pointing at them saying this and that won''t work and was wrong, but now it appeared that they were the capable ones. Or, it can be said that those two children''s parents were particrly good since they taught their children so well. The person surnamed Xin nodded, and then shook his head. "Look closely. That thing ced in their tiny equipment was ked lime. We can''t give that to the kids. Do they even know what can be eaten and what can''t be eaten? What if they get food poisoning? Forget it, let''s just make a good meal for them in the evening." While they talked amongst themselves, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were back to walking down the path. They washed their equipment with water and ced it back into their backpack. Once again, they walked with their heads lowered and they headed towards their destination with one person leading and the other person following behind. The set of actions theypleted can be described as calm, steady, and full of patience. There were no hints of excitement on their faces, and it seemed like everything they did was natural and that they have done this countless times. Turbulent waves of thoughts passed through the minds of the adults who were watching Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. Those two children were too level-headed. Just by looking at them, one could tell that the children were extremely confident and would not give up or cry and make a scene. When they took another look at the children who were still lying on the ground and shouting that they''re hungry, almost everyone sighed. They were iparable to the other two. "My lord, do you think...?" Li Cheng also saw this and he also smelled the fragrant scent of the soup. He also didn''t eat yet. Just now, he really wanted to steal the soup from them and take a few sips. It was a bit gross since it contained various kinds of bugs, so he wondered how those two little children ate so happily. The middle-aged man''s gaze was fixed on Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan the entire time. He also had no idea who were the ones that taught these two children. Previously, hemented that those two couldn''t evenpare to the children on the Li Manor, but never did he expect that what he said was wrong. Resilient and persistent was the most fitting way to describe the two children. From where did the Zhang and Wang manors find people to teach their manor''s children and little masters? Truly talented. "My lord, you..." Li Cheng looked at the man beside him staring at the two children, so he had to ask again. "Yes, I know. Take note of that. You saw what they used just now, right? When you get back, make it. Be sure to keep an eye on both of them to see what else they are capable of." The middle-aged man sighed and spoke. "Yes. Skipping a meal won''t kill them. Now that they''re here, they must be prepared to suffer. They also saw just now that other children can cook food to eat, so why can''t they think of something? Li Cheng, let me ask you, if you were given that soup, would you be able to eat it?" The middle-aged man nced at the children who were lying there resting. He rejected the proposal of feeding them, and asked Li Cheng another question. "I could, but I''ll definitely be disgusted. Unless there''s really no food, then in order to survive, I''ll eat it." Li Cheng recalled what the two children ate, and he felt that it was indeed a bit disgusting. At the same time, he admired Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan even more. The children lying on the ground looked at the adults, and among the adults were their family members. They kept yelling out that they were hungry in hopes that the adults could give them something to eat. The adults really pitied them, but they don''t dare to find food for their children. Others have not eaten yet, so why do you get to eat? The Emperor''s nephew was also hungry. The only thing they could do was to go over and persuade their child to endure it until the evening. If worsees to worse, the children could drink more water to fill their stomachs. "Why did those two children who just passed by had something to eat? I smelled it, it was so fragrant." The child who didn''t eat his breakfast properly this morning could not stand the hunger anymore. He pointed at the leaving figures of Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan as he questioned the adult. "They found the food themselves. If you have the ability, you can also look for it. See what kind of nts on the ground can be eaten and eat it." The middle-aged man walked closer at this time and gave theining child a lesson without even bothering to act courteous. The children knew that they couldn''t afford to provoke this person, so they didn''t make any noise. They didn''t evenin that they were hungry anymore. They took the water pouch next to them and roughly poured the water down their throat. Filling their stomach with water was better than being hungry. After drinking the water, they started to run forward again. If they don''t run to the ce, they won''t be able to eat. They could choose to quit and they would be able to eat whatever they want. Otherwise, they must arrive at today''s designated area where tents were set up. The adults once again followed behind them, and they did not eat anything too. Seeing that their own children had nothing to eat, they did not have the heart to eat. As they walked, they asked around to find out what those two children''s names were and which family they were from. After he pointed his finger, everyone turned their gazes to the four people. Shi''liu led the other three. They had their chests upright, and an arrogant look on their faces. They heard every single praise the others made about their Young Master and Young Miss just now. Their master''s glory was also their glory. Shi''liu also thought in her mind, if these people knew that her Young Master and Young Miss were only over two years old, they would be even more surprised. It was the correct choice to follow a master like those two. '' The crowd also advanced forward since their own children were still up ahead and they didn''t want to stay with the children whoined that they were hungry anymore. They quickened their pace. It was normal that the few family members of these children would stay behind and apany their own children, even if they knew that their children were well protected by people behind them. They couldn''t leave their children behind to go watch other people. As Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan rushed forward, there were more and more adults who stayed behind to apany the children and all these children fell behind. When it was four quarters after the Wei hour1, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan stopped again. They overtook a lot of people. If they continue at their current pace for another four hours, they will probably be able to reach the ce at four quarters after the You hour2. However, they chose to stop walking. They cut a few small bundles of grass with a knife, tied them up, and ced them down. They took out two nkets from their backpack. One of the nkets was spread at the bottom, and the other was ced on top of the grass. The two of them crawled inside andid down. They closed their eyes and slept. At this time, it was the hottest time of the day. If they continued to travel, their body would quickly be fatigued and lose electrolytes. Lying down for an hour will allow them to get some rest and avoid the hot sun. When the adults saw the two children''s actions, no one said that they would fall behind others anymore. Everyone was ufortably hot now. If there was a ce like this where they can lie down and take a rest, then it would be great. They wondered if the children can continue on with the scorching sun shining down on the top of their heads. Three quarters of an hourter, Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao finished napping and they got up to pack their things up. Then, they continued rushing forward. They didn''t worry about catching up with others. The other children didn''t eat at noon, ran like crazy in the morning, and walked under the burning sun in the afternoon, so it would be a miracle if they don''t suffer from a heatstroke. How far could they possibly get to? The children walking ahead did not get a heatstroke. The children were being watched the entire time, so if any of them couldn''t keep up anymore, someone would give them ice water to drink. Within these few hours, nine people have already given up. Even though their family members were still looking at them with encouraging eyes, they couldn''t persist on walking. Some even cried and made a scene. When they were at home, when did they ever suffer like this? The families of nine children didn''t force their children. They had no choice but to find food for their children under other people''s eyes of scrutiny. They found people to pull their carriages while they sat in it and followed behind the group so that they could watch what other people''s children did. After this experience, they can teach their own children when they get back. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan suddenly moved faster at this time. They changed from a brisk walk to a jog. One person was jogging in the front, and the other jogged behind. Their arms swayed gently, their expressions were rxed and their eyes were half open. They tried their best to minimize their physical energy consumption. It only took about a quarter of an hour to be the head of the group of children from five to eight years old, and they overtook more than thirty children who were eight to twelve years old. The parents of the five to eight-year-old children looked at the two distant figures and sighed. The other age group''s parents made surprised expressions when they saw the two children passing by. They did not expect that there were still children who had the energy to run right now.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Four quarters after the Wei hour
This is 2:00 pm.
  1. Four quarters after the You hour
This is 6:00 pm. Book 2: Chapter 29 Book 2: Chapter 29 Volume 02 Chapter 29: The Best Food In The World Is Roasted Chicken The rays of the setting sun shone diagonally, and when the evening came, two small figures on the grasnd attracted almost everyone''s attention. At the beginning they were thest ones, but by now, they have surpassed a lot of people. The two figures have reached the thirteenth and fourteenth positions out of the 133 people. In particr, during thetter part of the course, they ran past one person after another. The children who were overtaken refused to ept this at first, and tried to catch up, but after running for a bit, they ran out of energy. Almost all of the adults were shocked by these two figures. They didn''t stop once they began to run, while the other children were so tired that they wished they couldy down and not move another inch. Those two figures didn''t seem to know that what being tired meant and they were too resilient. The adults envied the Zhang and Wang manors right now. Having two sensible and persistent children like them was what any parent wished for. Unfortunately, they were not their children. The expressions on the faces of the nine parents whose children have withdrawn from thepetition were not so good at the moment. Although another five more children have quitted, it didn''t matter since they would onlypare their own children to the other two children. Notably, among the children that quitted, there were two ten year olds. Those two children, who were barely five years old when their ages were added together, were able to persist so why can''t a ten year old keep going? They were never deprived of food or drinks growing up, so could it be that those two were fed with something else? When they med their children, they naturally forgot who were the ones that praised their children instead of correcting them when they were running like crazy and wasting their stamina. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan of course didn''t know what others thought of them. They were still running and they could already see the erected tents up ahead. They looked at each other, nodded, slowed down a little, and changed from running to speed walking. By the time they arrive there, they would have regained their stamina. Now they have reached the eighth and ninth positions. Among the seven people in front, there were four twelve-year-olds, two eleven-year-olds, and one ten-year-old. Li Xun was among one of them. The children from the Li Manor took up five of the top seven ces; the children on the manor were better at enduring hardships, and they were fed good meals for the past few days so it was not surprising that they were be better than other children. Li Xun was too tired. He was the first one to arrive only because people yielded to him. There were two children from his manor who were faster than him, but near the end they slowed down and allowed him to go on first. The seven of them had just arrived, and each of them were panting so heavily that they didn''t even have the strength to speak. They were obviously hungry, and when they saw the food on the table, they could only gawk at it since they didn''t even want to raise their arms up. Hearing his servant''spliments, Li Xun waved his hand while grinning and grabbed the water bowl next to him. He tilted his head up, and poured the water down his throat. Heid down on the carpet and panted with his mouth open. The other six people were not any better. After chugging down water, they allid down. They weren''t able to eat any of those foods right now. "Wow, Xiao''bao, look, there are so many delicious foods. Let''s stretch our legs, and once we''re done, we can eat. I saw simmered tender beef tendons, and there''s even beef bone marrow. The chefs at the Between the Water and Clouds are indeed good; they know what we like to eat." The seven people were still lying there and panting when Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao walked in with their eyes set directly on the food on the table. As Wang Juan took off the backpack, she spoke happily, "There''s beef to eat; that''s something hard toe by. To eat beef, a fine has to be paid in addition to the money spent on buying the cow." While talking, the two of them began to stretch their legs to rx their muscles and tendons. From time to time, they nced at one of the many dishes on the table with expressions full of anticipation. "Who else has arrived? Feeling tired?" Li Xun, who was lying there, heard someone talking and wanted to show off a bit; after all, he was the first to arrive. Even though he was the Emperor''s nephew, he was quitepetitive. When he finished asking, he turned his head to look, and he suddenly sat up from the ground. "You-- you two, how can it be you two? No, wait, why are you two the ones that arrived?" Li Xun asked with eyes wide open while he pointed to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, who were stretching their legs and did not appear tired at all. "Why can''t it be us?" Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao responded almost at the same time. They put down the legs that they were done stretching. They washed their hands in the basin next to them, sat at the table and started eating. They specifically selected the good things to eat, such as beef bone marrow and beef tendons, which were tender but still had some bite when chewed on in the mouth. It didn''t matter to the two of them if the other children who cameter could still eat these good things or not. After eating a few bites of meat, they did not forget about eating other dishes. The meat and soybean stir-fry was cooked twice because the chef knew that the two of them can''t eat foods that were too hard. Not only did the beans be more soft, the taste also became better. After eating the beans, the two of them started to eat vegetables. Their diet had to be well- bnced. They expended a lot of energy today so they needed to replenish their bodies. "Xiao''bao, do you see how well that chicken was roasted? It''s crispy and brown, so the taste must be great." Wang Juan spoke to Zhang Xiao''bao with a chunk of braised pork still in her mouth and she was pointing to the roast chickens, which was the most abundant dish. Neither of them touched the chicken. While eating other things, they kept boasting about how good the chicken was. The other six people lying on the ground had their appetite stimted by their words and they thought about getting up to eat the chicken. Only Li Xun did not move. He was still looking nkly at Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan who were in the middle of eating and drinking. He kept muttering to himself, "How could it be them? How could it be them? That''s not right, it shouldn''t be them." When the six people got up to wash their hands, Li Xun was still muttering, and the servant next to him had toe over and remind him, "Young Childe, should you also eat something? This time a cow was ughtered. In just a bit, it will be all eaten by them, There''s only one portion of deep-fried cow brain, Young Childe." When the servant spoke this time, his eyes never left Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. He noticed that these two children really knew how to eat as they ate only the delicious foods. The single portion of deep-fried cow brain was now half gone now because of them. "Tell me, what happened? Why was it them? Go and get Li Cheng toe here, I want to ask him." Li Xun finally returned from a certain type of mysterious realm, and he muttered something and got up. He went to wash his hands and got ready to eat. The six people were each holding a roasted chicken and gnawing on it. He was not a fool like them. He sat next to Zhang Xiao''bao and pushed the remaining cow brain to the front of the two of them and motioned them to finish it off. As for himself, he picked a piece of beef bone marrow and started eating slowly. "Zhang Xiao''bao, can you tell me how the two of you got here?" Li Xun put down his chopsticks after eating a piece of beef bone marrow, and he looked at the two people who were still eating. "We of course ran here. I''m exhausted. Childe Li, eat that chicken. Let me tell you, the best part is the chicken skin. If you don''t believe me, try it for yourself." Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t even bother to be polite; he divided the cow brain and shared it equally with Wang Juan. The cow brain was not that small to begin with but it shrank a lot in size after being fried in oil. When he talked to Li Xun, he didn''t forget to introduce the chicken. Li Xun pursed his lips. He felt that his question was pointless since he didn''t obtain any information. As for chicken, he wouldn''t even consider eating it. He picked up a knife and cut a bit of meat off the chin of the roasted wholemb. He dipped the meat in the salt and pepper ced on the side, and then he ced it in his mouth and chewed it carefully. "Who knows why they ran so slow, we''re also wondering the same thing. Of course you would be tired, you came in first and you were running so fast. We got here at ater time." Zhang Xiao''bao finished a small bowl of soup, and ced his chopsticks down. He spoke to Li Xun and pointed to the roast chicken again. "Childe. Li, you must not know that the best part of the chicken to eat is the butt. After you remove that little part from the butt, it tastes delicious. Think about it, that part is rich in fat, so after roasting, the taste is simply indescribable." Right after he said this, two out of the six people actually bit the chicken butt. However, Li Xun put down his chopsticks. Originally, he wanted to eat some marinated beef, but when he heard about the chicken butt and how fatty it was, he felt disgusted. He was not a child of a poor family, so he didn''t like to eat fatty meats. He opened his mouth to continue to ask more questions, but he thought about how pointless his previous questions were. So instead, he scooped some soup and drank it slowly, while he waited for Li Cheng to arrive. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan obviously would not wait for him to continue to ask them questions. As soon as they finished eating, they went outside for a walk to help with digesting the food. They were now waiting to take a bath and then going to sleep afterwards. Li Cheng hurried over from the outside, and at the same time, the other people arrived here in discontinuous streams. After a few more people entered this tent, those who cameter would have to go to other tents. Of course they couldn''t eat any cow brain since there was only one portion. "Young Childe, are you looking for me?" Li Cheng approached Li Xun and asked respectfully. He helped Li Xun pick some meat from around the sheep''s eyes and ced the meat on the te in front of Li Xun "Yes. That Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, did they get here themselves? No one took them on a ride on a carriage or something?" Li Xun picked up the tiny bit of meat and asked before cing the meat into his mouth. "Young Childe, they got here themselves. At the beginning, they were falling behind butter, when others got tired, they sped up and caught up. For thest part of the way, they ran. Many people didn''t want them to pass and ran with them, but they were still overtaken by the two of them. Quite amazing. Oh, Young Childe, there''s one more thing. The two of them napped for a while in the afternoon. At noon when others were hungry, they made their own meal. Maybe it was because they ate food? Otherwise, given their small age, they should have fallen over from exhaustion. " Li Cheng replied, and he also told Li Xun about the incidents at noon. Judging by Li Xun''s expression, he knew that this was really shocking. Book 2: Chapter 30 Book 2: Chapter 30 Volume 02 "What? They ate food? Tell me the details." Just as Li Cheng thought, Li Xun was really shocked when he heard this, and even the chopsticks in his hand trembled, but he quickly regained hisposure. Li Cheng immediately began to talk about what happened from the beginning to the end. He mentioned that the two children were thest ones at the beginning, and he even talked about other people''s evaluations of those two, including thements about Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan when they were digging while walking. Then he talked about the tools the two of them took out at noon when others wereining that they were hungry, how they cooked the things they dug up, how they set up a tiny tent to nap in, andstly, he talked about how they ran past people along the way. "Did you arrange someone to make that thing yet?" After hearing the details, Li Xun felt that it was even more unbelievable. How did the two of them know how to do all of this? Who taught them? The most important person was who taught them. If they can find out who this person was then more can be gained from future survival training." Even though the items carried on the back might be heavy, being able to eat a warm meal was too important for a person. Besides, a nket can be carried inside and then be used to create shade when sleeping. He knew . He personally knew what the heat was like in the afternoon. He found it hard to believe that the two of them napped and still managed to arrive here without any dy. Right now there were tents for everyone to rest in, but what if there weren''t tents? The two of them can sleep wrapped in a nket, while the others can only lie on the grass, be bitten by mosquitoes, and perhaps fall sick from the cold. "Young Childe, I have arranged for someone to make it already, and it will be brought to you at ater time. If you want this to be used tomorrow, we absolutely must tell everyone what can be eaten and what cannot. If they eat the wrong thing, they might get food poisoning." "Yes, they''re even capable of this. Remember to contact the Zhang and Wang Manors more often in the future. Ttry to find out who''s the one behind them; I have use for that person." Li Xun heard Li Cheng''s words and thought of the same thing too. He had to pay close attention to the person behind the two children. Li Cheng nodded, and then asked, "Young Childe, do you still want to buy their restaurant andnd? Through the past few days, I have finally realized that they deliberately made excuses. If you want to buy it, I''ll go find the local government to pressure them." "No, since it''s hard to buy, why put that much effort into buying it? Don''t go looking for the local government; the local government is on good terms with them. If we find someone from the Prefecture, I''m scared that this will anger my father. Even if we do buy the ce, where are we going to find them once they leave? We need to observe them more and learn from them how to manage a manor." Li Xun could tell that the Zhang and Wang manors were not as simple as other small manors. If he wanted to knock them over, then he would have to find his father. Otherwise, it would be difficult. He also didn''t have any good excuse to give to his father. Those two auspicious omens were there too. Who would dare to mess with them? After Li Cheng left, Li Xun picked up something to eat, and while eating, he muttered to himself, "How did a child who''s over two years old grow up to be this big? What did they usually eat? Hmm, I have to ask about this. Is the ce where auspicious omens appear really different from other ces?" With this decision made, Li Xun quickened his eating pace. While he was in the middle of eating, he looked up and saw a scene that made him dumbfounded. The people here each held a chicken in their hands and gnawed on it. A few of them were eating specifically the chicken butt, and they asked other people to give their chicken butt to them. "Ahh~! Liar, two little liars." Li Xun sighed helplessly. He knew what was going on. Just now, the two little kids kept boasting that the roast chicken was delicious, and others believed them. If the roast chicken was so good, why didn''t those two eat it? Instead, they deliberately picked the actual good foods and stuffed them into their mouths. Early the next morning, after Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan had a good night''s sleep, they set off on the road again feeling refreshed. One thing that they both found interesting was that the remaining 119 people also carried a bag on their backs and a small shovel in their hands. The two of them instantly knew that they were copying them. They wondered if the other children can eat those things. Their stomach would be ufortable after vomiting, and it would affect their performance. "We havepetitors now, that''s great. Let''s go, let''s run to the front first and let them dig at the back." Zhang Xiao''bao adjust the strap of the backpack as he spoke to Wang Juan, and ran to the forward. Wang Juan was unwilling topete with others for the stuff here. She followed Zhang behind Xiao''bao, and the two sped up, leaving those who continued to dig far behind. When the adults saw that the two children today were different from yesterday, they were puzzled again. However, they couldn''t leave their children behind so they could only wait to see what was going on when they arrived at that ce. Li Cheng followed after them right away. He had to take note of the things the two did so that he can report to Li Xunter. After running a certain distance, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan slowed down and dug around on the ground. Li Cheng saw the scene and he finally understood that there were too many people back there and it would be hard for them to find food. "Xiao''bao, do you think the two of us can be the first ones to arrive today? Whoever gets there first gets to eat better food." Wang Juan asked Zhang Xiao''bao while digging around. She found it funny after thinking about how yesterday Shi''liu said that there were many people eating chicken in the tents. "Definitely. They were exhausted yesterday, so their bodies must still be tired today. Even though children''s bodies recover quickly, they are not ustomed to this level of physical exertion. Besides, they were tired yesterday and no one gave them massages. Don''t move. Quietly take your slingshot out. I see arge mouse; we get to eat meat for lunchafternoon." Zhang Xiao''bao was analyzing the situation, and suddenly he motioned to Wang Juan and pointed his hand to the front. He gently opened his backpack and took out the slingshot from inside. She watched Zhang Xiao''bao nod his head, and when he nodded the third nod time, they both shot the iron pellets together, and the pellets hit the mouse at almost the same time. One of the iron pellets had hit the mouse''s stomach, and the other one had hit it in the head. The mouse did not die right away, since their shooting strength was still too weak. After being hit, the mouse was twitching. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan ran forward and quickly stabbed it. They were afraid that the mouse would recover shortly and run away. With this mouse, the two of them stopped digging for other insects, and ran directly to the water station up ahead. They cleaned up the mouse first and saved it forter. Li Cheng followed behind them, and suddenly the two of them were motionless. He was about to get closer to look, and he was surprised to see that both of them brought out their slingshots. While he was still feeling puzzled, he saw Zhang Xiao''bao holding a mouse in this hand and moving forward. The mouse looked heavier than a catty. Still feeling surprised, Li Cheng continued to follow them from behind. He wanted to see what the two little kids were going to do. When he arrived at the water station, he saw Zhang Xiao''bao skin the mouse with a knife, remove its organs and then slice its flesh into tiny pieces. Seeing this, Li Cheng couldn''t help but shudder. He knew what the two little kids were going to do: they were going to eat the mouse. There was nothing wrong with eating mice; he ate it before too. Before entering the Prince Pce, he was a beggar on the streets. He had to squeeze in with other children to stay at an abandoned temple and if he could catch any mice, he would eat it. It was actually quite good. But these two little kids don''t seem to have evercked food, right? Why do they dare to eat mice? From the looks of it, it seemed like they were going to have a good meal today. "Okay, let''s pick wild vegetables. We don''t need to dig for bugs anymore. At noon, we can just boil everything together. The lime powder we brought should be enough, but we''ll see then, if it''s not enough, we can light up some dry grass. We need to keep in mind fire safety though." Zhang Xiao''bao sprinkled the prepped mice with salt, ced it in the bag, and informed Wang Juan. The two began to dig wild vegetables. It didn''t take much time to dig up enough wild vegetables for lunch. The two people were rxed now that they didn''t have to spend effort on finding bugs and a lot of time was saved. They sped up and rushed towards today''s designated area. "Let''s change our strategy today. We''ll run first, then have a two hour nap after eating at noon." Now that Wang Juan didn''t have to worry about lunch, she was now focused on how to increase the other children''s psychological pressure. Zhang Xiao''bao also agreed, and the two ran with one person in front of the other. . When Li Cheng, who was at the back, looked at them, he discreetly said, "Oh no, I can''t get first ce today." Just as Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan predicted, the children in the back were all frowning as they were digging holes. They looked disgusted and didn''t want to eat it at all. They only dug for those things because they were persuaded by their family. There were a lot that they wouldn''t eat, and they just dug for some wild vegetables. Li Xun didn''t look as disgusted as the others. On normal days, he sometimes ate silkworm pupae. The only difference was that the ones found in the fields here were a little bit smaller. Besides, those two little children can eat it, so what can''t he? To survive in the wild, how could one not eat? Those grown-ups watched the children dig, and asked a guard if the items dug up were poisonous or not. If it was, then it was thrown away, but if it was not, then it was kept. Li Xun was in the middle of digging when the guard, who was sent by Li Cheng, ran over to him. "Young Prince, Li Cheng said that Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan shot a rat with a slingshot. They''re probably going to eat it at noon today, which will save them a lot of time." "Shot a rat with a slingshot? They brought slingshots? Wasn''t this ce cleared already? Could there be snakes here too then?" Li Xun understood once he heard the news. The two of them would be able to move more quickly now, but he was also worried about everyone''s safety. What if someone gets bitten by a snake? "Young Prince, don''t worry, there are no snakes. We sprinkled realgar1 everywhere already. How about I catch a rat for you too?" The guard whispered.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Realgar
Realgar, an arsenic sulfide mineral, ismonly used as a repellent against snakes and insects. In Chinese medicine, it is also used as a universal antidote for poisons. Book 2: Chapter 31 Book 2: Chapter 31 Volume 02 Chapter 31: Rewards From The Emperor Finally Arrived And Was Not Late Billowing snakes of smoke, orchestras of galloping hooves. The dogs barked and chickens cooed, the morning bell sounded for long. The sky showed its first red, and the grass was heavy with dew. Who was in a hurry? Riding as fast as a passing rainbow. "Hyah! Hyah!" Five horses and five people. The horses galloped like shooting stars, and the riders leaned forward like bows. They stirred up clouds of dust on the road on the entire way. The person leading in the front asionally urged his horse to go faster as he shouted out to any oers. "Eight hundred li1 urgent report, make way." At the San''shui County, the people who came out to set up their stall in the morning when the day was just dimly lit, heard this sound, and stepped aside to both sides of the road. Many people looked scared. How many years has it been since theyst heard of an eight hundred li urgent report? What happened? Did a battle start? Perhaps the people on the horse realized that the people''s expressions were not right, so they changed their words, "Eight hundred li good news, make way." The people who were about to go home just now stopped, and they were even more puzzled. How could they use the speed meant for delivering urgent reports to deliver good news? The horse riders didn''t care what others thought, as long as they didn''t think that there was going to be a battle. They rode at the fastest speed possible and an hourter, they arrived at a post house. There were horses ready for them to exchange their old horses with. The five people hopped off their horses, showed their badge, and then rode off with new horses. It took seven quarters of an hour to rush from the administrative office in San''shui County to the Zhang manor in Tu''qiao Vige. "Chen Dong, the bailiff of San''shui County''s office, wishes to see the Cloud Rider Officer2." The man jumped off his horse and came to the outside of Zhang''s courtyard. He knocked very hard on the door twice. Before the gatekeeper on the inside could ask him questions, he called out loudly. Once he was done yelling out this sentence, he panted heavily as he stood there waiting with a look of joy and excitement. The four people behind him were also happy. They straightened out their clothes, and tried their best to stand upright while they waited for the people inside toe out and then congratte them again. The gatekeeper was dumbfounded when he heard the voice outside. The voice sounded familiar---it was someone from the administrative office, but who was this Cloud Rider Officer''? Why did theye looking for this person at the Zhang Manor? It was good to know that the person was not a stranger. The gatekeeper opened the door, and allowed the five bailiffs toe in. Then, he turned around and ran towards the housekeeper''s yard. Fortunately, before he ran too far, Chen Dong told him about receiving the imperial decree so that he would know what to tell Housekeeper Zhang. After a short while, everyone in the Zhang Manor came out. Each of them had put on new clothes. The old Grandfather stood at the front and led them over. Chen Dong didn''t wait for him to say anything, and he went ahead and announced, "Old Grandfather, congrattions. An imperial decree has arrived from the imperial court. It was supposed to be brought to the Prefecture. Lord Zhou sent someone in the middle of night to travel at six hundred li to bring the imperial decree to the administrative office. Without even stopping, we delivered it here. The Emperor has granted Older Brother Yong''cheng with the title of Cloud Rider Officer, proper seventh rank. There''s also the Wang Family. Wang Gong, Older Brother Wang Gu''tu has been granted the title of Martial Rider Officer, sub seventh rank." While speaking, Chen Dong was about to give the imperial decree in his arms to Old Grandfather Zhang. Zhang Xiao''bao''s father, Zhang Yong''cheng could only wait on the side. Even though he was the one granted with the title and was the Master of the household, he didn''t have a say when it came to critical moments. Old Grandfather Zhang did not take it. First, he arranged the five people to rest in the living room, then he ordered the servants to prepare his bath and help him change his clothes. After that, he brought everyone with him to receive the imperial decree. He called his son over to his side, and asked him to kneel down and read the decree aloud. Once they were done, they went to the ancestral hall to give incense to the ancestors. The Wang family was also worked up for a while. They gave a lot of money to the five bailiffs, and took out 30 catties of dry fungus from Zhang Xiao''bao''s warehouse for the bailiffs to bring back to the administrative office to share with everyone. This time, the two manors have gained a lot. Not only were they granted with official titles, they were given three hundred households and 2,400 mu ofnd and the 100 households fiefdom were not taken away. The Wang family were directly given 200 households and 1,600 mu ofnd. Although the titles were minor, the reward wasrge. At this time, the residents of the two manors also received the news. When they heard that their masters were granted titles and given a lot ofnd, every household went to the grocery store to buy a lot of firecrackers and set them off. The Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant announced on the spot that all wine and drinks will be free for three days. This made the schrs who came here to guess the questions extremely happy. When the people of the Ge Manor heard themotion, they came out to watch. There was someone who worked in the restaurant, and he told everyone about what was going on. The Ge Manor''s residents were also very excited when they heard about this, but they were also a little disappointed. Why wasn''t their master ever granted a title? Those two manors gained an extra 400 households fiefdom all at once, while the Ge Manor only had a total of more than 200 households. Naturally, the current residents will be officially transferred over to be part of the 500 households. Judging by how the two manor''s masters treated their residents, the rent in autumn would be reduced by a lot. The people who had a more thoughtful mind would first think of whether their own family can join the Zhang or Wang family, even if the masters did not reduce the rent, or only reduced it by a small fraction. This way, their children don''t have to bring their own food to school since they can eat the meal provided there. The food they brought from home were iparable to the food provided by the school. A few days ago, their children came home and told their family that they felt embarrassed to take their food out after seeing what the other students ate. * Snoring sounds asionally travelled out from the tents. Normally, not many children snore, but right now, the snoring has be more numerous. Each and everyone of them were exhausted after two consecutive days of travelling. They finally understood what it means to be ufortable. At the beginning, there were 133 people, and now there were only 103, which meant that thirty people had quitted. On the first day, fourteen quitted, and on the second day, eighteen quitted; the children who quitted were from both age groups. Shi''liu and another maid took turns guarding beside Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. An oilmp swayed gently, and Shi''liu held a fan in her hand, gently fanning her two little masters. Seeing the cute appearance of the two children as they slept, Shi''liu wanted to go and kiss each of them. Last night, the Young Master and Young Miss arrived more than an hour earlier than the third person who arrived. Near the end they jogged, and even Li Cheng from the Li family couldn''t keep up. At that time, she was apanied by three other people. She couldn''t resist feeling happy when she thought about those gazes of envy that came from the surrounding people. Wasn''t the survival training just a way topare the children to each other? A twelve-year-old child was not even as good at her two little masters, who were under three years old. Comparing one person to another was really destructive. "Sister Shi''liu, it''s going to be dawn soon, should I take over?" Just as Shi''liu was thinking about things, the girl sleeping next to her opened her eyes and looked at the lighting through the slight opening in the tent, and asked Shi''liu. "No, I''m not sleepy, I''m in joy right now. No one canpare to our Young Master and Young Miss. After winning one more time today, we can all rest. The older children have to run for a few more days. They might not evenst until the end. Yesterday, I saw a few children cry from exhaustion." Shi''liu declined changing shifts. She gently moved the fan with her other hand, with a proud look on her face. The maid thought for a while, and decided to not go back to sleep. She got up and prepared to help her two little masters freshen upter. At this moment, the clopping of horse hooves and yelling could be heard from outside of the camp. There was no need to wake up the children anymore. The children in the tent did not rest well since they were ufortable from sleeping in a different environment. At home, they slept on beds, but they had to sleep on mats here and they were easily awakened by the slightest noise and movement. One by one came out of the tent with their sleepy eyes forced open. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan also heard the noise. They didn''t know what was happening, and got up and looked out through the slit in the tent''s opening. After a while, themotion settled, and a person came from there, and the person was followed by two riders leading their horses by the rein. "Congrattions, Young Childe Zhang. People from the San''shui County''s administrative office have arrived, and they say they want to see you. Your father has been granted the title of Cloud Rider Officer, and the Wang Family was granted the title of Martial Rider Officer. Two bailiffs havee here to deliver this news." "Oh, thank you, Mister Li. Please bring the people over here." Zhang Xiao''bao looked at Li Cheng and listened to what he said. His calm demeanor finally showed some emotions. He didn''t care about these things, and he only cared about his family. However, his family cared about these things. "You are Song Yang, Bailiff Song. You have travelled so far to deliver this news, you have worked hard. How is your wife? I don''t know if that thing is true or not...?" Zhang Xiao''bao had a good memory. Usually, he was able to remember anyone that he met. He asked a question but he didn''t finish his sentence. "It''s true. Young Master, it''s true. Are you going to go back soon? Good, good, we''re all doing well. My wife is alright. Thanks to the Zhang family, we can eat and dress well. My child has grown to be strong too." Song Yang suddenly felt that the exhaustion from rushing this entire way had disappeared in the blink of an eye. The Young Childe was still so young, yet he knew about the situation at his home; the Young Childe''s family must have told him. His wife recently gave birth to a child and the Zhang manor sent a lot of gifts to them. Among the gifts was arge bag of apricot plums, which cost at least five hundred coins. All of the gits were probably worth more than seven or eight taels of silver. His child was also closely watched and taken care of by a doctor sent there by the Zhang manor. How could he even repay their kindness? All he could do was try to help the Zhang manor do more things. Thus, he decided to rush over here to deliver the news. "Really? Young Master, let''s go back. This is great, we don''t have to worry about the 100 household fiefdom being taken back. The master is now an official, which means I''ll be a maid in the house of a government official." Shi''liu also listened, and she heard that her master had been granted a title. Even though she didn''t know how significant the title was, she cheered and couldn''t help but say what was on her mind. "Okay, let''s go back right now. Wang Juan, get on the horse." Zhang Xiao''bao got an affirmative answer, and he didn''t care about the survival training here anymore. He informed Wang Juan, and went to stand beside the horse first.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Eight hundred li urgent report
This refers to travelling 800 li or ~400 km in a day on horseback. This is the fastest speed that messages or reports can be delivered at. Note that this li'' is different from the Li'' in Li Xun.
  1. Cloud Rider Officer
This is a seventh ranked government position given to a person with a notable achievement. I couldn''t find an pre-existing trantion of this position, since it is a rather insignificant one, so I made up my own by literally tranting the words. Book 2: Chapter 32 Book 2: Chapter 32 Volume 02 Wang Juan was also happy. Things were great now that her father was also granted a title. A martial rider officer was a sub seventh rank title, which meant the ranking was just a bit below Zhang Xiao''bao''s father, who had a proper seventh rank. That''s not bad, after all, most of the things were provided by the Zhang family, and it was not easy for the Wang family to get some benefits. After Wang Juan heard Zhang Xiao''bao calling for her, she immediately ran towards Zhang Xiao''bao. When she was one step away from Zhang Xiao''bao, she jumped up towards him. The children around them thought that the two children were going to fight---why else would one of them jump up and try tond on the other person? As all kinds of thoughts ran through the other children''s minds, Zhang Xiao''bao squatted slightly, interlocked his fingers together, and slid his hands under Wang Juan''s feet while she was midair. The people around them couldn''t help but to exim aloud. Wang Juan''s feet were ced on Zhang Xiao''bao''s hands, and she moved her body upwards. Zhang Xiao''bao cooperated with her by learning backwards and raising his arms upward. Wang Juan used this boost to help herself mount the horse. Before she even stabilized herself on the saddle, Wang Juan grabbed the reins with one hand and offered her other hand to Zhang Xiao''bao. Wang Juan adjusted her posture, and then squeezed the horse with her calves while yelling out "hyah" and holding the reins in her hands. The horse ran in the direction of Wang Juan''smand. "Shi''liu, don''t worry about us, take your time going back. We''re going to go home first." Zhang Xiao''bao''s crisp childish voice was heard from the horse, which had run almost twenty zhang1 away already. Those children, who left their tents earlier, foolishly stood there. Each of them couldn''t believe that what they saw just now was true. The two children looked like they flew up onto the horse. These children were not the only ones that were dumbfounded. The guards, the bailiffs and Li Cheng were also there, and even until now they were still trying toprehend what just happened. It happened too fast and they didn''t even have time to react before the two children rode away. How did they move? It seemed that one person stepped on the other to jump up, and turned around to pull the other person upwards. And just like that, both of them mounted the horse. Even a person with superb riding skills could mount a horse only a little bit faster than those two children. The person would have to hold the horse''s neck, jump up andnd on the saddle. This was not too different from what the two children did. When one of them was seated, the other also jumped upwards. The horse began running after they both stabilized themselves on the saddle. After a while, a child yelled out and everyone snapped back to their senses. Song Yang hurriedly pulled another horse and jumped up onto it. He spoke to the other bailiff that came with him, "You go back first. I''m going to follow behind and protect them." "The Young Master and Young Miss have left. Hurry, let''s follow after them. Where''s the carriage?" Shi''liu might have seen too many amazing things, and was the quickest to react. She went back into the tent and grabbed Zhang Xiao''bao''s and Wang Juan''s backpack. She signalled to the other three people, and ran towards the ce where the carriages were parked at. The three of them did not dare to stall, and ran after her. They didn''t care if their two little masters would be disqualified from the training. Just based on the way they mounted the horse, who would dare disagree that their two little masters were the best? The other children were lucky that no one willpete with them to secure first ce anymore. After these people left, Li Cheng looked at the direction the horse disappeared in. He sighed, and hurried off to find the Young Prince and report to him. As he ran, he was thinking in his mind that this was too scary and that probably only children who grew up in the prairies would be able to do the same as those two. Although, this was not necessarily true. Others didn''t know how old the two children were, but he knew very well that they were under three-years-old. Could a three year old child that grew up in the prairies be able to mount a horse like that? He wondered who taught them. The person was probably the same person who taught them how to find food in the wild. Was this person hiding in the Wang family or the Zhang family? He had to figure out how to find this person. After the bailiffs and the guards left, the children standing at the opening of the tent began to tell other people what they had just seen. Last night andstst night, they had already seen the greatness of the children from the Zhang and Wang families, however, what happened this morning heightened their evaluation of Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. They had to learn how to do this and then show other people that a horse can be mounted like that. They can also show off to the other kids who didn''t participate in this survival training and scare them to death. * "What? My Imperial uncle gave the two families two official titles, 500 households fiefdom and 4,000 mu ofnd? Why?" When Li Cheng told the Young Prince Li Xun about this matter, Li Xun lost his calm, and asked in surprise. "Young Prince, didn''t you sayst time that the Zhang and Wang manors sent a lot of grain to the other ce? In addition to the grain, there were also chickens, ducks and geese, which helped Prime Minister Yao a lot. The imperial court had no choice but to reward them. Originally, the Zhang family had a fiefdom with one hundred households, so this time the number of households was increased." Li Cheng had a lot of things memorized in his mind, and he quickly connected these two events together and exined them to Li Xun. Li Xun thought for a while, then nodded, "That''s fine too. Now they won''t run off to anywhere else. Do you know where their newly grantednd is?" "I know, it should be next to their manors. We bought a part of the vigers, but there are a lot of other uncultivatednd. There are forests over there, so it should be that area. There is about a total of 5,000 mu ofnd there. Their two families will probably take all five thousand mu directly. Should we use this to threaten them?" Li Cheng had already obtained information from the bailiffs. If there was no Li Manor, the Emperor would have given thatnd to them. Right now, the onlynd that could be given was on the other side. There were some hills that weren''t too high, but it was not suitable for farming. Even if thend was given to them, they wouldn''t be able to use it to grow grains. With those hills added in, there was exactly five thousand mu ofnd. Regardless of who it was, they would take that extrand too. The people who will be sent to survey thend will be from the administrative office. Given their rtionship with the two manors, there would be no issues if they took an additional 1000 mu ofnd. Li Cheng nned to wait for the Zhang and Wang''s family to upy the extrand, and use this to threaten them and make them pay a greater price. When Li Xun heard this idea, he thought it was feasible, but frowned, and said, "If we really do this, what if we offend the person behind the two children? You have also seen it. Yesterday, the two of them were the first to arrive. The other children were tired to death, but those two were still so rxed. Now that''s real survival skills." "Huh? That''s right, what the Young Prince has said is correct. It is indeed like this. Not just yesterday, but just earlier when they were leaving, the way they mounted their horse frightened a lot of people. Young Prince, you cannot guess how they mounted onto their horse. Without the help of any adults, they worked together and got onto the horse in the blink of an eye." "How can a person mount a horse like that? Such talent. If they can mount a horse like that, then they must be able to climb walls. If a child this young can jump onto a horse, then wouldn''t an adult be able to jump up even higher? No, you should immediately follow after them and while their families are celebrating, find an opportunity to locate that expert." Li Xun was also stirred up when he heard what happened earlier. He thought about the scene in his mind: one child jumped up first, and as soon as the childnded on the horse''s back, the child stretched out a hand to pull the other child, and the other child jumped up onto the horse too. While still in the air, the child changed his posture, and two children sat steadily on the horse. With the horse reins in their hands, the horse kicked up its front legs and ran off into the distance. Beautiful, it was so beautiful. Thinking of this, Li Xun wished that he was one of them. If he did such an action in the pce, he would definitely be liked by his father and his Imperial uncle. "Li Cheng, since you have seen their actions, immediately find someone like this for me. Then I will step on the person to jump onto my horse. If they can do it, why wouldn''t I be able to?" "Yes, yes, Young Prince, I''ll certainly find a person like that for you. I''ll go after them right now, and when I arrive there, I''ll ask around to find out where that expert is located." Li Cheng regretted saying those words just now. What if the person who cooperated with the Young Prince wasn''t that good and caused the Young Prince to fall? He heard that those two children have been together since they opened their eyes for the first time. They usually ate together, slept together, and yed together. They knew what each other were thinking just by making eye contact. From where can Li Cheng find a ten year old that could cooperate with the Young Prince to the same extent as those two? Li Xun didn''t know what Li Cheng was thinking about. When he heard that he could find someone for him, he smiled with satisfaction. "Go on then. Remember to be careful. If things don''t work out, then give a gift and don''t provoke them. As for the matter of upying thend, let''s discuss thatter." Li Cheng assented and left. When he came outside, he quickly found two people to follow him to a carriage. He did not know how to ride a horse, so he could only chase after them on a carriage. He thought that this task was simple. The two children might be able to jump high, but that didn''t mean that they were good at horse riding. They''ll get tired after riding for a bit, so it shouldn''t be hard for him to catch up. From here to there would usually take a day. A carriage with four horses headed towards the Tu''qiao Vige, and the remaining children had to continue to participate in the survival training.
Each of the children had already lost the enthusiasm that they had at the beginning. In particr, the children who saw Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan jump onto the horse had their level of confidencepletely destroyed. Trantor''s Notes
  1. Twenty zhang
This is about 66 meters. Book 2: Chapter 33 Book 2: Chapter 33 Volume 02 "Hyah! Juan''juan, your riding skills are bad. Sit behind me and hold onto my waist." Zhang Xiao''bao, who was in a rush, found that Wang Juan''s way of horse riding was too constrained. It was not like she was a female police officer travelling on the road; they needed to get back home quickly. The horse would probably be able to dance with the way she was riding the horse. He had to smack the horse''s rear as he shouted out. Then he asked Wang Juan to change spots with him. He had learned true prairie horsemanship before. The only thing he was missing right now was a stirrup. "This was how I learned it before. If you''re so good, then you do it." Wang Juan let go of the reins, stretched her arms back, and grabbed onto Zhang Xiao''bao''s shoulders for support. She used the muscles on her back and flipped her body backwards. She even deliberately touched Zhang Xiao''bao''s nose with her forehead. After Wang Juan was behind him, Zhang Xiao''bao inched forward a bit and stretched out his hand to hold the horse''s rein. He leaned over slightly and instinctively used his legs to exert force on the horse''s body. He didn''t need to shout outmands, and the horse lunged forward. Its speed was more than twice as fast as before. "Xiao''bao, I never knew you knew how to ride a horse. Tell me, who did you learn this from?" Wang Juan hugged Zhang Xiao''bao''s waist from behind, and she moved up and down at the same pace as him, which could reduce the burden on the horse. She trusted that Zhang Xiao''bao''s body movements were the most suitable for running horses. At the same time, she asked curiously. "In Inner Mongolia, I learned this from an old soldier. He didn''t know who I was. He only thought I was a tourist, a rich tourist. After I donated them some money, I told them I wanted to learn how to ride horses, so he taught me. " Zhang Xiao''bao used the shortest amount of time to get used to the horse''s moving pattern, and he got the horse to run in the most energy efficient way. He did all of this while he responded to Wang Juan. "Buy what? I really did want to help them improve their ces and horses. In that ce, you wouldn''t be able to use tanks and machine guns to their full potential---their mobility is iparable with the cavalry. The cavalry not only carries a saber, but also a rocket-propelled grenade, which can be used when the wind is not strong. When inbat, usually an anti-tank team needs two to three people, but if it was the cavalry, one person and one horse were enough. They can run right after hitting, and horses can run faster than people. Horses don''t just run in a straight line; they can also run in a zigzag pattern. When the sandstorm is heavy, all the artillery and guns are hard to use except for missiles. Just think about it, when sand is blown into the barrel of the gun, what will happen if you shoot? At that time, the saber was the most powerful. When the cavalry charged forward with each person holding a saber and riding on a horse, andbined with the force of the sand blowing from behind, all the infantry would be nothing but just decorations. A few grenades can also be thrown in. They cane and go like the wind." Zhang Xiao''bao recalled the time when he was almost buried alive in the sandstorm and exined to Wang Juan. Wang Juan was stunned after hearing this. She thought that retaining the cavalry unit was just a symbolic action. She didn''t expect that during a sandstorm, the cavalry team could be used as a death squad. The tanks can be destroyed by a bunch of grenades that were thrown out. Once the armor piece on the outside of the tank was blown up, a special grenade can be used and its st wave can kill the people inside. There was also a kind of grenade whose purpose wasbustion, and could produce fire like a fire bomb. It was already hot enough inside the tank, and if it was also hot outside, the people in the tank would faint from the heat. How fast can a gun shoot, and how fast can a horse gallop? With the sand blown everywhere in the air, how many sharpshooters can urately shoot a target two to three hundred meters away? The person would also have to protect their gun barrel first. Even the horse the two of them were riding right now, not to mention professionally trained horses, would be able to travel two to three hundred meters in just a blink of an eye. It was not easy to rely on cavalry to defeat a unit, but it was rtively easy to interfere with the unit to achieve tactical goals. In particr, those infantry fighting vehicles would not be able to withstand several attacks. After thinking about this, Wang Juan suddenly felt that she had experienced too little and that she was not as good as Zhang Xiao''bao. The way she was trained was backed by science, while Zhang Xiao''bao studied hard with a radical mindset. It was no wonder that he was so seriously ill-- he was overusing his life''s potential. "Xiao''bao, what happenedter?" Wang Juan felt that there must be more stories, and it would not be this simple. Unfortunately, at that time I only wanted to learn how to ride horses, and I didn''t learn how to breed horses. The only thing I knew was that their horses had to eat eggs every day. Each ate half a bucket in one meal. Their hooves were as big as a te, and were much taller than this horse. Back then, the old soldier said that there weren''t enough eggs, so I also built a chicken farm nearby, and got someone to manage the ce. Now that I think about it, the ce has probably been expanded to be bigger. Those chickens are free-range, and the eggs that aren''t eaten by the horses and people can be sold. A catty of eggs can be sold for quite a bit of money." When Zhang Xiao''bao thought about what happened at the time, he felt that he had done a good deed. The chicken farm upied other people''snd. It partially belonged to the army and the civilians. The army ounted for 40%, while the civilians ounted for 60%. After the chicken farm earned money, half of the profits was used to build military camps. "That is to say, you gave them a chicken farm for free, and all the money earned was invested in the military camps? Xiao''bao, you did good." Wang Juan had admired heroes like that since she was a child, and of course she would like this aspect of Zhang Xiao''bao. Who would have thought that Zhang Xiao''bao would shake his head, "Who said that I didn''t make a profit? I forced the other egg merchants to leave the market. There was only one ce, which was the prairies outside, where I monopolized their egg imports. Before I got there, I gave an order to stop the supply of eggs if that ce dared to provoke me. Our country also monopolized a lot of daily necessities there. Once the supply was cut off, the battle could be won without a fight. Eggs were exchanged for beef, mutton and various leathers there, and then sold to other countries. Quite a bit of money was earned. Half of it went into funds, and half was used to build schools for children and cook food, much like what we''re doing right now. Am I great? " "I think you''re just using ill means to obtain fame. What do you mean by being great? I feel embarrassed for you." Wang Juan couldn''t tolerate Zhang Xiao''bao''s way of doing things and pouted her lips as she criticized him. "Fine, I was just trying to obtain fame, I''m a fake gentleman, is that enough? I''m not that selfless. I want to use these things to make myself more at ease. After I paid for the materials, I received spiritual gains in return. I must be better than those who don''t pay at all, right? Hyah!" Zhang Xiao''bao saw a small river in front of him, but he had no intention of taking a detour to go to the faraway bridge. He urged the horse to charge towards the river. He was unsure whether he wanted to take a shortcut or if he was being passively aggressive towards Wang Juan. Others would be afraid, but Wang Juan didn''t worry at all. As soon as the horse entered the river, she immediately got up from the horse, and started swimming. She pressed one hand onto the horse''s body, and used her other hand to hold onto Zhang Xiao''bao''s clothes. "Go on, there is a mountain over there, let the horse climb up it. Do you think that will scare me?" After swimming to the other side, Wang Juan mounted the horse again and spoke to Zhang Xiao''bao. "Believe you? International con men can be trusted? I''m better off believing that sows can climb trees, or that roosters cany eggs. At least it might be possible with some gic mutations. What? Does it hurt? Aren''t you good at horse riding?" Wang Juan was happy to see him suffer as she spoke. "That''s why I''m a down to earth person. Pain is pain. This is better than some people who feel the pain, but force themselves to say that it doesn''t hurt. It''s better to experience the pain a few times. When it calluses over, there''s nothing to be scared of anymore. Don''t forget, we''re the same type of people; we don''t care about this little amount of pain. Hyah!" He replied to Wang Juan, and then he urged the horse to run faster again. Thebined weight of the two of them was not as heavy as an adult, let alone those well-built bailiffs who were probably two times theirbined weight. Both of them were dressed in light clothing, and they didn''t carry any weapons on their bodies other than the needle in their sleeves, which did not count. * "Quick, quicker. Do you see the two children riding in front?" Li Cheng sat inside the carriage. The four-horse carriage bumped up and down, and it was not so easy to tolerate. He resisted the nausea, and he directed the question to the coachman outside with a loud voice. "I don''t see them. Perhaps we have gone the wrong way." The coachman shouted loudly, and he waved the whip to make the horse hurry up. He felt a bit embarrassed himself. The road led straight to that ce. The four horse carriage couldn''t catch up with the horse that the two children rode. It was an embarrassment to tell anyone about this. "Quickly. We can''t lose them. Wait, overtake the carriage in front, and ask them." Li Cheng was also troubled. Even though he only made a short dy, he couldn''t even see the shadow of the horse in front right now. He didn''t believe Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan had such great riding skills. He pushed aside the curtain of the carriage and looked to the front, and he found that the carriage of the two children''s servants was not slow either. "Have you seen your Young Master?" Li Cheng shouted from the window to the other side as he passed the carriage. "No. They must be up ahead. You can see the horseshoe prints on the road. The horseshoe of that horse is a bit different from other horses. It''s much bigger." Shi''liu hurriedly replied, and at the same time, she urged the coachman to hurry up. The other person''s carriage passed them already. She was not the one who noticed the horseshoe prints. A male servant who came with her used to hunt at home and he was very good at tracking. If it weren''t for that skill of his, he would not be sent here with them. "I see. Keep chasing." Li Cheng couldn''t see any difference in the horseshoe prints, but he believed that the people in the car were also anxious. After all, their little masters were up ahead. They were only two little children, so what would they do if they encountered any danger? It would make sense for those servants to trust him. "Hyah! Almost there. At this speed, we will definitely be able to get back before noon. The horse is not bad." Zhang Xiao''bao was also talking to Wang Juan at this time. Book 2: Chapter 34 Book 2: Chapter 34 Volume 02 Chapter 34: Don''t Dere That Young People Are Ipetent Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan rode the horse far ahead of the carriages chasing from behind. The horse could take shortcuts, but the carriages could not, so it was impossible for the carriages to catch up. After riding for more than two hours, Zhang Xiao''bao finally stopped at a ce near a depression that collected rainwater. The horse was able to drink some water and eat the nearby grass. While the horse was eating and drinking on its own, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan started to pop their blisters. Even though it was just around two hours, the two of them had to coordinate themselves with the movement of the horse and properly control their posting1 in order to achieve the unity of man and horse. Blisters formed on both of their legs from all of the rubbing. They took the needle out of the sleeves and gently popped the raised blisters. After the fluid inside flowed out, they ripped off the small patch of white skin, exposing the pink flesh underneath. "Xiao''bao, it really hurts." Wang Juan pursed her lips andined while looking at the raw flesh on her legs. "Yes, it really hurts, but what could be done? Wait, let me look around. This era is good; many wild things have been preserved and aren''t destroyed. Like this, this is a giant puffball mushroom2, it''s also called horse dung ball or ash ball. Spray this on." Zhang Xiao''bao wandered around the area, and he actually managed to find a really good item. Originally, he nned to apply some wild vegetable juice to the wound. Things like dandelion, which was also called Grandma Ding, were slightly effective. He didn''t expect to find a nt that could stop bleeding: horse dung puff. He used a needle to poke a small hole in the mushroom and he squeezed it against the wound on Wang Juan''s leg. A puff of powder sprayed out. This thing not only stops bleeding, but it is also an antiseptic. Wang Juan gritted her teeth from the pain and sweat dripped down her forehead. She pinched the flesh around the torn skin to ease the pain. After waiting for a moment, the two of them got on the horse again, and the moment they began riding the horse, both of theirplexions changed. The area where they had just finished applying the medicine was painful. It took them a few seconds to get used to it, and then the two of them urged the horse to run faster. They also bounced up and down with the horse. It took three quarters of an hour before the horse-drawn carriage reached the area Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan rested at before. This area was right next to the road. Li Cheng didn''t know how to check their tracks, and his carriage directly passed by the area. Shortly after, Shi''liu arrived at that ce too. The servant who was a hunter called out for the carriage to stop, and he got out to have a look. He returned back onto the carriage and they continued forward again. He hesitated momentarily before he spoke to Shi''liu, "The Young Master and Young Miss stopped here for a while to let the horse eat grass and drink water, and treat the wounds on their bodies" "Wounds? What wounds? The Young Master and Young Miss were injured? Who did it?" When Shi''liu heard this man''s words, she was frightened and thought they had encountered bad people. The man shook his head. "The wounds weren''t caused by a person, it was caused by riding the horse. The skin on their legs are chafed, and they treated it with horse dung puff. That''s amazing. They really do know how to survive in the wild." "Huh? There weren''t any bad guys? But they''re still injured. Oh no. Tell me. You''re the knowledgeable one. Are their injuries serious?" When Shi''liu heard that her little masters'' legs were chafed, she reacted like she was the one who was injured instead. Her eyes immediately turned red and teary, and she grabbed the person next to her as she asked. "It hurts, and it''s not a normal type of pain. It feels burning hot, and after popping the blisters, it would hurt even more, but popping it will prevent the blisters from expanding outward. Horse dung puff can be used to stop the bleeding. Judging by that horse''s excrement, the Young Master and Young Miss are faster than us by at least an hour. Compared with the Young Master and Young Miss, those other children who participated in the survival training are nothing... In the past, I only knew that the Young Master and Young Miss were smart, but now I understand that the little masters are strong-willed. This kind of injury and this kind of pain are not something children can tolerate, and they even continued to ride on the horse. " The hunter sighed as he spoke. He really admired them. It was hard to tell that those two children could endure that much pain and know how to treat their wounds. "Why is it better to pop the blisters than leaving it be? It must be very very painful. And the wounds will still be rubbed against. Why? Couldn''t they have just waited to ride a carriage?" The more Shi''liu thought about it, the more painful she felt that it was, and she couldn''t help crying. The male servant had to exin to her, "If you don''t pop it open, then the fluid inside the blister will push against the edges of the blister when the blister is pressed against. This will cause the blister to be even bigger, and more fluid will build up inside. It might even burst by itself too. As to why they''re in such a rush to go home, I don''t know." "Oh, then hurry up. When I get back, I need to properly treat their wounds. If only I can be injured in their ce; I''m not afraid of the pain." Shi''liu wiped her tears and urged the coachman again. She also told him that if the horse died from exhaustion, they willpensate him after they get back. He was worried that the people in his family might feel that they were on close terms with the people at the San''shui County administrative office and would take all of the 5,000 mu ofnd in one go and write it down on paper. Doing so would give other people an opportunity to attack them. He absolutely could not allow the situation to grow out of his control because this was his safe haven. He had to go back and make sure that they only imed 4,000 mu and not be greedy for the remaining 1,000 mu, as it was a ticking time bomb. "Xiao''bao, don''t worry, it won''t happen that fast. I think everyone is still celebrating right now. Things will be fine once we get back. Those hills are good, we can make use of it. Have you decided what to do?" Wang Juan hugged Zhang Xiao''bao from behind andforted him with her words. In fact, she was also worried herself. That Imperial kid kept hovering on the side like a tiger with its vicious mouth wide open, waiting to eat them. If it weren''t for the urrence of the auspicious omens, the Prefecture would have sent people to give them the farnd and restaurant a long time ago. If that happens, the only solution was to go to the Capital to let the Emperor know. Emperor Li Long''ji was now getting ready to properly govern the country, so he would absolutely not allow something like that to exist. However, even then, the loss would still be great. Although thend and restaurant would be given back, who would be held ountable for the time wasted? "I prepared a long time ago. Later, we can cut down those trees that have no production value, and rece them with fruit trees. We will do this section by section, and the cut trees can be burned into charcoal and be sold for money. The charcoal could be used for either burning or as a dehumidifier. Thend can be used for terrace farming, but I''m scared that when there''s too much rain water, the mud and rocks on it will wash down." Zhang Xiao''bao also tried his best to suppress the irritation he felt in his mind. He was not worried about the people in his family, but he worried about Wang Juan''s father. When doing things, her father did not think much. In the midst of being happy, he might take thend. This will give others something to threaten him with and that would be troublesome. "Yeah, that''s a good idea. If we can''t nt crops, then we can nt fruit trees. We can grow a variety of fruits and we will still be able to earn money. Thisnd was granted to us so we don''t need to pay taxes for thend and we can grow whatever we want. I heard that watermelons and cabbage can be grown at this time, but I haven''t seen it here yet. Let''s get someone to go look for it. The taste of watermelon seeds is good, and cabbages can be stored for a long time in the winter. Let''s make some sauerkraut too, and use it to make stew by cooking it withrge chunks of fatty meat. When we go back, we will get them to take exactly 4,000 mu ofnd---no more, no less. Who can find fault in us then?" Wang Juan agreed with him, and at the same time, she thought about nting watermelons and cabbage, and then she thought about looking for these nts. This would resolve a lot of problems in winter. Cabbage also contains some sugar, so if they didn''t eat any staple foods and only ate cabbage, they couldst for months without starving to death. Watermelon tastes sweet and they could try to make sugar from it. It would be fine even if they grow it just for its watermelon seeds. They can make this into another snack by adding aniseed and Zhang Xiao''bao''s thirteen spices mix, and then roasting it with sugar and salt. Zhang Xiao''bao let the horse run up a small path, and said to Wang Juan, "Who said that I won''t take that remaining 1,000 mu? On the surface, it looks like we''re taking just 4,000 mu, but the remaining 1,000 mu will be ours too. When I have my hands on something, I won''t let it escape out of my grasp. It''s also a good chance for me to set up a trap for those that want to mess with us, and we will see who will fall for it." "I knew that you had malicious intentions. Tell me, how will you im that extrand?" Once Wang Juan heard what Zhang Xiao''bao said, that bit of reluctance she had in her heart disappeared. She believed that since Zhang Xiao''bao dared to say it, he would be able to do it. "Secret. I can''t tell you now. You will understand when we take thend." After rushing the entire way, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan finally rode the horse into the outskirts of Tu''qiao Vige at four quarters after the Wu hour3. They rode past the Ge Manor, and then they rode across the small bridge under the surprised gazes of the Ge Manor''s residents. Even until now, the sound of firecrackers have never stopped. From time to time, the cracking sound can be heard from random ces. All of the manors'' residents have left their own houses and were eating and drinking in the front yard of the two master houses. It was obvious to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan that the two master families were holding a dinner party. The families have been granted honorary titles, so of course they had to celebrate. When the residents saw Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, they stood up and took turns greeting the two. Now their two little masters were even more powerful with officials in their family. One was a proper seventh rank and the other was a sub seventh rank. Even the magistrate of the San''shui County was just a proper seventh rank official. What''s more was that they had a fiefdom with five-hundred households, so they didn''t have to worry about paying rent. Since the master family no longer needed to pay grains to the government, a good master family like them would definitely reduce the rent if the harvest was bad. The only concern right now was to fill up the ce with five hundred people. Even if both of the master families brought in people from other ces, there would only be just over four hundred by the end of this year. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan slowed down and greeted the residents with a smile. When the horse came to the yard and stopped, they remained seated on the horse and looked at each other. Neither of them wanted to go down because it was too painful. It was not easy to get off the horse. "What should we do?" Wang Juan asked Zhang Xiao''bao while she pressed down on the horse''s back with her hands, trying to reduce the weight on her thighs. "It''s easy. Watch me. Somebody,e carry us down." Zhang Xiao''bao shouted to the people next to him just when Wang Juan thought he would go down first. Naturally, the residents came over. They all felt that it was an honor to be able to hold their two little masters. By the time they got off the horse and squatted on the ground, their families arrived in a hurry. "Father, have you chosen thend?" Zhang Xiao''bao asked his father. "Not yet, it''s being selected right now." Father Zhang knew that his son had ns when he came back. "That''s good, let''s go in and talk. Father, carry me in." Zhang Xiao''bao opened his arms after he let out a sigh of relief.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Posting
Posting is the action of one''s legs to rise out of the saddle as the horse runs. Proper coordination of the horse rider and the horse makes the horse riding experience more smooth and this makes it morefortable for the rider and horse.
  1. Puffball mushroom
This is themon name of the mushroom Calvatia gigantea. When immature, the mushroom is edible and it also has medical use. It is a known styptic (an antihemorrhagic agent/ substance that promotes blood clotting) and its powdered form or slices can be used to dress wounds.
  1. Four quarters after the Wu hour
This is 12:00 pm. Book 2: Chapter 35 Book 2: Chapter 35 Volume 02 Chapter 35: Three Different Moods, Three Different Kinds of Weathers It seemed like it became hotter at noon. The wind that blew into the carriage carried waves of unbearable heat and this made people sweat uncontrobly. Birds that had nothing better to do kept chirping and this made people feel irritated. The sky appeared to be grayish white, and the clouds seemed to press down on people''s chests. asionally, a few little birds could be seen pecking at the sand, and this sight was quite annoying to see. Li Cheng was sitting in the bumpy carriage. He had no intention of urging the coachman to hurry. He regretted that he didn''t bring more water and ice---saying this was incorrect because he didn''t bring any at all. He wanted to stop and ask someone for water, but he feared that this would waste time. With the curtains of the carriage open, the wind that blew in from the outside was hot, and the sunlight filled up the entire inside. With the curtains of the carriage closed, the body would sweat even more profusely. "Where are they? Where did they go? Did they grow wings and fly away? Howe a carriage drawn by four horses can''t catch up to a horse ridden by two little toddlers? Did they get lost, and rode their horse to somewhere else?" Li Cheng muttered under his breath while wiping his endless amount of sweat. The sound of whip swinging and yelling from outside reached his ears from time to time, leaving him with a trace of worry in his anxiety. It seemed like it wasn''t that hot at noon. The wind that blew into the carriage carried waves of tolerable heat and this made people feel warm. Birds that had nothing better to do kept chirping and this made people feel theforts of familiarity. The sky appeared to be blue, and the clouds seemed more carefree than usual. asionally, a few little birds could be seen pecking at the sand, and this sight was quite amusing to see. "It''s good now; the two families will no longer have to worry about not having a good life. Our manors will have a lot of leftover grains every year. There''s also so muchnd--- even if its filled with mountains, it''s fine since there''ll be more room for Ying''tao to raise more chickens." As the carriage swayed, Shi''liu murmured happily as she thought about the days toe. The three people next to her heard what she said and nodded. All four of them served in the inner courtyard. Their masters were good to the residents, and even better to the inner courtyard servants like them. There were people who took turns to guard in the night. The clothes they usually wore were all the same, and it was provided by the master family. When it came to time to eat, they were allowed to choose what they wanted to eat from the various dishes avable. Once they decide what to eat, the kitchen will prepare it. asionally, they were given a bit of money to buy what they liked. If they were any other manors'' residents, they would not be able to even dream of receiving this kind of treatment. However, all of this was when their master did not have an official title and that many fiefs. Now that they had more fiefs, the days toe would only be better. It seemed like the day was really nice at noon. The wind that blew from all around carried waves of rxing coolness that made people feel extremelyfortable. Birds that had nothing better to do kept chirping and this made people feel happy. The sky appeared to be up so high, and the clouds seemed more charming than usual. asionally, a few little birds could be seen pecking at the sand, and this sight made people feel like happiness was right in front of them. Today, the residents of the two Zhang and Wang manors atemb soup. Slicedmb organ andmb meat were ced into a bowl, and thenmb bone soup andmb tallow was poured over top. A bit of coriander and green onion was sprinkled on top, and ground ck pepper was added to help remove the gamey taste. They sweated amid the sensation of feeling refreshed after taking a sip. The sweat caused them to feel cool and at that moment, all of the hotness disappeared. Large tbreads were baking inside vertical earthen ovens and they were so soft, crispy and fragrant. The little children ran around excitedly, and sometimes their parents grabbed them and spanked them since they wanted to get their children to drink themb soup, lest it bes undrinkable when it turns cold. The person in charge of serving the soup did not care whether or not other people''s soup would turn cold. The liquid portion of the soup can be poured out while keeping the solids in the bowl, and then water andmb tallow can be added to make another bowl of soup. There was also meat taken from themb''s head served on the table of the older residents. Themb tail,mb kidneys, andmb testicles were not served, and were stored frozen in the Young Master''s storage room. The Young Master had instructed that these parts of themb was reserved for the master family to eat since there was not enough to share with the residents. The male residents sweated a lot from eating, and they tore off the shirts. While naked, they toasted with other people and talked about their manor. The female residents watched the kids and took care of the elders of their family. The leaves on the trees by the river seemed to have spreaded open at this time. A slight breeze brushed by, bringing the fragrance of rice grains, lotus, and soil to the noses of people. From time to time, dog barks that carried hints of joy could be heard. The mischievous little boys and girls chased each around. asionally, someone jumped into the shallow and muddy creek, and when they got out, they were pped a few times by their parents. While crying, they continued to find otherpanions to y with. In just a short while, the children forgot about the ps, and jumped into the river again. Unlike the adults, the children didn''t think so much. They don''t know what the future of the manors would be like. They could stay happy for the entire day if they were given candied hawthorn. With so many people together, they felt safe. Every time the master family invited them to a dinner party, they felt like it was a festival. The Ge Manor''s residents all stayed at home, or were sitting in front of their doors, and talked to their neighbors about the Zhang and Wang''s families. Although they felt envious, they also felt helpless. Without realizing it, their children walked across the small bridge to watch the faraway scene of people eating and drinking. They licked their own lips, and squatted down, looking for something on the ground to y with. Even if it was just a few ants carrying stuff on their backs, they could stare at them for a long time. If they felt that the ants were moving too slowly, they would pick up a small stick and help them transport the stuff to the ant hole. When the ants dragged their preys into the hole, the children felt happy again. "Brother Shi''tou, what are you ying with here? I brought you a tbread with a lot of sesame seeds on it." The boy raised his head to look at the little girl the moment he heard her voice. Then, he looked at the tbread in her hand. He swallowed his spit, then he shook his head and said, "Lil'' sis Ye''zi, you eat it. It was given to you by your master, I don''t want it. I will go home to eat when I''m hungry." "There''s meat in it that''s half lean, half fatty. Grandpa asked me to give this to you. Last year I identally fell into the river, and you were the one who pulled me out. Take it." The five or six-year-old girl handed the tbread to Shi''tou with a sincere expression on her face. Shi''tou stared at the tbread nkly, but in the end, he still shook his head and said, "I really don''t want it. I''m from the Ge manor. If I want to eat it, my master will give us some to eat." "Really? But there is no one with an official title at your manor. I heard my grandfather say that the master of our Wang manor is no longer just the master of a manor; he''s a high ranking official now and his ranking is just slightly below the Magistrate." The little girl squatted down. She repeated the words she heard the adults say while she watched Brother Shi''tou use a wood branch to squish the bug so that it would be easier for the ants to eat. "It''s true. In order to congratte the Zhang and Wang manors, the Ge Manor also ughtered amb." A voice came from the side, and the two children looked up. Shi''tou immediately stood up to greet the person. "Old Master, I didn''t take their manor''s stuff." Ge Ying''xi nodded slightly. Originally, he nned to go over to the two families to congratte them, but he didn''t expect to overhear the two children''s conversation. When the children spoke, they didn''t think much about their words, but when Ge Ying''xi heard it, he felt like a knife was stabbed into his heart. He thought about how the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant earned a lot of money this year, how the autumn harvest was also good, and how the taxes werepletely exempted. If he was still stingy as before, then the hearts of his manor''s residents would go off to elsewhere, so he decided to have amb ughtered for his residents to eat. He even gave the two manors some respect since he was celebrating with them. "Old Master Ge, please have some tbread." As soon as Miss Ye Zi saw the master of the Ge familye over, she cleverly handed the tbread over to him. She was not afraid of the people of the Ge family, even if the person was the manor''s master. She was from the Wang Manor, so she wouldn''t be afraid even if the county magistrate was here. Ge Ying''xi was stunned for a moment, and then he actually took the tbread. He ripped the tbread with his teeth and said, "It''s delicious, but now that you gave me this, what are you going to eat?" "Me? There''s still more for me when I get back. My master''s wife told me that one should be grateful and repay other people''s kindness. The residents cannot forget about those who were kind to the Wang manor''s residents, and the master will definitely repay their kindness. I brought this tbread over for Brother Shi''tou. If it weren''t for him, I would have drowned to deathst year. When I grow older and be more capable, I''ll work hard for my master." Ye''zi smiled sweetly as she exined herself. While she was talking, she held her little fist up to express her determination. Hearing these words, Ge Ying''xi really didn''t know what to say, so he gave her a generic response. He took the tbread he had bitten into and walked towards the main courtyard of Zhang Manor with Housekeeper Zhang following behind him. It was very lively outside. In the Zhang family''s yard, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan allowed the doctor to apply borneol and other medicines to the injuries on their legs while they discussed with their families about the 4000 mu ofnd. "Xiao''bao, Juan''juan, what happened to you two? Howe suchrge pieces of skin were removed from your legs? What on earth were Shi''liu and the others doing?" Seeing the wounds on her son and daughter-inw, Madam Zhang-Wang was distressed. She got the manor''s doctor toe treat their wounds. Her eyebrows were furrowed when she questioned them. Once the borneol was applied, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan felt much better, and they no longer looked like they were in pain, and of course, they did not cry like other children would. "Mother, it''s okay, it''s just a small injury. We will be fine in just a couple days. Juan''juan and I came back because we were afraid that you would take all 5,000 mu ofnd over there and notify the administrative office. If that is done, then our families will be in big trouble. This time, we can only take thend that the Imperial Court has granted us with. There are people on the side watching us and waiting for an opportunity." Zhang Xiao''bao nodded to the doctor who was treating him, and then exined to his mother. "Huh? We shouldn''t upy that 5,000 mu ofnd? That entire piece ofnd can be easily taken. Doctor Pang, be more gentle, Xiao''bao is in pain." Madam Zhang-Wangwas stunned for a moment, then replied back to Zhang Xiao''bao, and talked to the doctor. Book 2: Chapter 36 Book 2: Chapter 36 Volume 02 Chapter 36: Having Difficulties In Making Measurements Doctor Pang was already very careful, but he didn''t notice any expressions of pain on the Young Master''s face. He felt that Madam Zhang was overreacting, and at the same time he was pleasantly surprised by the Young Master''s tenacity. In order to get back early, the little boy rode a horse back and severely chafed his legs. Even when his wounds were treated with medicine, he didn''t even furrow his eyebrows, and it was as if the injuries were on another person''s body. However, he still had to be more careful. When he was still just a medic, he wasn''t quite proficient at handling a few types of medicinal ingredients. After arriving at the Zhang Manor, the manor bought a lot of medicinal materials to help him improve his medical skills. They also gave him an opportunity to continue to study, and now he has be an actual doctor. He understood that his current position was established upon the Zhang Manor''s money and he had signed a life-long contract with the manor. Some time ago, the Zhang Manor would not buy medicinal materials that were too expensive, but now as long as he can name it, the Zhang Manor would try to obtain the item for him. He naturally knew that the Young Master was the one who paid the money. Now he was treating the Young Master, so how could he dare to be uncareful? It was time to present his medical skills. He had a small apothecary in his own yard. The items inside were worth nearly a thousand taels of silver. If his Young Master was unhappy with him, then he would have nothing. Who would be willing to spend a thousand taels of silver to raise an idler? "Doctor Pang, hurry up. You''re applying medicine, not embroidering. The pain will pass after a while. Juan''juan and I believe in your medical skills." Zhang Xiao''bao maintained a position without moving so that it was convenient for Doctor Pang to apply the medicine, but he didn''t expect that Doctor Pang moved an inch and inch at a time. What a waste of time. "Okay, Young Master, I''ll finish up right now. However, there are still some new patches of chafed skin that need to be cleaned up. Please bear with me." Doctor Pang was finally convinced that the Young Master and Young Miss really didn''t seem to care about the pain at all. As he spoke, he worked a bit faster. "Give us the scalpel and we''ll do it ourselves. You''re too slow. Remember in the future, you must be fast when you treat the residents. It will be fine to just bear with the pain for just a bit." While talking, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan reached out to take the scalpel. They removed the white skin and a bit of flesh around the wounds themselves. Their faces were still calm, but the movements of their hands were not slow at all. After a while, the dead skin and flesh was cut off, and red blood seeped out from the edges. "It''s done. Apply the medicine quickly. We still have other important things to discuss." Zhang Xiao''bao turned the scalpel around and handed the handle to Doctor Pang and urged him to work more quickly. Doctor Pang was speechless. Right now, all he could do was follow hig Young Master''s instructions. He quickly applied the medicine, and when he was about to use cloth to wrap it up, Wang Juan spoke up, "No need to wrap the wounds, that will slow down the recovery process. Just leave it this way, and it will scab over by tomorrow. Children''s bodies recover quickly, and it''s easy for the skin to heal. Thank you Doctor Pang." Doctor Pang had no choice but to leave. He really couldn''t understand why the Young Master and Young Miss were that good at withstanding. If he was treating an adult, the person would wait for him to exin to the person what to pay attention to. However, the Young Master and Young Miss seemed to understand these types of external injuries better than him. The Zhang family and the Wang family were all sitting around Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. When they watched the two children cut their own flesh with a knife, they felt that the knife did not cut their children''s body, but their hearts. They understood that the Zhang and Wang manors could look like what they looked like now only because of these two children. In other people''s families, the adult took care of the children, but to their surprise, this was flipped in their own family and the children in their families took care of the adults. Although they felt a bit relieved, they were more wistful. Madam Zhang-Wang''s hand touched the faces of her son and daughter-inw, and spoke sadly. Zhang Xiao''bao smiled, "Mother, don''t worry, the pain is nothing. No matter how painful it is, it is not as painful as when you gave birth to me. That little kid Li Xun keeps on targeting our family. If we really take that 5,000 mu ofnd, then he will have an excuse to do something to our family. His father is the governor of our Prefecture. We absolutely cannot let them find a chance." Wang Juan, who was sitting beside him, added, "Mother, don''t worry about our injuries. It will get better if we chaf our skin more often in the future. Let''s go look at the ce now. Xiao''bao already has an idea. On the surface, it looks like we have tossed away that 1,000 mu ofnd, but in fact, it''s still ours. The actual number of workers on the two manors is only about 400 people, so there are more than 100 open spots. We need to consider this carefully. Should we wait for the children on the manors to grow up and then let them fill up the spots, or should we buy people from outside of the manors? I think we should wait. The children will eventually grow up. If we consider right now, then saving the spots for them will motivate the adults of their family to work harder. If we think about it in the long term, we should leave the spots empty and let them wait. We can also let other people who want to join the manor to have some hope. For our two manors, having a fiefdom of five hundred households is nothing. In the future, it might be one thousand, or even two thousand. " "That''s right. I have a good son and a good daughter-inw so things would be even better in the future. Those poultries should alsoe back now. When theye back, every family will be able to eat meat. However, chicken meat is hard to sell. Ordinary families wouldn''t be able to afford it, and the wealthy families wouldn''t want to eat it. Let''s go now. Someone,e carry the Young Master and Young Miss." The Wang family did not put forward any different opinions. What they feared most was that they angered Zhang Xiao''bao and he no longer wanted Juan''juan. From where would they be able to find such a capable son-inw or grandson-inw? What made them feel relieved the most was that regardless of what happened, Zhang Xiao''bao would be able to remain level-headed and then devise ns. It was fine if he was a deity or a demon. He knew how to show filial piety to his parents and help his family, so it didn''t matter what he was. The Wang Manor had gained a lot this time too because they had a good daughter, or a good granddaughter. Otherwise, why would Zhang Xiao''bao care for the Wang family? The people of the Wang family naturally understood this. A Martial Rider Officer was a sub- seventh-rank official. Although it''s just an honorary title, if something does happen, a Martial Rider Officer not only doesn''t have to kneel in front of the Magistrate at the administrative office, but will be given a seat to sit on. In the future, they also won''t have to be subjected to the Vige Elder''s or Junior Officer''s control. Those two didn''t even have a rank, so how could they even dare to fight with a seventh-rank official? As long as another little boy is born in the Wang family, then they won''t have to worry anymore in the future. For this reason, Wang Juan''s father also discussed with his father whether he should find a concubine, but he was severely scolded by Old Grandfather Wang. When Old Grandfather Wang saw his granddaughter and grandson-inw together, he knew that they would never allow the adults in the family to find a concubine for their father. If this was a different family, the adults of the family would never care about the young children''s opinions. However, how could the Zhang and Wang families not care? That Zhang Xiao''bao had his own personal staff and social circle. Song Jing''gong, Er''niu, Xiao''hong, Ying''tao, Shi''liu, Er''gou, Xu Si, and Hu''zi only listen to Zhang Xiao''bao''s orders. He also considered how the servants of the inner courtyard treated the two children. How could he possibly kill these two children just to find another woman? When Wang Juan''s father heard the Old Grandfather''s words, he finally dispelled the idea of looking for another woman. In order to have a son, he could only work harder. He asked his future son-inw for somemb kidneys,mb testicles, beef kidneys, and beef testicles. Thinking of his son-inw, Wang Juan''s father felt satisfied in an indescribable way. He was a good son-inw. Not only did he give him those things, but he also told him to eat more soybeans and green onions, how to prepare dog meat stew, and eat less celery. All of these food items were aphrodisiacs. From where could he find a son-inw like him? As a result, the n of finding a concubine came to an end under this extremely odd constraint. Father Wang admitted that he did not dare to test his daughter''s and son-inw''s boundaries. * The chair had to be carried by four people and Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan sat side by side. The group marched towards that ce. "Xiao''bao, howe this ce looks like it more than 5,000 mu?" Wang Juan had a wooden straw in her mouth and she sucked up the juice in her cup. After she scanned the hills in the area, she asked Zhang Xiao''bao. "The problem lies in the measurement method. It was measured with a person''s steps, so how can it bepared with measuring with light? It would be inurate to use light to measure the mountains though, since it can only be used to measure the distance of a straight line. It''s possible if you measure it several times, and then use calculus to calcte the limit. If you really want to measure it, use a micrometer. People have a habit of making unnaturally longer strides when going downhill. When going uphill, they have to deliberately take longer strides in order to measure urately. I estimate that the surface area of these mountains is nearly 6,000 mu. What''s to me is that there''s no high-altitude mapping techniques in this era. " Zhang Xiao''bao was thinking about how to get 4,000 mu ofnd. The process was not that standardized to begin with, so what if someone''s strides were shorter? He had to be more careful, or else other people would use this against them. When people surveyed the area back then, it was about 5,000 mu. If his families only upied 4,000 mu, then there would be nearly 2,000 mu ofnd leftover. It was really hard to make a decision. "Xiao''bao, you''re right. The surveying techniques of this era are not so urate. Have you thought of a way yet?" Wang Juan also understood the difficulty of making a decision at this time. They had to either take less than 4,000 mu ofnd, or take more than 4,000 mu. If they used the original method of surveying this area, this was not something easy to do. Book 2: Chapter 37 Book 2: Chapter 37 Volume 02 Chapter 37: The Silent Smiler Is The Real One "It''s simple. We will take only 4,000 mu ofnd. Even if they survey this area to be 10,000 mu, we will still only take 4,000 mu. Bring the map over, I need to decide how we''re going to choose it." Originally, Zhang Xiao''bao hade up with a n already, but he didn''t expect that the situation here was different from how he imagined it to be. The surveying method was too rudimentary. And that was supposed to be 6,000 mu was surveyed to be just 5,000 mu. More importantly, this ce was covered with small mountains, so it was hard to obtain an urate measurement. The people who surveyed the area weren''t too keen. It was fine for those people to ck off, but Zhang Xiao''bao had to be more careful because he feared that the guy with the surname Li woulde cause trouble. When facing this situation, Zhang Xiao''bao had no choice but toe up with a new n. He took the map from Wang Juan and inspected it carefully. He began to instruct the people around him and the people who were responsible for recording down the process. "This mountain, and the next one needs to be enclosed. These areas will belong to the Zhang and Wang manors. Don''t take that ce, and that mountain valley. Take that mountain bridge. That''s right, it''s that ce. Don''t go down anymore." Zhang Xiao''bao was carried around and when he arrived at certain areas, he asked people to record it down. Even by night time, he still wasn''t done selecting the areas, so he had to wait until tomorrow to continue. The crowd were confused because of Zhang Xiao''bao, and in the end they finally returned to the manor before it got dark. How could the two children ride back home on a horse? It must be that the horse frequently runs to and from these two ces. Otherwise, how could they possibly know the way home? He wanted to find someone to ask questions, but the residents had long since dispersed, and the people in the inner courtyard told him that they didn''t know anything. Usually when Li Cheng encountered this kind of incident, he would take out a bit of silver to bribe the servants of the inner courtyard. Just when he was about to hand the silver out he suddenly remembered that the people of Zhang and Wang''s families couldn''t be bribed with this little money. He put the silver pieces back into this robe, and continued to wait in this ce. Li Cheng did not mention that he came here to speak with the Zhang and Wang families, so the servants did not allow him inside the house. He came here to extract information from others, so he had to wait outside. He knew that the Zhang and Wang families went out to choosend. He reasoned that the mastermind who was backing them up also went along with the team. He wanted to see what kind of person could be this powerful. At dusk, Zhang Xiao''bao''s team finally arrived back at the manor. Li Cheng originally wanted toe up close and ask; he even came up with an excuse already: to go congratte them. However, he realized that he didn''t bring anything with him other than a bit of silver. This gift would be too insignificant so he couldn''t go over to them. The only thing he can do is to observe each person carefully and try to find that mastermind. He looked at them one by one, and he found that none of these people looked like a mastermind. His way of thinking was rtively simple---a mastermind had to of course look like a mastermind. First of all, the mastermind must be surrounded by people. He did see a group of people like this. Everyone stood around Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. The two of them were sitting on a sedan chair and they were sleeping. Could they be the masterminds? Even a fool would know that this was impossible. So the next thing he paid attention to was who the two manors'' masters kept looking at and talking to. Yes, he knew the answer to this too. The two manors'' masters kept looking at the two little children and the two masters talked to each other. "Let me ask you, what do you think an expert would look like?" Li Cheng couldn''t tell which one was the mastermind, so he asked the coachman beside him. When the coachman heard Li Cheng''s words, he was taken aback, and then he said, "I think if the person is an expert, then the person would be unwilling to talk. Also, the way the person would look like a servant. My Shi''fu was like that too. He was amazing at driving carriages, but when you look at him, it was hard to notice him among other people. Sir, how about you try looking among them for a person that is hiding behind other people and doesn''t talk. "That makes sense. Okay, go and feed the horse first, and then wait for me at the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant. I will go over there after I''m done observing them." That is, among the four people who carried the sedan chair, there was a person standing at the back side that appeared afraid of being seen by others and only half of his face could be seen. The other three people who carried the sedan chair would asionally talk to each other, but no one talked to him. He followed the group back. Li Cheng felt that he was right. It must be the person standing at the back side. After they arrived outside of the yard, Li Cheng stared at the person intensively so that he could remember his appearance. He nned to find someone to draw out his face and show it to the Young Prince. Judging from the way that person carried the sedan chair, he didn''t seem tired at all. Only a mastermind that was talented like this could teach Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan how to win first ce at the pasture. Look at his eyes, I must look at his eyes.'' Li Cheng stared at that person while walking on the side because he wanted to know what kind of expression that person had in his eyes. Alright, it''s him. He has a mysterious hazy look in his eyes, and he keeps a slight smile with the corners of his mouth. Who would be able to do that other than a mastermind? '' Through the observations, Li Cheng was finally able to analyze the situation. Hemitted the details of the person''s appearance to his memory. He did not dare to make any further dys and he walked directly to the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant. Everyone had already entered the yard, so he could not continue to follow them. He nned that after he arrived at the restaurant, he would allow the coachman and his horse to take a break for a while and then rush back overnight so that he could share this important information with the Young Prince. "Da''ya, I told you during lunch today to not drink so much. What if you injure the Young Master and Young Miss? Even paying with your own life would not be enough. Alright, you should go back soon. If I knew that you would act like this after drinking, I wouldn''t have let you help carry the sedan chair. Here''s something to eat. Grab some for Xiao''ya before you leave. I heard from Doctor Pang that your son Xiao''ya could be cured. Do more things in the future and the Master will provide the money for the medical treatment. So pitiful." After the group of people entered the courtyard, Housekeeper Zhang ordered the sedan chair carrier, who was also the person Li Cheng thought was the mastermind. "Ah, ah ah." Da''ya smiled more dopely after hearing Housekeeper Zhang''s words. His opened-mouth spat out a few monotonic grunts and he waves his arms around. "No need to thank me. As a resident of the manor, you deserve it. Keep working hard. Go on now." Housekeeper Zhang waved his arm to gesture to Da''ya to leave. At the same time, he sighed. Da''ya had been mute since he was a child, but he was a likeable person that smiled at everyone he saw. Later on, when he had a child of his own, the child was also a mute. Fortunately, Doctor Pang said that this disease may be cured, and the Master had agreed to pay for everything. It was a pity that Da''ya loved to drink. He doesn''t need to drink too much to get tipsy. He can''t talk, so when he drinks a bit, he would smile. This gave him a mysterious, inscrutable appearance, butter people got used to seeing this so whenever they saw him smile like that, they would know that he had a few drinks. * "Xiao''bao, look at how round the moon is. Chang''e and the Jade Rabbit are on it." Wang Juan looked at the moon outside through the open window and said to Zhang Xiao''bao. "Yes, and there''s Wu Gang1 chopping a tree up there too. If you ask me, that person is an idiot. After he hacks at the tree with his ax, why doesn''t he put something at the cut notch so that the tree can''t grow back? What a fool he is." Zhang Xiao''bao replied. "I think he drank too much. The alcohol content of the sweet-scented osmanthus wine must be too high. He keeps on drinking it, so of course he couldn''t think of cing something inside the cut notch. Or perhaps there was nothing to be used." Wang Juan tried to speak up for Wu Gang. Zhang Xiao''bao shook his head and disapproved of this kind of reasoning. "How could there be nothing to put inside? Can''t the tools the Jade Rabbit used to grind medicine be used? Even if that''s not enough, there are medicinal materials, such as Szechuan peppercorns, which is also a kind of medicine. As long as he makes a hole in the tree, he should stuff peppercorns in it. Then the tree will die, and it will die from the root upwards. He should make the holes smaller so that it would be difficult for others to find out how the tree died. Before the tree dies, the small holes will be grown over. I tried this before and it was extremely effective. " "Really? Whose tree did you try this on?" Wang Juan asked curiously. "Trees on the mountain behind the orphanage. Originally, we were allowed to go anywhere in that area. There were a lot of wild fruits on that mountain. Later, that ce was bought by someone and they nted a lot of fruit trees. We wanted to pick some mountain hawthorns from the mountains; we didn''t even think about stealing their fruits, but they still wouldn''t let us pick the hawthorns. He enclosed the whole mountain, and there is only one path. We didn''t think so much. We picked some mushrooms so that we can sell them and then use the earned money to buy things. He led two dogs and blocked us at the bottom of the mountain. He snatched away the mushrooms that we worked really hard to find. He said that we stole it " When Zhang Xiao''bao was speaking, he felt that there was no pulsing sensation in his legs. This meant that no pus wasing out and he felt relieved. "Oh, they bought the mountain, so the ce belongs to them. What happenedter?" Wang Juan asked again. "Later? Later on we brought a small awl and some peppercorns with us and sneaked our way into that mountain. We poked small holes in the fruit trees, put the peppercorns inside, and then covered the holes up with mud. Who told him to snatch our mushrooms?" Zhang Xiao''bao spoke aggrievedly. "You guys are so wicked. What you guys did was illegal. It was not easy for them to buy a mountain." "But he didn''t spend any money. He is the nephew of the district mayor there. Go to sleep, there is no Chang''e." "That''s not true; you just didn''t see her. She''s a goddess. How else do you think we ended up here?" Trantor''s Notes
  1. Wu Gang
As a punishment, Wu Gang has to chop down a self-healing osmanthus tree on the Moon. Since the tree can heal itself, this task can never bepleted. Book 2: Chapter 38 Book 2: Chapter 38 Volume 02 Chapter 38: It Was Hard to Find Any Holes In The n The moonlight was lingering, and the stars were shining. People whispered as they hurried down their path. In the middle of the night, Li Cheng wasn''t able to sit still anymore. He notified the coachman to prepare the carriage, and then they rushed back. He was scared that he would forget what the person looked like and thus, it would be difficult for him to get someone to draw the person out. The crisp sound of horse hooves sounded in the night, and antern hung in front of the carriage to light up the bumpy road. The waiter that was on the night shift noticed this, so he waited until morning before he ran over to the Zhang Manor to report to Zhang Xiao''bao. "Oh, I see. He might be wrong in the head. Don''t worry about him. Tell the chef in the restaurant to cook some wild vegetables at noon today." After listening to this, Zhang Xiao''bao spoke indifferently. "Young Master, how could there still be wild vegetables? The wild vegetables are old now and can''t be eaten." The waiter reminded him. "Old? Oh, then make wild vegetable soup, and then scoop the wild vegetables out. I heard that wine is free at the restaurant. Add in a dish for them---red-braised pork. Make sure it''s extra fatty and don''t cook it for so long. It has to be very greasy and heavy tasting. The chefs know how to make that, right?" Zhang Xiao''bao changed the topic quickly. He ordered the waiter to give away a free dish. The waiter nodded, "They know how to do it; I can also make it too. However, meat is quite costly." "Yes, I''ll follow my young master''s order." The waiter agreed and turned to leave. In his mind, he thought about how conniving the young master was foring up with a n like that. After solving the problem of high wine consumption, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan began to climb the mountain with everyone again. While climbing, they also ordered people to pick some old wild vegetables and any tender ones that they could luckily find. Zhang Xiao''bao spent the entire morning repeating what he did yesterday. He directed people to record certain areas, and then he finally enclosed a total of 4,000 mu ofnd. From one side of the mountain to the other side of the mountain, the surrounding area was almost entirely enclosed except for some areas in the center. Those spots were the extrand. "Xiao''bao, you''re horrible. You only enclose the surroundingnd, but even if you don''t use thend in the center, it won''t be easy for others to upy it. Later, you would be able to secretly nt something there. Although it''s only 4,000 mu, all of the extrand is encircled in the center." On the way back at noon, Wang Juan drew on the map the spots that Zhang Xiao''bao chose, and she found that the nearly 2,000 mu ofnd was actually surrounded by Zhang Xiao''bao''s chosennd. The most important thing is that the 2,000 mu are almost all in the middle of the nearby hills. There was arge slope that took up a lot of space, and the valley below was not suitable for farming at all. However, Zhang Xiao''bao disagreed with Wang Juan''s statement, and corrected her, "Why am I horrible? Those valleys---I n to let people dig deep pits in there and then raise some shrimps and crabs. If no one ims thend, then we will catch them, but if someone ims thend, then we will uses to remove everything. Those are wild creatures--- we didn''t raise them." "I see, but if we do this, aren''t you afraid that others woulde to catch shrimps or crabs?" Wang Juan now understood that Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t want those valleys because he had this idea in mind. "If theye, then let theme. If they''re willing to catch shrimps or crabs, then let them catch shrimps or crabs. The surrounding areas belong to us, so why are outsiders able toe in? We will also raise shrimps and crabs in the valleys that we actually own, and if people go there, then they will have to pay a toll. The more they eat and the more they catch, then the more money we will charge. If the person leaves without taking the initiative to pay, then we would say that the person stole something from us. All shrimps and crabs look about the same, so how could they prove that what they caught were from the valleys that don''t belong to us? " Zhang Xiao''bao exined further and he smiled. It was obvious that this was a child''s innocent smile, but Wang Juan shivered when she saw his smile. "You are too cruel, I get it now. If someone ims that ce, then they will have to pass through our ce and they will also have to pay when they enter and leave, right?" "Yes, that''s the n. If the person was a notable person, then we will charge them a bit less. Our goal is to let others know that money can be earned from raising shrimps and crabs in the valleys, and the earned amount is not a small amount. When someone ims the ce, we will secretly put in carnivorous fishes, such as snakehead fish. The fishes will eat everything inside and they will lose a ton of money. Then we can buy thend from them at a low price. We get to save a lot of trouble and a lot of money. Whoeveres here to seek benefits will be schemed against." The smile on Zhang Xiao''bao''s face became more and more charming. Wang Juan looked at him and sighed, "Why do you alwayse up with such deceptive ideas? What if they send someone to stay there? When you send someone to release fish, the person will definitely be caught. If that person was the emperor''s kin, then you''re in big trouble." "That''s impossible. What kind of fool would go there to put in snakehead fish? Doesn''t it rain in that ce all the time? Once it rains, the water on the mountain will pool together and flow down. It will definitely flow to the ce where they raise shrimps and crabs. We''ll find some juvenile fishes and release them in our area. They will be carried by the water to their ce. We can''t be caught then, right? Even if they uses to catch the juvenile fishes and they don''t care about wasting manpower, we can make use of the rain water to flush out rotten shrimps and crabs. Those shrimps and crabs have a lot of bacteria on them and will definitely cause all of their shrimps and crabs to die. We need to remember to use lime water to sterilize our area." When Zhang Xiao''bao talked about bad ideas, the ideas were always linked together in chains, and he thought about every single aspect. Listening to this, Wang Juan was speechless for a while. She had no idea who would squirm their way in and who could be med? While the two of them muttered amongst themselves, their family members, who were next to them, did not know what the two of them were doing. They also had no clue that Zhang Xiao''bao was making ns to trick other people in the future. Their families just thought that the two of them were close to each other and this made both of their families extremely happy. The Zhang family thought of Wang Juan as a good daughter-inw. She was sensible, she always stayed with Xiao''bao, and other girls can''t bepared to her. The Wang family''s thoughts were even simpler. With Zhang Xiao''bao''s money-making ability, their lives would be better in the future. The two families rushed back, and the wild vegetables were sent to the restaurant. Right afterwards, they began drafting the document. The San''shui County''s bailiffs have been waiting here for the past two days. In their opinion, nothing was more important than this. After the document wasplete and their fingerprints were imprinted, it was considered that the two families had enclosed thend. It was definitely less than 4,000 mu, and it was impossible to be more. Now they were not afraid of othersing to cause trouble. * Can you guess where he hid? He actually stepped down from his high status and helped carry Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan on a sedan chair. If I didn''t look carefully, I would have been deceived by him. The other three people were talking andughing, but he kept silent. The people from the Zhang and Wang families always kept their eyes on Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. I now understand that they are not looking at the two children, but the one behind them. Think about it, during a time of such happiness, why does that one person never talk and keep on smiling? When I came closer to look, he pretended to be a fool and smiled at me. " "Is that true?" Li Xun was now first ce. He found a litter of small mice, so he didn''t need to worry about lunch. Although it was a bit disgusting, it was better than not eating. Besides, everyone else was able to eat it. This time, he brought some vegetable oil, which was sold by the Zhang Manor. He nned to deep-fry them at noon. Because of this, he saved a lot of time when moving forward. In fact, he knew that the litter of mice he found was found in advance by his subordinates, and they left a marking for him to find. In order to get the first ce, he had to cheat. He was happy right now, and after hearing what Li Cheng said, he asked his question with satisfaction. Li Cheng wanted to pound his chest to emphasize his certainty. He replied to the Young Prince, "Young Prince, what I saw is absolutely correct. They went to that mountain area to enclose thend. As soon as the mapes out, I will know if they took all of thend. If you need me to, I''ll go find their fault. Young Prince, think about it. If it weren''t for choosing thend, would that silent person go? All masterminds are like this. Usually, they are unwilling to talk, and they will only speak up during critical moments. Young Prince, if there is nothing else to do here, then I''ll follow your original instructions and go over there to meet that mastermind." "Meet him? Hmm, that''s good. Oh right, immediately open a restaurant. It doesn''t matter if it is in Luo''chuan County or San''shui County. After the survival training ends here and next time when we go to the desert area, try to find a way to give the desert area the same name as the restaurant. Humph! Their Zhang manor made such good calctions, but I''m not bad either. They found fourteen stores but none of them provide ces, right? We will give that ce our name. I don''t have a lot of money, so any amount earned is a good amount. " While Li Xun was happy, he didn''t forget about his ns. This time, the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant benefited a lot. He thought about which aspects of the training was under his control because he wanted to find ways to benefit himself. "The Young Prince is truly amazing, no words of praise are fitting of the Young Prince. I''ll go arrange this right now. Young Prince, please be assured. I''ll definitely bring that mastermind to our side. If the Zhang and Wang families are unwilling to let him go, then I will threaten them with the matter about theirnd enclosure." Li Cheng praised Li Xun. He did not dare to continue slowing down the Young Prince''s progress so he turned and left. After he buys a restaurant, he was going to go find that silent person. Book 2: Chapter 39 Book 2: Chapter 39 Volume 02 Wimpy rice seedlings; pain everywhere in sight. Yellowed withered grass; hard to spot cattle and sheep. Even until now, not a single drop of rain had fallen in the He''nan Division. The severe drought was a foregone conclusion. The only thing that made the people here feel a little better was that there was no need to worry about the locust gue. In addition to the 30,000 poultries that came from afar, the local poultries were also released out. During the day, they depended on these animals to eat the locusts, and at night, the people used fire to attract the locusts. The extermination that has been progressing for the past few days prevented the locust gue from spreading to other ces. The local people also received grains shipped from other ces, and they also had the eggsid by the poultries. In particr, some people close to the Yellow River boarded small rafts and rushed to the mouth of the sea in the shallow water. At that ce, they bought items at very low prices, loaded them onto their rafts and brought them back. They were able to exchange these items for quite a few eggs. Some diligent people even made several trips back and forth, and they found that their ie was not lower than before, but more. This made them feel more grateful to the Zhang Manor. They were especially grateful towards Ying''tao and Xiao''hong. The local people found that the two of them were not only beautiful, but also kind-hearted. They all wanted to erect a longevity tablet and pray to the tablet in the morning and night, in hopes that the two of them could live a long life. Xiao''hong and Ying''tao got up today to continue to find some remaining locusts to feed the poultries, but suddenly they received the news that the two masters of Zhang and Wang manors were granted official titles and a lot ofnd. After Ying''tao heard the good news, she didn''t want to stay here anymore. She wanted to go back and celebrate. She was so excited her eyes were red. "Ying''tao, you have aplished a major task. You hatched so many poultries. It was all worth it. We''ve been tired for so many days here, but it''s worth it. A seventh-rank official is as significant as the county magistrate." Xiao''hong grabbed hold of Ying''tao''s hand and jumped and hopped around. She finallypleted what the Young Master and Young Miss had instructed her to do. She helped the manor earn credit and she collected a lot of things to bring back to the manor. These items were of great use for her Young Master. Xu Si, Er''niu and the others also ran over at this time with a look of excitement. This was the first time they encountered such an exciting thing. It was especially exciting for Xu Si since this time he organized a lot of people. Even after so many years, there was never a day like today where he was allowed to participate in an event rted to the life and death of the manor. He thought about the days of when he was at the Ge manor and he knelt on the ground with a thump. He shouted out loudly, "The Heavens have eyes. They sent me, Si''gou, to the Young Master and Young Miss. Do you all see this? A day like this has finallye to me. From today on, I will no longer be surnamed Xu. My surname is now Zhang and I''ll be called Zhang Si." The people around looked at him, and not a single personughed at him. They knew what kind of life Xu Si had lived in the beginning. They were also fortunate to encounter the Young Master and Young Miss, and were given the opportunity to y a role in the life and death of the manor. They seeded. Not only did they use righteousness to pressure the Imperial Court to give them a reward, they also earned a lot of money. When they return to the manor, they will definitely be able to see the happy appearance of the Young Master and Young Miss. In the future, life on the manor will be differentpared to other ordinary manors. With Ying''tao''s order, more than 30,000 poultries were mustered together, and countless local carriages were rented to gloriously carry these heroes'' and the exchanged items back. "Let''s stop reading. Xiao''bao, there''s nothing else going on now, right? Can we still go to the outdoor survival training?" Wang Juan put the Doctrine of the Mean1 in her hand to the side and she looked up at the ceiling as she spoke. "It depends if our legs are healed or not. If it is, then we can go have a look. If not, we have to wait for it to heal. The older children will be there for a longer time, and there are still a lot of days before they can end the training on the grasnd." Zhang Xiao''bao also felt a little bit irritated. They spent their entire day resting and they couldn''t do anything. "Oh, then let''s wait. Xiao''bao, have you ever heard of a medicine called Yunnan Baiyao2? That thing helps with speeding up the recovery process. How about let''s make some?" Although Wang Juan agreed with him, she was still reluctant. Zhang Xiao''bao shook his head. "That thing is too difficult to make. I heard that there is something called Maderira-vine in it. I wonder if it''s the same thing as pseudoginseng? I''ve never seen it before. Abandon this idea. Go to sleep. The body recovers the most quickly during sleep." "Okay, let''s sleep. Let''s stop reading. We can eat after sleeping, and then sleep again after eating. We can snort a few times when we''re happy" Wang Juan closed her eyes and muttered. "Yeah, just like a pig." Zhang Xiao''bao replied and he closed his eyes too. Night came quickly. Li Cheng, who had been busy for the past two days, rushed to the Tu''qiao Vige again. He couldn''t resist his drowsiness, so he asked for a room at the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant and he slept in there until morning. He held in his hand the drawing drawn by another person based on his memory, and he began to wander around the Zhang manor. It was cool early in the morning. He wandered around everywhere, but he didn''t see the mastermind. He stood outside of the school and listened for a while. During this boring time, he noticed that the day was already hot. He had no choice but to walk to the bazaar. Some people have been there all day already, such as the owner of the tea stall. As long as the weather was slightly hot, he would never skip the opportunity to open his stall. Even if there were only a few peopleing to the stall to drink tea, he could sit there and enjoy the summer. "Old mister, there are too few peopleing to your stall. Can you even make money staying here all day long?" Li Cheng asked for a bowl of tea and he drank it there. In front of him was a small te with a handful of white melon seeds on it, and he ate one from time to time. He was thinking of the mastermind and then he asked the old man who was boiling water there. Li Cheng forced himself to swallow the horrible tea, and then he set the bowl aside. He grabbed the white melon seeds, and ate slowly while silently thinking about the things on his mind. "Young man, you''re not from around here, right? You look unfamiliar. Are you here to buy a bunch of things to sell at other ces? I advise you to leave. The things here are not allowed to be bought and sold like that. If you have the money, then go to the ce next to the grocery store over there, and look for Er''gou. He will tell you about the prices." The old man was also bored. He looked at Li Cheng and thought he was a businessman who came here to do business. He was afraid that he would not understand the rules, so he persuaded him. Li Cheng was thinking about where the mastermind would live and when he would show up. He was taken aback when he heard the old man''s words, and he curiously asked, "Why can''t I just buy it here? Wouldn''t it be cheaper if I buy more? " "Young man, do you really want to buy things?", the old man asked back. "Yeah. I have nothing better to do anyways. I want to see what products they have and then sell them to other ces. Can''t I just buy it directly? Why must I go find that Gou person?" Li Cheng was really puzzled now. It was the first time I heard that money can''t buy things. The old manughed. He got up and added some boiling water to Li Cheng''s bowl and another handful of white melon seeds to the te in front of Li Cheng. He exined, "The price of the things here is all set by E''gou. In order to prevent buyers and sellers from suffering losses, the price must be set everyday. I can tell that you want to get a lower price by buying in bulk, but that''s pointless. Regardless of how much you buy, the price is the same. If you want the price to be cheaper, you must find Er''gou. Otherwise, no one will dare to lower the price for you." "Why? Is that Er''gou more powerful than the government? Whatever he says goes? I still don''t believe this." Li Cheng, who didn''t think so much, heard what the old man said and felt that Er''gou was too arrogant. Why does he get to set the price? "Even if you don''t believe it, you still have to listen. No one here dares to disagree. Whoever disagrees will not be able to do business here anymore in the future. This ce belongs to the Wang manor. If they want you to leave, do you dare to not leave? Don''t have such a big temper. It''s good this way too; no one hase here to con people yet." The old man had met people like him more than once before, and he said the same thing many times already. There were people with even worse tempers, but they were all driven away in the end. Moreover, he does not want some foreign merchants to mess with the prices. If things were bought at a low price and sold at a high price, then how was this the market of the poor people? Li Cheng understood now that this ce belonged to the Wang manor, so of course they could decide who coulde. Those that did not follow the rules could only be driven away. Thinking of this, his eyes suddenly lit up. He felt that there was a way to threaten the Wang manor. He asked the old man, "Old mister, how much tax do you have to pay for the spot here? Who collects it? Could it be that Er''gou?" The old man looked at Li Cheng and sighed again, "Young man, put your little thoughts away, how can there be any taxes here? I only rented a house to store things and sleep in. There is no tax on normal businesses, so don''t think about reporting this to the authorities. It''s fine for you to say that now, but when there are more people hereter, don''t speak. Otherwise, no one will intervene if you get beaten. "No taxes? Are they just giving others a ce for nothing? What are they? Great kind people?" Li Cheng was even more confused. He thought that the old man was lying to him, and he sneered. "Young man, leave quickly. I don''t want your tea money. Don''t want toe here again in the future. If you cause them trouble, then you''re cutting our lifeline. " The old man''s temper also came up. He put away the things in front of Li Cheng, and shooed him away like a fly.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Doctrine of the Mean
This is one of the Four Books of Confucian philosophy. The word "mean" in the title refers to average''. The text can be served as a guidance to perfecting oneself.
  1. Yun''nan Bai''yao
This is a traditional Chinese medicine developed in the Yun''nan Province and is used as an antihemorrhagic medicine. Book 2: Chapter 40 Book 2: Chapter 40 Volume 02 Chapter 40: Looking For Problems In the Market Li Cheng didn''t expect that the people doing business here would protect the Wang''s Manor to this extent. In order to confirm that they really don''t charge taxes, he went to a different ce to get products to sell. After changing his clothes, he carried two baskets of spinach to the market and ced them down. He didn''t care how many people were in the surroundings, and he began to yell out, "Spinach, spinach for sale. Two catties of fresh spinach for just a coin." After yelling a few times, people actually gathered around. Everyone looked at him with a gaze that made him feel ufortable, and some even shook their heads at him. None of them were willing to buy his spinach. "Auntie, buy some spinach. I''m selling it for cheap---two catties only cost a coin." Seeing that others did not buy it, Li Cheng took the initiative to attract customers. He saw an elderly womane closer to see so he told her about how cheap his spinach was. The olddy pursed her lips and muttered, "You seem to be a fairly good young man, but why is your heart so ck? Two catties for a coin? You''re asking to be shooed away." Just when he was still puzzled, a voice from the side spoke up, "Mister Li has nothing to do, so you havee here to have fun? How about you go drink some tea? My treat. Why do you need to trick people? I''ll give you some face today and not kick you out. Mister Li, if you please." Li Cheng looked up and saw a man, who was wearing a shirt made of rough fabric, standing beside him while looking at him. "How do you know me? Who are you?" Li Cheng asked suspiciously. "Mister Li is a noble person, so naturally you don''t know me. However, it is impossible for me to recognize Mister Li, the person in charge of the Li Manor. A person with such a distinguished status actually came here to sell spinach. I think Mister Li''s spinach is a bit small and a bit yellowed. It''s not the Li Manor''s spinach, right? The spinach there is better than this, and the price is three catties a coin. Could it be that Mister Li went far away to buy expensive spinach and returned here to sell them? What a unique hobby you have. If I knew that Mister Li liked to do this, I would have sold my spinach to you. Oh, right, my name is Er''gou. I''m responsible for setting the prices in this market. If you want to sell spinach, then that''s easy. Five catties for a coin. " Er''gou''s speech was polite, but the expression on his face was not polite at all. He didn''t know where Li Cheng got the spinach from. Being tiny might mean the spinach was still young, but the leaves were already yellowed, so how could he dare sell them for two catties for a coin? As for how he knew about Li Cheng, of course others told him. The Manor had people who specialized in collecting information about the notable people around the Manor, and this information was given to the businesses. Even the waiters at the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant would receive paper portraits to help them memorize the faces of the nearby nobles. Li Cheng saw with his own eyes that a person exchanged six catties of spinach with a small packet of bad tea, and left happily. The spinach seller gave the tea to the old man at the tea stall and the old man paid him a coin and two handfuls of white melon seeds. Seeing these things, Li Cheng didn''t know what to do. He looked at Er''gou who was waiting beside him, and then he suddenly said with a smile, "So you''re Brother Er''gou. I''ve been looking forward to meeting you for a long time. Brother Er''gou, I don''t have any extra money with me, so can I pay the tax tomorrow?" "Ah, Mister Li wants to put me in jail. When did we ever collect taxes? If Mister Li is willing to sell, remember that the price is five catties for a coin. If you think the price is too low, then you can go back to your manor. In the Li Manor, spinach can be sold for three catties for a coin. But of course, you have to choose good ones to sell." As soon as Er''gou heard what Li Cheng said, he knew what idea Er''gou had in mind. Even if they collected taxes before, he could change the policy right now on the spot. While he spoke to Li Cheng, he gave him a contemptuous smile. Li Cheng had no choice but to shout to the people around him, "Six catties for a coin. Anybody willing to buy?" He wanted to sell these trashy items out as soon as possible, and then continue to search for the mastermind. Since he couldn''t find any problems with this ce, it was a waste of time to keep staying here. He originally thought that a lot of people would buy it at a price of six catties for a coin, but he didn''t expect that after shouting this out, the people around simultaneously took a few steps back. Li Cheng was stunned. Er''gou clearly said that the price was five catties for a coin, so why didn''t anyone buy it when he sold it for six catties a coin? Just when he couldn''t figure it out, a kind person said to him, "Er''gou has already said that your spinach costs five catties a coin, so how could you be so insensible by insisting to sell it for six catties a coin?" After hearing this, Li Cheng understood that the price was this finicky. The price had to match the set price and could not be any higher or lower. He was not a fool and he immediately understood the key point. Whoever was responsible for setting the price will reap all of the benefits in the end. With this kind of rule in ce, why would they need to charge taxes? By relying solely on the ability to set prices, he could earn a lot of money. This was a good tactic. The price was determined by the quantity and quality of the goods. Naturally, others will not express dissent on the day of, otherwise they can choose to not sell. As long as they choose to sell, then Er''gou will be able to benefit from the sales. "You are lying. You have benefited from this. Everyone, don''t believe him. The prices he set works in his favor." Li Cheng finally broke out. He used Er''gou and then he began to persuade the people around him to gather around. He thought that everyone would scold Er''gou and unite with him to oppose Er''gou. Who would have thought that right after he finished speaking, everyone around looked at him like he was a fool. A kind person stepped up and said to him, "Young man, hurry home and get someone to take a look at you. Oh, what a pitiable person. It''s not easy during these times." When others heard what this person said, they nodded as if they agreed that Li Cheng was severely ill. Li Cheng listened and felt his lungs were about to explode with anger. When he didn''t know what to say, a person next to him gently pulled onto his sleeves. When Li Cheng turned his head to look, the man said, "Manager Li, I''m a resident at the Li Manor. Please don''t speak anymore. Others will think that you are ill. Everyone here knows that Er''gou can profit from setting the prices here. But do you know what those profits are used for? Originally, if you want to store your goods here overnight, you need to pay something or money, but now you don''t need to. The money earned by Er''gou is used to repair the warehouses for everyone. And these four brawny guys standing near you were hired with this money. If someonees to cause trouble or bully us, these four people will rush forward and beat the person up and then send the person to the authorities. Everyone knows about this. Also, look at this hot weather. If anybody gets a heatstroke, Er''gou will find someone to treat the person, and no profit is earned from the charged fees. Anyway, money can be earned by doing business here, and it''s better than going elsewhere and being bullied there. Everyone is used to it. Manager Li, you should keep yourself busy with other work." After this man finished speaking, he opened his own stall. He also had spinach in his stall, and just as Er''gou said, it was sold for five catties a coin. The people nearby who wanted to buy it either gave coins or exchanged it with other items. There were all sorts of items that were sold and exchanged. Er''gou was busy now, and from time to time, he told others the worth of each item. While talking, he took out signs with words written on them. Not only were the prices written on them, there were also drawings that helped illiterate people figure out the cost of their items. Li Cheng stood there and no one paid any attention to him anymore. If it weren''t for his status, he would have been kicked out a long time ago. This time, Li Cheng finally gave up on the matter about the taxes. He couldn''t hope to provoke others to disobey Er''gou''s pricing since they have said that the earned money was used towards the market. However, he was still a bit dissatisfied. He waited for Er''gou to be almost done with his work before he went up to Er''gou to say, "Brother Er''gou, I want to do some business with you. I wonder how the prices are calcted? For example, my spinach. How much will you give for it? There''s a lot." "The same? Five catties for a coin. I will buy everything you have." Er''gou clearly knew that Li Cheng wasn''t sincere about selling it, but he still replied to him. "Then, if I buy the same kind of spinach from you, how much does a catty cost? I can also buy more." Li Cheng asked again. "So you''re willing to sell it at a higher price, but not at a lower price?" "No, I still won''t sell it even if it''s at a higher price. If you want to buy it, you can go to the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant. There will be someone there who will help you find such things, but you have to pay a certain fee." Er''gou did not give Li Cheng any chances. There was nothing else that Li Cheng could do, so he thanked him and turned to leave. As for the spinach, he gave them to the Li manor''s resident so that he could sell it and then buy some good food. After walking a short distance away, Li Cheng still felt displeased. What the heck was that? He wasn''t able to cause any trouble for them. He was in the middle of his thoughts when he noticed that a familiar figure appeared in front of him. He hastened his pace and took another look. Li Cheng was joyed. It was that mastermind that he had seen before. He didn''t expect that he would be out here right now. "Hey, the person up ahead. Wait a minute, I have something to say to you. Something important." Li Cheng yelled out as he ran forward. The man stopped and gave Li Cheng a mysterious unpredictable smile. Book 2: Chapter 41 Book 2: Chapter 41 Volume 02 Chapter 41: Looking For The Mastermind "Yourst name?" Li Cheng''s mood became a bit better when he saw that the man stopped. He ran in front of him and asked with a smile. The man found a rock and sat down. He picked up a wooden stick, and wrote a character on the ground. "Zhang? Good, that''s a good surname. Yes, really good. My surname is Li; L-I. Uhh Zhang...Teacher Zhang, where are you going?" Li Cheng had no idea what to call him. He reasoned that this mastermind has taught people before, so he referred to him as a teacher. The man smiled and shook his head. He pointed his finger at the pond in front of him. "Oh, you''re not going anywhere, you''re just going to the pond. I see, you want to fish? Nice, I like fishing too. Why don''t we go together? What kind of fishing rod do you like? I will give you one. No, no, no, don''t mind me, it''s just a random question." Li Cheng understood again now. He proposed to go there together, and he wanted to give him a fishing rod, but he felt that this was too intentional so he changed his wording. At the same time, he observed the person. This person was dressed in linen clothing, he wore a pair of coarse hemp shoes with wooden soles on his feet, and he was carrying a basket in his hand. He didn''t see any fishing rods in sight. Li Cheng felt that the situation was not right, but then he thought about how a mastermind must have the appearance of a mastermind, and would not do the same things that an ordinary person would do. Furthermore, how he smiled and didn''t talk made it obvious that he was a mastermind. He heard that the old man Jiang Zi''ya1 was even more sloppy than this. A person cannot be judged by their outer appearance. One person walked behind the other and they soon came to the side of the pond. Li Cheng watched the man find a secluded ce, and put the basket down. He took off his clothes and shoes, and he had loose-fitting underpants underneath. Li Cheng hadn''t seen anything like that before, and felt a little surprised. However, when he thought about how he was a mastermind, everything made sense again. "Oh, Teacher Zhang, I get it now. You''re going to fish with your bare hands. Such great skills. When I was younger, I heard people say that experts can catch fishes under water with their eyes closed. Amazing. This is definitely an eye-opener for me." Li Cheng quickly ttered him. Words of ttery came natural to him because he was used to praising others. The man smiled at him again, giving him the impression that he hid a lot of meanings behind this smile. No wonder he was a mastermind, and that Li Cheng himself was just a servant. Plop'' "Wonderful!" With Li Cheng''s apuse, the man ferociously struck down. Li Cheng waited on the shore for a fish to be thrown up so that he could tter him more, and then something flew out as expected. "So...so big... What a big lotus root. Teacher Zhang, so it turns out that you wanted to eat lotus root. Lotus root is good, It tastes...it tastes sweet if you dip it in sugar." Li Cheng was usually quick to respond, but he thought that he was going to catch fish so he only focused on thinking about how to praise his fish catching skills. He didn''t expect that the person went into the pond to search for lotus root, so it was a bit difficult for him to change his words. As soon as he spoke out his words, a bunch of lotus roots were thrown out one after another. He helped him pick them up and throw them into the basket. Although there was still mud on the lotus roots, he didn''t show signs of disgust. He had to bear with it since he was picking things up for the mastermind. When the basket was almost filled, the man finally got out of the pond. During this entire time, he only stuck his head out of the water a few times to breathe. Once he got out, Li Cheng spoke again, "Teacher Zhang is so talented. If it was me who went into the water, then I would just be food for the fishes. I''m surprised that you can hold your breath underwater for so long. I must learn how to do thatter on." The man was still smiling. He picked out a good-looking lotus root from the basket, washed it in the water by the pond, and gave it to Li Cheng. Then he pointed at the lotus leaf in the water, and walked away with his basket on his back. "Teacher Zhang, I know what you mean. You''re telling me that all causes are formed by roots. That''s so...so something. I''m stupid so I don''t know how to describe it. I ask that Teacher Zhang teach me more in the future." After the man heard what he said, the man stopped and took out a short lotus root from the basket behind him. He opened his mouth and bit it. After taking a bite, he showed it to Li Cheng. Again, the smile on his face made people feelfortable. Now Li Cheng was confused. He took a closer look at the lotus root, then he looked at the expert, and then he looked at the lotus root in his own hand. He snapped the lotus root with force and a slight crisp sound was heard. He had snapped the lotus root, but it was notpletely broken apart since there were still tiny threads connecting the two pieces. The man shook his head and walked toward the master''s courtyard again, leaving Li Cheng standing there in a daze. After a while, the figure of the man was about to enter his Master''s courtyard. Li Cheng opened his eyes wide and he hurried forward to catch up to him. When he got closer, he knelt in front of this man before speaking, and then he said respectfully, "Teacher Zhang, I know what you mean. You want to tell me that lotus roots are easy to snap, but it is hard to cut its threads. Broken lotus roots are still connected by threads2. This is officialdom, this is something about treating others. Thank you, thank you Teacher Zhang, you are..." "Isn''t this Mister Li? Why did youe to my master''s official residence? What are you looking for on the ground?" The doorman was about toe out to take the basket from Da''ya, and he saw Mister Li. He asked his question suspiciously. He was able to call it an official residence now since his master has an official title. Back then, he could only refer to it as a house. Even though it was just a simple term, he felt like it had special significance. "Da''ya, your lotus roots are good. The Young Master and Young Miss will definitely like eating ti. In this entire manor, your swimming skills are the best." The doorman asked Li Cheng and then spoke to the person who was a mastermind in Li Cheng''s eyes. After saying a few more words, he carried the basket of lotus roots and put it in the small room next to him. He nned to bring it to the kitchenter. Da''ya smiled, and then he motioned a few gestures to the doorman, and then he pointed to Li Cheng while grunting out "Ah, ah". "I see, so it turns out that Mister Li has mistaken you as a teacher. Ha ha. Da''ya, you are really amazing. Hurry up and go in. Oh, right, go find the man who chops firewood for the teacher''s yard. That guy is filled with all sorts of tricks. If he''s not supervised, he won''t work properly. He just spends his entire day thinking about how to carve wood." The doorman naturally understood what Da''ya''s hand gestures meant and replied to him. After Da''ya left, he spoke to Li Cheng, "Mister Li, hurry up ande in. That person just now is just a servant in the yard. He''s not a teacher of any sorts. If you want to look for a teacher, you need to go to the school." "A mastermind indeed. Masterminds are truly extraordinary. So it turned out that he was willing to hide here to work as a servant. He must be waiting for a bright master toe looking for him. Shut your mouth. What school teacher. How could a school teacher say something like broken lotus roots are still connected by threads''? Even though he didn''t say this aloud, I know what he means. What do you mean by calling him a mute3? That''s called being silent. Forget it, you''re just a doorman. Even if I exin to you, you won''t understand. He has already seen all of the vicissitudes of the world, so he has nothing else to say. Your Young Master and Young Miss have received so much from him, yet you dare speak to him like this. Wait for it. Tomorrow, I''lle over to take the mastermind with me. You just wait. " Li Cheng scolded the stunned doorman, and told him that he was going toe back tomorrow. He took the broken lotus root that was still connected by threads with him and left. He walked about ten steps and he turned his head and red at the doorman. While the doorman wondered who of the two was the ill one, Li Cheng''s figure gradually disappeared in the distance. "How random and inexplicable. I''m going to bring the lotus root to the kitchen now." The doorman picked up the basket, muttered the words he had learned from his Young Master and walked slowly towards the kitchen. On the next day, the sky was so cloudy, it was obvious to some old people that it was going to rain heavily. Li Cheng didn''t care about this and he arrived at the manor just like he nned. This time he was not here alone. There were a few people following behind him carrying a lot of boxes. Once he got to the door, he said to the doorman, "The Li Manor''s manager hase to ask to see Teacher Zhang." "Who? Mister Li, the Zhang Manor does not have a Teacher Zhang. There are several teachers here, but they''re all at the school and there''s no one with the surname Zhang. Are you...?" The doorman was stunned. He didn''t expect that this person, who should be resting at home, actually came here again. "Don''t lie to me. I know, I know everything. Your manor is only amazing now because you have him working in the back and giving instructions. Don''t worry, I have no malicious intentions. I was just joking yesterday when I said that I''ll take him away. Just a joke. Look, I brought a lot of gifts today. This is a list of all of the gifts." As soon as Li Cheng saw the doorman''s reaction, he knew that the Zhang family had hidden the person away. Unfortunately, they were toote. He already found out. Where could they hide him now? "Mister Li, please wait a moment. I''ll go into the official residence and report this now." The doorman was also taken aback. He was unable to handle this kind of thing, so he had to run in and find Housekeeper Zhang. A momentter, Housekeeper Zhang hurried over and said to Li Cheng, "Mister Li, pleasee into the official residence. I didn''t know that you wereing. I apologize for noting forward earlier to greet you. Please forgive me." Li Cheng felt a little displeased when he heard this. Just now, the doorman mentioned official residence'' and the housekeeper also said the same thing. He already knew that their master was a government official of seventh rank, but do they really have to keep repeating official residence'' over and over again? How obnoxious. Although he ndered them in his heart, he couldn''t say any of this aloud .After all, there was the mastermind here. "Housekeeper Zhang is too polite. Actually, I havee to your great residence to discuss some matters. Housekeeper Zhang, if you please." Li Cheng looked at the courtyard wall, and forced himself to add the word great'' in front of the word residence''. He felt like he was going against his heart. As they spoke, they invited each into the house---oh no, into the official residence. They sat in the living room, and someone served them tea. The others were arranged to go somewhere else. Housekeeper Zhang put the gift list on the table and said to Li Cheng, "I wonder what great business Mister Li has to do at our humble house?" Li Cheng really didn''t know what to say. In his mind he said, "You''re a housekeeper, so don''t you know that you should talk about something else first before asking about my intentions? Now you''re saying humble house''? Just now you were saying official residence''." After taking a sip of tea, Li Cheng smiled and said, "It''s nothing, the Li family recently purchased a manor, so we were busy. Now that we have some spare time, it is natural that we have to visit your great residence. In addition to this, we have heard that your great residence has a Teacher Zhang. Despite not knowing him, we truly admire him, so I''m wondering if you can introduce him to me."
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Jiang Zi''ya
He was a Chinese noble that helped King Wen of Zhou and King Wu of Zhou overthrow the Shang dynasty. King Wen encountered Jiang Zi''ya when Jiang Zi''ya was fishing, which was also probably why Li Cheng mentioned him here.
  1. Broken lotus roots are still connected by threads
This is a Chinese proverb, and I have kept the literal trantion here. The phrase means that ties are hard to cut''.
  1. Calling him a mute
Da''ya''s (nick)name actually trantes intorge mute''. Book 2: Chapter 42 Book 2: Chapter 42 Volume 02 Chapter 42: How Many Degrees of Respect And Ridicule "Oh, Mister Li is talking about Teacher Zhang?" Housekeeper Zhang said while trying to recall who this person was. "Exactly, exactly." Li Cheng replied. "I wonder what he looks like? Mister Li must not know, but in the past few days, so many things were going on in the residence. There is a new teacher who has applied for the job, but he hasn''te here yet. Sigh~! Being a housekeeper is difficult..." "Yes, yes, what Housekeeper Zhang had said is correct. It is difficult, extremely difficult. However, it seems that Teacher Zhang has been at your great residence for a long time already? " Li Cheng interrupted Housekeeper Zhang''s rant and went directly to the main topic. "A long time? There was never a person like that before. Did Mister Li remember incorrectly?" Housekeeper Zhang was still unable to recall who this Teacher Zhang was. Li Cheng shook his head promptly, and spoke with confidence, "It''s correct. I saw him yesterday. He went to the pond to pick lotus root and he gave me a lotus root. He taught me about how broken lotus roots are still connected by threads." "Oh~! Right, right. Broken lotus roots are still connected by threads. Yes yes yes, I heard something like that before. I heard others say that otus root can''t be snapped; you need to cut it with a knife and it''s a lot of work to prep it. Is it possible that you''re looking for a chef at my residence?" Housekeeper Zhang went along with Li Cheng''s words because he didn''t know how to reply to him anymore. He just followed along with whatever Li Cheng said. "Housekeeper Zhang, his name is Da''ya. He isn''t a chef, he''s Teacher Zhang." Li Cheng was upset. He thought that Housekeeper Zhang was a bit too straightforward but now he took that thought back. If he wasn''t more direct about his questions, he would never get any answers. Housekeeper Zhang was taken aback. He blinked twice, and stared at Li Cheng and asked, "You''re talking about Da''ya?" "No, no, no, um, that...Mister Li, have a taste of this tea, I will return shortly." Housekeeper Zhang understood now. Li Cheng had mistaken Da''ya to be Teacher Zhang and made some broken lotus roots that were still connected by threads, which sounded quite nice. He didn''t dare to neglect this matter and he had to report this to the Young Master and Young Miss. Once he tells them, the two little masters will know what was going on. Li Cheng watched Housekeeper Zhang leave and then Li Cheng sneered. He put the tea bowl down onto the table, and said to himself, "The truth has leaked out already. Does he not know what I''m capable of? How could he try to lie in front of me?" "Xiao''bao, our wounds have scabbed over already and there were no pus inside. It seems that we can go to the next outdoor training in the desert, which starts in two days. Should we go?" In the room, Wang Juan looked at her wounds and asked Zhang Xiao''bao. "Let''s go. Why wouldn''t we go? We need to scare that emperor''s kin and let him know about the hardships of surviving in the wild. This way, he would devote more mental effort towards it. Once he has nothing to do and he returns to the Li Manor, he will definitely think about us. This is only the first time---it can be considered as part one. When the training is over, we can suggest more ideas to him so that he can organize part two, and then part three. It would be harder and more dangerous each timepared to thest. I doubt that he would lose interest. You need to try to read the minds of people like him. He constantly wants to try to prove his worth to other people, so we have to give him a chance." Zhang Xiao''bao put down the brush that he had just used for practicing calligraphy. Heid down on the couch and then he exined to Wang Juan. However, Wang Juan was still a little worried, "If we keep outperforming him, will he hate us? What if he loses his confidence?" "Why would we have to keep on outperforming him? We just need to make him feel that he is capable of bing stronger. Hope always needs to stay in front of a person. It''s good if we can teach him something since we have so many years of experience. Eventually, he will be able to achieve a lot and this will be our contribution to the country''s army." While talking, Zhang Xiao''bao examined the injury on his leg. His injury really recovered very quickly. It was just chafed skin, so it would not affect their participation in the desert survival training that''s happening two dayster. The environment of a desert was not as simple as grasnd. When the timees, Li Xun will learn what it means to survive in a desert. However, it was a pity that there were water stations along the way, so how could it be an actual survival experience? "Oh, then we''ll do as you said." Wang Juan agreed to Zhang Xiao''bao''s proposal. Just when Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan finished discussing the matter, Housekeeper Zhang rushed over. He exined the matter to them, and retold the content of the detailed conversation he had just now. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan nced at each other and nodded at the same time. Zhang Xiao''bao said, "It seems that our manor has been targeted. Juan Juan and I performed slightly better than others when we were on the ranch. They assumed that we wouldn''t be able to do this without anyone''s help and that there must be someone who had taught us. Consequently, Da''ya has been mistaken to be the mastermind. That''s fine. Go talk to Da''ya about this, and from now on, he is the mastermind. He should asionally meet Li Cheng, and each time he should show him some gestures. I''ll design the gestures. He''s only allowed to show one gesture each time and he can''t stay with Li Cheng for too long. He has to leave right after making the gesture As for everyone else, you should treat him just as Da''ya. Just act like how you did before and do whatever you want. Don''t treat him like he has a high status; that would not be good as before. " After Zhang Xiao''bao finished speaking, he drew a few things with the brush he had used earlier and handed the drawing over to Housekeeper Zhang. "I understand now, Young Master. Our Young Master is truly amazing as always. You don''t even need to meet him to know what he is thinking of." Housekeeper Zhang respectfully took the paper over and spoke sincerely. Then, he turned to leave. When he came to the entrance of the living room, he sighed in his heart and said secretly, It''s over, Li Cheng. Run away quickly. Poor child, what are you even doing here?'' Four days passed in a hurry, and Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan had also recovered. Their skin was just a bit damaged, and a child''s body grew fast, so only a faint scar was left behind on their legs. Wang Juan prepared her belongings to get ready to go there, and then she urged Zhang Xiao''bao. Zhang Xiao''bao was also almost done preparing. This time, the two of them brought arger shovel with them. They were provided with water in the desert, so the most worrying thing was the temperature under the scorching sunlight. During the day, they had to dig a hole to bury themselves. In addition to this shovel, they also brought a foldablentern. They disregarded whether they could rest at night or not. The two of them have decided to travel at night and teach Li Xun a lesson. Other children shouldn''t falsely think that they would be able to run that fast in the desert during the day. After packing his backpack, Zhang Xiao''bao said, "We''ll leave right away. Today, Li Cheng should be upied with thinking about how to divide a circle equally into four. It''s actually very simple, but I wonder what method he''s going to use. He hasn''t even tried dividing into five equal parts yet. Let''s go." After speaking, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan left the room. Shi''liu and the other three were already waiting outside and there were two beautiful carriages parked outside the gate. In the past few days, Zhang Xiao''bao paid money to repair the walls in the courtyards of the Zhang Residence since the original walls were no longer suitable. Seven-rank officials were also officials and were simr to the county magistrate. The only difference was that they didn''t have any actual power. Shi''liu and the other three were fully confident about the contest in the desert. They believed that there was nothing that could be difficult for their Young Master and Young Miss. The two carriages left the manor one after the other and headed towards Ding''ping County. There was a small desert there, and this small area wasrger than the other locations. There was more than enough space for those children to run around for days. Ding''ping County was not far from Luo''chuan County. Li Xun would probably bring the people over there directly. It was unknown how many people would participate this time and how many new people would join in. If the number of people was low, Li Xun would definitely immediately recruit people. Otherwise, who would he train? The two carriages were not in a hurry, and it took them two days to arrive at that ce. When Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan got out of the carriage and stood there with their backpacks on their backs, they heard theughter of the children who arrived here earlier. They also heard some people whisper that these two people were fools for carrying such a big backpack in the desert. None of the people who participated in the grasnd survival training a few days ago could be heard among the sounds ofughter and voices. They looked at Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan with awe. They had seen the two children''s skills before. On the first day, they cooked their own food. On the second day, they were in the leading position for the entire day. On the morning of the third day, they mounted a horse like they were able to fly. They left an indelible impression in their hearts. "Hahahaha, look at those two fools. They''re actually carrying such arge bag. Hey, don''t you agree? Why aren''t you speaking?" A new participantughed loudly and tapped the person next to him. He wanted someone to agree with him, but the person next to him stood still with a solemn expression on his face while looking at the two children who had just got out of the carriage up front. "What are you saying? You''re the fool. Do you know who those two are? They''re Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan from the Zhang and Wang families in the Tu''qiao Vige, Sanshui County. You canugh at them if you don''t cry when you''re unable to keep goingter on. The speaker was an eleven-year-old child who had persisted through the survival training at the grasnd. At this time, a boy that was about ten years old stepped out of the crowd and went up to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. He said to them, "You are the rumored deity-like Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan? From the Zhang and Wang families of the Tu''qiao Vige?" "Yeah, that''s us. Who are you?" Zhang Xiao''bao calmly faced the person and asked in a light tone. Wang Juan was standing next to him and she looked around as if she hadn''t heard him. "I''m your neighbor. Didn''t your family just get a piece ofnd? On the other side of thend is my family''s manor. We may see each other often in the future." This person curled his lips and said. Book 2: Chapter 43 Book 2: Chapter 43 Volume 02 The ground was covered with sand while slight breezes blew by. Withered grass and yellow leaves curled up after several days without wind and rain. The sun shone brightly as people''s words were heard. It was not surprising to smile helplessly because who could avoid fighting for benefits? After the child finished speaking, Zhang Xiao''bao smacked his lips twice, blew air out of his nose, and looked at the child calmly. "Neighbors? It''s good that we''re neighbors; we can help each other out in the future. When the Zhang and Wang manors are in trouble, we will definitely go to your great manor for help." "What a joke. Help each other out? Your family just has a mere seven-rank official. You think you''re actuallypetent? The Bin Province is just a small province, could it even bepared to mynd in the Jing''zhao Region?" The ten-year-old child didn''t seem to hear the courtesy in Zhang Xiao''bao''s words. He really thought that the Zhang and Wang family wanted to cling to his family, and said this with a sneer. Zhang Xiao''bao did not n to argue with this person right now. It was pointless and he would not benefit much from doing so. It was also a waste of effort, but it seemed like Wang Juan did not want to let this matter go. At this time, she stopped looking around. She smiled sweetly, and said to this person, "As soon as this brother here has said this, I realized the Bin Province is a ce where ipetent people stay at. All of thepetent people are at the Capital. It is our blessing that our family can be next to someone from the Capital city. Ah, older brother, you must take care of our family in the future since we''re the citizens of the Bin Province. Am I right, older brother?" "Yes, of course. You''re a rather sensible little girl. All of thepetent people are in the Capital city, and all of the ipetent people are at ces like this---ces with poor mountains and wretched rivers. Bah! It''s not easy for the people here. If not, howe there''s a drought here?" Once this person heard Wang Juan''s speech, he became happy. He puffed out his chest, and then replied to Wang Juan. There were many locals standing near him, and the expressions on their faces became nasty when they heard what he said. This was not the most crucial part. At this time, Li Xun happened toe over to talk to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan about the survival training in the desert since he felt that the mastermind must have taught them a lot. He was listening to the conversation between the three children. He didn''t think much of the conversation between Zhang Xiao''bao and this person at first, but after Wang Juan spoke up, he couldn''t hold in his thoughts anymore. His father was currently the governor of this province and he also bought somend in the San''shui County to establish a manor. The Jing''zhao Region was indeed better than other ces, but in Li Xun''s opinion, it was nothing more than a ce for the pce to collect rent from. When did this ce be a ce where a mere civilian can look down upon? Seeing that the person still looked arrogant, Li Xun didn''t even think about it and he walked over in two steps and pped him in the face. Tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow, someone will go over to your manor to check thend. If the amount ofnd is greater than stated in thend deed, your manor is deceiving the Emperor and you have illegally upiednd. Humph. The outskirts of the capital? Howpetent. People of the four upations1 are all equal to each other. How could a mere manor like yours decide whichnd is precious and poor in our great Tang Dynasty. " At first, Li Xun''s words were still fine, but hisst few sentences were rather heavy. What he was saying was that even the Emperor had never ssified the people of differentnds to be noble or inferior, so how could a mere manor in the outskirts of the capital speak for the Emperor about whichnd was bad. With this kind of conviction, it was enough for his entire n to be annihted. The current Emperor always said that he loves and cares for his brothers, but if the Bin Province was that bad, why would the Emperor send his brother to the Bin Province? Is it possible that he sent his brother here to suffer? He threw his brother into a ce with poor mountains and wretched waters? "No, I didn''t mean that, I, I..." This person knew who was talking---it was the Young Prince. Although there were a lot of princes, regardless of how young the prince was, he was still a member of the Imperial family. Just now he only cared about speaking freely and he didn''t expect that he would offend people who shouldn''t be offended. If the Emperor''s nephew passed on his words to the higher ups, then he might not even be able to keep his life, let alone thend. Being thrilled that there was a drought, helping the Imperial Court ssify the quality of thends, and ndering the Emperor for mistreating his brother were all major crimes. Were there even enough people from his manor to execute? This person no longer knew what to say. There were so many people next to him who heard his words and the Emperor''s nephew was also standing on the side. He was pretty much dered guilty already. Fortunately, this person was taught well and he knew what to do at this time. "Why is the moon in the sky so big? I saw Chang''e flying with a donkey in her arms. Hehe, hehe, gold, this ce is full of gold. Look at it, everywhere is golden yellow. Hurry up and help me pick up the gold." The person suddenlyughed while talking, and then gave orders to the guard from his manor that followed him here. The person who came here with him broke out in a cold sweat. When he saw how his young master acted, he knew what to do. While holding his Young Master, he said to Li Xun and the surrounding people, I''ll take my young master back first. What a tragedy. Young Master, please wake up. You were perfectly fine yesterday. Howe you''re like this today? Young Master, wake up. " While the guard was talking, he dragged away the boy who was still muttering something about lush green grass. "Hmph, pretending to be crazy and stupid. I''ll let you go this time. It seems that there''s another neighbor near the Zhang, Wang, and Li manors. We''ll see how things go." Li Xun was not a fool either. He understood what was going on. That boy pretended to be sick to escape. If it weren''t for the fact that he didn''t want to dy his outdoor survival training, the matter would not be over even if that boy was actually sick, let alone pretending to be sick. "Xiao''bao, it seems that we have things to do in the future now. This child is arrogant and knows how to pretend to be stupid; his family must not be ordinary. Our peaceful life is about to end again. Wang Juan looked at what happened and she smiled after seeing that her n seeded. She spoke to Zhang Xiao''bao while joyfully squinting her eyes. "And you said that I was horrible. I don''t think you''re a good person either. We just have another neighbor, there''s no need to be afraid. Things will be tense for a while, but it won''t affect our businesses. With an opponent by our side, we will always be alert and vignt." Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t have many thoughts in regards to this matter. They''re just neighbors. What could they possibly do to each other? They already had the Emperor''s nephew next to them, so how could they be afraid of having another neighbor? "I know that you don''t care. He won''t dare to provoke Li Xun, but he will direct his hatred towards us." Wang Juan said while pulling Zhang Xiao''bao to the resting area. Zhang Xiao''bao shook his head. "You shouldn''t say it like that. You should say that regardless of whether or not he offends Li Xun, we will hate him. As long as there is a chance, I will keep making trouble for his family. If there weren''t any chances, I create opportunities to cause trouble for his family, and I let him know what it means by being targeted by thieves is scarier than being robbed by thieves''." "Why should I wait for someone to p me in the face first and then fight back? I find him unpleasant to look at, so I''ll stab him." Zhang Xiao''bao said confidently. "You''re just a cooked duck that refuses to open its beak2. There are so many people, so why don''t you try to scheme against them? Why do you insist on waiting for him toe over first and say a whole bunch before you make a move? Isn''t that still taking a defensive position?" "Yes, I''m ying defense. With so many people in the world, if I always take the initiative to provoke others, would I still be able to aplish other things? When we have time, let''s buy a few sheeps and put them into ice water. After they fall ill, we''ll send them over to their ce. Once they see the sheeps, they''ll bring them home and we can wait to see if they caught the Q fever. " Zhang Xiao''bao took small steps and was still thinking about how to scheme against others. Wang Juan burst out inughter, "What do you mean Q fever? Is that disease even caused by cold temperatures?" "Why not? I''ve caught the cold before because of cold temperatures. Sheeps work the same way too. If you don''t believe me, then just wait and see." Zhang Xiao''bao used his own experience as an exnation. "I think you''re sick too. Let''s hurry up. After resting tonight, we will be entering the desert tomorrow. Howe I don''t remember that there was a desert in this ce." Wang Juan hastened her pace. She really didn''t want to discuss with Zhang Xiao''bao whether sheeps can be sick from cold temperatures. "Geological changes. The river you saw then is not the same as the river you see now. Shang''hai is not moved far away yet since the shoreline didn''t change yet. The people of Nauru don''t have to worry that there''s nond to live on when digging for bird dropping3. Are there people on the ind now? How about we upy it one day and then transport the droppings over here by ship." "We won''t earn enough to cover the expenses involved. Hurry up and go to sleep. Thisme ce doesn''t even have sunscreen. The next two days are going to be hard. Once it''s over, we can go to Africa to mine for diamonds. Our tanned skin will protect us from the sunlight there." Wang Juan pushed Zhang Xiao''bao into the tent and ranted casually. * "Humph! I can''t believe I offended the Emperor''s nephew. Zhang Manor, Wang Manor, I''ll remember you now. You better not let me catch an opportunity, or else I''ll make sure you die together." Just as Wang Juan said, this young master did not dare to offend Li Xun, and he put all of his hatred onto the Zhang and Wang manors. He narrowed his eyes and a trace of hideousness appeared on his wicked looking face. "What my young master said is correct. We must not let the two families have an easy time. Originally, the master wanted to buy that ce, but they got lucky. There are many trees on the mountains there, and they can be burned into charcoal. This is not a small number." The guard replied to his young master. The young master was satisfied now, and he looked outside of the tent. "Tomorrow I will follow them and cause them trouble. It''s best if they die in this desert."
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Four upations
This includes schrs, farmers, craftsmen and artisans, and merchants and traders.
  1. cooked duck that refuses to open its beak
This phrase describes a person that refuses to tell the truth or admit to their mistakes. Wang Juan described Zhang Xiao''bao with a simr expression before in Volume 01 Chapter 93.
  1. Nauru Ind''s bird dropping
The surface of this ind is covered with sedimentary bird dropping which is high in phosphorus, thus making it a great location for obtaining raw materials to produce fertilizer and explosives. Book 2: Chapter 44 Book 2: Chapter 44 Volume 02 Chapter 44: Advancing Forward Under The Watch Of Others The night passed by in a hurry. Zhang Xiao''bao slept peacefully, but the other young master had a night full of dreams. He dreamt that his family took over the Zhang and Wang manors, and then chased the two families out. He woke up several times from his dreams because of his ownughter. Li Xun woke up early in the morning and he also carried a backpack on his back. He didn''t know what to put in it, so he only ced a nket and a few silk kerchiefs inside. He tried thinking of what to put inside, but nothing came to mind. He reasoned that the items used on the grasnd couldn''t be used in the desert. After all, there weren''t many insects in the desert, let alone wild vegetables. What he wanted to figure out most right now was what Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan brought with them. He had a chance to ask yesterday, but he was so angry that he forgot to ask. Now it was hard to ask them directly. He decided to follow behind them and take a good look at what they were going to do. In their backpacks, they also had saltpeters with the highest purity that could be found here. They brought some salt with them too. They didn''t bring any other food since the food would be confiscated anyway. During the inspection process, several people who wanted to bring food with them were warned once, and their items were taken away. Afterwards, the bustling team finally set out into the desert. Some people left, and some new people had joined in. The total number of people was not less than before, but was actually greater by ten. The number of children in the smaller age group was lower than before with only 45 children. As soon as the 140 plus children entered the desert, more than 50 people rushed ahead. None of the remaining 80 people ran like madmen and all of them turned their eyes to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. "Yeah, these people must be the ones from the grasnd survival training. It seems like they have set their eyes on us. Let''s go. The next ce with water is three li1 away. Tie the rope properly." Wang Juan nced at those people, and while talking, she took out a rope, and she and Zhang Xiao''bao each tied it to their waists. One of the purposes was to prepare for quicksands. Even if Li Xun had sent someone to inspect the area, it was still necessary for them to make sufficient preparations. This was a matter of habit. The other purpose was to pull the other person up if the other person loses their footing and slips when climbing dunes. The two walked forward with one person behind the other. They tried to keep their heels lifted off the ground slightly with their legs slightly bent and their bodies leaned forward. They took out a retractable stick from their backpacks and continued forward. Li Xun and the others didn''t know that Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were this well prepared. They weren''t able to get people to bring the same equipment over to them, so they had no choice but to just follow behind. Each one of them were puzzled because they felt that it was unnecessary to carry a walking pole since it was fine to just walk straight ahead normally. They also felt that the rope was unnecessary. Except for the children of the Li Manor, everyone else was rich. They wore intricate little leather boots on their feet and their steps were soft andfortable when they walked on the sand. The Li Manor''s children also wore leather boots because of Li Xun, however the boots weren''t that intricate. As for the clothes, it was provided by the store responsible for the clothes. As everyone followed in the back, they nced at Zhang Xiao''bao''s and Wang Juan''s backpacks from time to time in hopes that the two of them would take things out of their bags. The children who were in the lead didn''t care about the people at the back. The parents of the new participants didn''t know about the situation. When they saw that their children had run to the front, they reacted just like those parents on the grasnd and they began to praise and boast about their children. The desert was not big, but there were a lot of sand dunes. Some of the dunes were singr, and some of them were connected together. If a person wants to go around them, then the person would have to walk a long way. The children chose to climb the dunes directly, since no one was willing to take a long detour. At this time, the advantages of the design of Zhang Xiao''bao''s and Wang Juan''s shoes were evident. Even if the small studs under their shoes could not grip onto the sand firmly, they would not slip down like other children when climbing dunes. The pole also yed a big role. After inserting it into the sand and using a bit of force to grip onto it, they were able to keep their bodies from tilting back. Even if their foot slides once, it will not greatly affect their progress. "Li Cheng, do you see that? So that''s what it''s used for." Li Xun watched from behind and then spoke to the person next to him. After he said this, he realized that the person was not Li Cheng, but another servant whose name was Li Xing. Li Xing would not so stupid that he would correct the Young Prince. While staying on his side, Li Xing replied, "Young Childe, also their shoes. If you look at them carefully, they''re different from the ones we''re wearing. There are some small studs underneath. How smart. I''ll prepare some for tomorrow. I didn''t know about it before." "Okay. Learn more from them. Look at the kid over there. He''s from the manor next to our''s and the Zhang''s and Wang''s. What was his name again? I think his family also has a person with an honorary official title with fifth ranking. That''s quite high." Li Xun nodded, and when he saw the person who pretended to be a fool, he worried that he would mess with Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. After all, that person was a little older. If there were any danger, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan might withdraw from the training even if Li Xun intervened. From who would Li Xun learn how to survive in the desert then? Li Xing also spotted the person. That person kept his eyes on Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, who were up ahead. He replied, "I know him, he''s from the Han family, and his name is Han Yong''yao2." "Humph. Yong''yao? A person like him shouldn''t even think about being glorious. When I return to the manor, there''s going to be a lot of fun to watch. Other manors cannot even bepared to the Zhang and Wang manors. The person supervising their manors is not powerful in an ordinary way. How far until the next water station?" Li Xun looked down on that person. He scoffed. He felt that today''s sun was extraordinarily strong. He licked his lower lip with his tongue, looked up at the path ahead that seemed to never end, and asked. "We''re almost there. We just need to walk a bit further. Likest time, we won''t be given food at noon. I wonder how many people will not be able to persist. The desert is no better than the grasnd." Li Xing replied and walked behind Li Xun. asionally, he nced over at Han Yong''yao. The 50 plus children seemed to not know what it meant to be tired, and they were still running with all of their might. Some children even intentionally slipped down the dune and ran back up. "Xiao''bao, do you think there will scorpions in this area? Or snakes? If there are, then we will have lunch to eat at noon." After Wang Juan climbed to a slightly higher sand dune. She stood there and looked down and asked. "I don''t think so. Li Xun must have sent someone to inspect the area thoroughly. The snakes that are found in the desert are usually poisonous. How could he allow people to be bitten? Do you want to go down first or should I go first?" Zhang Xiao''bao stood beside Wang Juan, and he looked at the path below while talking. "Let''s go together. Take that thing out." Wang Juan replied. Zhang Xiao''bao opened the backpack and took out a few wooden boards that were slightly narrower and shorter than the backpack itself. One end of the board was slightly curved upward. He ced them on the ground and they both sat on it. After adjusting their positions, they used their pole to get the boards moving, and then the two quickly slid down the slope of the dune. Li Xun and the others also climbed up the dune, and they saw the items that Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan had. They were stunned by this for a while, and then they looked at the two people who were near the bottom of the dune already. They had no choice but to run down the slope, and this time, it took a lot of effort. Some people couldn''t control themselves, and they ended up falling and rolling all the way down the slope. Before Li Xun said anything, Li Xing stood beside him and said, "Young Childe, I get it now. I must make this tomorrow too. Although the children up ahead are horsing around now, after they walk a bit more, they will run out of energy. That item will help save a lot of energy." "Yeah, they really have great ideas. They don''t even seem tired. They might even be the first ones to arrive today. Wonderful, I learned something new. If I encounter something like this in the future, I''ll be able to make preparations in advance." The other people also kept note of these items and nned to use them tomorrow. The only person who wasn''t clear-minded was Han Yong''yao. He was obsessed with thinking of how to cause trouble for Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. Unfortunately, probably because his family''s food was better, he was a bit chubby and wasn''t able to keep up. All he could do was follow behind while panting. The parents that followed behind their children were also uneased. They had to watch their children climb dunes and slip and fall, so their hearts ached for them. The parents who were at the grasnd survival trainingst time helped their children take note of the tools that Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang used. They sighed again in their hearts while watching those two children cooperate seamlessly. They felt that if they were their own children, then they would hold them in their arms and dote on them. They were too sensible and too strong-willed. They have never seen themin about being tired before, let alone crying sadly. They admired the two children''s parents. They wondered how their parents taught the two children to be mature like adults. Other than this, they also felt that the two children looked really cute with chubby faces that had dimples when they smiled and eyes that could talk. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan had no clue that other people wanted to take the two of them for themselves. They went down the slope, put away the nk, and continued to move forward step by step. In a while, they would reach the water station.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Three li
This is about 1.5 km.
  1. Yong''yao
His name trantes into "forever glorious". Book 2: Chapter 45 Book 2: Chapter 45 Volume 02 Chapter 45: Who Said There''s No Food In The Desert? A water station was ced every three li. On tnd, it will only take a quarter of an hour to walk three li, but in the desert, it would take half an hour at first. However, as time progresses, it would take up to an hour to walk three li. The children who ran first had already reached the water station, and those behind were still walking slowly. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan did not rush, but they were still able to keep a far distance from the people walking behind them. The benefits of having special shoes, a walking pole, and wooden board was evident after crossing several dunes. When the two of them arrived at the first water station, only a dozen of the children who arrived first had continued to rush ahead, and the others were ying with the water. At this time, it was not too hot. Theughter of those children who were ying with water could be heard from time to time. "How child-like." Zhang Xiao''bao shook his head andmented. "They are children. Have you ever seen any child of this age that is sensible? Oh, I forget, the ce you used to stay at needs to be excluded. Go, get water. We need to wet the towel and then wrap it in greased paper. We should cover our faces. When it gets hotterter, this will help minimize water loss." Right after Wang Juan refuted Zhang Xiao''bao''s sentence, she suddenly remembered the life Zhang Xiao''bao lived before, and felt that it was the environment he grew up in that affected his personality. While the two of them were talking, they took a few water bags. First they wetted therge handkerchiefs they had brought along with them. Then, they took out a few small paper packets from the backpacks. They opened the packets and poured its contents into the two water bags. "What did you two pour in?" Li Xun rushed over at this moment. He was watching them work and he didn''t dare let his mind wander off. He leaned closer and asked while watching. "It''s Young Childe Li. This is sugar, this is salt, and this powder is made from oranges and apples. There''s just those four ingredients; there''s nothing else." Zhang Xiao''baoid the ingredients out in front of Li Xun for him to see. There was not much powder, and it wasn''t food, so it was not confiscated---it was actually mainly because those who checked it didn''t know what it was. Li Xun became very humble at this time. He listened carefully. He dipped his finger into it and tasted it in his mouth. He nodded, "Yes, it does contain those four ingredients. Why did you bring these four things?" Zhang Xiao''bao exined the dosage to Li Xun in detail. The salt here is not pure so one hundred parts to one part is almost the same ratio as normal saline. Li Xun took note of this. He had seen how much of the powder they added and he didn''t think they would lie to him at this time since there was no need to. He set his gaze on the apple and orange powders. He pointed to them and asked, "What about these two? Can you add more?" "No. In particr, if too much of the orange powder is added, it will cause stomach difort; especially when the person didn''t have anything to eat at noon. Only a little bit needs to be added." After Zhang Xiao''bao answered this question, he was ready to keep moving. The wet towel was folded and wrapped in greased paper, and then carefully stuffed it into their backpacks. They took out two pouches and they each wore on their head. They wore their conical hats over top and they were ready to leave. "Wait a minute, why are you wearing that thing on your head?" Li Xun looked at the pouches on the two people''s heads and there were only holes for their eyes and nose. He asked curiously. "Later when the sun rises and shines on the body, it will make people sweat. It''s the same for the face too. Moisture will---forget it, you won''t understand it. Just remember that this helps the body retain water. Of course, you don''t have to worry if you bring enough water bags. This is just our habit." After Zhang Xiao''bao said this, he decided to stop wasting time with Li Xun. He rushed forward with Wang Juan and they continued forward with one person behind the other. Li Xun watched the two of them leave. Li Xun made use of what he just learned and copied what they did. He didn''t have the other ingredients but he had salt and he brought a few water bags with him. He spoke to Li Xing who was beside him, "Remember that headgear thing they wore--- that''s the most important thing. It might not be important when there''s water, but it has to be used when there''s no water." "Yes, please be assured, Young Childe. I understand." Li Xing responded earnestly. He was here today to memorize all of the items that Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan took out. He couldn''t forgo any of the items. This kind of knowledge might not mean much during this yful event, but if therees a day where it needs to be used on soldiers, then it''s benefits will be truly known. The other slower children arrived, and in order to stay ahead, the children in front ran again. The parents, who were following behind all the children, were also thirsty and hot. Today was a sunny day, and they also replenished their water. Time quietly passed by as the children moved forward. The position of the sun also changed. When the fourth water station was reached, it was almost noon. The children in front finally ran out of energy and strength to continue running. Each one of them had a pained expression on their face as they inched forward. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan found a ce to stop at this time. Just when theyined that Li Xun had sent someone to clean up the ce, they looked at each other and smiled. They splitted up and searched for something with their heads lowered. They didn''t know if this small desert did not have poisonous bugs to begin with, or if Li Xun''s men cleaned up this ce too well. No matter what, they couldn''t find anything. Since there were none of those bugs, they could only look for other things that were not easy to get rid of. After searching for a quarter of an hour, a cheer was finally heard on Wang Juan''s side. Zhang Xiao''bao hurried over and looked at the ce in front of Wang Juan. He said, While talking, the two took out the sugar from the backpacks and put them in a small pit they dug in the sand. They put a t wooden box inside at an angle and they added some sugar water to it. Now they waited for the ants toe over. After doing all this, the two of them found a sand dune slope with the sun behind it. They squatted down in the shade, and slowly waited. Li Xun finally caught up with Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, and he was there just in time to see them squatting there motionless. He came up to them and also squatted down. He felt that this ce was definitely a little cooler. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan looked up at him, and then they lowered their heads back down. They slowly changed their breathing rate, and it seemed like they were asleep. This made Li Xun more curious. "What are you two doing?" "Don''t talk, it''s a waste of energy." Zhang Xiao''bao whispered and stopped talking. "Okay." Li Xun nodded earnestly, and copied them. He adjusted his breathing rate. He didn''t care about moving forward right now. As long as he could learn more, it didn''t matter to him if he arrived first or not. After waiting for about half an hour, Li Xun was about to fall asleep. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan stood up and walked to the area on the side. Li Xun was quick to react and he stood up. He asked in a daze, "What are you two doing?" "Looking for food. If you don''t eat at noon, how can you catch up to others?" Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t stop moving as he threw this sentence to Li Xun. "Oh, looking for food. I''m really hungry. Wait, what? Looking for food? There''s food?" Li Xun, who was still in a daze, replied back without thinking. He suddenly snapped to his senses and he looked at Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan with eyes full of surprise. It was fine to be able to find food on the grasnd since there were wild vegetables there, but how could they still find something in the desert? This was impossible. Absolutely impossible. How could there be anything edible here? Are they nning to eat sand? Full of shock and doubt, Li Xun speeded up his pace to catch up with the two people. After they made a small turn, the two of them stopped there to get things out from their backpacks. Li Xun was shocked by the scene in front of him. There areyers uponyers of countless densely packed ants on the sand up ahead. Some of the ants were carrying sand grains, and some were crawling in and out of a box. After taking a closer look, he noticed that many ants were stuck in the box. Now Li Xun finally knew what kind of food Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan said they were looking for. It turned out to be ants. These ants were huge and they ran quickly. He had no idea how they were going to catch them. Do they n to eat the ones in the box only? But there weren''t enough. He turned his head over to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, and he saw that they took out a paper bag. When they opened it, there was a powdery substance inside. He asked, "What''s this?" "Soda ash. It''s taken from over-proofed dough." Zhang Xiao''bao opened the water bag and replied to Li Xun. He poured some powder and water into his mouth. He gurgled twice to dissolve the powder in the water and then he poured the remaining powder into the water bag and shook it vigorously. After finishing this, Zhang Xiao''bao nced at Wang Juan, who also had water in her mouth. She nodded, indicating that she was ready. Li Xun followed behind, and watched in amazement as the body of the ants, which were wet with water, curled into a ball. They twitched a few times, and then stopped moving. When Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao were in front of the box, they picked the box up and tossed it over to somewhere else. They sprayed a few mouthfuls of water to the spot in front of them, and then stopped. They took out a small broom from their backpack and gently swept the ground. Once the dead ants were swept into a pile, they collected them with another box. Li Xun was dumbfounded. There were four full boxes of ants. Now there was finally something to eat. He felt that since Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were able to eat it, he could too. He nced at the discarded box over there, and asked wonderingly, "Why was that box thrown away? There are also a lot of ants in it." "The ants in the desert can run fast, so if they set their targets on us, we won''t be able to ever rest. There are living ants in the box. They will continue to call other ants over now that they''re in a different spot. We don''t have to worry about them anymore. The more cautious we are, the better." Zhang Xiao''bao gave an exnation. Book 2: Chapter 46 Book 2: Chapter 46 Volume 02 Chapter 46: There Are Still Things That Have Not Been Taken Out "Oh, oh, yes, they run fast. They were running quite fast just now. How are you going to eat these ants? Are you going to cook them using limepowder?" Li Xun tried his best to suppress the shock in his heart and asked another question. In fact, he still wanted to ask whether they could share some of it with him. He was also hungry so he didn''t care anymore whether or not there was their saliva on the ants. Zhang Xiao''bao looked up at the sky, and he touched the sun-dried sand again.He nodded to Wang Juan, and they both took another thing out of their backpacks. Li Xun now felt that Zhang Xiao''bao''s and Wang Juan''s backpacks were magical treasure bags because they were always able to take out strange things to use during the outdoor survival training. At this moment, he assumed that he was already ustomed to these kinds of things. "We''re going to roast them. I wonder if Young Childe Li would like to eat with us?" Zhang Xiao''bao gestured at the item in his hand and asked Li Xun. "Sure, I''m hungry too. How are you going to roast it? Did you bring firewood?" Li Xun couldn''t keep up with their train of thoughts. "We don''t need to use firewood. Let''s go, we need to stay away from these ants. Let''s move forward." Zhang Xiao''bao called out to them and led the way. Wang Juan followed behind, and Li Xun also followed suit. There were originally other children, but while Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were squatting there, they didn''t have the patience to keep waiting and left first. There were only three of them left in addition to the parents and guards at the back. In the desert, there were more than one path. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan deliberately took the long path. They had no idea whether there were children on the road behind them or not. After walking forward for an eighth of an hour, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan stopped. They touched the thing they had taken out, and they nodded. They flipped it over and ced it on a spot on the sand where the sun shone onto. "Yes, it''s an iron sheet. It''s used for roasting the ants. We can begin eating in just a bit. This side is painted with ck ink." Zhang Xiao''bao introduced the item to him, and then he took the ants out and put them on the iron sheet to let the sun shine on them. He turned and flipped the ants around from time to time. When it was done, they led Li Xun over to a shady ce again. The four boxes of ants were divided into three portions, and they handed a portion to Li Xun. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan each grabbed a handful of them and stuffed them into their mouths. They chewed really slowly and thoroughly as if they wanted to bite the tiny crumbs into several smaller parts. Li Xun now copied everything they did. Whatever Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan did, he did the same exact thing. He stuffed a handful into his mouth and chewed carefully. He even asionally smacked his lips. He felt that the taste of ants was not too bad. "It''s good to eat ants. In particr, ants soaked in wine can be used to cure some diseases." After Zhang Xiao''bao finished chewing the ants, he introduced the benefits of eating ants to Li Xun. If someone else told Li Xun this, Li Xun would definitely think that the person was lying to him, but when the words came out of Zhang Xiao''bao''s mouth, he could only choose to believe it. He assumed that the capable person behind Zhang Xiao''bao told him this. When they finished eating, Li Xun thought that they would continue advancing forward, but Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan took out a folded shovel from their backpacks and started digging a hole. Without waiting for Li Xun to ask, Zhang Xiao''bao told him, "We''re not going to go now. We''re digging a hole to sleep in. If Young Childe Li wants to go on, then go first." "I won''t go too. Lend me your shovel for a while, and I''ll dig a hole too." Li Xun didn''t know why the two didn''t leave, so he decided to not leave either. He was going to cling onto these two people. He believed that they absolutely have their reason to do this, and that capable person must have told them something. Soon, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan finished digging the hole and they handed the shovel to Li Xun. They took out the nket from their backpack and spread it out inside the sandpit. They wiped their faces with a wet towel,id down inside, and buried themselves with sand with just their head sticking out. They left the wet towel on their forehead, and slept with their eyes closed. "Fortunately, I also brought a nket." Looking at the appearance of Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, Li Xun muttered to himself. He dug a hole,id inside and buried himself. Li Xing rushed over here with two people, and they saw that the three of them were lying there and sleeping. They didn''t dare to disturb them, so they could only stand on the side. From time to time they drank water and were d they brought a lot of water with them. The environment of the desert was harsher than the grasnd. Older people were more energetic in the grasnd. With the shining sun, even if they hid in the shade, it was still equally hot and unbearable. The heat emitted from the surface made the ce feel like it was steamer, and it made their bodies sweat profusely. The three childrenid down at the Wei hour, which was one o''clock in the afternoon, and they slept until four o''clock in the afternoon or four quarters after the Shen hour. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan sleptfortably, and Li Xun also had a rest. When Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan crawled out of the sand, Li Xing woke up the Young Prince. "What are you doing? Oh, we need to keep going. This was sofortable. I didn''t expect that sleeping in the sand would be sofortable." Li Xun stretched his back, yawned again, and looked around in a daze. He knew that he had to keep going. He patted away the sand on his body, and walked behind Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. The desert was still hot at this time, and the temperature was not much lower than earlier, but the three of them were more energetic than before they slept. When lying in the sand, the moist sand helped improve the condition of the skin on their body. Children had strong heat energy, so they weren''t scared that eating too many ants, which were strong in cool energy, would cause an imbnce in their bodies. Li Xun originally thought that they would be thest ones to arrive since they slept for three hours, but after walking for another two hours, he discovered that the children were still staying at therge water station up ahead. No one was willing to keep going. There were some stones there, and the stones were used to build a pool filled with water. All of the children ran into the pool to y because it was way too hot. The three people replenished their water. They did not y like the other children, and they continued on their way. When it was getting dark, they saw a few people who were inching forward in the front. "Young Childe, someone from ahead came to report just now---no one has reached the ce yet. Now there''s only three li1 away from there." Li Xing reported to Li Xun at this time. "Huh? No one has arrived yet? Where are all the people?" Li Xun was surprised and happy. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan also heard them. The two nodded and speeded up. The other people watched them pass by, but they weren''t able to do anything about them because they didn''t have much strength left. Those children had all participated in the grasnd trainingst time, so they knew that if they sped up right now, they would never make it to that ce. When night almost fell, the three people were only half a li away from the destination, and the figures of the other three appeared vaguely ahead. "Run." Zhang Xiao''bao shouted, and he ran forward with Wang Juan. Li Xun gasped for breath and gritted his teeth and ran. He was really convinced this time. These two little children still had strength in them right now. With one person behind the other, they moved at the same pace and swung their arms in the same rhythm. Watching them move made an indescribable feeling surface in his heart. When thest tent was only a dozen zhang1 away, Zhang Xiao''bao and the two others passed by the three people who were pretty crawling on the sand right now. When they reached the entrance of the tent, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan plopped onto the ground at the same time. By the time they got back up, Li Xun happened to pass by, and was the first one to arrive. Li Xing was so tired he couldn''t think straight anymore. He took a few sips of water and stuttered, "My Young Childe is indeed better than others. He''s the first one to arrive. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were out of energy when they saw the ce and they fell down." "Yes, yes, Young Chllde Li is the most amazing one. Juan''juan and I don''t have any energy left in our bodies. We were just forcing ourselves." Zhang Xiao''bao untied the backpack and gently put it aside. While he and Wang Juan washed their hands to get ready to eat, he spoke to Li Xun, who was lying on the ground with his eyes rolled back. Wang Juan nodded sharply while standing next to Zhang Xiao''bao, "Yeah, I really have no energy left. I want to eat quickly so that I can regain my strength." As the two talked, they sat down at the table, and began to eat and drink. "Xiao''bao, look, this thing is good---this is deer meat. Taste it, it''s delicious. It was marinated with our broad bean chili sauce4, and then roasted. It smells so good. Hurry, we can each have a piece---this is the deer lip. " Wang Juan looked at what was on the table and immediately discovered the good dish. She picked up two pieces of the single portion of deer lips, which were cut into four pieces, with her chopsticks and split it between herself and Zhang Xiao''bao while she talked. "Let''s eat, I''m starving. Look at this shrimp. It''s four cun5 long and cooked in salt water. I like this the most. I''ll peel one for you." Before Zhang Xiao''bao even swallowed the food in his mouth, he reached out and grabbed two shrimps and peeled one for Wang Juan. Li Xunid there, watching Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan eating and talking. He really didn''t know what to say. He knew that they gave him the first ce position. What do they mean that they were so tired that they ran out of energy? He was the exhausted one. Those two were perfectly fine right now. They ate and drank normally, and they didn''t seem tired at all. "I can''t believe it. Time was spent eating lunch, sleeping for three hours, yet they still arrived here first. Now I understand that it is not always good to be the first one to leave." Li Xun endured being drenched in his own sweat and he muttered to himself as heid there. Li Xing was also sitting beside him. Although he could barely keep his eyes open, he still praised his Young Prince. "What our Young Childe has said is correct. What our Young Childe is doing is called strategizing. Our Young Childe knew ahead of time that things would turn out this way, and indeed, our Young Childe was the first one to arrive. Others cannot not even bepared to our Young Childe." Li Xun''s face turned red because of Li Xing''s words. He waved his hand to tell him to stop talking. The two people who let him win were still sitting there and eating. "Zhang Xiao''bao, are there any good things left? Don''t forget to leave me a piece of the deer lips." Li Xun turned his head and asked Zhang Xiao''bao again. He felt that there must be other good things that Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan didn''t take out yet.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Three li
This is about 1.5 km.
  1. One li
This is about 500 m.
  1. One zhang is about 3.33 m
  2. Broad bean chili sauce
This is a spicy and savory suitcase made fermented broad beans, chili peppers, salt and flour. This sauce is the soul behind a lot of delicious Chinese dishes such as mapo tofu, Szechuan hotpot and a variety of meat dishes.
  1. One cun is about 3.33 cm.
Book 2: Chapter 47 Book 2: Chapter 47 Volume 02 Even a sky filled entirely with stars could not cover the brilliance of the crescent moon. The fire inside the tent''s furnace was unable to dissipate the night''s coldness. The lights guided the mosquitoes to travel over ten li to find this area. When they encountered the repellent incense, a few of them flew far away and some of them dived down head first. After Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were full, they rested for four more hours and then they opened their eyes almost at the same time. They packed their backpacks, and walked towards tomorrow''s destination while borrowing the light of the stars and moon outside to illuminate their path. The guards guarding in the camp hurried over to stop them. "Young Master Zhang, where are you two going? It''ste, there aren''t many people around to protect you." "We''re advancing forward. We don''t need others to protect us. It''s cooler at night." Zhang Xiao''bao replied, and continued walking with Wang Juan. The guard was taken aback. He stopped the two again, and while chatting with them, he sent someone to inform the Young Prince. Li Xun was in the middle of dreaming about eating ants. He was woken up by someone, and he opened his sleepy eyes and asked what was going on. When he heard that Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were heading out again, he shook his head vigorously, and he put on a piece of clothing and rushed out. "We''re getting a head start. It''s not hot when it''s dark out, so we''re taking advantage of this time to travel a bit more. We will rest when it''s dawn. The desert is not the same as other ces. If we don''t leave now, then we will die from exhaustion during the day. Who said that outdoor survival means surviving during the day and resting during the night? In the next morning, people will send us food. Young Childe Li, you should go back to sleep." Zhang Xiao''bao exined. He and Wang Juan did this deliberately because they wanted to obliterate Li Xun''s original mentality. The point of outdoor survival was to achieve the goals, so what does it have to do with day and night? "But--but...wait, I''ll go with you two. Someone,e bring me my backpack." Li Xun wanted to say something rebuttal, but he realized that he couldn''t say it. Zhang Xiao''bao was right. Who said that you can only travel during the day? When the army is moving, critical moments can happen at any moment. If not, there would be no such things as night time ambushes. He forced himself to resist his drowsiness, and got people to make some preparations so that he could follow Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. If he wanted to learn more about the things involved with outdoor survival, he could only learn from them. Up until now, he didn''t receive any news from Li Cheng. He had no idea how Li Cheng was interacting with the mastermind right now. Li Xun''s people were quick to do things. They were already done preparing the items that Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan used during the day and they packed these items into his backpack. They brought the backpack over to Li Xun. During this time, Li Xun changed his clothes and when he was done, he said to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, "Okay, let''s go." Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan couldn''t refuse him, so they nodded their heads. They each took out a smallntern from their backpack, put in a lit candle, and walked in front. "Quickly, bring me antern." When Li Xun saw that they had antern that was foldable, he hurriedly asked the person next to him for antern. However, hisntern couldn''t be folded. Walking in the desert at night was indeed different from during the day. It was hard to see far ahead, so you could only stare at the area right in front of your eyes. Lesser energy was needed, and the temperature in the desert at night was low, which kept the person feeling more awake. "You two didn''t tell me earlier. I was confused just now, but I understand now. It''s better to travel in the desert at night. That''s right, it''s so hot during the day that people could die from the heat. Under conditions of low water supply, it''s better to bury oneself and sleep when it''s hot, and travel when it''s cooler. I''ll remember this for sure. In the desert at night, you need to light antern to make people feel less scared and feel warm. When I go back, I will have someone make antern just like yours. Am I correct?" Li Xun was still sleepy, but his sleepiness was blown away by the cold wind. He followed behind Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang while talking about the summaries he came up with. Zhang Xiao''bao extinguished hisntern, and Wang Juan did the same. Then he said to Li Xun, "Who said thatnterns should be lighted at night? If there were sneak attacks, wouldn''t you just be telling the enemy where you are? We prepared thesenterns because we''re afraid that others can''t see us. We lit ournterns up for you to have some light. "Yeah, which soldier would light hisntern as he travels at night? He would be discovered. I''ll extinguish mine too." As he said this, Li Xun extinguished the fire in hisntern, and the surroundings became dark immediately. The three of them continued to walk forward. They were unable to see the path clearly, so they could only walk step by step mechanically. This saved them a lot of energy. With Li Xun with them, it was a given that many people would follow behind the three of them. At the beginning, they all held lit torches but when they saw that their Young Prince had extinguished his ownntern, they all stuck their torches into the sand. They travelled in the dark, and fortunately, there was still moonlight shining, so they could vaguely see the figures of the three children. "Here, sprinkle this powder onto your body." Zhang Xiao''bao was walking and he stopped suddenly. He took out a paper packet from his backpack, and handed it to Li Xun. "What is it for?" Li Xun asked suspiciously after taking the item. "It drives away snakes and insects. A real desert is not like the ce here. Anything can happen at night. Even if many people cleaned up the ce here, dangerous things may stille out at night. This is a medicine prepared by some hunters. It''s quite effective." No one answered his question, but he didn''t care. After he asked the question, he wrapped the rest in paper and threw it onto the ground along with his extinguishedntern. As the three people walked away, one of the people behind them carefully ced the paper packet into their robe and turned to leave. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were still walking with their heads lowered. Li Xun followed behind and was more awake at this time. He felt that it was boring to walk like this, so he began to ask questions again. "Zhang Xiao''bao, tell me, if we encounter something at night, like snakes, then should we catch it? We will then have food for tomorrow at noon." "I don''t have the skills for that. Who knows who would be eating who at that point. Young Childe Li, keep walking. From now to tomorrow, we don''t have anything to eat so save up your energy." Zhang Xiao''bao was really annoyed. Li Xun asked about everything, and he also wanted to catch snakes in the desert? If it was only him and Wang Juan, he would really dare to try, but with the Emperor''s nephew here and the people following behind, he didn''t want to expose his ability to catch snakes. People would grow suspicious if they saw little children like them catch snakes. "Okay, I won''t ask anymore. Yeah, I won''t ask anymore now." Li Xun was relying on them for help, so he didn''t be angry. He agreed and he really did not ask any other questions . * In the camp, news of the three people''s departure spreaded quickly. Those adults who apanied their children heard that Li Xun and the two children from the Zhang manor left not too long ago to continue travelling at night. They resisted the reluctance in their hearts, and they woke up their own children and begged them to also keep travelling. The main reason they did this was not because they thought that it was cooler at night, but because they wanted to be on good terms with Li Xun, who was a person with a high status. The group of children got up reluctantly after being urged by their families and they walked at the back in a daze. An uncle of Han Yong''yao followed him here, and he also woke him up. At the beginning, Han Yong''yao refused to go out no matter what. His chubby body was almost exhausted to death after a day of travelling, but when he heard that Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were gone, he jumped up and was no longer sleepy. "I''ll go. I refuse to believe that I can''t catch up with them when it''s cooler out." Han Yong''yao gritted his teeth and spoke. He was still thinking about the embarrassment he had to endure the other day. No, it was just yesterday, since it was not past midnight yet. He didn''t dare to seek revenge on the Emperor''s nephew, so he ended up hating Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. During the day, he was constantly thinking about causing trouble for them, but he never had the chance to. He was fat. It was hot out and this made him feel weak. Hisrge body was formed byzing around, not by training, so when did he ever suffer this much? He shouted that he wanted to go because he knew that he wasn''t scared of the cold. He wanted to catch up to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan to scare them, or p them twice in the face to let them know how powerful he was. If this kind of thing happened to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, they would not have this kind of idea, but for Han Yong''yao, a ten-year-old child, this was the best n ever. Little children weren''t able to understand adults. He cursed at them secretly as he travelled. "They came out too? That''s good." Li Xun saw the people behind him and said happily. He didn''t know how to exin to others why he broke the rules he had set before, but now that everyone was here, some trouble was saved. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan don''t care if the others havee or not. Their goal was to get Li Xun engrossed in this, so that he can put more energy towards these kinds of things, and don''t always think about targeting the Zhang and Wang manors. Han Yong''yao hastily caught up this time. He thought it would feel better at night, but he didn''t expect that by the time he caught up to them, he was still this exhausted. Seeing that a bunch of people have grouped together, he felt that an opportunity hade. At this moment, all he could see was Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. He ran two steps vigorously and came behind them. He smiled and said, "Zhang Xiao''bao, and you Wang Juan, are you scared of me?" Li Xun was stunned for a moment. He didn''t know who was talking. Just when he was trying to see clearly, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan didn''t pay attention to this person and they continued to move forward. This person chased after them again, and Li Xun couldn''t get a clear view of them. "Zhang Xiao''bao, you two stop there. I think you two want to be beaten." Han Yong''yao caught up with them, and as soon as he spoke, he reached out to grab their heads. Before Li Xun could stop him, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan suddenly dipped down. They crouched and swept their legs back at the same time. With a thud, Han Yong''yao fell down onto the sand with his entire face pressed into the ground. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan acted as if nothing had happened, and at the same time, they stepped onto Han Yong''yao''s hand with their feet. After Han Yong''yao let out a muffled groan, they continued to walk forward. Li Xun took two quick steps forward. "Who was that person? Is he one of the children?" "I don''t know, who cares. Let''s go. That person was so careless. The sand is different from t ground. It''s more slippery than usual when wearing leather boots." Zhang Xiao''bao threw these words out and speeded up. Book 2: Chapter 48 Book 2: Chapter 48 Volume 02 Chapter 48: New Ideas To Add To The Training The night was gloomy. On the sand dunes, the wind blew cold and the journey was difficult. "Yong''yao, get up quickly, what happened to you?" When Zhang Xiao''bao and the two others slid down the sand, someone ran up to Han Yong''yao and asked while carefully helping him up. "Uncle, I''m all right. My foot slipped and I fell." Han Yong''yao spit out the sand in his mouth and exined to his uncle. He didn''t dare to tattle tale at this time. After he fell, he finally noticed that the Emperor''s nephew was standing on the side. Luckily for him, the Emperor''s nephew didn''t see him clearly. If his uncle learned what happened, he would be scolded at the very least, so it was not worth it. The only choice he had left was to catch up to them and find a way to retaliate. Han Yong''yao, who had persuaded his uncle, continued to rush forward, but only to realize that his two calves were sore and hurt. He groaned in pain and uttered, "Those two little brats, they''re so cruel. Don''t you dare let me catch you two, humph!" "No, we''re not participating. We will be able to arrive at the final destination in the desert by the middle of tomorrow night, and then we will go back to see others harvesting. Xiao''hong and the others should being back soon. I wonder how many poultries died this time and how much we gained." Zhang Xiao''bao whispered his reply. Li Xun followed beside them. He only knew that the two of them were talking, but he was unclear what they were talking about. At this time, he was also wearing shoes with small studs underneath. The shoes only had leather soles instead of the multiyer soles1 though. Glue that was applied to multiyer soles could not dry so fast. He thought about the person who slipped and fell earlier, and Li Xun rejoiced that he had these shoes. He of course didn''t clearly see Zhang Xiao''bao''s and Wang Juan''s leg sweeping move. "Then what should we do about the situation here?" Wang Juan was still worried about keeping Li Xun busy . "That''s easy to deal with. Watch and cooperate with me." Zhang Xiao''bao whispered back, then he increased the volume of his voice and said to Wang Juan, "Juan''juan, do you know that there were things that were more fun than outdoor survival training?" "Really? Did he actually tell you? Ohe on, howe he didn''t tell me? Xiao''bao, tell me, what else is fun?" Wang Juan said in cooperation. Li Xun was still thinking about the shoes. When he heard the two people''s words, his ears perked up slightly and his eyes widened, as if he wanted to use his eyes to help him detect better. Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t disappoint him either. He said as he walked, "Of course there is something more fun. In addition to getting people to adapt to the environment, the most important thing about outdoor survival is to get scouts to detect and hear information more well. But it is not enough for scouts to possess only these qualities. A qualified scout must know how to track, know how to hide, and also know how to use simple tools and materials found from their surroundings to make various weapons and small usable items. " "Tracking? Hiding? Are you talking about hide-and-seek? I know about this. Whenever I y with you, you always hide behind the firewood. Aren''t I great at tracking?" Wang Juan continued to cooperate. "Hmm, yes, you''re great. Next time, I won''t hide behind the firewood pile anymore, I''ll change a ce. I''ll hide in the water and this time you won''t be able to find me, right?" "Huh? Change a ce? Are you nning to hide in the small river in front of the door? I know there is a deep spot in the river and it would be perfect for you to hide in. But how will you breathe?" Wang Juan suggested an idea, but at the same time, she expressed concern. Li Xun wanted tough at first. He felt that Zhang Xiao''bao was too stupid. He hid in the same ce every time, and now he told her where he would hide next time. He held back hisughter, and waited to hear what Wang Juan would say. He also agreed that this method won''t work. How can people breathe underwater? "Oh, that might really work. If I''m thirsty, I can just drink the water there too. Why didn''t I think of this?" Wang Juan continued to y her role. ''Good idea.'' Li Xunmented secretly. He was thinking that if the army''s scouts could use this method, it would be simpler and easier to win. He wanted to praise them, but he was afraid that the two would stop talking, so he had to hold back and quietly listen. Zhang Xiao''bao continued, "That''s nothing. We can find some cloth, paint it the colors of various rocks, and then use it to cover our bodies and pretend to be a rock. We can also get a pile of leaves and cover ourselves with them. Even if we hide in a tree, it would still be hard for others to find us." "Huh? Aiya, if you do that, then how will I ever find you. No, I''m never going to y hide-and-seek with you again." Wang Juanined and stomped her feet. "Why wouldn''t you be able to find me? You know about the methods I want to use, so you can follow these methods to find me. In fact, it''s very simple. Just try hard to figure out how to avoid others. Pretend that you''re the one that is hiding, and then think about what would you fear the most. This kind of thinking would definitely be useful for you when you''re looking for me." Zhang Xiao''bao continued to talk to Wang Juan, and at the same time, he was also guiding Li Xun''s train of thought. He wanted to make him think about how to hide from others and how to find others. Wang Juan deliberately started saying nonsense now, "Lemme think. If I was hiding in the water, then my biggest fear is that the water dries up. If I''m hiding in a tree, then my biggest fear is that there are no more leaves on the tree. If you''re the only spot with a bunch of leaves, then people will discover you, right?" "Juan''juan is really smart. This is troubling now, you will definitely be able to find me in the future." Zhang Xiao''bao praised her. Li Xun''s expression was slightly stern just earlier, but now he was holding back a smile. The two children were really fun and silly. How could hiding and finding be that simple? Hmm, yes, he needed to think about it seriously. Later, he will find older children to do this, and he will ask some hunters about this too. He nned to find some children to practice first, and when it''s about time, he will tell his father about it. He would be able to help the country''s soldiers achieve more achievements and he would be able to prove himself to be better than others. Li Xun thought about things in his mind while he followed the two people. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was a good idea. He wanted to hear more about Zhang Xiao''bao''s other good ideas, but he noticed that the two of them stopped talking and they were walking a lot faster. Li Xun hesitated for a moment and he stopped. He waved to Li Xing, who was following him. It was unclear if Li Xing saw the Young Prince''s hand gesture in the dark night or if he noticed that the Young Prince was standing still, but he still ran up to the Young Prince. "Young Childe, are you...?" Li Xing thought that his Young Prince was cold. While speaking, he unbuttoned his clothes so that he could give it to the Young Prince. "Don''t move. Remember this, think of a way to find me some well experienced people---basically old hunters, people who made a living in the water, and coachmen that have driven carriages for over ten years. Find them, and give them a lot of money and get them to talk about how they were able to hide in their respective locations and how they tracked others. You absolutely cannot forget about this." Li Xun stopped Li Xing''s movements and spoke very quickly. He still wanted to catch up with Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. Because of the coolness of the night in the desert, the children seemed to forget about their fatigue. They jumped and ran around again. They couldn''t see the road, and they were covered by cool air. Each of them seemed to have a lot of physical strength. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were also running, but they didn''t jump around. Jumping andnding wasted too much energy. They understood that these children were able to run this energetically now because of the darkness and temperature. When morninges tomorrow, they would copse from exhaustion. Li Xun ran intensely for a bit, and he finally caught up to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan again. He tried his best to adjust his breathing rate. He didn''t know what else they were going to say. Perhaps he will be able to hear more during their resting period tomorrow. After running for this short period of time, the adults behind them couldn''t keep up anymore. During the day, they relied on having greater perseverance than children to keep going. In the desert, regardless of your age, if you didn''t exercise on a daily basis, you would be tired. In addition, the recovery speed of adult bodies was not as fast as that of children. At this time, everyone''s legs and backs were sore. They secretly wondered in their mind, who exactly are the ones being trained? Perhaps after enduring these few days, they will be stronger than before. The only thing that made them feel reassured was the highly disciplined guards sent by Li Xun. These guards ran behind the children and stayed a short distance away from them to watch if any child couldn''t keep going and then send the children off to receive medical treatment if needed. "You two wait for me. I don''t believe that two kids can run better than me. Wait for me to catch up with you two." Han Yong''yao was fat, and he never exercised before. He gritted his teeth and muttered while chasing after them with his eyes wide open. Right now, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan became his driving force to keep moving forward. His uncle ran behind him for a while, but in the end, he had to give up. At the same time, hemented in his mind that it was good for his nephew toe here and it was indeed better than letting himze around all the time. Yong''yao was really better than usual tonight, since he tried to work hard. "It seems like he''s catching up. I could tell as soon as I heard his pants." Wang Juan was running and she heard a panting sound from not so far behind. Sshe deduced that it was that new neighbor of theirs and then she spoke to Zhang Xiao''bao with a slightly surprised tone. "There''s no need to be scared. He can''t catch up to us. There''s a slope up ahead. We will charge up the slope and then after we slide down, we will lose him. It seems that hatred can also get people to improve." Zhang Xiao''bao knew what Han Yong''yao''s mentality was like at this time and he smiled as he talked. He took in two deep breaths in a row, and suddenly elerated. Wang Juan followed closely behind him. Li Xun gritted his teeth and ran without thinking about anything else.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Multiyer soles
This was an important creation in Chinese shoe making history. It is created by stitching over 30yers of cloth together to form the sole of a shoe. The main advantage of this type of sole is that it is very resistant against abrasion and would take a long time to wear out. The sole is also very breathable in the heat, but also able to keep the feet warm in the cold. Book 2: Chapter 49 Book 2: Chapter 49 Volume 02 Chapter 49: Withdrawing Midway The children ran all night without resting much. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan''s prediction was correct--- when the first rays of light came, all of them weren''t able to run anymore. The sweat on their bodies drenched their clothes, and as the temperature gradually rose, they felt stuffy and hot and a little bit cold from the inside to the outside. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan didn''t care about the others, and they went to the next water station. They took off their outer garment and washed them with water. Then they stabbed their retractable poles into the sand and hung their wet clothes on the poles to let them dry. Once again, they moistened their towels, and they used it to briefly wipe their arms and legs. After spreading out their nkets, they waited there for breakfast. Originally, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan wanted to get Shi''liu to send a hunter to deliver their breakfast this time, but in the end, other people joined in. Li Xun asked his people to travel by carriage to this ce first, which saved a lot of trouble for Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. "How''s it? Zhang Xiao''bao, do you think I arranged this well? I prohibited others from bringing in their own food and we only provided them with two meals everyday. Now that''s what outdoor survival is supposed to be like." Regardless of what Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan did, Li Xun would copy them. He also doused his clothing with water, but he didn''t know how to wash them. Then he also wiped his arms and legs. Once he was done, he sat in front of them and began praising himself. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan shook their heads at the same time. They took the porridge that was passed to them and drank it. Li Xun was waiting for the two people to tter him, but he didn''t expect the result to be like that. Looking at the porridge bowl in front of him, Li Xun asked with dissatisfaction, "Is something wrong?" Zhang Xiao''bao asked several questions in session, and Li Xun wasn''t able to answer them. Wang Juan also chimed in, "That''s right, that''s right. There are even tents here for people to rest in. People should be carrying their own tent on their backs so that they can rest whenever they want to. The person who makes it to the final destination first should be the one who wins. My family''s---uh, someone said that the participants should be given an opportunity to make preparations and they should be allowed to bring whatever they want. The guards should only intervene if they notice that someone is feeling unwell." Li Xun listened carefully, and felt that what she said made sense but it was impossible to do. However, he was able to make an important conclusion from Wang Juan''s words: there was indeed a mastermind and these words on hers were actually the mastermind''s words.Yes, he needed to take note of this. Children that were too young couldn''t be used, so he needs to let children over the age of ten try. At this time, Han Yong''yao also dragged his heavy feet to this area. Heid on the side and panted heavily, but even then, he did not forget to re at Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan from time to time. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan didn''t care about his res at all since they could easily work together to beat him up. However, doing so would not resolve any of the issues. He would still harbour hatred towards them, and their abilities will be exposed. Not doing anything to him didn''t mean that they disregarded him. When they get back, they will have to make some preparations. As for what methods they were going to use, it depended on their opponent''s moves. "What? You''re not going to rest for a bit? You''re continuing again? Li Xun finished eating at almost the same time as Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao. When he saw them put down their chopsticks, he yawned and asked. "Yeah, we''re in a hurry to go home. We''re not ying anymore. You can have this." Zhang Xiao''bao replied back, and then he took the saltpeter and the set of bowls out of his backpack. He looked at the items Zhang Xiao''bao took out and he asked in confusion, "Is this saltpeter? Oh, I know, it''s used to make ice to eat. Howe I didn''t think of that?" "It''s not used as a pastime---it''s used to save lives at critical times. It''s the most useful when travelling in groups. You can help prevent others around you from getting a heatstroke. Most importantly, it can be used to make ice to treat wounds. So you only need to bring a little. Instead of bringing more of it, it''s better to bring more water. Even hot water can save people." Zhang Xiao''bao exined to Li Xun. "Huh? It''s actually used for that? Zhang Xiao''bao, you two are going to leave, how about you give me your backpack, is that alright?" Li Xun now understood that the saltpeter was not used to make ice for people to eat. He looked at Zhang Xiao''bao''s backpack, and he finally voiced out the thought in his heart. He was certain that there were more good items inside it. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan nced at each other and shook their heads. Zhang Xiao''bao responded, "Young Childe Li, these items are enough for you to use. Once you''re done with these items, organize another event and we will show you more new items when wee." Building interest was also a step-by-step process. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan did not want to expose all of these items too early. There were indeed more items in their backpacks, such as several different needles, threads made from sheep intestines, a small cauter, some good-quality charcoal, and three-edged needles. These were used to treat external wounds and for bloodletting. Although bloodletting with a triangr needle cannot cure the person, it can buy some time. Now was not a suitable time to take these items out. They originally nned to bring some pure gunpowder, but theyter abandoned this idea. "O--okay. I will organize another eventter. Be careful along the way back." Li Xun didn''t know what to say. He really wanted to snatch their backpacks, but he also knew that this was the same as killing the goose to get the golden eggs. If he snatched their bags this time, then he would have to abandon any hopes of them bringing him more things in the future. He had no choice but to reply to them with a simple benediction. "Haha, are you scared now?" Not far away, Han Yong''yao, who heard that Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were going to leave, suddenly yelled out loud. He was angry. He was nning to soon retaliate against the two, but he didn''t expect that they nned to go home after eating. "Shut up." Before Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan spoke, Li Xun turned his head and yelled angrily. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan didn''t even pay attention to him. They rinsed their mouths with water, and then patted their full stomachs. They walked towards a t area outside the desert, which had a dirt road with a carriage sent there by their family. Han Yong''yao didn''t dare to have any displeasure towards Li Xun. He even smiled back and apologized. After avoiding Li Xun''s gaze, he fixed his eyes onto Zhang Xiao''bao''s and Wang Juan''s leaving backs. "Xiao''bao, he must hate us to death." Wang Juan knew what the situation was like without even looking back. "Yeah, let him hate us. When we get back, let''se up with a way to deal with his family. This child is worse than Li Xun. At least Li Xun won''t disy his attitudes so obviously. A kid like Han Yong''yao dares to disy his hatred like this even when he doesn''t have the power to back himself up--- this must mean that he was not well taught by his family. A good n would educate their children from an early age. He''s ipetent, which means that his family is ipetent too. Zhang Xiao''bao began to analyze the situation of the new neighbor through this incident, and then he continued, "With a child like him in their family, he will be of great use to us. Let him hate us, the more he hates us, the better. Tell me, do you think I''m bullying other people''s children? "Children are meant to be bullied, otherwise how did he have the guts to treat us like this? It''s because we''re little. The autumn harvest ising, do you know how to dehull grains?" After saying this, Wang Juan didn''t want to talk about this topic anymore, so she changed the topic over to discussing techniques. Zhang Xiao''bao nodded, "I know how to. I''ve seen people dehull grains before and I''ve even seen people grind grains into flour. After transporting the rice to a ce specially designed for dehulling, they first ce a funnel with arge hole onto a motorized machine, and then they poured the rice grains inside. When the majority of the hulls are removed, they''ll use a funnel with a smaller hole..." "Okay, I get it. When we get back, you can work on making that motor. I''ll get someone to make the funnel. This would save a lot of work for the residents." Wang Juan stretched out her thumb to Zhang Xiao''bao. "Uh! Well, there is actually another way, which is to put the grains in an open area, and then beat it with something after the grains are dried. After the beating process isplete, we can rely on the wind to blow the hulls away. I know how to make that tool." Zhang Xiao''bao made a serious expression while he spoke to Wang Juan. "Nope. We shouldn''t dehull all of the rice grains and wheat grains since that would shorten their shelf life. With the hulls unremoved, the grains can be stored for two to three years. If we dehull the grains, within a year, the grains will be eaten by tiny ck bugs. We will store the grains with the hulls on and dehull them when we n to eat them." Zhang Xiao''bao was more well experienced in this area. Once the rice and flour were made, he had to find a way to sell it, otherwise its price would be affected if bugs were found inside. Wang Juan really didn''t have such experience, so she was taken aback for a moment, and she asked suspiciously, "You''re speaking the truth?" "I won''t lie to you about these kinds of things. This is the Kai''yuan era1, which means that there will be a lot of grains after two years. In the meantime, we should buy some and use it to make cakes, rice crackers and et cetera to sell. We shouldn''t touch our own grains yet. This year, we will store all of them with the hull on. Help mee up with foods from flour. We should take advantage of this winter to make more money. It will not be easy to use grain to make money in the future." Zhang Xiao''bao told Wang Juan about his future ns, and he seemed confident. However, Wang Juan didn''t believe him. She tilted her head slightly and asked, "Are those your actual ns? You want to sell cakes?" "For real." Zhang Xiao''bao nodded firmly. "For real?" Wang Juan''s tone rose upwards. "Yeah." Zhang Xiao''bao widened his eyes and nodded vigorously. "Yeah?" Wang Juan continued to raise her tone. "Actually, there can actually be other things too. Jeez, do you really have to ask this thoroughly? It''s not good for the husband and wife to understand too much about each other. I''m trying my best to stay mysterious. Can''t you tell?" Zhang Xiao''baopromised at this moment. "I can tell. I can tell that I don''t want to live with you. Hurry up, otherwise I will marry An Lu''shan2 when I am older. What will you do then?" Wang Juan threatened. Zhang Xiao''bao was stunned for a moment, and suddenlyughed, "You want to marry that fat man? Hmm, good, he will be in big trouble then. Without me even intervening, he will know what type of person shouldn''t be married and he will die from regret. Hahahaha!"
"Zhang Xiao''bao, get off. I don''t want to be in the same carriage as you." Trantor''s Notes
  1. Kai''yuan era
This is the name of the era during the early half of the reign of Emperor Xuan''zong of the Tang Dynasty.
  1. An Lu''shan
An Lu''shan was a famous general of the Tang Dynasty. He was well favoured by the Emperor Xuan''zong, but heter organized a rebellion (the An Lu''shan Rebellion) and started a new dynasty of his own called the Yan Dynasty. After he seized Luo''yang, which was the Eastern Capital, he soon dered himself as Emperor. The rebellion came to an end soon after An Lu Shan was killed by his own son, who waster killed by a general of the Tang army. The rebellionsted for eight years. As mentioned by Zhang Xiao''bao, An Lu''shan was obese. Book 2: Chapter 50 Book 2: Chapter 50 Volume 02 The road home was long; the bells jingled a song. Shi''liu was feeling confused; inside the carriage joy perfused. The bright sun hung in the empty sky, green trees were on the sides that we passed by, fragrant wildflowers on the other shore of the river. After joking around andughing, Zhang Xiao''bao finally disclosed the ns he had in his mind. "It''s actually very simple. People here belong to the north, so they don''t like fish. Fish scales can be made into snacks, but it''s trickier to work with the fish meat. There are still many rivers here, and since the fishing techniques are rudimentary, it''s impossible to overfish. I''m nning to earn money using fish. When the people here get used to the taste of fish and like the taste of fish, we can buy the sea products that can''t be made into MSG and sell them to earn more money." "Humph, you''re finally being honest. I knew that there is no such thing as a good international conman. Ordinary people walk step by step, but if they''re a bit smart, they will think about the next step as they take one step. However, if the person was even more smart, then they will think about the next three steps as they take one step. People like you will think about at least the next five steps for every one step taken, and still think that they''re at a disadvantage." Wang Juan was now satisfied. She didn''t want to keep up with Zhang Xiao''bao''s train of thoughts. When people like him did not do anything, they would appear to be an innocent person, but once they were ready to strike, it was impossible to tell what they were going to do. "Hmm, I''ll take it that you wereplimenting me. Let me give you a detailed n. This is what I''m thinking, people here don''t like to eat fish mainly because there are abundantmbs and pigs, and that there aren''t a lot of recipes that use fish. If fish is not prepared well, it would taste fishy and bitter. However, if it''s done correctly, it would bepletely different. Even the word fresh1'' is written with letters found in the words fish'' and sheep''. "Then the eggs on our manor can be sold, right? I knew it, things won''t be that simple. You are using all the people you have ess to, including Ying''tao and your family, as well as me and my family." Wang Juan was really surprised. Zhang Xiao''bao took almost everything into consideration. As long as there was a resource that he could use, he would definitely use it. "With you guys, it''s not called using, it''s called cooperation. I''m also contributing. When you guys use my things, when did I even say the word no''? It''s the Kai''yuan era; food won''t be that valuable during the middle andter stages of the era. What can''t I consider changing my business route? Let me ask you, do you want me to use you?" Zhang Xiao''bao absolutely did not allow anyone to doubt his attitude towards his family. While he talked, he angrily turned his head to look outside the window. Wang Juan felt that Zhang Xiao''bao was the cutest during times like this. She couldn''t help but kiss him on the face. "I do. If you need to use me, then use me. If you don''t make use of your talent to integrate resources, even the Heavens would disapprove. But why didn''t you tell me straight up? It''s not like I won''t support you." "I''m used to it. Sometimes I can''t reveal my thoughts to other people because I need to appear mysterious in front of my subordinates. When you''re standing up high, you''ll find that you''re lonely. Didn''t the person surnamed Chen say Lamenting about the sky and earth ah ah, lonely mncholy makes tears go whahh whahh.''2 " And the one surnamed Su, he also said that every time the altitude increases by one kilometer, the temperature will drop by nearly six degrees. It''s cold. What could be done? Poor people can hustle together for warmth, but he can''t because he''s a schr. So, he can only dance. In a dark area, he can wave his arms around eight or six times a second, and this would create an afterimage3. It''s a pity that we are quite a few years away from him, otherwise, with his application of optics physics, we can aplish a lot. If there''s no other choice, we can consider finding the guy surnamed Li. He knows that when drunk, there are shadows of three people4. When muddle-headed, a single shadow will look like two. People who drink too much are like this. Including himself, there are three people. Amazing. " Zhang Xiao''bao touched the ce where he was kissed, and started talking. Wang Juan was confused by what Zhang Xiao''bao said. After a few seconds, she chuckled out loud. "I haven''t seen anyone make fun of them just like you did right now. What do you mean sky and earth ah ah'' and tears go whahh whahh''? It''s sky''s and earth''s endlessness'' and making tears fall'', okay? Chen Zi''ang wasmenting. You even made fun of Su Shi. He''s trying to express a kind of helplessness and loneliness towards family. As for Li Bai''s poem, that''s just a metaphor. " "Sophistry, absolutely sophistry. What do you think that Chen guy means by endlessness''? I know that white clouds are endless5'', but how would the sky and earth be endless? Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, happy, sadness--- which one is not endless? Later he was already mncholic, how ufortable. Could tears possibly desire to appear but act coy and fall down slowly? If so, then he''s too fake. Crying should be like whahh whahh''. Sadness requires tears to fall like rain. And that surnamed Su, if he''s not faking it, what else could it be? Cold up high? Who doesn''t know that? Those who challenge the tallest mountain know how low the temperature is up there. I don''t think he should write poems. You say you''re up high, but no matter how high you are, could you be as high up as the emperor? He can easily make you fall from 8,000 meters above sea level to a few hundred meters below sea level. This is what the transition from high mountains to basins is like. And that surnamed Li, he basically drinks every day. If you''re really immune to alcohol, he still can''t drink too much. He goes unconscious after drinking a bit of rice wine; he can''t hold his drink. Take me as an example. State Banquet Mou''tai aged for 15 years with 53% ABV. I can drink two bottles in one go and still be able to con those that I need to con. Zhang Xiao''bao finally led Wang Juan''s attention to the wrong ce by speaking nonsense--that was his goal. Wang Juan really forgot about buying flour. Her big eyes and long eyshes blinked again and again. This was the first time she heard such words. It was really astonishing. As long as this person didn''t care about being shameless, he had the guts to say anything. "What do you think, are you overwhelmed?" Zhang Xiao''bao asked in a timely manner. "Yeah. Amazing. International conman---what a well-deserved reputation. Remarkable, truly remarkable. No wonder you were able to deceive so many politicians. Politicians are usually quite depressed, but after hearing your jokes, they of course will support you. How old is Li Bai now? Thirteen? Fourteen? How pitiful." Wang Juan pinched Zhang Xiao''bao''s chubby face. She really didn''t know what to say. "Facts are facts, you have to admit that. Tell me, with an alcohol tolerance like that, wouldn''t that guy with the surname Li cause a lot of issues if he bes a major official?" Zhang Xiao''bao continued what he was talking about earlier. "Stop making fun of others. Even if you belittle others, you can''t make yourself appear more highly. You''re this old already, telling jokes like that is not fun at all." "I''m not joking. What I said was true. If you want to hear a joke, I will tell you one. In fact, it actually happened. I met a mayor--not a municipality level mayor, but a prefecture level. We had lunch together and he drank too much. Later in the afternoon when he had a meeting, his secretary finished speaking and asked him to speak. At that time, he was really good. He went on stage while swaying, and the audience was giving him a round of apuse. He said one sentence, and everyone in the audience was shocked. I''ve always wanted to learn how to do that, but I feel like I''m nowhere as good." Zhang Xiao''bao reminisced as he described the past. "Huh? Was he that amazing? What did he say? Which cadre did he want to investigate?" Wang Juan really couldn''t think of what the mayor said at this time. "Okay, don''t go on, I know who he is. He''s the one who said Meeting in the morning is the policy, drinking during lunch is not an oddity, meeting in the afternoon is the countermeasure, sleeping at night has rules you must remember.'' he left the stage right after saying that, and even two provincial senior left the stage with him. Let''s talk about something else." At this time, Wang Juan finally stopped refuting Zhang Xiao''bao. She already knew who Zhang Xiao''bao was talking about. She was the one who led her team down the stage. If it was other people who went down, then there was a chance for the charges to be reduced, but the special forces team two didn''t care about those things. They arrested their family and caught their illegitimate sons. If they were unwilling to speak, then don''t me the special forces team two for being unsympathetic. "Okay, let''s talk about something happy. How much do you think our manor''s crop yield will reach this year? Do you there''s 10,000 catties per mu?" Zhang Xiao''bao continued to joke. "Ten thousand catties is nothing, I''m guessing that there are at least twenty thousand catties and that''s for a low quality farmnd. When the timees, we should somersault over top of it." Wang Juan also joked with him. Zhang Xiao''bao looked at the dry field on the road they passed by; it was obvious that those fields would not be able to produce much. He sighed and said, "Thend our family farms on probably has more than four piculs but less than five in the top-quality field, more than three piculs in the middle-quality field, and less than two piculs in the low-quality field. Increasing by about 40% sounds like a lot, but in fact,pared to our time, it is far worse. Back then, did anyone nt crops that had a crop yield of less than 500 catty per mu?" "Yeah, 200 kilograms in the top-quality field is really too little. Don''t worry, we''ll take our time. Worsees to worse, we can go find Li Xun to see if there are experts in this area. The society is developing, and there will always be people who cane up with better techniques." Wang Juan estimated that this year''s upward trend of crop yield was much higher than the original crop yield of this time period. However, afterparisons were made, it was apparent that a crop yield like this was not profitable and would result in a loss. People outside the carriage can only hear some incoherent wordsing from the inside of the carriage. Even Shi''liu, who was sitting right next to the carriage, couldn''t understand what her Young Master and Young Miss were talking about. These people know that the Young Master and Young Miss were going back to see the autumn harvest. In their hearts, this year was a big harvest year, but they were unaware that the two little masters in the carriage were not satisfied with it. When the two carriages arrived on the main road outside the Tu''qiao Vige, another teaming from a distance could be seen. The noisy sound was heard from time to time, regardless of whether you liked it or not. Sitting in the carriage, Shi''liu frowned when she heard this noisy sound. She stood up and looked over there. She suddenly knocked on the door of the carriage with excitement. She shouted to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan inside,"Young Master, Young Miss, they''re back, and our stuff is back. Xiao''hong and Ying''tao are back too."
  1. The characters fresh'', fish'' and sheep''.
In Chinese the character for fresh'' is written as which isposed of the two characters (fish) and (sheepmb). This is not obvious in English so I changed the wording a bit by saying that the f'' in fresh'' refers to fish'', and the sh'' in fresh'' refers to sheep''.
  1. He is referring to the poem "Stepping Onto the Tall Stage At You''chou" by the Tang Dynasty poet Chen Zi''ang.
Here''s my rough trantion of the entire poem: Not seeing the people of the past in the front, Not seeing peopleing in the back. Lamenting the sky''s and earth''s endlessness, Lonely mncholy making tears fall.
  1. He is probably referring to the poem "When Did The Bright Moon Appear" by the Song Dynasty poet Su Shi.
Here''s my rough trantion of a part of the poem: When did the bright moon appear, Holding up wine to ask the blue sky. Not knowing on the pce in the heavens, What year was it tonight. Wanting to ride the wind to the sky, But fearing that the jade tower was too high, And its cold was unbearable. Dancing to create shadows, Iparable to the human realm.
  1. He is referring to the poem "Drinking Alone Under The Moon" by the famous Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai.
Here''s my rough trantion of the entire poem: A bottle of wine amongst the flowers, drinking alone without anypanions. Raising the goblet to invite the bright moon, including my shadow there are three people. Since the moon doesn''t drink, my shadow will follow my body. Apanying the moon and shadow temporarily, enjoying this beautiful scenery and time. I recite poems as the moon moves with me, my dancing figure brings chaos to my shadow. When awake we enjoy our time together, when drunk we part ways. Swearing that thepanionshipsts forever, meeting againter on a vast cloudy day.
  1. Since Zhang Xiao''bao doesn''t mention the poet''s name and he only mentions a part of the poem line, I can''t be certain which poem he is referring to. If I were to guess it would be "Yellow Crane Tower" by the Tang Dynasty poet Cui Hao.
Here''s my rough trantion of the poem: Passed people have ridden away on the crane, here is the empty redundant Yellow Crane Tower. Yellow cranes never return once gone, thousands white clouds carrying empty endlessness. Book 2: Chapter 51 Book 2: Chapter 51 Volume 02 Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were sitting in the carriage talking about all sorts of nonsense when they suddenly heard Shi''liu''s voice. Out of surprise, they both stood up at the same time. They were short so their heads didn''t hit the roof of the carriage. They pushed open the carriage door and they jumped down one after the other. "Howe they''re back so early? It took them a long time to get there even though they travelled as fast as they could. They even travelled back by carriage. At the beginning, didn''t we tell them to stop every few hours to let the poultry eat, and once theyy eggs, the eggs will be exchanged with the locals?" Wang Juan looked at the poultry that only appeared from a distance with a hint of confusion on her happy face. "This shows that what they gained from there was rtively good, so Xiao''hong and the others were unwilling to dy more time. In fact, they arrived at this time because they had slowed down, otherwise, they would have arrived before we left. This is good now. After Li Xun helps us sell some local freshwater fish, we will start to promote the benefits of sea water fish. In particr, if the dried fish doesn''t sell for at least 10 times its cost, I would rather let it rot away in my hands. " Wang Juan nodded, and said to Zhang Xiao''bao, "It''s called saltwater fish, not sea water fish. ording to you, then fishes can also be ssified into creek water fish, river water fish andke water fish?" "Of course it is ssified like that. Yellow River carp--- no one shouts out freshwater fish for sale'', and no one calls Chinese sturgeon as freshwater sturgeon. ording to the needs of the region, there are different names. Naturally, fish from the sea is called sea water fish, or sea fish for short." Zhang Xiao''bao brought out a few examples. Along the way, the two of them were in a good mood, so they kept refuting each other. Wang Juan exhaled through her nose, "I just learned something new. Let me ask you, what should the fishes in our ponds be called?" "Does this need to be asked? Of course it is pond fish." Zhang Xiao''bao said without thinking about it. "I see. Then fishes in Green Sea Lake are called Green fish? Ba Prefecture is called Ba1 fish? Is that how it works?" Wang Juan asked. "If this was not in ordance with strict requirements, then it is correct." Zhang Xiao''bao''s reasoning was a bit weak, so he could only forcibly try to exin himself. Wang Juan didn''t continue to pursue this topic, and shouted to the other side, "Xiao''hong, Ying''tao, over here, we''re over here." Xiao''hong and Ying''tao over there were leading the poultry. Hearing Wang Juan''s words, they increased their speed again with excitement. A group of poultry ran towards the manor. Taking the lead were a few big geese, but they were not as smart as Rong''rong. When they saw people in front of them, they didn''t know that they should not attack such creatures casually. They lowered their heads and pressed down their necks, and rushed over to Wang Juan. Wang Juan grew up in the city so she didn''t know how violent geese could be. Just when she was about to take a few steps forward, Zhang Xiao''bao suddenly stepped forward from behind her and pulled her to the back. The two geese''s beaks mped down on his leg instead. "How could they be taken away? The bigger the goose is, the more tenacious it is. It can even take on the job of a watch dog and guard the house. Just wait for Ying''tao toe over." Zhang Xiao''bao endured the pain, and he didn''t kill the two geese since the geese and its egg were worth a lot of money. It was just a bit of pain, and it wasn''t like he lost a piece of flesh. It didn''t take long for Ying''tao to run over, and once she saw that the geese hurt her little master, she immediately lifted up her leg to kick the geese. "Don''t kick them, they have eggs in them already. It was sort of like they gave me cupping therapy or gua sha therapy2. These geese are good; they can help guard the yard in the future." Zhang Xiao''bao looked at the two geese. The tone of his voice did not change at all, as if he was not the one that was injured by them. Once Ying''tao took the two geese away, Zhang Xiao''bao grinned and said, "I''m dying from the pain. Someone, hold me." He stretched out his hand to Wang Juan. Wang Juan was angry and amused, and at the same time, she was a little emotionally touched. She said to Zhang Xiao''bao, "Walk by yourself. Did it bite your tendon? When we get back, I''ll help you massage it using millet soaked in wine. Who told you to try to be a hero?" "Nope. If they really did bite my tendon, I''ll kick them to death. Do they think they''re that powerful because they have beaks?" Zhang Xiao''bao bent over and vigorously rubbed the spot that was bitten. He motioned to Ying''tao, and then turned and walked to the side of the carriage. At the same time, he said, "If I knew earlier, I wouldn''t have walked that far away from the carriage." "Let me see, how bad is the wound?" As soon as he got into the carriage, Wang Juan rolled up Zhang Xiao''bao''s pant leg. She gently touched the blue and purple bruises with her hand, and raised her head to speak to Zhang Xiao''bao, "Who would have thought that you''re that manly? You were bitten this badly and yet you stood still the entire time while bearing with the pain." "I deliberately did that. I wanted to try to see if I had reached the realm of being unhurtable by the elements of the world. This is called brute training of the irond--- it''s a skill of the Thirteen Great Defense." Zhang Xiao''bao raised his chin while speaking. "What are your thoughts after trying?" Wang Juan asked with a smile. "My skills are a bitcking." * Ying''tao and Xiao''hong were busy returning the poultry to each of the residents, and they also gave them money aspensation for the eggs. The manor took responsibility for the ones that died. Xu Si and the others transported the goods to the warehouse. Naturally, it was transported to Zhang Xiao''bao''s warehouse. Currently, his money was calcted separately from the main ount of the Zhang and Wang families. It would have been better if the two families didn''t take the items from his warehouse to do things. With the return of everyone, the autumn harvest in this ce was about to begin. Every household has prepared everything that should be prepared. Li Xun, who just ran to the final destination in the desert, also hurried back. He wanted to see what was the difference between his own Manor and Zhang and Wang manors during the autumn harvest. He postponed the third field survival training on t terrain. "Young Childe, you have returned? I have discovered one thing." Li Cheng, who has been treating Da''ya from the Zhang Manor to food and drinks this entire time, saw that the Young Prince had returned and hurriedly greeted him. He tried to pique the Young Prince''s interest with his words. "Oh? What is it? Tell me." Li Xun didn''t expect that something would happen as soon as he came back. As for whether the matter was harmful to his Manor, he really didn''t care. He just wanted to figure out what was going on. "Young Prince, ording to the time the crops were nted, we need to harvest the wheat first. Once we''re done harvesting the wheat, it would be time to harvest the rice nts. However, it seems like the wheat and rice nts at the Zhang and Wang manors have matured at the same time. I really don''t understand why this is the case?" Li Cheng stood beside Li Xun to tell him about his observations. He really didn''t understand. It would be understandable if the Zhang and Wang manors'' crops were lower in quality, but from what he had seen, their crops were much better than other people''s crops. Not only did their crop yield not drop, but their crop yield has been increased by at least by a tenth or a two-tenths. "High. It seems that their top-quality farnd can produce nearly five picul of rice. I don''t know what they used. I heard that the Ge Manorter used their rice seedlings. Although it was a bitte, their harvest should not be that different, right? But the difference was significant. I think that the rice seedlings they gave to the Ge Manor were not the same ones they nted in their own manors." Li Cheng first talked about the matter, and then told the Young Prince about his own thoughts. "Hmm, I see. Let''s talk about it next year. We will see what they nted then." Li Xun also couldn''t understand; he never studied agriculture before. As soon as the harvest day arrived, all of the farmers became busy. Just like the previous year, the Zhang and Wang manors harvested all of the crops at once. The master family also prepared all of the food; there was meat, vegetables, soup and rice. Following Zhang Xiao''bao''s idea, all of the meat served in the past few days were reced with fish. He specifically requested them to findrger fish, and cut out the pieces of meat without bones. The strips were dipped into batter and then deep-fried in oil. The fried fish strips were served with a dipping sauce on the side, and the eater would dip the fish into sauce before eating it. This year, the Ge Manor copied the way the Zhang and Wang families prepared food for the residents. As long as they work hard, they would have food to eat. Li Xun''s manor didn''t make a response at the beginning. By the second day, Li Xun, who had be ustomed to copying Zhang Xiao''bao, Wang Juan and their Manor methods, also ordered his residents to harvest everything at once, and he provided them with lunch and dinner. "Young Childe, you can''t do this, the amount earned will be reduced. Why should the residents be provided with two meals everyday?" Li Cheng was terrified when he saw the residents eating during the lunch break. He quickly found Li Xun to talk about this. "Yeah, because of what? Because when someone wants to approach the young master and young miss at the Between The Water and Clouds Restaurant, people will immediately block them. Because when we used money to bribe their people, none of the residents were convinced. Because when Zhang Xiao''bao blew his whistle that day, everyone around the two manors immediately came to protect them. What else needs to be said? Look at their harvesting speed. With the same sickle, the same wheat, and the same working method, they''re twice as fast as us. The children in our manors are ying in the back while their manors'' little children are working seriously. What is this called? This is called loyalty. I have seen it. When our manor''s residents meet their manors'' residents, their residents stand with straight backs, while our residents have their heads bowed. Do you understand? " Li Xun was not stupid at all. He noticed the differences through observing them, and he angrily shouted a few words to Li Cheng. Trantor''s Notes
The Ba'' character in Ba Prefecture also means tyrant'' so Ba fish would trante into tyrant fish''.
  1. Cupping therapy, gua sha therapy
These are both Chinese alternative medicine therapies. Cupping therapy is done by cing a heated cup onto the skin, and as the air inside the cup cools down, suction is created. Blood will be drawn to the surface of the skin, and can cause damage to the tissues. It is believed that doing so would remove toxins or stagnant blood in the body. Gua sha therapy is done by using a smooth and hard object like a porcin spoon to scrape against the skin. Usually this causes bruising and damage to the tissue. It is also believed that this can promote cellr repair. Book 2: Chapter 52 Book 2: Chapter 52 Volume 02 Chapter 52: A Boss Coming From Far To Collect Rice Autumn came and the mud in the field was dry. Idle chickens walked between the crops. Busy people''s backs were facing north, and the sun turned to the west. Sickles were swung like sweeping wind, and sweat dripped down like rain. Working hard for three months in spring, only for this season. People were busy wherever there were fields. While the days were hot and did not rain yet, they quickly harvested the crops. Otherwise, if the autumn rain fell, the harvest period would be abruptly cut short. The Zhang and Wang manors'' residents were evidently faster than other manors'' residents. There was nothing different about what they wore; the only difference was the tools they used. The Zhang and Wang manors'' sickles had a handle and de that was slightly longer, and the curvature of the de was also greater. After Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan saw the sickle that was used here, they noticed that it was different from the ones they had seen before. The two of them had a discussion, and they figured that it was due to regional differences. The more important reasonid in the process of passing down since workers would modify and improve the tool bit by bit. Thus, the two of them found people to make new sickles. From the looks of it, the speed was truly much faster. With all of these factors added together, the speed of the two manors was one and half times faster than other manors. While others were busy, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan also ran outside. They squatted in the shade of the tree and drew circles with sticks. Zhang Xiao''bao constructed shapes with a ruler andpass for Li Cheng to mull overter. Wang Juan kept herself busy by drawing other things. "Is that a...bined harvester? That''s a good idea. I''ll draw an oil refinery here, and then I''ll be able to provide you with machine oil. The one you drew runs on diesel fuel, right?" Zhang Xiao''bao just figured out a game that involves two shapes and then he turned to look at the drawing in front of Wang Juan. It was a drawing of tworge machines. The front was designed for reaping and threshing, and the rear was responsible for winnowing and gathering. "Don''t look down on people. How long did it take to go from the invention of steam engines to the satellite? When white steam came out from the front of the car, the wheels of history" "The wheel of history has rolled over the blood and sweat of countless people. Countless people---this is not aplishable by a conman and a police officer. It''s the result of..." "I know. Isn''t it just the result of several different areas of studies? I just drew a picture; I didn''t say that I''m going to make it. When are we going to get people to go to the mountain to block off therge natural reservoirs? The freshwater crabs, shrimps and fish we bought from elsewhere are still in the ponds. If they grow anyrger, the ponds would be too small for them." Wang Juan used a stick to draw an x'' on her drawing. She brushed her hands and asked Zhang Xiao''bao. Zhang Xiao''bao looked at the people working in the field. He spoke hesitantly, "Well, we need to at least wait for people to finish their work. This time, Er''niu brought back a lot of mai''fan stones. Where should the stones be used? If it doesn''t work out, then we can buy some property in the Capital and build a bigger bathing pool over there. Do you think people would go there? "That''s going to bring us trouble, unless you want to join forces with someone powerful. Do you want to?" Wang Juan poured a bucket of cold water onto Zhang Xiao''bao. "Nope. We keep the stones at home then. Also, let''s not sell the wood fungus and snow fungus for the time being. Let''s just keep it. After two years, when people''s living standards have improved a little, the selling prices will be better. If they don''t get damp or eaten by bugs, they can be stored for a really long time. When we have more capable workers, we will let them go out." We''ll get Magistrate Cheng to build connections with the people there, such as the current officials and the students who will be participating in the Imperial exams. I am in favor of opening an inn in the Capital. We could look for a slightly remote ce and buy thend. It can also be outside the city. I heard Zhou Xi''hu''s uncle say that the outskirts are also quite prosperous." "Okay. I know what you mean. If we give some benefits to those students who are going to the Capital to prepare for the examination, even if only one person passes, it would still be very beneficial for us. It''s not like it''s necessary to take the cultivated talent'' exam---there are other other examination types. It is decided. Let''s go see what dishes are going to be served to everyone tonight" Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan finished discussing business matters. They stood up and went to the cooking area. There were several big woks set up there. The people there were busy with boiling water and chopping ingredients. Large pieces of fatty pork and some fresh veggies or sun dried veggies were thrown into the wok. Before they got up close, a burst of aromatic fried green onion smell hit them first. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan sniffed, and they nodded with satisfaction. There were a lot of smoky vors and the fat wasn''t rendered out of the pork yet, so the taste must be good. "The Young Master and Young Miss are here? It''s hot out, sit here." The working person saw the manors'' two little masters wandering near the area. A woman in her thirties that walked with a limp found them two stools, and then moved an opened umbre to that area to provide the two of them with shade. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan didn''t want to disturb others, but seeing that she had set up everything, they had no choice but to enjoy it. They understood that sometimes they couldn''t refuse certain things. If they really left right now, then the residents would think that their little masters were unsatisfied. If their two little masters went back home and told their family about what happened today, then the manors'' masters might feel like the residents were disrespectful towards the people of the master household. As soon as they were seated, a short table was ced in front of them. The meat specially made for the people of the inner courtyard was cut into thin slices, arranged on a wooden te and then ced on the table. A small te of garlic sauce was ced beside the te. The cucumber that was stored away until now was crushed t and seasoned with salt and garlic. Sesame oil was drizzled over top and then served to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. Zhang Xiao''bao picked up a piece of meat with his chopstick and dipped it into the sauce. Before he tasted the vours in his mouth, he said, "Good, it''s delicious. It''s really fragrant." "Yeah, even the smell is so good." Wang Juan replied. Just as they predicted, as soon as they said this, the faces of the people around them glistened with a happy smile. A singlepliment was enough to make them happy for an entire day. "The taste is not bad, right, Xiao''bao?" Wang Juan also ate a piece of meat. She licked the oil around the corner of the mouth with her tongue, and asked Zhang Xiao''bao. "Yeah, but the garlic sauce doesn''t have star anise water. If star anise water was added, it would be better. The cooking was not bad though; the meat is fatty but not greasy, lean but not dry. Tomorrow we will make some too. We won''t boil it though. We will nch thin slices in boiling water, and then wash off the oil and scum. Then, ce chicken soup at the bottom and then steam the meat. It''s like making kou''rou1." Zhang Xiao''bao felt that there was a better way to eat the pork belly. Wang Juan nodded her head in agreement when she heard his suggestion. "Boss, it''s this ce. Look at how well the rice nts have grown. Boss, please watch your step." When Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were half full, a group of people walked across the bridge. When they arrived at the cooking area, a person dressed in a blue silk robe and a riding hat2 was talking to a man with a heavy body and was wearing a pale yellow drop sleeve top, wide legged trousers and leather boots with narrow heels. "What are they here for?" Wang Juan put down her chopsticks and muttered. "I don''t know. Usually when a person talks to another person like that, they are usually viins. Their acting skills are not as good as Song Jing''gong. It is obvious that they have written the words I''m a viin'' on their foreheads." Zhang Xiao''bao jokingly said to Wang Juan. He didn''t care who came. Now, the two families were not like before--- they had official titles. There were no longer soft persimmons that could be easily squashed by others. The boss looked around with hisrge belly bulging out, and asked the boy from earlier. "Boss, everyone is busy right now, perhaps they wille out at night. Boss, please have a seat, it must be tiring to stand." As this person spoke, he fixed his eyes onto Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan--- to be more precise, he fixed his eyes onto the stools under their bums. Clink ng. The sound of several copper coins rolling on the table was heard. The person said to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, "Little children, stand up, and these copper coins will be yours." "That''s right, this person acts like a dog3." Wang Juan looked at the copper coins on the table and said to Zhang Xiao''bao, but her voice was not small, so that people around heard her. "Indeed, if not, why would people say that the dogs can only see people from down low? This is probably how that saying came to be." Zhang Xiao''bao alsomented. At this time, the people around the cooking area had stopped working, and they surrounded the group of people while holding various utensils in their hands. The person who was chopping ingredients was now standing in front of Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan while holding a knife. Blood dripped down the knife drop by drop, and it sshed onto the ground to form a ck little pit. "What---what are you doing? Do--do you know who I am? " The person who was speaking earlier reacted. Hearing the way these two children spoke, he knew that their status was not low. He spoke with regret and fear. "Lai''zi, back down. How could you make these valued people give way? Everyone, it was my fault for not properly disciplining my people, so he''s overly haughty. I apologize. I wonder from which families do you two belong to?" Just when the boy was worried about getting beaten, the boss behind him stood up to resolve the tension. He now had a clear look. The two little children were dressed in normal quality fabric, but their faces and hands were fair and supple. Children from ordinary families would not look like this. "What are you asking about? Where did youe from? What are you doing? " One of the people who were in charge of the cooking area didn''t answer his question. Instead, he looked at them with suspicious eyes and asked them back. "This is our boss. We came here to see your ce. The autumn harvest is here, and you have a lot of grains that cannot be sold, so our boss wants to buy all of it. Ten coins for one dou4." Lai''zi knew that it was time for him to speak now. He pointed to thend that had not been harvested yet, and offered a very high purchase price.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Kou''rou
This is steamed pork belly dish belongs to Cantonese cuisine.Usually it''s made with dried preserved mustard greens. The pork belly is first boiled, then fried, then sliced into thin slices, and then steamed together with the dried mustard greens.
  1. Riding hat
More specifically, the hat that is being referred to is called a (hu mao), which is a specific type of hat that people would wear when riding horses during. This hat was originally worn by the Hu people.
  1. The term that is used in the text is (lit. trans. Walk dog), which is more close to the wordckey'' but to keep it tied into the next paragraph, I kept the trantion as dog''.
Dogs can only see people from down low'' means to belittle others.
  1. dou
This is a Chinese unit of measurement and is equivalent to about 10 liter. Book 2: Chapter 53 Book 2: Chapter 53 Volume 02 "We''re not selling. We still need to keep them as seeds for next year''s nting. Am I right, Young Master?" The leader of the residents rejected his proposal without even thinking about it, and turned his head to ask Zhang Xiao''bao. The other cooks also agreed with this. They really couldn''t sell it. In the past,nd that was capable of producing three picul of grains per mu was already considered to be top-qualitynd. Now, their highest crop yield was five piculs per mu, and the lowest was over two picul per mu. All of this was money. What was in the fields was no longer just food, but seeds. Usually a dou of millet was worth four or five coins, and a dou of rice was worth nearly 20 coins. Although the rice has not been dehulled yet, the price they offered was still too low. What do they mean by offering a high price for it? Who are they trying to trick? Zhang Xiao''bao already knew what to do at this time, but he couldn''t be the one to say this aloud. He could only pretend to be dumb. He smiled and looked at the people around him and said, "I don''t know, I''ll go home and ask the housekeeper." As he said this, he pulled Wang Juan and ran home. At this time, that boss, Lai''zi and the others knew that the two little children were the children of the master of the manor. No wonder so many people were guarding them, especially against Lai''zi. He was still terrified after almost getting himself into trouble. He bullied their little children while he was in their manor. The residents could beat him up, send him to the authorities and still win thewsuit. After Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan ran away, the twelve people didn''t know what to do. They intended to find out about the price first. After all, other than for a few drought-stricken ces, there were good harvests everywhere else, so the price of grains would definitely be low. Giving ten coins for one dou of rice with the hulls on it was a lot. They didn''t expect that the residents were not stupid and knew that good rice should be reserved as seeds. This was troublesome. The twelve people felt awkward being watched by the cooks, The boss broke the ice, "The price is negotiable. Your manor is nice, can I go around and look?" The residents did not continue to pay attention to the group of people, and turned around and went back to continue cooking. At this time, it was almost dark. People in the fields were transporting the cut crops out of the fields, and once they were done, they woulde over here to eat dinner. They didn''t have the time to waste on these people. "Crippled Sis, give me a bowl of water first. I''m thirsty. Hmm, let me smell it. This meat is so fragrant. From the looks of it, you must be the one that made it." Those that finished work earlier came over, and among them was a young man in his twenties. The young man yelled out from a distance. "Thirsty? All you do isze around. Here, drink it. After you drink, you won''t be able to eat anymore." Thedy with the crippled leg poured out a bowl of water, and mmed it on the table as she scolded. Then, she went back to work. "He called you a cripple." Lai''zi was the kind of person who would incite drama whenever presented with a chance. When he heard what the other person said, he thought that he was given an opportunity. He pretended to be a good person and brought this to her attention. "Shut up, what do you know? Crippled Sis was protecting her parents-inw from a tree that was blown over by the wind. The tree fell on to her leg, causing her to break her leg and be a cripple. Who in this manor doesn''t know that she''s the best daughter-inw? Who are you? Where did youe from?" The young man red with dissatisfaction at Lai''zi. He said a few words and questioned him. He rolled up his sleeves and was prepared to charge forward. "Lai''zi, get back here. If it weren''t because of your older sister, I would have kicked you out a long time ago. All you do is cause me trouble." At this time, the boss wanted to kick Lai''zi all the way back home. He red at Lai''zi and shouted at him. As soon as Lai''zi came back, he was pped in the face. After the boss was done pping him, the boss spoke to the residents, "Lai''zi was not disciplined properly. Young man, do what you need to do, don''t mind us, we''re just here to look around and to buy some grains. Young man, why aren''t all of you going home, why did you alle here instead??" "Why would we go back home? Our master takes care of our meals. You should leave quickly. Our manor is different from other ces. We won''t sell grains to you." Although he felt like there was nothing odd about the words he said, the twelve people who were listening felt that his words were abnormal. Other manors would usually only provide their residents with a meal after the harvesting period came to an end. They didn''t expect that this manor would provide their residents with food during the harvest, and the food included meat and other various dishes. They also weren''t given millet, but glistening white fluffy rice. The smell of the food made all of them feel hungry. * "Hurry up, Xiao''bao. Do you think we should sell to them or not? I can''t believe we''re being targeted. I wonder where that buyer came from? Could it be that he''s backed by a prince? " While running home with Zhang Xiao''bao, Wang Juan spoke to him with a hint of worry in her voice. "What prince? Do you think those princes are stupid? Whose territory does this ce belong to? Li Chengyi''s. And his son is still living next to us, so which prince would set their eyes on our manor so directly? If it is really a prince, he would definitely go to the Li Manor first, and then get the people from the Li Manor to represent him. It seems that someone knows about our output. This is a good thing. Originally, I didn''t want to sell it, and just keep it for ourselves, but now I''ve decided to sell it. I''ll sell it to anyone who want to buys it. Later, I''ll get the housekeeper to tell them. We don''t need to harvest the wheat anymore, and we can get the residents to work in the mountains. We just need to keep enough to nt for next year " Zhang Xiao''bao ran a bit too quickly, and he spoke in between breaths. They were only over ten meters away from their yard, and were about to arrive soon. When Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan ran to the door, the gatekeeper, who was standing on the second floor of the observation tower,had already seen them and he hurried down to open the door. He ran out and looked behind Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang with cautious eyes. He shouted, "Young Master, hurry up, I''ll block them off." "Who are you blocking? We just ran back, no one is chasing us. Since you think Juan''juan and I are in danger, why didn''t you ring the bell? You must remember that no matter whether your judgment is correct or not, you must ring the bell if you think there is danger. Even if there''s nothing, the guards will have toe out and build up this habit. Bring the housekeeper over." Zhang Xiao''bao ran to the front and saw the nervous look on the gatekeeper''s face. Although he was emotionally touched, he was also a little angry. The guards were created for a reason. How could he not use the bells and try to handle the dangers himself? The gatekeeper bowed his head and listened to the Young Master''s words. He smiled and turned and ran to the housekeeper. "Nothing happened. I have some orders for you. It''s good now that we will have less work to do." Zhang Xiao''bao waved his hand to indicate that he was really okay, and told Housekeeper Zhang about his n. As Housekeeper Zhang listened, his mouth gaped open and his eyes lost focus. He waited for Zhang Xiao''bao to finish speaking, and then he asked, "Young Master, you really want to do this? It''s a bit too trappy." "Just do what we tell you to do. Who are we tricking? It''s nothing more than making them do manualbor once. People are the cutest when they do manualbor. Do you understand?" Before Zhang Xiao''bao could speak, Wang Juan chimed in. "Yes, I will make arrangements and let the people at the market tonight know, especially the ces that sell foods and drinks. Young Master, my son doesn''t have much to do all day, how about you let him follow you." Housekeeper Zhang agreed, and then rmended his son to Zhang Xiao''bao. "How could he have nothing to do? He should study first, and it would be easier for me to make use of himter on. Housekeeper Zhang, your family has always been the Zhang family''s housekeeper, so we will always treat your family well in the future." Zhang Xiao''bao reassured Housekeeper Zhang. "I understand, Young Master. I''ll leave now." Housekeeper Zhang received Zhang Xiao''bao''s promise, and finally was relieved that his son could continue to be a housekeeper in the future. It was a blessing reaped from eight generations to be able to work for the Young Master. "Xiao''bao, is it too expensive for a catty of seeds to be sold for a hundred coins? Usually the residents would keep the seeds themselves. Even if they nt our seeds, it would be impossible for them to produce four piculs of grains per mu ofnd like us. First, the seeds were germinated in sterilized conditions, and the seedlings were thrown into the fields. We used good fertilizer and we added mai''fan stones to the soil. These are the important factors." When Wang Juan heard what Zhang Xiao''bao said, she was a little worried. If they did this, they would earn a little too much. ording to the weight of one catty, one picul of rice will be about eighty catties. The two manors had over 3,000 mu ofnd, and the average crop yield was three picul per mu, and that two fifths of the crops was rice, then it would cost 10.4 to 10.5 K taels of silver. This was too frightening. The most important thing was that Zhang Xiao''bao intended to sell the rice with the hull on. But then again, if it was dehulled already, people wouldn''t buy it. "I know what you''re thinking of. What you''re thinking of is hypothetical. Theories are usually used by crooks to deceive people. How could it be possible to sell so many, at this price and at this time? One catty of seeds can be used to nt how muchnd? Isn''t more earned from a bountiful harvest? Our seeds can produce four picul of grain per mu ofnd." Zhang Xiao''bao smiled and said to Wang Juan, and he even winked his eyes at her. Wang Juan curled her lips. "Don''t tell me that. Are you trying to trick ghosts by burning newspaper instead of incense paper1? Yournd can produce four picul per mu, but does it mean that the seeds will have a crop yield of four piculs per mu? Then nting the seeds at other ces will lead to a yield of six piculs per mu, right? If that''s true, then why would hybrid rice be needed?" "What if the seeds mutate? You can''t deny this, right? Let''s go to the swimming pool in the back to take a bath. After we nap for a bit, we need to get up to study. Where did we leave off? I think we''re studying the Spring and Autumn Annals now. My brain hurts thinking about it." Zhang Xiao''bao ranted and then walked to the swimming pool at the back. At this time, the temperature of the water there was just right for him and Wang Juan to bathe in. "That''s nothing. I heard that we have to learn the Book of Changes. I know about this book, but remember that when this book first came out, it was just a picture--- a picture of the Earlier Heavens Ba''gua2. Howe I didn''t see anything from it?" "Hearing you say that, I remember now. In my opinion, I think this was something passed down from an alien civilization. Look at the ba''gua---it is nothing more than broken lines and unbroken lines. Broken lines indicate an open circuit, while unbroken lines indicate a closed circuit. Two unbroken lines and one broken line means alternating current, one unbroken line and two broken lines is direct current, and three unbroken lines is of course a 380 volts battery. If it''s one unbroken, one broken then one unbroken, then the ground wire was not ced. If it''s one broken, one unbroken..." Zhang Xiao''bao exined to Wang Juan with a serious face, and Wang Juan held her belly as sheughed. Trantor''s Notes
  1. Are you trying to trick ghosts by burning newspaper instead of incense paper?
This means trying to trick others. Normally, yellow incense paper are burned as an offering to the deceased, but since ghosts can''t see what is being burned, burning inexpensive newspaper is a way to trick the ghost.
  1. Earlier Heavens Ba''gua
A ba''gua consists of eight symbols used in Taoist cosmology that represent the fundamental principles of reality. It is usually presented as an octagonal trigram that consists of broken and unbroken lines. There are different arrangements and types of symbols on the ba''gua and the "Earlier Heavens" is oen of the several configurations. (Wiki) Book 2: Chapter 54 Book 2: Chapter 54Volume 02 Chapter 54: Chicken Feathers Could Be Sold For Money Too The market by the small bridge finally opened in the evening, and the people who couldn''t fall asleep despite working for the entire day came over to have a look. In this season, most of the sales werepleted between the stall owners since the residents did not have that much time. Housekeeper Zhang did not go directly to discuss with the people in the market, but found Er''gou instead. After giving out some orders, Er''gou went to work immediately. Afterpleting the affairs with Er''gou, Housekeeper Zhang arranged for someone to find the twelve people who came today. Soon, the news came back. The twelve people were staying at the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant. Housekeeper Zhang breathed a sigh of relief and led the manor''s doctors to each house to ask if anyone was feeling unwell and give them treatment. Er''gou was ordered to adjust some of the prices in the market for the next few days. For example, the prices of tea. Normally, a random object could be given to pay for tea, but from now until the end of the autumn harvest, no matter who came to drink tea, it would cost 50 coins for a bowl of tea. For twenty coins, a small steamed bun with a bit of meat could be bought. It didn''t matter if they couldn''t sell it out. When it was time to close in the evening, the grocery store would pay for the differencepared to the average money earned back then. All of the food was bought at the usual price. If other people wanted to buy items, then it had to be bought at the set price. This was the advantage of being able to set the prices. Even Er''gou didn''t understand why this arrangement was made, but he was only responsible for executing the orders, so he didn''t have to worry about anything else. * At the second ss courtyard in the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant, a group of people had a very expensive dinner and sat together to discuss matters. "Boss, don''t you know the government officials in the Capital? I heard that there''s a sixth-ranked one. How about you ask him toe over and buy the grains here at a low price. Then we can nt our own grains. The crop yield is four piculs per mu. " Lai''zi stood on the side and belched as he tried to persuade his boss. The two other people beside them also nodded in agreement. The boss'' facial expression was somber and he remained silent. He had just heard the news that the Zhang and Wang manors were selling their seeds for 100 coins a catty. The weight of the hulls was also included. This price was abnormally high, but when he thought about the crop yield, he felt like it was worth it. But if he really bought it at such a high price, others would see him as a fool, and this was too embarrassing. Just when he kept a sunken expression and remained silent, a person next to him, who always squinted his eyes, spoke up, "Would it even be effective for a sixth-ranked official toe here? When we deliberately found a spot on the first floor to eat, did you not hear what others said? The two manors have an official that is a proper seventh rank, and another official that is a sub-seventh rank. An official that is higher by a rank can only oppress their subordinates. It won''t work on just anyone. If he does coerce them, can''t they just impeach him? Just now I heard that it was the Imperial Court that granted their titles. Two auspicious omens appeared at their ce, and they helped with the disaster relief at the He''nan Division. Don''t even mention a sixth-rank official, which are as plentiful as the furs on a cow at the Capital, even a third-rank official won''t do. They can be impeached just as easily too. " "Why?" Lai''zi didn''t understand why a third-rank official was no match for two insignificant seventh-rank officials from the two manors. "Stupid. You came here to lower their sale price. It''s fine if you don''t buy it, but if you keep trying to force them to lower the price, then they can say that you''re oppressing the auspiciousnd. If it was not an auspiciousnd, would the crop yield be that high? If it was not auspicious, then why was the yield not lowered by the drought, but instead increased? Forcing the ce with auspicious omens to lower their prices would mean that you want to suppress the fortune line of the Imperial Court. "Is it thatplicated? That wretched manor can''t be touched at all?" Lai''zi was a little disappointed. He didn''t expect that a manor that seemed so ordinary could not be easily challenged without taking all of these factors into consideration. "We can''t take them on like this, but we can use other methods." The squinting man continued again. Lai''zi knew that this person was the boss'' wisdom bank. Once he heard that there were other methods, he quickly said, "I see. I heard that the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant belonged to those three manors. Tomorrow, I''ll pretend to get sick from eating their food, and then, hehe ...." "Heh. Heh, this is the only skill you have. How about you try doing that tomorrow? Get sick? Even if you die from eating their food, do you think they would be affected at all? Don''t bring up insignificant ideas that can''t even touch their foundation." The man sneered. He really looked down on Lai''zi. If it weren''t for his older sister''s rtionship with the boss, how could someone like him follow the boss out to do things? A person next to Lai''zi pondered for a while and said, "That''s right, it''s pointless to die from eating their food. Besides, Lai''zi can''t just die like that. We need toe up with a well-rounded n. How about we help them spread the news that the Zhang and Wang manors are auspicious ces, so their products are better than the items produced around the Capital. More can be said to make people believe that the ce where auspicious omens appear is a ce where a new emperor is found." When he said that, the people around him thought this was a feasible idea. This would really kill both the Zhang and Wang manors in one blow. Was it that easy to be the emperor? Even the boss was a little tempted, but the squinting man shook his head again. "This method could be used if someone else was the governor, but with this ce under the governance of Prince Li Cheng''yi, this method cannot be used. As soon as that newses out, the Prince will have to go to the Capital to ask for punishment. Then the Emperor will send people to thoroughly investigate this matter. Whoever spread this news would be guilty of trying to ruin the rtionship between him and his brothers. If it is said that a new emperor will be found in a prince''s ce, then it''s the same as saying that the prince wants to be the emperor. Who would even consider thinking that a manor''s resident would be the new emperor?" "Huh? This doesn''t work either? What luck they have for having their manor in a prefecture with a prince as the governor. What else can we do? We can''t possibly buy rice with hulls at the price of 100 coins per catty, right?" Lai''zi was the most impatient person among them. Once he heard that this idea was rejected, he became anxious again. "Shut up and listen to Brother Liu." The boss was also frustrated, and he became even more annoyed when he heard Lai''zi speak. "Boss, you don''t need to worry, there is still a way. I will find a few people tomorrow and get them to execute our n. I doubt that the Zhang and Wang manors won''te looking for us to negotiate." The squinting man smiled maliciously. He got the people who shouldn''t hear about the n to leave, and then he told the remaining three people inside the room about his n. *posted on During the autumn harvest season, the residents were all busy. With Xiao''hong and Ying''tao back on the manor, the poultries had to be fed, but since the adults were busy, the task was given to the little children who were supposed to go to school. Any of the households that raised poultry had a lot of chickens, ducks and geese. The little children got up early, released the poultry in the ce designated by the manor, and then came to the master''s house with empty pouches to receive what the poultry will eat for the day. Except for the live earthworms, everything else was grinded into crumbs by the master household. Each trip they carried around ten catties, and they had to make several trips back and forth to collect theplete amount. They didn''t have to pay for the feed as it was provided by the master for free. They were actually just helping the master household take care of the poultry. The calction will be made at the end, and the master household will take 80% of the ie, and the residents will take the remaining 20%. This 20% was almost given to them for free. It was better than raising the poultry themselves because they didn''t have to feed the poultry with their own food. The ie did note from just the eggs, but also the money earned from selling the ughtered chickens. The master household even included selling the chicken feathers, duck feathers and goose feathers as a source of ie. The residents didn''t know how these poultry feathers could be used to earn money. How could items that people won''t even take when offered for free be sold for money? Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were also figuring this out because they wanted to maximize their profits. "What would you do if I gave you a catty of chicken feathers?" Zhang Xiao''bao got up early in the morning and discussed this problem with Wang Juan. "Throw it away." Wang Juan replied very simply. "How about ten catties?" Zhang Xiao''bao asked again. "I''ll continue to throw it to the ce where I threw the previous one catty." Wang Juan replied with the same answer. "What about ten tons of chicken feathers?" Zhang Xiao''bao asked again. "Well, this thing can be used as some sort of material, right? It can be used to make down jackets. Worsees to worse, I''ll mass produce feather dusters. That''s too many feathers to throw away." Wang Juan''s answer this time was different from her previous answers. There were too many feathers this time. When the amount of seemingly useless things reaches a certain amount, it is impossible to continue to treat them as useless things, even if the things were stones or furnace ash. Zhang Xiao''bao did not continue to ask more questions. He pointed to the outside and said, "We have more than 30,000 poultry on the manor, and we will ultimately kill all of them, unless someone else specifies that they want live poultries. We will sell all parts of the poultry and standardize the sales. We will be the ones that will ughter the poultries, and we will end up with a lot of feathers. There would be tens of thousands of catties of feathers. "Think of what kind of n? We can''t possibly make down jackets, right? You have chicken feathers, but what about the other materials? The quality of the material that can normally be bought from the market is a bit low and the feathers will keep falling out. The exterior of down jackets are made of what kind of material? Fabric? Even if it''s just cotton fabric, we don''t have it. We only have silk and linen. With the current weaving technology, how can we make the exterioryer? Stop dreaming." Wang Juan rejected the idea of making down jackets. It was okay to use cotton to make cotton jackets, but the feather processing technology was unavable right now, so how could they ce the feathers inside the jacket? "Who said I want to make clothing? I can build a house with twoyers of wooden boards, or twoyers of walls, with a mixture of ked lime and chicken feathers in the middle. It would be a good instor, wouldn''t it be? A boat can be made by using glue to stick the selected feathers together in a specific order. At that time, all the cruise ships near Little Luo''shui can be made using these feathers. Once people see how well it works, people will copy us and then we can sell our feathers to them. What do you think? Our imagination is the only limit to what we can hope to have in the future. " Zhang Xiao''bao told Wang Juan about his ns for the future. Book 2: Chapter 55 Book 2: Chapter 55 Volume 02 Wang Juan really didn''t expect that Zhang Xiao''bao would use poultry feathers for this. She really had no idea how Zhang Xiao''bao''s brain was formed. Almost all impossible things were not a problem for him. "Can it really be used to make a boat? Then that''s really good. At least if I was standing near theke, and I had to make a choice, I would choose the boat that was made with advanced craftsmanship. But why did none of the people from our time do this? Are they stupid?" When Wang Juan agreed with Zhang Xiao''bao, she suddenly realized that if feathers could be made into boats, then why did nobody in the modern era do this? "They would be stupid if they did this. How much does a down jacket cost? How much does animal feed containing feather meal cost? How much does an ordinary boat cost? Who would make a boat with all of that poultry feather? Back in the modern times, stic swan boats are always seen near theke, and they cost only 400 yuan to make. If you want to buy it, you can buy it for about over a thousand yuan. For one with higher quality stic, it would be maximally 1,500 yuan. How much does it cost to use poultry feathers? Glue must be used to stick poultry feathers closely together. The cost ofbor and materials is much higher than that of swan boats. Whoever makes it would be an idiot. Besides, poultry feathers can onlyst for a limited period of time." Zhang Xiao''bao felt that Wang Juan''s daily life was too monotonous, and he exined to her about the boat. Wang Juan nodded, "So, those boats are made of stic, no wonder they''re hard when knocked on." "Not all of them are. stic is still expensive. There is a cheaper thing called fiberss and the boats can be made using this material. Only the sealed bearing at the bottom is more expensive; the rest are worthless stuff. Those things should be considered to be inorganic materials, so they take a long time to dpose. However, poultry feathers will dpose after a period of time." Zhang Xiao''bao continued to exin to Wang Juan and she frowned when she heard this. She continued to ask, "What you''re saying is that we should use the poultry feathers to make boats, and then let others y on it. But how big can you make them to be? Other people haverge flower boats." Then we can set up arge slide and let the water flow down from there. Once the water reaches the bottom, the slide would have a slight upward curve. You can sit in the boat with a wooden block tied to you, and when the boat slides down from above, we can watch who would fly out the furthest. It can also ... " "It can also be like a water coaster, and have endless twists and turns, right?" Wang Juan cut him off. "No, I don''t dare to do that. Without the correct technology, that will kill people. However, we can use that kind of boat for water fights. It''s light so it''s easy to maneuver. We just need to add a few water guns onto it. Do you know the principle of water guns? It depends on the pressure, and it doesn''t matter if the seal isn''t that good." "Okay, good idea. Let''s do that. No, wait, Zhang Xiao''bao, if it''s just like that, then you aren''t you anymore. Hurry up and tell me, what else did you not mention. Do you really think I''ll believe that an international conman would only think of things like building, making boats, selling poultry feathers? In total, that''s only three things. If you make animal feed, then it is only four, but these four are all basic things. Is this possible? Zhang Xiao''bao, do you think I''m stupid or are you stupid? Tell me everything all at once." Wang Juan already believed him and just when she nodded in agreement, she suddenly felt that something was wrong. Zhang Xiao''bao always linked his ns together, so it couldn''t be that simple.
"Nope, there''s nothing else. It''s just these few things. Look at my eyes. Do you see how genuine they are?" Zhang Xiao''bao turned his head and blinked his big eyes for Wang Juan to see. Wang Juan smiled suddenly and she also blinked her eyes. "Look at me. Do you think I''m quite genuine too? Zhang Xiao''bao, tell me the truth, or else you can sleep on the ground at night. Your eyes are pure, but for a person like you, even a lie detector can''t detect your lies. I''m proficient in several areas of psychology and I can even hypnotize myself. Are you going to say it or not? I''ll crush your bottom thing." "That''s the only thing you know how to do. At the beginning, you tried to threaten me, do you think I was scared? Let me tell you... I already told you everything already. Stop stretching out your hand. Poultry feathers have another characteristic. When it is put outside to dry, it will attract a lot of flies. I don''t n to grow maggots; soybean paste is sufficient for doing that. Think about it, after that Li Xun guy is done with the survival training and the reconnaissance thing in two or three months, we need to get him to work on the fish meat business, and also sell our soybean oil and eggs too, but do you think he would be satisfied? Even if he''s satisfied, would his other brothers be satisfied? I always have to make ns ahead of time. If they don''t find me, I won''t talk, but if they do find me, I have to arrange something for them to do. What is the best thing? As of now, we have been in battles with the surrounding ces. Not many of the battles are big ones, but I heard that the previous army sent by the Imperial Court had lost. After that, the tension would never ease. Poultry feathers can attract flies and bacteria will grow. There will be all kinds of bacteria. Think about it, in that kind of environment, how many bacteria will there be on the poultry feather? In addition to this, our manor also raises pigs. I will get some other cow and sheep fur. Bloody fur would be the best. And then I''ll put everything together under the sun. When there''s enough bacteria umtion, I''ll ce them at the tribes in the prairies or other neighboring countries. Do you think the immunity system of their livestock is strong enough to protect them from the invasion of these bacteria? I really didn''t want to tell you this thing now because it''s too..." Wang Juan moved Zhang Xiao''bao''s head so that he faced her. She looked at him carefully, and spoke as if she was muttering to herself. Zhang Xiao''bao tapped Wang Juan''s nose with his finger, and said, "Are you so silly that you insist on cing it near the borders? Can''t you juste up with some sort of excuse and transport it to the center of their country? When diseases break out in their ce, we can just refuse to buy any of their livestock, and then spread a lot of lime powder near the borders. Maybe the two of us can''t do it, but Li Xun and his brothers could. They absolutely have to find a way to do this. I just think that doing this disrupts the harmony of nature. Tomorrow I will prepare the Seven Star Lantern1, and you can help me find petroleum oil. I''ll use that in thenterns. Who would be able to kick my fiames then? " "I really don''t know what to say about you anymore. You''re good since you were able to sacrifice yourself to save a child. I believe that that child and his parents will still appreciate you even if they know that you are an international conman, and they will think of you as a good person. If I say that you''re bad, you are indeed very bad. You can kill people without batting an eye. A lot of people died in your hands, right? ording to thew, shooting you to death ten times would still be too less. You have always measured the life and death of others ording to your own standards. You are a person who can thrust a knife into another person''s chest while smiling at a child. Can you tell me, what is your standard? " Wang Juan looked at Zhang Xiao''bao with aplicated expression in her eyes and asked. "What standard? Does Confucius have any standards? People didn''t treat him well, so he said that viins and females are the only difficult ones to raise''. The standard of the strong is their mood, and the standard of the weak is hope. Don''t analyze me anymore. Even I don''t know what kind of person I am, so how would others be able to make a judgment of me? Let''s go ride our bike and have a look outside." Zhang Xiao''bao moved his arm to the front of his waist while speaking, and he slightly lowered his head and turned his body. Wang Juan smiled and put her hand into the hole formed by Zhang Xiao''bao''s arm. He bent his knees slightly, and the two of them walked outside in this posture. The weather outside was just as hot as the farmers in the various ces anticipated. There was no sign of rain. The farmers would rather get their clothes wet by their own sweat than see a single drop of rain fall. "Xiao''bao, are we going to still get the residents'' children to catch grasshoppers this year? The autumn harvest has dyed a lot of their study time." Just like before, Wang Juan controlled the direction at the front, and she asked Zhang Xiao''bao while she pedalled. Zhang Xiao''bao knew that Wang Juan always had the desire to rule. Even when she was riding a bicycle, she had to be the one who controlled the direction. Good thing she didn''t appear during the time of Wu Ze''tian2, and good thing he came here along with her, otherwise there would not be a single person that could constrain her. Oh, right, he was the one who caused her toe here. "Speak, Xiao''bao, are they still going to catch grasshoppers or not? I still want to eat it. The protein content of that thing is higher than what we usually eat. It''s like silkworm cocoons. They have to do this to live better." Wang Juan waited for a while and found that Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t make a sound, so she asked him again. "Of course. The children in our manors have to catch them, and the other manors'' children have to catch them too. The Ge Manor, Li Manor, and Han Yong''yao''s manor. We will use things here to exchange for the grasshoppers. One hundred grasshoppers for an egg. Actually, cross that, fifty grasshoppers for one egg, one hundred grasshoppers for a duck egg, and one hundred fifty grasshoppers for a goose egg. Once that Han Yong''yao guy knows that we are making these exchanges, he will definitely stop the little kids in his manor. Then he would lose his people''s support and loyalty, while we can gain the loyalty of other manor''s people. Making exchanges like this is not a loss at all, whether it is in terms of nutritional value or animal feed. " Within an instant, Zhang Xiao''bao had new ns. "Collecting grains, collecting old grains. Four coins per dou of millet, seven coins per dou of rice, six coins per dou of flour. Collecting grains, collecting old grains." As soon as Zhang Xiao''bao finished speaking, there was a yelling voiceing from over there. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan frowned at the same time. This kind of thing was too rare, and it was definitely not that simple. Trantor''s Notes
  1. Seven Star Lantern
This is also known as a "Life Preserving Lantern" or "Spirit Calling Lantern". It is an ancient magical spell. ording to one of the sayings, if all sevennterns are kept lit for seven days straight, the spell caster''s life will be extended by 12 years. Zhang Xiao''bao mentions this because it ismonly believed that doing evil deeds will cause one''s lifespan to shorten.
  1. Wu Ze''tian
Wu Ze''tian was the only female in China''s history to take on the title of "Emperor". Emperor Xuan''zong (the emperor currently in reign in the novel) is Wu Ze''tian''s grandson, so Wang Juan arrived toote in time. a Book 2: Chapter 56 Book 2: Chapter 56 "Into the forest I hastily stroll, all of the trees growing out of control1, sol, do, dore, misol,~sol, mi, mire~do,~so, do~~! " Wang Juan heard others calling out that they wanted to collect old grains, and this made her feel puzzled for a while. She rxed her mood and by herself--- no, she was with Zhang Xiao''bao on a small country road--- she began to skip and sing happily. "I thought you would sing Red Riding Hood. That song is quite old. I didn''t think that you would sing the same old thing. The song should be a hundred years old? No wonder you can''t remember the lyrics. No matter how you sing, the people who came to collect grains will still collect grains." Zhang Xiao''bao looked at the people who drove their carriages over to collect the grain. He didn''t go up close to them. He also didn''t know what they were doing. He spoke to Wang Juan who was singing an old song beside him. "A hundred year? Haven''t people been ying the song Blossoms On A Moonlit River In Spring2for more than a thousand years? I used to have a neighbor living downstairs who specializes in teaching people the Chinese plucked zither. As long as I was at home, I could hear this songing from the floors below. New students came in like flying darts and River in Spring was still there. I suspect that she only knows how to y this one song, so she only taught others this." Wang Juan did not feel like she was outdated because she thinks that ssics are ssics. Zhang Xiao''bao picked up a leaf that fell on the ground. He rubbed the stem with his fingers, and made the leaf rotate. Then, he looked at the small river that appeared nearby, and said, "You are talking about Zhang Ruo''xu''s poem? The single poem that conquered the entire Tang Dynasty, Blossoms On A Moonlit River In Spring? I heard that it''s really good." Wang Juan looked down at this poem, and she sneered and scoffed as spoke. She has been studying poems from a young age, and she only admitted that certain poems were better than others, but she absolutely disagreed with saying a particr poem could represent an entire era. Not the line Who was the first to see the moon by the river?4'', not the line A bamboo staff and swift grass shoes are superior to horses, so what''s to fear?5'', not the line The ck night gave me a pair of ck eyes6'', not the line Summer insects stay silent for me7'' , not even the line Swimming in the rushing water in the middle of the river8''. These poems were all just hyped up. This was how she was---arrogant. All geniuses were arrogant. "It''s not good to say that. You have to acknowledge what deserves to be acknowledged. People did write it out. If you have the ability, you write one." Zhang Xiao''bao tried to persuade her. "Pftt. If my air conditioner at home doesn''t work well anymore, do I have to know how refrigeration works? I can''t make anyments?" "These are two different things. You''re looking at poetry. Forget it, let''s not talk about this anymore. Anyway, I think Blossoms On A Moonlit River In Spring is good, especially this line, Which families'' little boats are drifting in the river tonight? Which ce has pining in moonlit towers? I quite like it." Zhang Xiao''bao never really studied poetry. As long as Wang Juan talked about these things, she was able to speak without stopping, but he didn''t want Wang Juan to be too arrogant. He still understood things like, A tree that stands out from the forest will be pushed over by the wind, soil that protrudes from the shore will be eroded by the current, a person that behaves better than others will be criticized by everyone 9.'' "I''m not afraid. I know what you are worried about, but Gorky said, Let the tempest10''... blow on other people!" Wang Juan smiled as she replied back. "Eh? He said this? It seems that all of the effort I put into studying was wasted. How could I not know about something this profound? Is this the same as wearing other people''s shoes and letting the person who lost their shoes go search?" Zhang Xiao''bao finally caught up with Wang Juan''s thinking. Wang Juan pulled onto Zhang Xiao''bao''s arm andughed, "Xiao''bao, I just found out that you are really interesting. Come on, let''s continue talking about the poems. Don''t frown. Don''t you n to participate in the Imperial Examination in the future? Do you want to take another exam instead of the Xiu''cai exam just because you don''t understand these? Hear me out. You can take any random line from Li Bai''s works. For example, Since ancient times, everything flows eastward 11'' Yes, I admit, it''s a bit simr to A spring river flows eastward12'', but the poem''s poet, Li Yu, didn''t mention everything''. The responsibilities one must carry cannot be epassed by the word everything''. There''s also Little Bai--- The longsting sky and earth will eventuallye to an end 13". Ah, who''s to me? Li Long''ji or Yang Yu''huan?" Zhang Xiao''bao never had a girlfriend. He worked hard all his life to help realize the Orphanage Director Grandfather''s dream. He had no idea why Wang Juan was acting like this. "Juan''juan, he is still with us now. If you''re afraid that things won''t turn out well in the future, didn''t we agree in the beginning that we will think of a way to kill those four people? We''ll let the fantastic couple stay together forever." "We might be able to protect them for a while, but can we protect them for a lifetime?" Wang Juan was still thinking about On the seventh day of the seventh month in the Longevity hall, at midnight when no one else was around, they vowed 14''. "Why do we need to protect them for a lifetime? We worked hard to leave honor for the future generations. As for what happens to them, it depends on what they do. They can''tin about ancestors like us, right? I neverined. I never had parents that loved and protected me, but I''m willing to be a parent who loves and protects others. It''s a pity that I have been conning others the whole time, and I didn''t do this well. I didn''t have any children aftering here either. When we have childrenter on, how do you think we should educate them? " Zhang Xiao''bao was led off-topic by Wang Juan''s discussion, or he had caused Wang Juan''s thinking to digress. Regardless of which it was, they were off-topic. Wang Juan looked at Zhang Xiao''bao again, and said with a smile, "I never knew you had a spine. A lot of people resent their parents for not giving them a good family. However, what you''re thinking of is to give your children a good family. With that said, Zhang Xiao''bao, I will let you court me. As for the things of the future, it will depend on how much effort you put into courting me." "Are you talking about having children in the future?" Zhang Xiao''bao asked. "Can you not be so superficial?" Wang Juan replied. "Then are you talking about the inheritance of life? Great love. Infinite tolerance. Everything is just for the salvation of mankind. Together, we will light themp." Zhang Xiao''bao had to change his wording. "Smooth talker. There is no such thing as a good international conman." Wang Juan felt that Zhang Xiao''bao became more and more interesting. He''s smart because anything that involved making ns for mutual benefits was not a problem for him. However, he was also stupid because he did not know to please girls. Smart people would know that they should give flowers every day. All he did was help her tuck her nket. Back then, a lot of young girls approached him not for romance, but for his money. Just like that song from a hundred years ago, Music, chess, writing, painting, poetry, wine, flower; back then, I couldn''t part with any. Now, everything has changed. Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea.'' "Speak. Back then, many people said that I''m profound and that I am a good person." Zhang Xiao''bao waited for a while and found that Wang Juan didn''t say anything, so he spoke up again. "Of course you''re a good person. I would say the same back then. As for being profound, do you know what profound means?" Wang Juan suddenly felt very happy. Zhang Xiao''bao conned so much money, but he never tricked any women. In terms of emotions, he was definitely the one that was tricked. "I know what it means to be profound. That is to say three parts lies, seven parts truth. That''s what I used to do, otherwise, where would I get so much money from?" Zhang Xiao''bao was still slightly emotionally stirred by this matter. Wang Juan smiled again. "How is that being profound? True profoundness is divided into different realms. The first type is My clothing gradually bes looser, but I have no regrets. For the other person, I''m willing to be frail15. The second type is Yesterday, the western wind withered the jade-green tree, alone on the tall tower, looking at all of the roads that lead to the other end of the world.16''. Everyone knows about the third type, Looking for that person hundreds and thousands of times in the crowd. That person is still there at the ce with the deste me.17'' "Those are lines from three different poems, right? I''ve heard people say that it''s messy and obscure." Zhang Xiao''bao had actually heard others discuss this before. "Then let''s keep it simple. Seeing a mountain as a mountain, seeing water as water; seeing a mountain not as a mountain, seeing water not as water; seeing a mountain...18" "''Seeing a mountain as a mountain, seeing water as a water.'' I get it now. So it turns out that''s what they''re going for. Howme. Their realm of profoundness is a bit too low. They''re only at the stage of ''seeing a mountain as a mountain''. I''ll let them know what it means to see a mountain not as a mountain''." Zhang Xiao''bao patted his hands together and said happily. "Xiao''bao, what are you talking about? Who''s seeing mountains as mountains?" Wang Juan found that the expression on Zhang Xiao''bao''s face was a bit off. "Them. The ones who want to collect the old grains. If you didn''t talk about these realms, I wouldn''t have thought of this. Now I get it. They keep thinking that they''re very smart. Aren''t they just thinking that the seeds are expensive? Why do they have to do this? Just by cheating our families once, would they be able to reap benefits? "Are you saying that these grain collectors are together with the group of people that want to buy our seeds?" Wang Juan really didn''t think of this. Just now, she just felt that this thing was a bit abnormal. Zhang Xiao''bao nodded, "I didn''t have this thought at first, but when you talk about the realms, I realized that their realm is still a little bit bad. This is what it means by seeing a mountain as a mountain''. They were able toe up with an idea, but they didn''t consider properly instructing the people who they sent here; they''re too tant about it. I wonder if they''re underestimating themselves, or are they underestimating others? When they leave, we will sell grains--old grains." "Are we really selling? Four coins per dou of millet, seven coins per dou of rice, six coins per dou of flour. Their prices are a bit high." Wang Juan looked at the few grain collectors who came by in the carriages again. She shook her head helplessly, feeling sad for them in her heart. Zhang Xiao''bao led Wang Juan back, and said as he walked, "Not at this price. Increase the price of each item by one coin. The transaction location will also be changed. We will change it to the Little Luo''shui River Wharf. Tell them that we have a lot in stock. There are mountains and water there. It will truly be seeing a mountain not as a mountain, seeing water not as water''." Trantor''s Notes
  1. Into the forest I hastily stroll, all of the trees growing out of control
This is an old song from the 1950s called Evening Bell At Nan''ping Hill ( nan ping wan zhong) that was sang by the singer Cui Ping (). I changed the lyrics slightly to keep the rhyme, but a more direct trantion would be "I hastily walked into the forest, the forest was cluttered". Listen to the song here on Youtube.
  1. Blossoms On A Moonlit River In Spring
This is a famous traditional Chinese musical work with records dating back to at least 1736-1820. It was a pi''pa (a Chinese four string instrument) performance that apanied the reciting of a poem of the same name written by Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Ruo''xu. Watch a recorded performance of this musical work presented by the China Central Orchestra here on Youtube.
  1. Star Gauge
This poem was written by the Sixteen Kingdoms poetess Su Hui, thus, preceding the poem Blossoms On A Moonlit River In Spring by a free hundred years. The unique part of this poem is that it consists of a 29 x29 grid of characters and is palindromic so that it can be read in different ways to form ~3,000 different smaller rhyming poems. It can be read backwards, forwards, horizontally, vertically, diagonally, and in circles.
  1. Who was the first to see the moon by the river?
This is a line from the poem Blossoms On A Moonlit River In Spring''.
  1. A bamboo staff and swift grass shoes are superior to horses, so what''s to fear?
This is a line from the poem Ding Feng Bo: Don''t Listen To The Sounds Of Hitting Leaves When Travelling Through The Forest'' () by the Song Dynastry poet Su Shi. Here''s my informal trantion of the entire poem: Seventh day of the third month, encountering rain in the Sha''hu Division. Rainwear was transported first, travellingpanions are a mess, not feeling excessive loneliness. The sky cleared up after a short while.Thus this poem was written. Don''t listen to the sounds of hitting leaves when travelling through the forest, Why not recite poems while proceeding slowly ahead? A bamboo staff and swift grass shoes are superior to horses, so what''s to fear? Remaining unruffled after going through smoke and rain with a straw raincoat. The cool spring breeze blew away the drunken haze, The angled sun rays met with the mountain peak. Turning back to the earlier sounds of wind and rain hitting the tree leaves, Returned, not fearing wind and rain and not liking clear skies.
  1. The ck night gave me a pair of ck eyes
This is a line from a contemporary poem written in 1979 by the poet Ge Cheng''yu called A Generation of People''. Here''s my informal trantion of the entire poem: A Generation of People The ck night gave me a pair of ck eyes, Yet I used them to search for light.
  1. Summer insects stay silent for me
This is a line from a contemporary poem written in 1928 by the poet Zu Zhi Mo called "Saying Goodbye to Kang Bridge Again". The poem is too long so I didn''t trante it...
  1. Swimming in the rushing water in the middle of the river
This is a line from a contemporary poem written in 1925 by Mao Ze''dong called "Chang Sha" The informal trantion of this poem can be found here on Wikipedia
  1. A tree that stands out from the forest ''
This is a line from the literary work "Fortune and Destiny Discussion" by Li Kang, an author from the Three Kingdoms.
  1. Let the tempest''
This a line from the poem "The Song of the Story Petrel" by Maxim Gorky. The full line should be Let the tempeste strike harder!'', but Wang Juan changed thetter half of the line. The entire tranted poem can be found here on Wikipedia.
  1. Since ancient times, everything flows eastward
This is a line from the poem "A Departing Song Of Travelling In A Dream" by the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. An informal trantion of the entire poem is given by eastasiastudent
  1. A spring river flows eastward
This line is taken from the poem Lady Yu'' by the poet Li Yu. This poem was written during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, which is the period that came after the fall of the Tang Dynasty. The trantion of the entire poem can be found here.
  1. The evesting sky and earth will eventuallye to an end
This line is taken from the poem "The Song of Evesting Regret" by the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Ju''yi, and it depicts the tragedy between Emperor Xuan''zong/ Li Long''ji (the emperor in reign in this novel) and his most beloved consort, Yang Yu''huan. During the An''shi Rebellion (mentioned briefly in the trantor''s notes in V02C49), the Emperor''s guards demanded Consort Yang to be executed because they med her family for the rebellion. Although reluctant, the Emperor eventually gave in, and ordered people to strangle her to death.
  1. On the seventh day of the seventh month.''
This is also another line from the poem "The Song of Evesting Regret". The seventh day of the seventh month is known to be the Qi''xi Festival, which is like the Chinese equivalent of Valentine''s day.
  1. My clothing gradually bes looser, but I have no regrets. For the other person, I''m willing to be frail.
This is a line from the poem Flower Loving Butterfly'' by the Song Dynasty poet Liu Yong. Here''s my informal trantion of the poem: Leaning against the railing of a tall tower, thin streams of wind blows, Looking afar to the sorrows of spring, Gloominess rises from the horizon. Remnants of grass colors and wispy fog lit up by the sun, Without saying anything, who would understand my thoughts? nning to drink until I act wild, Towards wine and music, I pretend to have fun. My clothing gradually bes looser, but I have no regrets. For the other person, I''m willing to be frail.
  1. Yesterday, the western wind withered the jade-green tree, alone on the tall tower, looking at all of the roads that lead to the other end of the world.
This is a line from the poem that is also called Flower Loving Butterfly'', but it written by another Song Dynasty poet named Yan Shu. Here''s my informal trantion of the poem: The chrysanthemums on the railings are sorrowful, the orchid smoke is weeping. The silk curtains are slightly cold, The swallows fly away in pairs. The unfamiliar bright moon, hating the bitterness of separation, At dawn, the oblique sunlight enters the houses of the rich. Yesterday, the western wind withered the jade-green tree, Alone on the tall tower, Looking at all of the roads that lead to the other end of the world. Yearning to send a letter made with colored silk but there was no silk, Endless mountains and rivers, where could that person be?
  1. Looking for that person hundreds and thousands of times in the crowd. That person is still there at the ce with the deste me.
This is a line from the poem "Green Jade Table" () by the Song Dynasty poet Xing Qi''ji. Here''s my informal trantion of the poem: The eastern wind releases the flowers of a thousand trees, More wind falls, stars like rain. Extravagant horse carriages, the roads filled with fragrance. Phoenix callings, moonlight moving, A night of dancing fish and dragonnterns. Beautiful golden hair essories, Excited appearances of maidens and hidden fragrances, Looking for that one person hundreds and thousands of times in the crowd, Suddening turning my head and that person is still there, At the ce with the deste me.
  1. Seeing a mountain as a mountain...."
This is an exnation of the three realms of zen made by the Tang/Song Dynasty zen buddist Qing''yuan Xing''si. These are the three realms: Realm one- Beginning to understand zen: "Seeing a mountain as a mountain, seeing water as water." Realm two--Having some understandings of zen: "Seeing a mountain not as a mountain, seeing water not as water." Realm three- Completely understanding zen: "Seeing a mountain still as a mountain, seeing water still as water." Book 2: Chapter 57 Book 2: Chapter 57 Wang Juan looked back at the few grain collectors as she walked, and she clicked her mouth a couple of times. In the end, she didn''t say anything. She could only secretly reflect in her mind, these people don''t know any better. There was an etching of the Ox-head and Horse-face1 on the handrailing of the Little Bridge. She was the one who made the etching. The etching was a bit faint, so it was not noticeable if the person wasn''t looking closely. The etching was there to tell the people who wanted to target the Zhang and Wang manors to not cross the bridge no matter what. This was a line between heaven and hell. How many people sank into here? Do they really think an international conman was just a decorative title? Sigh, who knows how things will turn out this time? The ones who collected soybeansst time were still squatting in prison right now. As soon as Zhang Xiao''bao returned to the yard, he got Housekeeper Zhang toe over, and he gave him some brief orders on how to sell the grains. Once Housekeeper Zhang left, he called over Song Jing''gong, who was resting in the yard, and he also gave him some instructions. He finally felt relieved after Song Jing''gong left to make the arrangements. "Juan''juan, let''s go to the Between The Water And Clouds Restaurant to eat some good food. Help me carry some MSG and thirteen spices mix. I thought about it already. When the autumn harvest is over, or nearing its end, we will organize an event at the Little Luo''shui. We''ll get the schrs to have a walk around the fields and enjoy the pastoral sceneries and the colors of autumn." After Zhang Xiao''bao was done giving out orders, he took out two big bags from the room. He handed one bag to Wang Juan, and spoke to her. "What evil idea do you have in mind?" Wang Juan didn''t believe Zhang Xiao''bao was so kind. "I''m not nning to harm anyone this time. I''m just organizing an event. The autumn harvest isplete, so what''s wrong with celebrating together?" Zhang Xiao''bao felt that Wang Juan didn''t quite understand him, and he felt wronged. Wang Juan looked at Zhang Xiao''bao carefully, "Yes, I would believe it if someone else said it like this. But you? Not unless the sun rises from the west." Zhang Xiao''bao even made use of the autumn harvest; it seems that he would not forgo anything that was usable. Wang Juan nodded when she heard this suggestion, and then asked, "Where prizes will there be? You''re getting people to join the event, so you must give them some decent gift when they write some poems, right?" "Does this need to be asked? Of course it is the seeds we have here. They can eat it or nt it or do whatever they want with it. As long as the person writes a poem, no matter what he writes, he can get ten catties of seeds. They can nt them or eat them or store them away. Oh right, I just thought of something fun to do." "What is it?" "Seeds. Rice seeds can be nted, and it''s the same for grass seeds. I remember back then there was someone who sold a particr kind of doll that contained sawdust and grass seeds. If they were watered, green sprouts would grow." When Zhang Xiao''bao talked about seeds, he thought of this idea. It was inexpensive and many people were willing to buy it just to watch the seeds grow day by day. People took good care of them because of hope, just like why adults took care of their children. When walking, they saw there were children in the front learning how to run and they had to give way to them. This was not just a matter of the strong and weak, but also giving them a simr type of hope to the children. Adults would be angry if they were hit by a ball that was kicked by a person in their twenties. However, if the ball was kicked by a toddler, you would not feel the slightest anger. In fact, you would even pick up the ball and give it back to them. Of course, those who deliberately drive fast in school zones, or those that can''t fight adults so they stabbed children with knives were exceptions. Or, it can be said that those people weren''t even humans. Wang Juan didn''t know that Zhang Xiao''bao had thought about so much in a short while. She felt that this proposal was good, and asked, "Is this another way to earn money?" "Oh. It seems that development is not easy. We always have to leave others with something. This shows that the legal system is iplete. " "Regardless of which day and age, there will always be a privileged ss. Wealth influences one''s heart. Think about it, are there any powerful figures in the world that would keep all of their stocks or shares in their own hands? There are none. Anyone who does that is a sitting duck. People will keep attacking them until their power weakens or is demolished." Zhang Xiao''bao talked about the nature of the world, or the circle of human existence. Wang Juan thought for a while and said in agreement, "Indeed, whether you are an official or a merchant, as long as you are in contact with people, you must know when to take and when to give. Let''s go to the restaurant to see. It seems that there''s a new dishing out today: grilled duck liver. There were so many poultries when they left in the beginning, but there were fewer when they came back. Some of them died not too long aftering back because they couldn''t limate to the travelling conditions." "Yeah. We could eat this duck liver. It''s not taken from gavaged geese with liver disease. Some of the chickens also died too, right? It wasn''t due to some infectious disease, so we can take the chicken livers out, braise them and feed them to the manor''s children. It''s nutritious." As Zhang Xiao''bao spoke, he put the package on his shoulder and walked outside first. Wang Juan followed behind him while thinking about what Zhang Xiao''bao said just now. She asked, "Xiao''bao, didn''t you say that they belong to the first realm? Then you must know what their next step is, right?" "What else could they do? Collect old grains and get new grains from other ces, and then exchange them with our farmers for grains that could be used as seeds. The exchange rate would be two to one or three to one, which is several times cheaper than buying a catty of seeds for one hundred coins. Or they might spread news that this year''s high-yield grains cannot be eaten because eating high-yield grains during the time of natural disasters disrupts the harmony of nature. At least, if it was me, I would immediatelye up with these two methods." In autumn, grains were the same as gold and thin streams of water were the same as silk thread. Loudly proiming there were tens of thousands of piculs of old grains in possession, not fearing that the road of collecting grains was long. Housekeeper Zhang got in touch with those grain collectors and told them that his master''s household had a lot of old grains, but he insisted on raising the price by one coin before selling it. After a lot of bargaining, the other party said that they would not budge. Housekeeper Zhang had no choice but to tell Zhang Xiao''bao about the matter. When Housekeeper Zhang found Zhang Xiao''bao, Song Jing''gong was already there talking next to him. After hearing what each person had to say, Zhang Xiao''baoughed. "What are youughing at? It seems that something is wrong. Mister Song went out to collect old grain at a price that was half a coin lower than the prices those people offered. Could it be that there is a connection between the two?" When Wang Juan heard what the two said, she felt that something was wrong. "Remember the soybean collector? This is an amazing person. It would be hard to make judgments when they don''t make a move, but once they do, we can tell how capable they are. They''re digging a trapping pit for us to jump into. Hmm, I really underestimated them. They have a capable person supporting them from the back. Mister Song, you don''t need to go to the surrounding grain shops to collect old grains for the time being. Ask around at various local farmers'' homes and tell them that we are willing to use new grains to exchange with their old grains at an exchange rate of two to three. Take three portions of old grains from them, and give them two portions of new grains. Arrange for someone to buy new grains. Disregard the intion in prices--- as long as the price is less than double, buy it all. " Zhang Xiao''bao touched his face with his finger. He gave Song Jing''gong instructions again, and then he said to Housekeeper Zhang, "Housekeeper Zhang, transport all of these old grains that we traded for to the Little Luo''shui, and sell them ording to their pricings. If they want to y big, then we''ll y with them this time. For now, let''s not sell the seeds. We''ll see if it will rain in the next few days. If it rains, we will harvest the crops ourselves. At most, it would just dy the work on the mountain. If it doesn''t fall, we will let the crops remain in the field." Song Jing''gong and Housekeeper Zhang didn''t understand why their Young Master did this. ording to these ns, it was obvious that the manor would lose money, but when they thought about how calcting their Young Master was, they knew that he wouldn''t do something silly like that. Thus, they followed his orders. After waiting for the two to leave, Wang Juan asked questioningly, "Xiao''bao, what are you thinking of? We will lose money if we do this." "Who said that? This time, not only will we earn money, but we will also make use of two strategies." Zhang Xiao''bao replied confidently. "Which strategies?" Two dayster, the sky was still very clear. Song Jing''gong had bought new grains from outside, and the quantity was quiterge. Fortunately, Zhang Xiao''bao was now rich so it wasn''t hard to pay the money. The process of exchanging 6,000 piculs of new grains with the local farmers began, and in the end, they obtained 9,000 piculs of old grains. Sure enough, the price of the new grains doubled. The grain buyers signed a contract with the Zhang family, and they even hired a middleman. The autumn harvest was not over yet in other ces. The eyes of the heavens were really open this time as it didn''t rain at all this entire time. While enduring the hot temperatures, the farmers rejoiced in their hearts. Song Jing''gong''s was quick toplete the purchases. After a day passed, more than 5,000 piculs of grain were transported to the Little Luo''shui Wharf. ording to the Young Master''s instructions, Housekeeper Zhang did not sell the grains, and continued to wait until all 9,000 piculs of grains arrived. The boss and the eleven other people stayed at the Between The Water and Clouds. Upon hearing the news, they found arger room on the second floor and ordered a lot of good dishes to celebrate. "Brother Liu is really good at calcting. You predicted correctly that they will buy new grains to exchange for the old grains. However, I can''t figure out why they would do this?" The boss smiled as he spoke to his wisdom bank'' beside him. "Boss, the other party also has capable people. They know that we have our eyes on their seeds. They did that because they want to make it difficult for us to advance and retreat. As long as the price of the seeds is maintained, they will not lose money. Then, the money they spent on buying the new grains can be earned back through selling the seeds, and they would be able to make a ton of profit. But unfortunately, they miscalcted. We still have another trick up our sleeves." When wisdom bank'' Liu replied to his boss, a confident look appeared on his face. "Yes, yes, yes. What Older Brother Liu has said is right. Let them know who''s the great one. How dare they not listen to us. Don''t even think of selling a single seed." Lai''zi didn''t know about the specifics of the n, but he still ttered him. "Then, when will Brother Liu make your move?" The boss asked again. "When the old grains are bought." Liu smiled maliciously.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Ox-head and Horse-face
In Chinese mythology, the Ox-head and Horse-face are the two guardians of the underworld. In some stories, the Ox-head and Horse face are responsible for escorting the recently deceased to the underworld. They have human bodies, but as their name implies, one has the head of an ox and the other has the face of a horse.
  1. Dispelling wolves and devouring tigers
This strategy involves pitting two different enemies against each other so that they can fight amongst themselves, while you can remain as a bystander and reap all of the benefits when the two enemies get injured/die from the fight.
  1. Killing people with a borrowed knife
This strategy involves getting someone else to help you get rid of your enemy. Book 2: Chapter 58 Book 2: Chapter 58 On this day, the sky over top of Little Luo''Shui Wharf was densely covered with dark clouds, but people were still weaving through the ce as usual while the people on the boats and ships were calling out to each other to give way. Magistrate Cheng Ling''xiang, who was going to leave for his new workce in two days, was standing on the newly built bridge. He looked at the prosperous scene in front of him, with a lot of emotion. He was already assigned to another official position and he nned to board a ship in the next few days to take up his post. Magistrate Cheng was relegated to the position of a recorder. At the beginning, he thought he would be given a position at the Prefecture level, but now he was assigned to an inferior position instead. However, his ranking went up to a sub-sixth rank. This was how it worked and he had no other choice because the ranking of the recorder position in Chang''an''s was specially set like this. The Chang''an Magistrate, Pei Yao''qing, was a proper sixth rank. "My lord, didn''t you say you wanted to go over there and have a look?" A servant next to Magistrate Cheng saw him standing there watching for a while without leaving, so he whispered a reminder. "Okay, I''ll go over there now. I heard that theke there is still being worked on, so it''s a good opportunity for me to have a look at the progress. I wonder who the next county magistrate is. The letter of referral I have written was submitted already. This dock alone would bring in a lot of tax money each year. Although the taxes are exempted in our county this year, it''s still a bowl filled with oily fatty meat1 and quite a few people would want toe over to take a bite from it." The wharf wasplete, and after a few rains, the ce was open for ships to travel. The people of San''shui County alone didn''t need that many goods, but the people from other ces needed it. The river was connected to the sea, and the river passed through a lot of ces, including the important Capital city. Some other ces that were far from the river or did not have a wharf could only transport freight to this side. Others were simply merchants from other ces who arrived here by boat, rented warehouses at the docks, and traded with each other. There were many people who came to look at the goods, and some goods were transported directly elsewhere before even disembarking, but regardless, the docking fee still had to be paid. Just like the person in Zhang Manor said, when times were prosperous, the locals would also have a new way of living. Some of them carried goods, and some even borrowed money to buy a carriage to transport goods back and forth. asionally, those who sold liang''pi and savory crepes would set up their stalls in the surrounding area. The serving size wasrge, and the cost was reasonable and cheap, so those that didn''t have a lot of money would choose to buy a portion. Some chose to eat the two items together so that they could eat dry and wet food together. The servant listened to the Magistrate''s words and was also anxious. He was afraid that someone had their eyes set on this ce too, but he couldn''t continue talking about it so he had to change the topic, "My lord, it is not just the wharf that is prosperous; there will be more people in the county in the future. Many temples have been demolished, andnd that used to be tax-free will be allocated to others." "Yeah, it''s good that they''re demolished. Themoners don''t have much money to begin with, and yet they have to pay them money. The saved money could be used to buy other items for their family. I heard that the Zhang Manor and a merchant from the Capital are fighting against each other. It seems that they''re going to exchange the goods here today; we will stay to watch themotion." Magistrate Cheng looked at the grains piled up on the opposite side, and he suddenly thought of this. New grain was exchanged for the old grain and the old grain had to be sold. It was obvious that this would result in a loss of money. He wondered what the Zhang Manor was nning to do? He had sent someone to inquire about it, but all he was told to do was to bring some men with him today. "My lord, I know about this. A grain shop in the Capital has set their eyes on the Zhang and Wang manors'' seeds and they want to buy them to re-sell them, or find a ce to grow them. They''re just an ordinary rice grain shop and they''re not well-known. I think they are going to suffer pretty badly this time. Think about it, the Zhang manor has already told them the price. The grains are still in the fields. If they want to buy it, then they can buy it, if not, they can just leave. Why do they insist on scheming against the manor? They wanted to collect old grains from their manor and then use new grains to exchange for the manor residents'' grains. The farmers'' grains will not be considered as seeds since they still need to eat. The servant thought hard, and analyzed the situation to Magistrate Cheng. Heughed when he heard the servant say such a thing. "You little boy, what do you know? This is the Zhang manor asserting their dominance. I''m leaving soon. The San''shui County is such a good ce. The new county magistrate has not been decided yet. How many pairs of eyes are set on this ce? It''s not hard for those with a bit of power to find out about the rtionship between us and the Zhang Manor. What will happen if the Zhang manor ys weak at this time?" "Even more people will belittle them. Those who didn''t dare to reach out their malicious hands before would want to try to now. No wonder. I''m too stupid." The servant understood now. "Humph! Someone is stretching out their hands for their grains, they won''t care. In this ce in front of us, is there anyone who doesn''t want to stretch out their meddling hands to them? This ce is like a chicken thatys golden eggs. You and I are about to leave. Yesterday they sent someone over to deliver that much silver. Isn''t it just for me to bribe my superiors and subordinates?" Magistrate Cheng looked at the young man who had been working for him since he was six or seven years old, and said helplessly. The servant nodded. "What my lord has said is correct. They''re really daring to give it. Other than for a small amount they kept for their own emergency use, all the other ie from the wharf is given to us. Are they not afraid that we''re going to double cross them when the timees? That''s a year''s worth of money from renting out the warehouses and operating the restaurant and shops. The total came out to be more than 20,000 taels of silver." Magistrate Cheng shook his head slightly, and said to his servant: "Do you dare to turn against them or do I dare to turn against them? Yao Chong is removed and Song Jing has reced him. The Si Cang Can Jun, Zhou Kong, did not stand on the wrong side this time. If we double cross them, the Zhang Manor won''t even have to do anything because Zhou Kong will definitely not spare us. They have a mastermind working with them that can foresee all of this, so what do they have to be afraid of? Do you remember the silvers that Song Jing''gong brought over at the beginning? Originally it was unknown that it was Zhou Xi''hu. The money he gave was far more than the amount of money I normally gave out. They''re trying to tell me that if I don''t do anything, they will directly send the money to the person working above me. They would give the magistrate the money that would have been used to bribe someone working at the Prefecture level. This is the threat that they''re trying to deliver to me. What do you think will happen if we double-cross them and pretend that nothing happened? " "They will send more money to my lord''s superior." The servant replied. "That''s right. If you look at how they treated their residents, and the bailiffs at the administrative office, it''s obvious that they don''t want to be betrayed. Once such people find out that they were betrayed, they will act like this. They will kill a chicken for the monkey to see. Bring the money. The Capital is not like other ces; expenses are really high. With my sry, I can only manage to scrape by. We need to know how to be grateful." The servant nodded hurriedly. "My lord can be assured that I will never think of things I shouldn''t. They also said that if we don''t have enough money after we arrive at that ce, we can send them a letter. They also want us to help some students with preparing for the exam. I don''t know what is the use of building good connections with the schrs. How will they know who will be sessful in the future?" "It''s enough to have one person out of a hundred people that is sessful. This is spreading out investments. Once one of the students they sponsored bes an official in the future, if the manor needs any help, that person would not decline. If the person doesn''t help, then that person would bebeled as an ungrateful traitor. How could someone like that expect their superior to treat them well?" Magistrate Cheng gave an exnation, and the servant spoke as if he had a moment of realization, "So that''s the reason. It might waste a lot of money, but it is a very good n." "Good n? Is this even significant? The master of the Zhang family has been preparing to take the imperial examination. Perhaps within this or next year he will go to the Capital. Once he tells people that he sponsored those students, his name will be immediately established. This is the most amazing part. I wonder what the rtionship between the mastermind and Zhang Zhong and Zhang Yong''cheng is, or if the mastermind were old friends with the Old Master. He put in so much effort to pave the way for them. When the timees, the Prefecture will submit a letter of referral and I''ll help out too. This would be the time for me to use the connections that I built using their money. At the beginning, if there was someone like that that helped me, I wouldn''t have to wait this long to be just a sub-sixth rank. " When Magistrate Cheng talked about the master of the Zhang family, he was not only envious, but also sad. So much money was used to pave the way for a person. This made people not really know what to say. "Huh? It''s like this? The Zhang manor is really not an ordinary ce. But is it worth it? What if they help the people of the Zhang family, and the people of the Zhang family don''t appreciate their efforts?" "That''s not all of it. When they brought the money over yesterday, didn''t they say that as long as I have encountered a problem, regardless whether it was government affairs or other aspects, I can write to them? They''re doing this to help protect my position so that when he goes to write the exam, no mistakes will arise. In a way, I have benefitted from them too." When Magistrate Cheng spoke, he felt very happy. In any case, they did help him, and they were going to continue to help him. With the guidance of the mastermind, his career would be easier in the future. The only regret is that there he had never seen the mastermind personally before, and he couldn''t find a chance to seek discipleship under him. During the time the two people spent talking, they had already walked into the buildingplex here. The streets were wide, spacious, t and even, and there were various shops on both sides of the street. There were even people carrying baskets just to pick up the things thrown down by others. Open wooden buckets with words and pictures on it that were spaced out along the street so that people can throw garbage into it. The street next to a pier would normally be messy, but this ce was so clean and tidy that people wanted to buy a house here. Unfortunately, the ce here only rented ces out and did not sell. "My lord, they''re really good ating up with ideas. Who would have guessed that the ce that was bought at a loss using a thousand taels of silver has be a priceless ce? Huh? What is that ce for? When I came here yesterday, I didn''t see it." The servant looked at the surrounding scenery and praised it again. He suddenly noticed something in front of him that he didn''t see yesterday.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Bowl filled with oily fatty meat
This just means lucrative and/or enticing. Book 2: Chapter 59 Book 2: Chapter 59 There was a white thing floating there, which seemed to have a square shape, and it had a few ropes connected to it from underneath. On the white part itself, there were a few big red letters written on it. This thing was really big and it made the servant feel a little bit scared. "cement for advertisements." The servant has served Magistrate Cheng for so many years already, so he was able to recognize the words on it. After the object rotated around, the other face was seen, and there was another sentence on it. The servant read aloud again, "Leave your name in the sky." Now the servant had a clear look at it. The rotation of this thing depended on the two people below pushing a millstone like object that was made with wood. Every time it turned, the thing tied by the four ropes turned one side in the sky, and there were a total of four sides. After waiting for a few moments, the thing up there rotated again. "Advertising ce, The First Near Water." The servant figured it out. This was what Between The Water And Clouds came up with at the beginning. The price was cheap, and it used gs and banners. However, at this ce here, they had an object flying in the sky. The so-called The First Near Water'' was the name of a restaurant that was located the closest to the shore. If a person wanted to go to the restaurant, then the person would have to take a boat there. From the looks of it, it seemed like to post an advertisement, the person would need to go there to find someone. The servant waited for the thing to rotate to the other side, and then his mouth gaped open. The words Price, ten taels a day'' was written on it. "That''s too expensive. Who would be stupid enough to post an advertisement here? Ten taels of silver can be used to do a lot of things." The servant looked at the price above, and began to mutter. Ten taels of silver for just some words written on something that was about a zhang1 in length and width. As long as the person wasn''t mentally ill, no one would be willing to waste this money. "Let''s go to The First Near Water ce, and get something to eat there too. It''s almost noon." Although Magistrate Cheng also felt that the price was too high, he still wanted to see it. Following a small road, they arrived at the smallest ce by the river with a small boat waiting there. Before the Magistrate spoke up, someone immediately asked, "Magistrate Cheng, do you n to go to that ce to eat?" The ce he was talking about of course was The First. Magistrate Cheng nodded. He lifted his leg and got into the boat. The person on the boat rowed with both of his hands, and the boat headed towards The First Near Water. Shortly after, they asked some experienced people what height the water in this ce could reach, and they were told that the entire first floor could be submerged under water. Song Jing''gong was happy to hear this. He immediately let people continue to build on top of it so that it had three floors in total. Even if the water level was high, there were at least two floors above the water that could be used. Although, there might not be that much water all the time. Thus, The First Near Water was created. Furthermore, there was only one restaurant here, and the others were all built more ind. It rained a few times this year. Even though the level of precipitation in San''shui County was not that heavy, the water level of the upstream river has risen. With the water directed here, arge part of the first floor of the restaurant was submerged in the water. No other restaurant was like this. Many people choose to eat here because of a special atmosphere, even if there were always worries like there would be a flood or a boat mighte crashing over and hit the building. "My lord, how long do you think wood can be soaked in the water? In case it rots, and something happens to the guests, then there might bewsuits." The servant has only eaten here twice, and he felt that the taste of the food was no different from other restaurants. There wasn''t much meat in the minced meat tofu dish, and instead, he felt like the portion was a bit small. "It won''t rot within a year''s time. Look, the wood has been soaked in oil, so it might be fine for another three to five years. When the water is low, someone wille and check which pir is not good anymore, and it can be removed and changed. Boatman, are there many guests there right now?" Magistrate Cheng did not have any fears about this restaurant at all. Standing at the bow of the boat, he asked the boatman. "My lord, there are more than the usual number of guests today. The first floor is filled already with guests sitting in wooden boxes, and there are quite a few guests on the second and third floors that have not left yet. There will probably be more peopleing soon." The boatman replied. "Then do you know why?" "Yes. It''s because of the Sky Lantern2 advertisement. The manager of the restaurant is responsible for managing this. Anybody that wants to buy a spot would have toe here. The people whoe will eat first, and inquire the waiter about it. The manager will then go speak to each person. It is inevitable for people to order food and wine." The boatman replied again. The servant also spoke up, "There are actually people who are that foolish? How weird." "This young brother here, you''re wrong. Although ten taels a day sounds like a lot, we actually spend a lot of money on making it. The paper on themp needs to be glued properly. Just themp oil alone costs hundreds of coins everyday. It stays in the air for an entire day, which is 24 hours. People who came back with a few ships of goods needed to shout out to others to find a buyer or they had to go to the agency at the Between the Water and Clouds. That would cost a lot of money. If a ship''s cargo was over a thousand taels of silver, it''s better to leave an ad on thentern. If not, they would have to spend fifteen to twenty taels of silver at the agency. A few days ago, six ships of fabric arrived here to be sold. More than seventy taels of silver was paid to the agency, and this was with a discount. " The boatman knew that Magistrate Cheng and his servant were not in a hurry, so he rowed slowly so that he could talk more and help advertise the wharf. Mister Song had said that they were not only responsible for rowing the boats, but to also help win over the guests. This was their side job. They didn''t understand why they had to do this. Usually, they didn''t charge money when they helped others, but they had to make sure the people remember that they were the wharf''s boatmen. The three people who were not in a hurry began to drift in the water. After the servant heard this from the boatmen, he also didn''t understand. "Isn''t that stupid? You should be able to earn money from helping people do work. Isn''t thismon logic? If you don''t help, it''s not like they will stoping to the wharf." "If you don''t understand, don''t talk nonsense. The Zhang Manor is worried that the new magistrate would want to earn money and take the risk of being impeached by building their own wharf on the opposite shore while the water level is still low. As long as they have someone else supporting them from behind, they won''t be scared of being impeached. If this does happen, the current merchants, who are ustomed to receiving special treatment from the wharf here, will considering here first whenever they have things to sell." Magistrate Cheng thought more than his servant did. He knew that by then this was not just the financial benefit, but also the familiar experience. Merchants would not care about this little amount of money, but they would care about who treats them with sincerity. Both were ces that they could dock their ships, but they will naturally choose the ce where they feelfortable about. The Zhang Manor was making ns for the future. "My lord is still the great one. I never thought about that. So it turns out there were those kinds of benefits. We were also told to tell the boat riders about the situation here, such as which restaurant''s food was delicious, the prices, and more. We even have to tell others about some business news. The boatman also suddenly realized what Magistrate Cheng meant. While he spoke, he began to make calctions in his mind. Working with these kinds of people was too easy because he didn''t have to worry about being schemed against by these people in the future. Magistrate Cheng nodded and pointed to The First Near Water. The boatman immediately rowed the boat over, and when the two people stepped on the stairs that stretched into the water, he turned the boat around and looked around. He noticed that no one was calling for him, and that there was nothing else to do, so he rowed back to the ce where he waited for new boat riders. "What do you think? Now you know how amazing they are?" Magistrate Cheng went directly to the third floor; he did not go to the roof floor, which had a wider view of the surroundings. Now the wind wasn''t as strong as it was before, but the clouds were still ck and heavy. It looked like it will rain in a while. "My lord, I understand now. But what''s the purpose of thatntern? If it was me, I''d put antern like that on my ship and it would cost little to nothing. They never said that this is not allowed." The servant still didn''t understand the purpose of the advertisement, and felt that there were many shorings. "Just ask the manager here and you''ll know. Waiter, call your manager over." Magistrate Cheng did not directly exin to the servant, and ordered the waiter who was serving the food. Magistrate Cheng and his servant did not choose a private room, but just sat in a small ce partitioned by a screen on the third floor. Before the manager arrived, he heard someone talking near the screen. "Boss Jin, I heard that this time the people of the Mi3 family are fighting with that manor and they n to trick the manor. I wonder which side is Boss Jin going to help? The seeds they''re selling are way too expensive. A few days ago, I have also heard that one mu of farnd can produce a maximum of five picul of grains. Originally I wanted to buy some, but the price is too high. It costs a hundred coins per catty, so it would cost 150 to 160 coins to nt one mu ofnd. The crop yield would be increased by around two piculs, or twenty-ish dou. If one dou is worth ten coins, then it would be an extra two hundred coins that is earned per mu. Then that means the extra money just goes towards the seed seller. "
Trantor''s Notes
  1. One zhang is about 3.33 meter.
  2. Sky Lantern (kong ming deng)
Also known as a Kong Ming Lantern, it is a small hot air balloon that is made of paper. It resembles an upside down long rounded trapezoid box, and the bottom side is open where a fire source is ced. It is dated back to at least the 3rd century BC.
  1. Mi family
The character for Mi'' is , which actually means rice. Book 2: Chapter 60 Book 2: Chapter 60 Upon hearing these words, Magistrate Cheng motioned his servant to stop speaking, and he then listened carefully. This speaker''s voice sounded a bit squeaky, which made people feel ufortable listening to him speak. "What Boss Wang has said is correct, but it depends on how it''s calcted. If you only consider the first year, you will definitely lose money if you buy it, but since it''s bought already, why not keep some during the harvest next year? Spending an amount of money now will allow for crops to be nted for countless years, so it is still very profitable. Besides, the price you mentioned is too low. It''s a dou of rice, not a dou of millet. How can it be bought for ten coins? Unless you sell it to other grain shops. However, you and I have our own grain shops. Which shop didn''t obtain somend through other means? As long as the seeds are nted, we can sell grain if we want to sell grains, or sell seeds if we want to sell seeds. " After hearing this, Magistrate Cheng knew the person who just spoke must have been Boss Jin. Magistrate Cheng nodded, agreeing with this person''s statement in his mind. The people over there also agreed. "Boss Jin''s words make sense. Their two manors won''t be able to sell their seeds to ces that are too far away. They might be able to earn more this year, but by next year, who knows whose pockets the money will flow into? Boss Wang, if you don''t want to buy it, you can go discuss it with the Mi family. Maybe the Mi family will seed by then, and maybe they will give away some seeds to Boss Wang for free." As soon as Boss Wang heard this, his tone changed. He was no longer gloating, and he sounded a little angry. The man didn''t seem to want to let him off just like that, and he continued, "Boss Wang is really amazing, but I wonder if any of your subordinates are as good as the person surnamed Liu? It only took them a few years. The Mi family started out with a small shop in the beginning, and now it has be what it is now. They already have six grain shops; two in the Capital alone, and four in other ces." "Let''s talk about it at ater time. Maybe the Mi family will suffer a loss this time. Let''s drink. Don''t talk anymore, don''t talk anymore." Boss Wang was unwilling to get involved with this kind of thing. As long as the matter involved him, he didn''t speak anymore. "Okay, let''s eat, let''s eat. It''s almost noon now. It seems that the people of the Mi family areing over in the afternoon. We should go watch themotionter. Nine thousand piculs of old grains. We will see who wins and who loses by then." Another person tried to ease the tension. For a short while, there was only the sounds of eating and small talk, and no one said anything about the seeds. Magistrate Cheng didn''t hear anything else, so he began to eat at a leisure pace. His servant was responsible for helping him serve the food and pour wine, and he asionally took a bite when he had the time to. In his opinion, this was already really good treatment. If he was anybody else''s servant, he could only stand on the side. "The Magistrate is on a break today? Just now, I was busy discussing with others about the advertisements, so that took up a bit of my time. Today, the manor sent some white fungus to the restaurant. We''re not selling it as we''re saving it for the restaurant''s managers. I will ask someone in just a bit to cook it with mountain hawthorn and then serve it to my lord. It''s perfect for beating the heat." While Magistrate Cheng and his servant were eating, the manager of the restaurant hurried over. Hearing that he said it would be cooked in a bit, Magistrate Cheng knew that the food was actually already in the process of being made. He smiled and said, "Manager, you don''t have to be so polite. After following a good master, you''re even able to eat white fungus. How joyful and fortunate." The manager didn''t act overly courteous since he got to see the Magistrate often and was used to talking to him already. Everytime he went home and told his two mistresses about this, his mistresses would reveal an expression of admiration. While speaking, the manager filled Magistrate Cheng''s goblet with wine, and then continued to say, "My lord, I''m not certain myself. Although my master is great, this would obviously result in the loss of money. How would they be able to defeat them?" "Great about what? You obviously have an agency location, but you still set up those big advertisements. Once those things are set up, which fool would go to the agencies to make transactions?" The servant was also worried and a bit angered that they were like iron that cannot be turned into steel1, so he muttered to himself. The manager wasn''t bothered by this, and smiled at him. He exined to Magistrate Cheng, "I had the same thoughts myself at the beginning, butter I realized that it''s far from being this simple. There is only one Sky Lantern that is used for advertising. Once the results seem good, more will be made to cover the sky. When there are no more advertisement spots left for people to buy, they will naturally go to the agency. Also, Mister Song said that for this one time, I will be the one responsible for discussing the advertisement matters with people. Later, however, this matter will also be handed over to the agency. The agency has other ploys that they haven''t used yet. We will get to see them when the timees." "Hmm, that''s right. I knew that the Zhang manor''s ns were not that simple; they always have more tricks up their sleeves. The manor is able to earn money whilst letting people think that they''re taking advantage of the manor. I had asked you toe over because I wanted to ask about the advertisements. You can go back to work now." Magistrate Cheng was relieved now. Since they''re not anxious, then it must mean that nothing wrong would happen. Later when they make eighty or a hundred Sky Lanterns, they would be able to earn hundreds of taels of silver everyday. Even if the cost of production was overestimated to be one tael a day, they would still earn nine taels. This was all because they owned this ce. Even with fewernterns, they would be able to earn four hundred taels of silver a day with just fiftynterns. Ten days would be four thousand taels. How about a month? Calcting it like this made it seem so frightening, right? You have seen that those people who sell liang''pi and savory crepes have to buy the liang''pi and oil from the manor. Each time people buy it, the manor only earns a few coins. Thenterns can''t always be used for posting ads. When some schrs write some nice poems, it will also be written on thentern." "Hmm, you''re right. Once the novelty wears off, the advertisements on the Sky Lanterns won''t be worth this price anymore. The merchants of each fleet will make their ownntern on their own ships. Who would be willing to spend so much money?" Magistrate Cheng also knew that it was not easy to do business here. The purpose of paying taxes was to get the government to take care of them. There could not be too many Sky Lanterns in the sky, otherwise they would block each other, and no one would be able to see them clearly. After waiting for the manager to leave, the servant whispered next to him, "My lord, do you think they really don''t make money?" "How is it possible that they don''t make money? The managers who were taken from other ces and hired with high sries are all cunning. They say one thing with their mouths and think about another thing in their hearts." Magistrate Cheng picked up the wine goblet and said, before drinking it all. "Then, within a few years, the Zhang family would be the richest family in the Great Tang?" The servant calcted the money and said in surprise. "Are you dreaming? In the first year of doing this, others won''t understand the intricacies, but can''t they just copy them? There are so many rivers. Smart people will do it ording to what they did. Earlier, when we wereing over, someone was already rowing a small boat on the river and calling out that they''re selling things. The river does not belong to the Zhang family. Other people can also get a few big boats, and put up advertisements and sell foods and drinks. The amount of money the Zhang Manor can earn will be less and less. Do you know how many rich people there are? Do you know how much money they have? Among those wealthy families, just any family can bury the Zhang Manor with their money. The bigger their business bes, the more people they will offend, and the number of ces that need to be managed will also increase. " While he was satisfied with Zhang Manor''s money making rate, Magistrate Cheng was also worried about them. He wondered how many jealous eyes were staring at them. * It was unknown who spreaded the news that the Zhang Manor was going to lose money this time. Just after noon, many people rushed here, wanting to see how the manor that benefited greatly after buying this area, would respond. There were some businessmen, some craftsmen who were idle and had nothing to do, and some people who came here to sell snacks. The sky was still so cloudy, and it was hard to tell when there would be a heavy rainstorm. The people who sold umbres looked up to the sky from time to time, hoping that it would rain heavily. After the meal, Magistrate Cheng followed his servant on to a boat and drifted on the river again. There were already a lot of people waiting on boats in the river, and there were too many people on the bank and it was a little crowded. Because of this, the area in the river seemed too small. It was also necessary to leave room for the cargo ships to pass through. Fortunately, Magistrate Cheng had foresight and wore his official uniform. No one dared to move their boats too close to him. They have arrived. Everyone knew that the merchants of the Mi family were here when they saw thismotion. Everyone started looking for Song Jing''gong. The people who came here often were able to recognize the person who was in charge of this ce. When the people of the Mi family got closer, the crowd made way for them to cross the bridge to get to this ce. Once the team stopped, people from the two carriages in the front and back got off. When everyone was standing orderly, the door of the middle carriage opened and two people got off from the carriages. One was Boss Mi, and the other was his Wisdom-Bank Liu. "Look, there are quite a few people. Brother Liu, this time we will get to make a name for ourselves. Have people been arranged to release the news yet?" Boss Mi got out of the carriage and looked at the cloudy gloomy sky, but he felt at ease. He spoke to the person next to him with his hands behind his back. "Boss, you can rest assured. They will spread the news in a while and let everyone here know." Wisdom-bank Liu looked confident. Song Jing''gong also knew at this time, and he walked out of a nearby shop. He didn''t appear that grandeur as he was only followed by two workers on his side. They walked hurriedly to this ce, and he said to Boss Mi, "Forgive us for being a bitte. Boss Mi is surely a man of his words. It was said that we will meet in the afternoon, and you arrived right after noon."
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Angered that iron cannot be turned into steel
This is a Chinese proverb that expresses one''s disappointment and anger towards another person that doesn''t try hard, try to improve oneself, or seed. Steel is often viewed as being superior to iron, so the conversion of iron to steel during steelmaking is seen as a level-up''. Book 2: Chapter 61 Book 2: Chapter 61 Boss Mi felt that he would definitely be the winner today. He wanted to look down at Song Jing''gong with condescending eyes, but he found that he was a little shorter than Song Jing''gong, so he could only give up this n and he replied with a fake smile on his face, "What is Mister Song saying? We were the ones that arrivedte and made Mister Song wait anxiously. This is the money we brought. Mister Song can let someone count it. This time I have finallye to understand that Mister Song and that Zhang manor are truly kind people. It''s hard to believe that you would be willing to conduct business at a loss." While Boss Mi was talking, someone from behind had already carried a box out from the carriage. It was a mystery as to how they did it, but once the box was open, there were a lot of copper coins inside, and a small amount of silver. In addition to silver, there was also silk. Everyone here now understood why there was only one person that got off of the carriage in the back; it was because the carriage was loaded with all of these items. It wasn''t just the carriage behind, but also in the carriage in front of Boss Mi''s carriage. Money was also carried out from there. This time, they were buying 9,000 picul of old grains, and the total cost was over 600 taels of silver. Song Jing''gong did not act overly courteous. He got people to count on the spot, and the voice of counting was heard from time to time. This situation made Boss Mi''s expression a little ugly. Why didn''t they find a ce to rest first and then count the money? Why did they start counting the money just like that? If they realized that the number was wrong after he and his men left, it''s not like he wouldn''te back to pay the difference. It was obvious that they didn''t trust him. Not only did he think so, but the people around him also had the same idea. Mister Song had never done this before when he was buying and selling with others. From the perspective of the people who have done business with Song Jing''gong before, they felt suspicious of those who Song Jing''gong didn''t trust. "Have you heard? The Zhang family is a bit out of their mind this time. How could they do something like this?" A person spoke to the person next to him. The other surrounding people were in the same group as the person. One of the people in the group immediately continued, "Who would disagree? Aren''t they so stupid for exchanging new grain for old grain? Sigh, I can''t trust them anymore. What if one day they make us do something as stupid as this? How will we live? We''re not as well off as them." "You don''t get it, do you? I heard people say that the Zhang manor''s grain cannot be used as seeds at all, and it does not have such a high yield. The purpose of buying grain outside is to prevent others from guessing that their grains were shipped in from other ces. Thus, they made up this guise of exchanging grains with others." Another person from the same group also pitched in. When the three people talked, they pretended to lower the volume of their voices, but it was obvious that they were doing this deliberately and their voices were actually quite loud, allowing the people around them to hear them clearly. "I don''t think so. I think they''re pretty good. The people in the county go to them to buy liang''pi, and each of them can earn some money for their families. I heard that the manor doesn''t make a lot of profit." A citizen of the San''shui County heard these words and retorted back a little unhappily. The threeughed secretly when someone finally responded. The person who was the first to talk continued, "What do you know? Let''s put that high yield aside and talk about the auspicious omens first. Those auspicious omens are also a lie. You know the current magistrate? He will be transferred soon, and he will be a recorder at another location. From the position of a magistrate to a recorder. Isn''t that a drop in position? It''s over for the Zhang manor this time. In the future, I won''t buy their things anymore, otherwise I would have bad luck like them." "Yes, yes. I won''t buy from them anymore either. I bought two portions of liang''pist time, and I had a stomach ache after eating it. I heard from someone who has inside news say that a lot of dirty things are put in it. Why else would they be able to sell it so cheaply? There is also that vegetable oil, which is made from soybeans. It seems so scary just thinking about it. It uses soybeans! Eating too much makes your stomach upset." Another person chimed in, trying to ruin the foundations of the Zhang manor''s business. The remaining third person looked at the dock and shook his head. He deliberately made his voice tremble a little when he was speaking. The people around him really felt sweaty when they heard him. They didn''t know who to believe anymore. There was indeed a snake that was dug out, and some people even saw it with their own eyes. Thinking about it now, it must have been a mountain god. There were quite a few people who were responsible for spreading such rumours. Not only did themoners learn about this, but also the merchants. Everyone now grew suspicious. "What''s going on? Why are these kinds of rumours being spread ?" Magistrate Cheng was standing on the boat, and some people that had rowed their boat passed by him told him about this matter. The servant knew that the magistrate was asking him, but he didn''t know either. He called over a small boat to bring him back to shore and he went to find Song Jing''gong, who was waiting for people to finish counting the money. He said to him, "Mister Song, it seems that there is trouble. There have been a lot of rumors going around that are harmful towards the Zhang manor. Do you know what''s going on? Hurry up and think of a solution." Song Jing''gong looked around, and he found that someone was looking at him with an abnormal gaze. There were also two or three people walking through the crowd, asionally stopping to say a few words. Seeing this situation, Song Jing''gongughed. He said to the magistrate''s servant, "It''s okay. Who else would spread rumors like this at a time like this? Of course it is Boss Mi. I heard that he has a wisdom bank with the surnamed Liu next to him. I thought he would be able to do something better, but it turned out to be just like this. In that case, then I''ll do the same thing as them. Xiao''jiu,e over and execute the orders I gave you at the beginning." Song Jing''gong spoke and ordered a person next to him. The person left immediately. The servant really didn''t understand, and asked, "Mister Song, you thought about this already? What do you n to do? I have to go back and tell the Magistrate. " Song Jing''gong replied to Magistrate Cheng''s servant. He looked at Boss Mi, who was pacing around at a distance of about ten steps away in front of him. It happened that Boss Mi was also looking at him. Song Jing''gong smiled slightly and pointed around with his hand. Everything was beyond verbal expressions. Seeing Song Jing''gong''s smile, Boss Mi was taken aback. When he pointed around with his finger, Boss Mi felt like the fire in his heart was sshed with cold water, and the me was immediately extinguished. He looked around worriedly and turned his head to ignore Song Jing''gong. He said to Wisdom-bank Liu, "Brother Liu, Song Jing''gong seems to know that we were the ones that spread the rumors. He smiled at me just now. What should we do?" "Boss, you don''t need to worry. At this time, anyone who is not a fool would know. He did that on purpose; he wants us to be scared. Unfortunately, it is toote for him to think of a solution. He''s probably anxious right now." Wisdom-bank Liu still had that calm appearance, as if he had already figured it out. Boss Mi felt relieved after hearing his words. He wanted to give Song Jing''gong a smile, but Song Jing''gong was no longer looking at him. "My lord, I heard from Mister Song that Boss Mi was the one who sent people to spread those rumours." The servant said when he returned to the boat that Magistrate Cheng was on. Magistrate Cheng was obviously dissatisfied with this answer, "Of course I know those people were sent by Boss Mi. I asked you to ask him if he was able to do anything about it." "Yes. Mister Song said that there is no need to worry and that everything is under control. He said that when he came, the Zhang manor''s mastermind had already thought about it. If Boss Mi did not do this, they wouldn''t use this n against him. Mister Song has ordered someone to handle it already. Things will perhaps be more clear in a while." The servant repeated Song Jing''gong''s words almost exactly. "Hmm, that''s good then. I was not thinking straight because I was too worried. With the mastermind''s supervision, what is there to fear? The ploys of a mastermind is not something you and I can easily understand." It was at this time when Xiao Jiu''s work began. Quite a few people also walked into the crowd, with their eyes set on the people spreading the rumors. Those people didn''t realize what was going on yet, and were still talking. "Have you heard that the Zhang manor''s rice does not have such a high yield at all? It is a lie." "Who said that? Howe I don''t know about that? Hey, are you from the San''shui County? Howe I have never seen you before? Which manor are you from? What is your surname? Where were you when I went to collect old grains? Do you know what my name is?" As soon as the person said this, another person replied back immediately. The person who cooperated with him also pitched in, "Yeah, howe I haven''t seen you in San''shui County before? And you too? Could it be that you were sent here to cause trouble on purpose? I heard that Boss Mi has a ck heart and wants to mix the collected old grain with the new grains and sell it to us when the harvest is bad. The Zhang manor was afraid that they would do this and cause us to suffer, so they took the initiative to exchange new grains with us. But where would they get the new grains from? All of the good grains from the surrounding areas were taken away by that person with the surname Mi, who deserves to be cut a thousand times1. He asked for twice the normal price when he sold the new grains to the Zhang manor. " "Really? Now that I hear you say this, I think it''s true. Otherwise, how could this person with the surname Mi buy more than nine thousand picul of old grain? Some of the grain has turned moldy already. He can''t just throw it away, right? Why not send us the good grains directly?" Another cooperating person spoke. "No, that''s not the case. Master Mi is a good guy. He just wants to buy seeds at a low price. It''s true." The man sent by Boss Mi was anxious and told the truth. The people around him looked like they just had a moment of realization. "What do you mean by true and false? Look, you were sent by the person with the surname Mi, right. Master''? Why don''t you say Madam too! Don''t you try to deny it. Everything will be clear once we see the old grains that he''s going to collect. Don''t you run. Stop there. Arrest him and send him to the authorities." The people sent by Song Jing''gong didn''t expect someone to tantly spill out the truth like that. It was all good now. They couldn''t deny it even if they wanted to. They grabbed the clothes of these two men, and the people around them also helped angrily. They were too evil. The one with the surname Mi was way too evil.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. cut a thousand times
This is shortened form of the Chinese proverb (lit. trans. Thousand cuts, ten thousand scrapes), which means to cut the flesh off the bones of someone. It is a form of torture or execution used on criminals who havemitted an extremely serious crime (the formal name of this process is called ling''chi lit. trans. prolonged assault''). However, the phrase could be used towards someone that is evil and should be heavily punished, or should not die so easily. The shortened form of this proverb has gentler connotations, and is moremonly usedpared to the full proverb. For example, a woman might yell this out to her husband when angered. Book 2: Chapter 62 Book 2: Chapter 62 Before Song Jing''gong sent his men, he ordered them to catch those rumor spreaders and bring them to the Magistrate. As for what crime they would be convicted with at the end, it depended on how much Prince Li Cheng''yi cared about his prefecture. It was not hard to guess that Boss Mi would not have a good oue. The surroundings suddenly became chaotic. Song Jing''gong immediately signalled with a nce to the person who was still counting the money. The person nodded and shouted, "The amount of money is exact." "Boss Mi, there is no discrepancy in the amount. Let''s take a look at the old grains I collected. If you think it is good, then it can be loaded onto the ship and transported away." Song Jing''gong smiled with satisfaction. He stepped forward, and spoke to Boss Mi. At this moment, Boss Mi noticed that the surrounding situation was a bit off, but he did not want to stall, because he was afraid that with longer nights, there will be more dreams1. His goal was to get the old grains and earn a fortune while causing the Zhang family to suffer a big loss. The most important thing was to tell other people to not be afraid of the Zhang Manor and that they could join hands to lower prices. While listening to themotion all around, he ordered people to go to confirm that the product was grain. Nine thousand picul of grains, which was more than 400 tonnes, was not packed into sacks. It would look more tidy if it was packed into sacks. One sack could hold 100 kilogram. However, Zhang Xiao''bao was unwilling to give out nearly five thousand sacks. Someone brought over adder and he climbed up and had a look around. He didn''t find anything wrong, and he nodded to the Boss Mi below. Boss Mi finally relieved his mind. As for the surrounding situation, he could only try to think of another way. He found the brokeragepany''s broker, who was standing on the side supervising, to get the paperworks, and he pressed his fingerprint onto it. While waiting for Song Jing''gong to press his fingerprint, before Boss Mi had the chance to say something diplomatic sounding, Song Jing''gong asked loudly, "I wonder what Boss Mi ns to do with this much old and damaged grain? Could it be that you n to mix it in with new grains and sell it? I advise that Boss Mi should not go down this route. Otherwise, people might die from eating it and you would not be able to afford to pay thepensation." "Why do you care about what I n to do?" Boss Mi did actually n to do this. He felt angered and irritated now that Song Jing''gong said this aloud. After he said this, he could sense that the gaze the surrounding people used to look at him was abnormal. He quickly said, "Of course I won''t do something like that. I genuinely want to help themoners." "If you say so. However, I''m still a little confused as to why Boss Mi didn''t go to the various farmers'' houses to collect the old grain, but instead you waited for us to buy new grain from elsewhere so that we can exchange them for old grain before you inted the prices of new grains?" Song Jing''gong was not nning to let him go easily this time. Boss Mi didn''t expect to be questioned after buying the grains, so he didn''t want to answer, but he looked at the people around him who looked at him with unkind eyes, and he was really worried about whether he could leave this ce alive. He smiled forcibly. "I''m unsure about this myself. I have been staying at the Between The Water And Clouds the entire time for the past few days. It must be that my subordinates did not get things done correctly. After I return, I will not easily spare those people. Mister Song, do you have anything else to say?" Song Jing''gong shook his head slightly. The person that was once standing next to him was now standing on the top floor of a restaurant. He was holding a tube made of iron sheet in his hand, and the tube had one big end and one small end. The small end was ced in front of his mouth and he shouted, After this person shouted this out, many people started yelling. Some said that the Zhang Manor was ck-hearted, and some said that they lost money after buying it. At this time, the people arranged by Song Jing''gong yed a role again. While standing in the crowd, they said since the prices of grains have gone up, how could money be lost once the seeds are purchased? If they wanted to hold someone ountable, then they should go find Boss Mi since he was the one who raised the price of grains. When everyone heard this, they agreed. Zhang Manor bought new grains at such a high price, so why can''t the price of seeds go up too? Damned Boss Mi, he does not deserve a pleasant death. Themoners did nothing more than yell out a few curse words since they might not even buy the seeds. Those people from other grain shops were different from themoners; they were so angered that their jaws hurt from gritting their teeth. They didn''t know if they should hate the Zhang and Wang manors or hate Boss Mi. If they hated the Zhang and Wang manors, they felt like this hatred was a bit illogical.They didn''t buy it when the price did not increase because they wanted to watch drama unfold between the Zhang manor and Boss Mi. They were looking forward to Boss Mi tricking the Zhang manor so that they could suppress the cost of grains. However, the Zhang Manor''s reasoning was right; the prices of grains went up, so the prices of seeds should go up too. If they investigated further, it was Boss Mi who deliberately drove up grain prices. Given that this was the time of the disaster, what intentions do they harbor for doubling the price? On the other hand, the Zhang and Wang manors exchanged their new grains for old grains at a low price. However, they also felt that the reason for hating Boss Mi was still too weak. They secretly supported him. When the Zhang and Wang families'' people went to their grain shops here, they ordered everyone to dere that there were no more grains in the shops. It was already really good if the Zhang and Wang manors didn''t hate them. Look, now the price has risen, and it was raised because of them. "Boss Jin, do you see it now? That manor is not easy to deal with. The more you pressure them, the more they resist. In just one go, the price increased by half." A person from a grain shop said to Boss Jin. The others regretted a little and nodded one after another. Boss Jin thought for a while, then he sneered and said, "There''s nothing to be afraid of. This is already theirst resort. If they want to die while standing upright, then let them. We can join hands and choose not to ship grains here. There are many civilians here. I don''t believe they would be willing to turn seeds into food, would they?" "Hmm, Boss Jin is right. No matter what, theypletely lost to Boss Mi this time. They don''t seem verypetent anyways. We shouldn''t be scared of them." The other person added in. The merchants nodded in agreement again, but before they finished nodding their heads, loud crashing noises were heard from the grain piles over there. One pile crashed down. To be precise, someone shed the straw mats that were holding up the piles, and the piles sttered outwards. "Mister Song, what are you doing?" Boss Mi and the surroundingmoners were taken aback. Fortunately, earlier before, people stopped them from getting close to the grains. Song Jing''gong exined in a loud voice with an innocent look on his face. Boss Mi almost didn''t vomit blood. How much money is a mat worth? Your manor lost money because of the grains, but is this wharf just a decoration? How many ships are going in and out every day? "You, you, you. Good, very good. Ha. Ha. Besides being able to do this, what else can you do to recover your losses?" Boss Mi was shaking with anger. Wisdom-bank Liu calmed him with a few words, and he finally eased down a bit. The grains were just sullied with dirt and sand. This was perfect. They could weigh it with the grains when they sold itter. He pointed to Song Jing''gong with his finger as he spoke. Boss Mi then nned to get people to find sacks for the grains. Song Jing''gong spoke up again at this time, "Boss Mi, I did lose a lot. I felt distressed when I exchanged with others for old grains. It was hard to believe that such good new grains were exchanged for nearly eight thousand piculs of moldy grains. However, all is good now since Boss Mi bought all of the old grains from me. After all of the grains are ced into sacks, I''ll treat Boss Mi to dinner at The First Near Water. Don''t be polite." "What? What eight thousand picul? Moldy?" Boss Mi was stunned by this and he asked puzzledly. Wisdom-bank Liu, who was standing next to him, changed hisplexion. He hurried to the scattered pile of grains, and he climbed to the ce where it should be in the middle of the pile. He vigorously dug with his hands. After digging around for a bit, he was shocked senseless. He ran to the next one and dug around for a while. He turned his head and shouted at Song Jing''gong, "Song Jing''gong, how could you do something like this? This grain is moldy already. Pay us back. Where''s the documents? Where''s the broker? The grains that Song Jing''gong sold to us are moldy." While speaking, he ran towards Boss Mi. The documents were still with Boss Mi. Song Jing''gong frowned. "What are you shouting for? It says in the document, old damaged grain''. You don''t know what damaged'' means? It was never good grains to begin with. How could you expect this grain to be the same as new grain? Why else would my manor exchange new grains for themoners'' old grains then?" As Song Jing''gong said this, he wasughing secretly in his heart. The Young Master was too amazing. He got to people to sprinkle wine onto the grain just when the old grains were obtained. The days were so hot, so it would be weird if the piles of grains didn''t grow mouldy. Only the amount collected on thest day was ced on the outside of the piles. In order to make the grains grow moldy faster, they also found a lot of rotten grass roots. You want to buy it? This is what you get for buying it. At this time, Wisdom-bank Liu had opened the document and looked at it. It really was old damaged grains. The broker also came over and exined to Wisdom-bank Liu and Boss Mi that the Zhang family''s document was correct. It didn''t say good old grains. Otherwise, why would they exchange it? Those grain merchants who were thinking of teaming up against the Zhang and Wang manors suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. The Zhang and Wang manors were really too harsh, weren''t they? They also knew how to make grains moldy, but they did not expect that they would use this method this time. Boss Jin swallowed back down two mouthfuls of saliva. He blinked his eyes again, looked around, and said, "It''s better to wait. Everyone, let''s wait. Let''s go to the Zhang Manor to ask and discuss the price. Isn''t this better?" Everyone nodded together. They were frightened by the Zhang family''s fierce and harsh tactics. Boss Mi won''t be able to earn enough money from the grains to even cover the cost of shipping the grains away. Looking at the eyes of the surrounding ship owners, it was obvious that no discounts would be given. At this moment, a few people stepped out from the crowd. One of them was wearing brocade clothes and embroidered trousers. He said to Boss Mi, "Boss Mi doesn''t need to be like this. I have a grudge against the Zhang manor. It''s better if you sell me these old grains. I''ll give you a hundred taels of silver. I''ll save your pride by telling others I bought it for a thousand taels. When the timees, I''ll give you a hundred taels. Later, we will discuss how to fight the Zhang Manor together." "Re---really? You''re willing to buy things that you can''t even earn enough to pay for shipping?" Boss Mi seemed to have found hope. Indeed, as this person said, his pride would be saved. "Yeah. I won''t spare the Zhang Manor." Only Song Jing''gong and Magistrate Cheng knew this person. He was a person beside Zhou Xi''hu''s uncle. He spoke confidently while appearing to gnash his teeth. Song Jing''gong turned his head quickly to prevent people from seeing that he was holding back a smile.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. With longer nights, there will be more dreams
This means that when a situation is prolonged, there''s a higher chance that unfavorable problems would arise.
  1. Brokeragepany''s broker
The concept of brokeragepany''( ya''kuai) existed since the Western Zhou Dynasty (~1046-771 BCE). Brokers must be approved by the government and they are responsible for acting as the middleman for business transactions. Responsibilities include representing their customers to pay the taxes involved in business sales, negotiate with potential buyers, store and ship products, and many more. Book 2: Chapter 63 Book 2: Chapter 63 A few thunders shed by like a dream of past resentment. A pity that people will never gather at the wharf again with leisure intent. After the thunder sounded, Boss Mi finally snapped out of the state of being drowned in the mixture of endless regret and inexplicable joy. He looked at the person whom he had never seen before and asked, "Why are you helping me?" "I just said that I have a grudge against the Zhang and Wang manors. If things are well for them, then I won''t be well. One hundred taels of silver will be said to be one thousand taels. Deal or no deal?" This person deliberately red sternly at Song Jing''gong a few times. "Deal." Boss Mi also breathed a sigh of relief. It was way too embarrassing. He had to fight back for his pride. Following that person''s announcement, Boss Mi''s people left with bright faces while other people were still unclear of what was going on. Just after crossing the bridge connecting the two sides of the shores, the San''shui County Administrative Office''s bailiff approached him. The bailiff lightly whispered a few words into his ear, and Boss Mi''s face suddenly became deathly pale again. People around the wharf be rowdy again. Boss Mi was taken away by the bailiff and it was probably for a bad reason. The voices of discussion gradually diminished after Boss Mi''s figure disappeared. The ordinarymoners, the boatmen in the river, and the grain merchants who were shocked by the brutal tactics of the Zhang and Wang manors, turned their eyes to the person who was willing to spend money to buy moldy grains. Those who were logical thinkers knew that it was impossible for this person to pay a thousand taels of silver. When the money was handed from one person to the other, it was just a small box. Furthermore, there were people with good ears that were standing nearby and heard him say one hundred taels of silver. Driven by their attitude of showing off, this matter was quickly known to everyone. Even so, some people still say that this person was stupid. How can spoiled grain cost a hundred taels of silver? The shipping costs were high. If it was mixed in with the good grains, then good grain would be turned into bad grain. Just when everyone was puzzled, the grain-buyer randomly walked a few circles around the grains and then walked over to Song Jing''gong. He bowed and then said in a polite manner, " Mister Song, the deed is done. I need to go back and report to my lord. I cannot stay here anymore. Farewell." "Have a safe trip." Song Jing''gong also bowed as he replied. The two people spoke very loudly, and the people standing nearby heard them clearly. More surprised and shocked expressions spread through the crowd again. "Everyone, everybody listen to me speak." After waiting for that person to leave, Song Jing''gong took the simple speaking-trumpet, stood at a ce that was a little higher, and he shouted to the people around him. After shouting several times, the people around finally settled down. Those who were close lifted up their heads, and those who were further away tiptoed so that they could see Mister Song speak. "Everyone, is there anyone who makes rice wine at home? After these old grains are fermented into qu1, each household will receive half a catty. Those who rely on selling this to make a living need to pay to receive more. It costs 120 coins per dou. The quantity is limited, so pre-order as soon as possible." After Song Jing''gong was done shouting, he did not make any dys. Otherwise, if the raines down, then it would be unknown what kind of yeast starter would be produced. He had to control the situation right now. He called in arge number of people to start carrying the grains towards the depths of the mountains. The technician who knew how to make qu was already waiting there. The grains that had to be dehulled had to be dehulled and those that had to be steamed had to be steamed. They had to work quickly. By the time Song Jing''gong and his people left, half of the old grains also disappeared in a blink of an eye. There were still workers moving the grains non-stop. All of the people who remained at the wharf were stunned. "It''s a good ploy. The timing is perfect. Keeping the grains here allows them to make it into qu. If it was shipped, maggots would grow on the grains. Let''s go to Zhang Manor to discuss the price of the seeds." Boss Jin sighed and said helplessly. The people around had no choice but to admire the Zhang Manor''s ability to calcte everything perfectly. With that price, even if a part of the moldy grain is lost, they can still earn the money back in the end. Even at a low price, nearly 400 taels of silver could be earned from selling the qu that was made from these grains. Adding on the money they received through tricking Boss Mi and considering the money they used to buy expensive new grains, money came out and came in, and there was still a little surplus. A boss surnamed Lu closed his eyes and thought for a while, and then said to Boss Jin,"That''s good too. We can only discuss it with them properly. This might make everyoneugh, but I am truly afraid of that manor. If it was anyone else, worsees to worse, both sides will be injured after a fight. It is hard to believe that the Zhang and Wang manors can still make money at this time. I have gained knowledge now." While he spoke, everyone walked to the ce that had horse carriages for hire. They didn''t care whether it would rain or not. They wanted to get there as soon as possible and express their sincerity to them. As soon as they arrived at the ce that had horse carriages for hire, someone asked them, "Everyone, do you make wine at home?" "No. Why?" Boss Lu asked, frowning. "We''re collecting wine lees and distillers grains for one coin per picul. As long as the ce is not too far, we will go over and pick it up ourselves." The coachman replied with a smile. "What are you collecting this for? Mister Song just took away nine thousand picul of grains. Once the qu are made, there will be a lot of lees, right?" Another boss asked. "Yes. Mister Song ordered us to collect it. When the timees, those whoe to buy the wine qu will also be asked. I heard that it is useful. As for how it''s used, I don''t know." The coachman was smiling as usual. "Useful? Is it possible that in addition to earning money from the wine qu, the remaining lees can also be used to earn more money?" Boss Jin had an inexplicable feeling in his heart. When the heavy rain fell, the hired horse carriage led the way, and the group of grain merchants followed behind in their own carriages and headed towards the Zhang Manor. "Xiao''bao, do you think the rain wille to our side? It looks gloomy over there. If it rains, then the grains in the field that have not been harvested yet would be a problem." Wang Juan sat by the small river in the Zhang Manor, and asked Zhang Xiao''bao who was beside her. "A lot of elders have said that it won''t. Just wait. I think those people will be here before noon tomorrow. If not, we will sell these seeds ourselves to other people, and not give them the final chance to earn money." "Who''s earning money? We will sell them at a high price. However, the crop yield is not so high once the seeds leave our farnd. One hundred and fifty coins per catty. Whoever buys it will lose money." "That was said to make the other grain merchants hate Boss Mi. A cheaper price will be offered to them. Sixty or seventy coins per catty is about right. Do you really intend to offend everyone? No matter what, our seeds are still better than the original seeds. The seed is stronger, and the yield per mu is higher by 10% or 20%, so a lot of money can still be earned. Are all of the piglets caught yet?" Zhang Xiao''bao rested his chin in his hand and spoke with a leisurely pace. Wang Juan nodded, "People should have been sent to catch them already. When the timees, they can be fed with distiller''s grains. We can''t do things that lose money. Do you know how to feed pigs?" "Nope. We will let other people feed them. We can find someone to try. It''s just a matter of feeding more and less. I don''t believe that the pigs can die from being fed." "Okay then. There''s no need to be bothered about this anymore. Whoever figures out the best method will be rewarded since they have aplished a good deed. I heard that there will be a big event on Little Luo''shui. How about we go check it out. It''s better than staying at home all day long; this is not fun at all." Wang Juan had never raised pigs before, so she could only arrange for others toplete the task. Then she proposed to go to Little Luo''shui to y. She has never been to Little Luo''shui before, she didn''t know what the newly built wharf looked like, and she was even more clueless about what theke there looked like. There was also that recreational mountain. This season was perfect for sightseeing. Zhang Xiao''bao looked at Wang Juan and said, "How old are you already? Why are you still thinking about having fun? Why don''t you consider doing more things?" "How old am I? People in their 50s or 60s still go on vacation. Are you going or not? Maybe you cane up with some money-making ideas. This time we gave Magistrate Cheng 20,000 taels. My heart..." Wang Juan was fighting for more benefits for herself. Zhang Xiao''bao listened and said with a smile, "Okay, we''ll go. Once the seeds are sold, we will go. Everyone in the family will go. It is enough for the housekeeper to stay behind. Let''s go back. It''s a bit sultry outside and it''s still so hot." When Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan walked back, they felt that after the harvest season was over, they would be truly bored. The residents had already received the money they could get from the rice harvest. The grains that they were supposed to keep for themselves as seeds were reced with five times the amount of grains using grains bought from other ces. The residents sold these grains to others as seeds. Fortunately, the residents themselves thought of this first, and asked a few old men toe over and say that it was enough to keep a small amount of grains for themselves like they did before. They knew that all of this had something to do with the master. Without the master, there would be no such harvest. They had no idea what the master did, but nting the crops like this was easier and the yield was higher. The masters of the Zhang and Wang family felt that the amount of grains the residents kept for themselves before was too less, so they insisted on giving them more. At first, the residents just wanted twice the amount, but in the end, the master decided to give them five times the amount. Even like this, the residents were still taken advantage of. After a discussion, a portion of the money was taken out to build houses for the residents and to give them other welfare. In the evening, the grain merchants from Little Luo''shui arrived at Tu''qiao Vige and they stayed at the Between The Water And Clouds Restaurant. They ordered a lot of dishes, ate and drank, and discussed tomorrow''s price. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan called Housekeeper Zhang over, and they taught Housekeeper Zhang all of the negotiation details to use when discussing with the merchants and they told him about the questions he should expect to face. After this, they left the rest to him. "Xiao''bao, if next year is like this year and we continue to nt seeds, will we still give residents five times the amount of grains? I''m a little worried." The two of them had gotten up to study, and Wang Juan asked this as she grinded the inkstick.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Qu/wine yeast starter /
This is a type of dried fermentation starter used to make Chinese rice wines. More can be read on Wikipedia. Book 2: Chapter 64 Book 2: Chapter 64 Zhang Xiao''bao stopped flipping his book and thought about this matter. This was indeed a problem. It was clear that there should be a higher ie, but the residents wouldn''t dare to ask for more. He really didn''t care about this small amount of money. However, if the grains were sold as seeds next year and they still gave the residents only five times the amount, then they would be exploiting the residents a bit too much. After thinking for a while, Zhang Xiao''bao began to discuss with her, "This year we''re building houses for the residents. Construction can begin once they''re done with the work in the mountains. We also need to make clothes, repair the roads, and invest more into medical care and education. This would probably be better." "What about next year? Can you figure out next year''s output? After they buy the seeds and go back and then find out that the output is not as high as ours, will they not buy it again next year? All of this has to be considered." Wang Juan reminded him. "Next year? Next year''s output should be higher than this year. As for whether they wille to buy it or not, I don''t know. Actually, the ount cannot be calcted like this. Our family also has to ensure the safety of the residents. If this was another master family, things won''t turn out as well. We even gave the residents a chance to raise poultry and livestock, and helped them obtain the fiefs. These are the efforts of the master family. Someone bought the seeds this year so we did not reduce the rent. No one will buy seeds next year, so we should collect less rent. We don''t need to rely on this little amount of money to live. I think the rtionship between us and the residents is more like apany and its employees. It used to be a division of bonuses. " Zhang Xiao''bao frowned and analyzed the situation. Wang Juan''s eyes lit up as she listened, and then said, "Yes, under normal circumstances, giving employees divided bonuses meant that the employees can create more value for thepany. Or they can be given stocks. However, this does not apply to us. Thend belongs to our house, and the residents only need to nt crops. However, in terms of earning ie, we contribute the most, so why should we share it with them? In this way, the ie of thepany is distributed to ordinary employees. Because of the effects of certain problems left behind in history, the residents can be given good treatment, but they must be worthy of this treatment. " Zhang Xiao''bao picked up the brush and wrote down divided bonuses'' and "treatment". He shook his head and put down the brush, and said, "No, they have one more thing, that is, to help the master family keep secrets. They also have a lot to do. For example, if you call them at night, they have to get up. "What you just said might very well be possible. People are always thinking of living a better life. For example, if we gave them all of the money this time, every family will have a lot of silver and they can do some business elsewhere. Actually, this is impossible. They signed a lifelong contract with us. It wasn''t like this before, but after we arrived here, we got them to sign it." Wang Juan thought for a while, then shook her head. Zhang Xiao''bao put his forehead on the table, and kept muttering "What to do, what to do." Just when Wang Juan was feeling frustrated, Zhang Xiao''bao suddenly raised his head and said, "There is a way." "What way?" Wang Juan asked. "Get them to give up farming and do other things instead. Let''s find some new farmers and get the neers to sign another contract. This will solve the problem of grain production that is too high and too valuable. Our residents know how to do some craftwork, so we at least don''t have to worry. A portion of the people can be assigned to manage the manor''s affairs and assist Housekeeper Zhang and Housekeeper Wang. Another portion can be assigned to open small shops in various ces. They can be given a share of the small shops and let everyone be small shop owners. Using apany as an analogy, then originally, there was only upper-level and lower-level management at our manor; there''s no intermediate-level. Let them be the intermediate-level. We don''t have to be scared that they won''t do well, I can guide them, or let other people help teach them. The contract has to be edited to give them greater benefits, higher wages, and at the same time, higherpensation needs to be paid if they want to terminate the contract and leave. " Zhang Xiao''bao finally resolved the problem and started talking excitedly. Wang Juan listened to him and she thought about the number of people in their manors, and asked, "Are there enough jobs to give to them? There are so many people." "Yes, Little Luo''shui is our ce and there are so many shops there. There will be enough for two to three hundred people. We can promote Xiao''hong''s, Shi''liu''s and Ying''tao''s statuses. Other than preserving the secrets of growing fungus and hatching eggs, divide the livestock farming into sectors and let the residents manage it. Magistrate Cheng is about to enter the Capital city. Although the Capital is prosperous, it is not filled with onlyrge shops, there are also small ones. Pick around ten to twenty clever residents and let them take a spot in each of the industries there. The goal is not to earn a lot of money--in fact, it is fine even if it operates at a small loss. They don''t have to operaterge businesses, it''s enough to be able to maintain normal business. After Zhang Xiao''bao said these things, Wang Juan did not try to find ws in his ideas. She was thinking about how life would be better in the future. Their family could go around and have fun, nt some fruit trees, and eat their own fruits. After resolving these issues, the two studied. Madam Zhang-Wang looked at the lighted room from outside the courtyard. She called Housekeeper Zhang over to speak to him and then she went to find Father Zhang again. Father Zhang was also studying, but more diligently. He had always wanted to gain a title through the Imperial Examination so that his family could be better. Madam Zhang-Wang brought a bowl of sweet white fungus soup and put it on his desk. She waited for Father Zhang to finish writing a few words before she said, "Husband, it''s perfect to drink this right now. I heard people say that the first two rounds of exams held here are easier to pass, but when you get to the Capital, you need to have some fame. How about you take some time to write something out, and then let people publicize it." "Yeah, I do need some fame, but gaining knowledge is more important. There''s no need to worry about publicizing it. When I''m done writing it, I will give it to Xiao''bao. His business focuses on doing this kind of thing. Sigh~! Everything inside and outside of the household has to be managed by my wife and little children." Father Zhang was now ustomed to his son''s abilities. Even the food at home was much better than before. In the past, how could they even dare to eat white fungus and lotus soup? Lotus seeds can be bought, where can white fungus be bought from? There were a lot of good things in his son''s special cold storage''. If they wanted to eat beef, then they could take beef out from there and eat it. With such aparison, it seemed that himself, the master of the family, was the most ipetent one. Feeling gratified and sad, he could only wait to gain a title through the Imperial Examination, and then improve his family''s life. The most important thing was to be able to show his face in front of the people who looked down on him at the beginning. Hearing her husband sighing, Madam Zhang-Wang smiled and said, "My husband, you don''t have to worry about this. Those people who are always managing this and that, aren''t they nothing more than a minor businessman? My husband is greatly talented. Within a radius of over ten li, there is no one who canpare to my husband. In my opinion, even a schr in the Capital is not as good as my husband. We won''t be able to make it this year, so take the exam next year. Let''s take a look first. If you don''t pass the exam, you can take the exam next year. You will definitely be able to pass the exam, and then you cane back... Let''s not talk about this anymore. Drink the soup quickly. Later when you''re tired of reading, there''s still warm wine over there, and there''s also a dish of sliced beef tendon that Bao had specially saved for you. I''ll drink a little with my husband. Oh, there''s also fresh cucumbers. It was just picked. They were nted at a different time, so there will be cucumbers to eat until next year when the ground can grow cucumbers again. I will go make a te of mixed dried tofu shreds for my husband. " Madam Zhang-Wang persuaded him with a few words and she saw that her husband was feeling much better than before, so she turned around, and nned to get some side dishes and wine. Madam Zhang-Wang smiled. She did not say anything, and she opened the door and left quietly. * Early the next morning, the merchants in the Between The Water And Cloud Restaurant made their way to the Zhang Manor. Just when Housekeeper Zhang was about to greet them ording to yesterday''s n, Zhang Xiao''bao called him over. "Young Master, what orders do you have for me?" Housekeeper Zhang didn''t know what his Young Master nned to do at this time. "It''s nothing significant. When you go to talk to themter, the price must be set at seventy-five coins per catty. It can only be more but not less than this amount. Disregard the price of sixty coins that I mentioned yesterday. Once they agree, or when the deal falls through and they want to leave, you can tell them that it can be cheaper, but they won''t have to pay with money." After discussing with Wang Juan yesterday, Zhang Xiao''bao felt that it was toote to call Housekeeper Zhang over, so he had to wait until now. Housekeeper Zhang looked puzzled, "Young Master, you don''t want their money? What do you want then?" "I want shops. Shops in Chang''an, the capital city. The shops don''t need to be too big, but it must include all types of businesses. I want every kind. When the timees, you can take the shops into consideration and give them a discount ordingly, and make it cheaper for them. That is all. I''ll trouble Housekeeper Zhang to this." After Zhang Xiao''bao said this, he followed Wang Juan out. They called over two people to apany them up the mountain so that they could see the progress there and get some exercise. Carrying a mind full of puzzlement, Housekeeper Zhang invited those merchants to Between The Water And Clouds for a discussion. In the future, he had to try his best to not let other people enter the master''s yard. "Xiao''bao, that person with the surname Han, why hasn''t he done anything yet? I don''t think he is the kind of person who can do nothing and remain calm." Wang Juan was holding a wooden stick and poking at the yellow withered grass. She suddenly thought about the manor near them and smiled as she asked Zhang Xiao''bao. Zhang Xiao''bao also smiled. "He''s probably taken away by the Emperor''s nephew to do other things. For example, the ideas we gave to the Emperor''s nephew. They''re all neighbors. How could he not call him over? I wonder how exhausted he would be now?" "Then he should thank us for giving him a chance to exercise ande into close contact with the Emperor''s nephew." Wang Juan spoke with irony. Book 2: Chapter 65 Book 2: Chapter 65 While Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan had fun climbing the mountain, Housekeeper Zhang and those merchants began intense negotiations. In the room closest to the outside of the second floor of Between The Water And Clouds, over ten people were sitting at a round table. The wine and food on the table was barely touched. Housekeeper Zhang first toasted everyone with a goblet of wine, and then started pointing to the outside scenery and said, "Everyone, you are all rich people and the Zhang Manor can''tpare to you. The hospitality is poor, so please forgive us." "Housekeeper Zhang is too polite. If someone from other manors told us this, we would still believe them, but not the Zhang and Wang manors. Why did only Housekeeper Zhange? Could it be that the Wang family is not participating?" At this time, the boss surnamed Lu smiled and asked, and for a while, he received sounds of approval from the others. When the merchants heard this, they didn''t show any expressions on their faces, but they still felt a little displeased. They actually intended to do that. They nned to give one family more money than the other family. Even two brothers, let alone two manors, would fight each other over this. However, they didn''t expect that the two manors had already anticipated this. "That''s a given. We all trust Housekeeper Zhang. Sigh~! Speaking of that person surnamed Mi, I also hate him. Such a good business deal was ruined by him. Otherwise, we would have bought the seeds already. I wonder how much Housekeeper Zhang knows about what happened at the wharf at the Little Luo''shui River? That''s the perfect ce for us to ship grains." Boss Wang hurriedly tried to ease the tension, and at the same time, he looked at the scenery outside the window. This building sort of had a circr structure with an open center, thus, more of the outside scenery could be seen. Since it did not rain in the past few days, there was only some silt in the area that was dug out specifically for water storage. However, he still praised the ce, "This Between The Water And Clouds Restaurant is really good. Looking out from here, the sky is high and the clouds are faint. After a heavy rain, there will be water to fill this ce. Yesterday, the rain at Little Luo''shui was not light. Isn''t that ce over there the Ge Manor?" "Brother Wang is right, that is the Ge Manor. I heard that a lot of the Ge Manor''s rice seedlings were damaged by the windst year, and they had to buy new seedlings from the Zhang Manor. No wonder some of the rice nts in their fields have higher yields. Some were lower, but the ones with the higher yield was not much different from Zhang Manor''s yield." Boss Jin also replied. He stood up and walked to the window and looked over to the rice nts, which were almost all harvested. The two people spoke one after another and they thought this would make Housekeeper Zhang grow tired of talking to them, but they didn''t expect that Housekeeper Zhang didn''t appear annoyed at all. First, he said to Boss Wang, "If Boss Wang wants to find a ship, you should go find Mister Song. This matter is not the responsibility of a housekeeper." "Why not? Doesn''t that ce belong to the Zhang Manor? Or are there other housekeepers in the Zhang household? Aiya, what''s wrong with the Zhang family. How could they let outsiders manage their business?" Boss Wang asked this deliberately. "Haha, Boss Wang, the wharf at Little Luo''shui is indeed not owned by the Zhang Manor. Both of the Zhang and Wang families are peasant households, so how can they do business? The seeds mentioned this time are also rted to agriculture. Otherwise I wouldn''t be here. As for the master''s arrangement, it is naturally the master''s decision. My family has been the housekeeper of the Zhang family for several generations, so I''m already familiar with managing the household." Housekeeper Zhang handled this matter without revealing the slightest w in his words and this upsetted Boss Wang. Another boss next to him immediately continued the topic Boss Jin brought up earlier, "Housekeeper Zhang, I wonder if what Boss Jin just said is true? I heard that the three manors funded the opening of the Between The Water And Clouds. How about we get someone from the Ge manor toe over and discuss this together?" "It is indeed funded by the three families. Since all of you are interested in the crops in the Ge family''s fields, it is better for me to go back and wait for all of you to finish discussing with the people of the Ge Manor. The output of their field is really good. In fact, I think that their output is even higher than that of the Zhang and Wang manors. Congrattions to everyone for finding a good business partner. If there is not enough for everyone to uy, then you can continue to look for me. The rice nts have stayed in the field for too long and are a waste of space. Because of this, the price may increase slightly next time. Once the Ge family''s representative is here, I''m afraid that he won''t be able to speak because of my presence. Everyone, take your time to eat. The meal is on the house. " As he spoke, he stood up. He smiled at those bosses, and got ready to leave. The merchants were anxious now and they nced at each other. The people sitting near the door immediately stood up and smiled and stopped Housekeeper Zhang. "Housekeeper Zhang can''t leave like this. We took a closer look just now. Compared to the rice of the Zhang and Wang manors, the Ge manor is a bit worse and can''t be used as seeds. Oh? Housekeeper Zhang, this dish on the table, is this a new dish? I have yet to see it elsewhere. What does everyone else think?" No matter what, the person refused to let Housekeeper Zhang leave. He pushed Housekeeper Zhang back to the position he was in just now. He swept his eyes across the table and found that there was a dish that he had eaten at The First Near Water before. He pretended that he didn''t recognize the dish and changed the topic. The people sitting here were all clever and each of them started praising the food too. They no longer dared to y tricks like they did just now anymore. Housekeeper Zhang didn''t even bat an eye at their tricks. If they threatened the manors, then the manors would just raise the price. Just earlier, he was still talking about how it was going to rain and ruin the crops in the fields, but now heined that the crops wasted space. "Oh, this may be the first time you all have eaten it. This is actually normal roasted tofu, but it uses a particr chilli sauce brought over from another ce, so the taste is different. Not a lot was added so it''s not that spicy. Have a taste." Housekeeper Zhang no longer looked like he was going to leave and he began to talk about the dishes. Everyone knew what was going on anyway. They never ate it before? Which person that came over from the Little Luo''shui never tried the new dishes? "It''s good, it''s delicious. I''ll definitelye here more often in the future. This tofu is made of soybeans. I wonder if there is a ce to grow beans in the Zhang manor? The yield is not low, right? Are there seeds?" Boss Lu ate a piece of tofu, and then began to inquire about the seeds. Housekeeper Zhang deliberately pushed the te of tofu in front of this person. "If it''s delicious, you can eat more. If there''s no more, I''ll let someone make more. Soybeans are good, but they were not nted here. We never thought about this. Thank you Boss Lu for suggesting this. Next year. Next year, the Zhang Manor must nt some." "Oh, that''s really a pity. I can only buy some rice seeds then. I wonder how much the Zhang family is selling a catty for? It won''t be like what Mister Song had said--150 coin per catty---, right? The price was driven up by that person with the surname Mi. It has nothing to do with us." Boss Wang stood on the side and began talking and then he brought up the matter about the seeds again. You all work in the grain business, so don''t tell me that there are a lot of grains. When we bought the grains at the beginning, I asked everyone''s grain shops and I was told that there really was no grain left. I was also told that grains werecking in the Capital city too. How about I reduce the price by 20 coins, 130 coins per catty. Everyone, be assured, the Zhang and Wang manors'' seeds will not be out of stock like your grain shops. " Housekeeper Zhang smiled and looked at the faces of these bosses, and chose his words purposefully. Everyone''splexion changed slightly, and then theyughed, but they were calcting the gains and losses in their minds. 130 coins was a lot more expensive than 100 coins. Just now they said that theck of grains was not intentional, and it had nothing to do with themselves. In that case, then there was indeed a shortage of grains and the price of grains should also be increased, so why shouldn''t the price of seeds rise too? "Haha, what Housekeeper Zhang had said is correct. For the past few days, we really didn''t have grainsing in, but someone reportedst night that the grains from outside hade in. There is a lot of it too, and the price is cheap." A bossughed dryly a couple of times and began exining. "Really? What a coincidence. It''s cheaper? How much cheaper? ording to this, the price should be lowered. Does everyone agree?" Housekeeper Zhang was stunned when he heard these words. He thought about the points his Young Miss added, and she did indeed cover this. "Really. It indeed is a coincidence. How much cheaper? Back then when you bought the rice from the Mi person, the price was 29 coins per dou. Ours is cheaper. One dou is only nine no, eight coins. That''s for wheat, not rice. Rice is also cheap, eleven coins per dou." Boss Lu spoke up and took over the conversation again. He deliberately lowered their grain prices. "What about millet? Is everyone''s prices like that?" Housekeeper Zhang asked in disbelief. "Millet is six coins per dou. It''s all the same, right, everyone?" The price set by Boss Lu was the price they bought it at. In the past, it may have been cheaper, but this year, with the droughts and locust gues, it was more expensive. If they really sold it, the retail price would not be this cheap. "How much? Arge amount must be reduced. So this is the case. Now that everyone has grains, then I''ll buy some first. I''ll buy 10,000 picul first. Deliver it using waterborne transport. The freight will have to be paid by you, and the same is true for the seeds of the Zhang and Wang''s family---we will pay for the freight. Go find a broker, and tell my master and the Wang family''s master that I have bought grains for a cheap price." Housekeeper Zhang happily said while putting on a joyful face. The waiter turned around and ran off so quickly he disappeared in a breath''s time. The bosses turned their heads to look at him disappearing, and were dumbfounded. Book 2: Chapter 66 Book 2: Chapter 66 "Xiao''bao,e here quickly and help me carry something." On the mountain, Wang Juan seemed to have found something interesting. She called out to Zhang Xiao''bao and waited for him toe over. It turned out to be some red mountain berries. They were smaller than hawthorn, but they were equally sour tasting. "Here, put these in your pocket. I''m going to pick some more, there are so many, I''m drooling just by looking at them." Wang Juan struggled to pull down a tree branch and she grasped it tightly, relying on her body weight to keep the branch from springing back up. As she pulled berries off of the branch, she stuffed them into Zhang Xiao''bao''s pocket. The two guards who followed them immediately came to help. After a while, Zhang Xiao''bao''s shirt and trouser pockets werepletely filled. The other two people also stored some in their own pockets. "Okay, what a bountiful harvest. When we get there, tell them to pick some more and bring them to our home when they return back, and we will give them other things in exchange." Wang Juan pped her hands and walked to the front. Zhang Xiao''bao looked at the bulging pockets on his body, and then at Wang Juan''s t empty pockets. He walked two steps quickly and caught up with Wang Juan and then he said, "Juan''juan, you love eating this, eat them while walking. Here, I''ll give you some." "No, we''ll eat them together when we get back. I don''t want to eat them by myself. Xiao''bao, don''t tug on me. You''re a man, so you have to do more work." Wang Juan covered her pocket with her hand to not let Zhang Xiao''bao pull it open. She broke free of Zhang Xiao''bao and ran ahead with a smile. The guards who followed behind them looked at each other. This was their first time seeing their two little masters so happy, and they showed a happy look too and then they sped up their pace. After over two hours of walking, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan finally arrived at the construction site. Hundreds of residents were busy digging outrge pits in the middle of the mountains that did not belong to their manors. The dugged up soil was piled on two lower hills. They were preparing to build a dam now. The people who were responsible for cooking for them were now picking firewood, and from time to time they found some edible wild fruits. They either collected them, or rubbed the fruit against their sleeves and put it in their mouths to chew it. "Yes, that''s right. On paper, it''s not ournd, but in reality, thend will be used by us. Put some fish, shrimp and crab in it. There''s no need to take care of them; whatever manages to survive will get to stay. The yield in the mountains will be small, but the taste is good." Zhang Xiao''bao used a slingshot to knock down two wild fruits, and he gave one to Wang Juan. They also ate the fruit without washing it. They simply rubbed it and ate it. The spots that werepletely ripened were nice and soft. After one bite, the juice inside flowed down the corner of their mouth. As they ate, they talked about the situation here. "Yeah, it would be better to have a few more peopleing here to im thend. We''ll scoop out everything from here, and then collect tolls for crossing through ournd." Wang Juan licked the corner of her mouth with her tongue and happily agreed. "Young Master, Young Miss, this ce is dusty because of the work we''re doing. How about you go over there, there''s a small pond formed by a spring. That ce is better than here." While Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were watching, a person from the inner courtyard, who was supervising this ce, came over to them and pointed to a mountain to persuade them. "Really? That''s great. Let''s go, Xiao''bao. Let''s go and see if there''s spring water. It would be best if it''s warm; that way we cane soak in it during winter." Hearing about this piqued Wang Juan''s interest. She pulled Zhang Xiao''bao and walked over there. Zhang Xiao''bao looked over there. It did not look like a hot spring at all. "Don''t dream, how could there be a hot spring? If there was a hot spring, we would have discovered itst time. Maybe it just formed and it''s connected to the underground river." "Even so, I still want to see it. Hurry up." Wang Juan pulled Zhang Xiao''bao to speed up, and the two guards behind them also began jogging. * Mulberries in the forest, river water trickling. The sunlight was dispersed by the leaves. The grass was withered yellow, while the wild fruits were fragrant. The mountains were on the sides, and water was in the center. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan stood on the top of the mountain, feeling the air of the surroundings and looking at the dreamlike scenery in front of them. They took in a long breath, and then slowly exhaled. An indescribable joy lingered in their hearts. "It''s so beautiful, Xiao''bao, we didn''t im this ce back then, did we?" Wang Juan squinted her eyes and looked at the clear water in the surrounding mountains. She inhaled through her nose, and asked. "Then what? We can''t let other people have this ce. I want it. I want toe here to y in the future. Hurry up and think of a way. It''s spring water." Wang Juan was anxious. She wanted to have such a beautiful ce in possession. "Then think of a way. Once someone takes this ce, we could buy it from them. It seems that this piece ofnd cannot be obtained from the government. Look at the surrounding mulberry trees, there is produce here." Zhang Xiao''bao originally nned to buy this ce, but he noticed that the surrounding trees were mulberry trees. Now he understood that thend here cannot be bought that easily as it was a forest farm. It could be granted to others, but it could not be purchased like that barren ce they boughtst time. "We really can''t buy it? Don''t you have a way to kill the tree? From the root to the top? If the tree is dead, then we should be able to buy it." Wang Juan suggested. "Am I stupid? These trees belong to our family. We can still use them for sericulture. Let thend be granted to someone else. Then, we can secretly tradends with them. The way we imed the plots ofnd was very sly already, we can''t be too greedy. Who should be granted thisnd though? I know. There''s one person who is most suitable." Zhang Xiao''bao refused Wang Juan''s proposal without even thinking about it. He had no choice but to resort to using others. "Who? Could the person be that boy, Li Xun? If he takes it, would he tradend with us? He''s constantly thinking about annexing us." The first person Wang Juan thought of was Li Xun. After all, he was the Emperor''s nephew. If he wanted to be grantednd, as long as it was not too big, it was not a problem. Zhang Xiao''bao shook his head and said, "No, not him. I''m trying my best to keep him away, how could I give him a chance? It''s the county magistrate. Not Magistrate Cheng though. He is going to leave soon, so he won''t be grantednd. The new county magistrate. As long as we get some political achievements for him, not only will we develop a good rtionship with him, but he might get a reward. Let''s get him to ask for a ce here, and then we will tradend from somewhere else with him. It''s not possible that the new county magistrate would leave aftering here for a few days. He would at least stay here for half a year to a year. It is necessary to build a good rtionship with him. It would be the most ideal if the new magistrate was a local, but this is unlikely. " "What if the county magistrate doesn''t listen to us? There are many people who are like this. They just want to make money after being sent down to their new post. Are you going to help him be corrupted?" Wang Juan was a little worried about the next county magistrate. She had watched a lot of movies, and they all acted like that, especially in ces near Hang''zhou and Zhe''jiang. In almost every dynasty, those ces were the richest. The officials who were sent there all became so fat that they looked greasy. The ce she and Zhang Xiao''bao came from was like this too, not to mention movies. Otherwise, why was she betrayed? Zhang Xiao''bao also knew that it would be difficult to deal with a corrupt official, so he sighed, "Let''s talk about it when the timees. I wonder how Housekeeper Zhang''s discussion is going? I hope things are being handled properly." "Yeah, there shouldn''t be any problems. Let''s go down. I want to know if the water is cold or warm." Wang Juan didn''t worry about Housekeeper Zhang, and she pulled Zhang Xiao''bao down with her. * Housekeeper Zhang was still talking to the group of merchants. Just now, the masters of the Zhang and Wang families have both arrived, and the broker also followed them here. Originally, there weren''t brokers here, but after the Between The Water And Clouds opened here and many carriages carried various people from the Little Luo''shui to here, the brokers had to find a ce nearby for their brokers to work here and be on standby. Of course, it was impossible for these owners to sell 10,000 picul of every type of grain to the Zhang and Wang family. They wouldn''t be able to make any money that way. Even if these people were jointly responsible for 10,000 picul, each shop will have to provide nearly a thousand picul. After some discussions, these bosses sold 5,000 picul of each of the three main grain types to the Zhang and Wang manors at a very low price. In addition to this, two more items that were less important were purchased at the wholesale price. One item was soybeans, which they bought 2, 000 picul of, and the other was sorghum, which they bought 1,500 picul of. This made these shop owners feel distressed. After signing the paperwork, they left, and then the discussion about the seeds began. When they heard Housekeeper Zhang''s offer, the merchants shook their heads. "Housekeeper Zhang, the price is still too high. To be honest, we didn''t make any profit when we sold those grains to you, and we only received enough to cover half of the shipping cost and we had to pay the rest out of our own pockets. This won''t work, you can''t make us lose money all the time, right? We will meet frequently in the future. When we have time, we will take the opportunity to check out the shops ande here." Boss Jin spoke depressingly to Housekeeper Zhang. He really didn''t want to give up on such good seeds. The main reason was that he nned to buy it once, even at a higher price, so he would not need to buy it again in the future since he could just keep his own crops as seeds. Housekeeper Zhang hesitated when he heard this. He wanted to continue to pressure them a bit more, but e was really worried that they would work together to increase the price of grains here. He also knew that the Young Master''s n was to support the new county magistrate. He had to take into consideration if themoners were able to afford to eat or not. After thinking for a while, Housekeeper Zhang gave in a little bit and said, "Then 80 coins, what do you think?" "This..80 coins? Housekeeper Zhang, we want to buy more, we want to buy more than half of what you have here. Do you think you can drop it a bit more?" Another boss still found it expensive. The Zhang Manor had grown a lot of rice. If they wanted to buy more, it was difficult to gather so much money in such a short time. "Actually, there is another way for it to be cheaper. Seventy wen would be enough, but you can''t pay with money. You have to pay with a shop--- a small shop in the capital. We want shops from any kind of business. As long as you can give out the shops, it is fine even if we earn a bit less." Housekeeper Zhang felt that it was about time, and he finally told them about this matter. Book 2: Chapter 67 Book 2: Chapter 67 Five dayster, a lot of people arrived at the Zhang and Wang manors dressed in hemp clothes, and they carried sickles into the rice field and started harvesting. The harvested rice was immediately threshed by other people. The Zhang and Wang manors sent out some people to stand on the side to help weigh the grains. Farm work was almostplete in other areas; the only task left was to ntmon wheat into the soil. The market was once again crowded with people, but unlike before, the stalls that sold tea and snacks charged higher prices. The workers had already said that all of their meals and water were taken care of by their employers, who were the owners of the grain shops. Now, the people who did business in the market were going to be rich. "It''s deliberate. They must have done it deliberately. The shop asked people to return quickly by horse, and the message was received at noon today. Once they paid the money, they started to increase the price of the things on the market. They''re such arge manor, yet they''re petty about this small amount of money. I really don''t get it." In the BetweenThe Water And Cloud Restaurant, in a room where the rice fields can be seen from through the window, a boss was drinking tea andining as he looked around. "This is not a small amount of money. A bowl of tea that usually costs a coin wille with a few snacks, but now a bowl of tea alone costs three coins. We hired two hundred people and they drink tea like cows. Including the three meals in the morning, afternoon and evening, over ten taels of silver are used in one day. ording to this situation, they will earn at least fifty taels in three days." The other boss made clear calctions. Just this money alone was enough for him to pay for several ships to travel back and forth transporting grains. The Zhang manor was unwilling to suffer any losses and calcted everything. They bought over half of the grains in their fields and traded in 24 stores from the Capital city. Among the stores was a restaurant with two floors. Boss Lu estimated that the seeds they bought this time were worth more than 14,000 taels. If they found other people to buy the remaining amount, they could still earn 3,000 to 4,000 taels of silver. If it was sold as normal grains, then it would be around 300 taels. However, the grains will be dehulled, while the seeds still have hulls. Boss Jin, who was also waiting for his workers to work quickly, agreed with this statement, "Brother Lu is right. Of those 24 shops, only the two-floored restaurant is slightly more expensive, which costs about 4, 000 taels of silver. The total value of the other shops is just over 9,000 taels and an extra thousand of taels was reported. Even if the workers we hired eat to their hearts'' content, how much could they possibly eat? It''s not like we can get them to bring their own food and drink river water." "Brother Jin is wrong to say that. Housekeeper Zhang said this himself a few days ago--- we get to earn some money from being the middleman of the transactions and that they will pay for half of the freight costs when we sell our grains to them, but they''re trying to dig for money everywhere. The ships that they picked---I''ve already asked people about it, it''s one and half times as expensive. They were also the ones who selected the carriages and horses to transport the grains to their manor, and the price is also one and a half times higher. The wine they serve is usually not sold at the Between the Water and Clouds, and it''s the same for the dishes. Doesn''t this cost money? In addition, they don''t need to harvest the nts themselves, so some manpower is saved. I heard that they sent their residents to the mountains to repair other ces. " The boss who was the first to speak listed each of the things that he felt displeased about this entire time. Boss Jin shook his head, "We usually have to eat too. Did we ever eat any dishes that are not the best of the best? This table of food costs thirty to fifty taels. Counting everything, it would be a few hundred taels of silver. They''re still the ones that are profiting." Boss house was also displeased. It wasn''t a lot of money. Dividing it between over ten people, each person would get a small share. The main reason was that they were constantly being schemed against, and people in the business trade only wants to scheme against others. "Look, did all of the people from the Zhang and Wang manors who went to the mountain havee back? Why are there so many people? There are about 300 people with sickles in their hands. What are they going to do? Could it be that they want to help us harvest? " While everyone was eating snacks and drinking tea, a man standing by the window pointed to the bottom and asked curiously. Everyone got up one after another and looked down. Indeed, there were many people there. Judging from the uniform clothing they wore, they are undoubtedly the Zhang and Wang manors'' residents. Only these two manors were grand enough to make the same clothes for their residents. Those people carrying sickles rushed into the fields to start harvesting. After watching for a while, everyone was relieved that they were not collecting from the top-quality fields that the bosses had selected, and were harvesting from their own fields instead. "So quick, that''s way too quick. Look at the residents. One of them is as effective as two of our workers." Boss Wang said enviously when he saw the working speed of the people on the two sides. "It''s iparable. If their residents want to, they can eat meat every two or three days. The workers we found were from elsewhere. Where would we get so much spare money from? They didn''t harvest it earlier on orter on; why did they send their residents to work at the same time as our workers?" Boss Lu was a bit farsighted, so he could see the difference in the physical builds of the people from the two sides. The Zhang and Wang manors'' residents were also shirtless, and the flesh on their bodies was chunky. He looked at his workers, and they were just slightly better than being only skin and bones. "Lunch time, lunch time." Just when all the bosses called over a waiter to order food, they heard someone shouting from below. The people near the window looked down and saw a lot of peopleing out of the market. Some were pushing carts and some were carrying baskets on their shoulders, all while shouting and beckoning to the hired workers in the fields. "It''s eating time. The people from the market are not bad; they delivered the food to them." The boss turned around and exined to other people who were looking over. "Oh, then that can save walking time." Several bossesmented at the same time. "Let me take a look." Seeing that there were only a few cold tters on the table, Boss Lu had no intentions of eating right away, so he leaned over and looked down. After looking, he said, "There are quite a few items. Look at those rolling carts--- there are enough for five or six hundred people to eat. Oh, I get it now, the Zhang and Wang manors'' residents will also eat together." As soon as he finished speaking, the people who had gathered together to eat suddenly became hectic. Several of their hired workers quarreled with the food deliverers. They were far away, and the voices were mixed, so the bosses couldn''t tell what was being said. Through the noise, they could vaguely hear the words For what reason?'', the same amount of work is being done'', I quit''. "What''s going on? Are they not given food? Waiter, go and ask." Boss Lu couldn''t make sense of what was going on, and he shouted to the waiter who was at the door of the room waiting to serve them. The waiter agreed, turned around and ran off. After a while, the Zhang and Wang manors'' residents over there were already eating. Their own workers were still arguing by the time the waiter returned. "Sir, there was a quarrel because of the different food. The workers you hired felt that the food was not as good as the food served to the Zhang and Wang manors'' residents." The waiter was panting while talking. "The food you guys the market served to our workers was not cooked properly?" One of the bosses asked. "No, there is millet rice, steamed buns made with sorghum flour, egg drop soup, and egg scrambled with chives. These are all cooked well." The server counted the food as he listed them off. "And they stillin that the food is not good? Is it possible that this food is worsepared to what they usually eat? I don''t think they want to be paid their wages anymore." The boss who asked the question earlier pped the table with anger. "Don''t get ahead of yourself. Waiter, let me ask you, what are the Zhang and Wang manor''s residents eating?" Boss Jin waved his hand to the angered boss and asked the waiter again. The waiter began listing off again, "Refined flour pancakes, stir-fried shredded pork with green onions, boiled chicken, nched bamboo shoots, minced meat on eggnt, a bowl of dried tofu shreds and pork soup that is topped with chopped fungus, and hot sauce. Two of the dishes can be added to the pancake as a filling and dipped into hot sauce, and the other two can be eaten however you want to." As soon as the waiter finished talking, all the bosses didn''t know what to say. No wonder the hired workers were dissatisfied. Just earlier, they were working together, but when it came to eating time, they were only given one dish and a soup, which did not cost a lot, while the other people were given pancake made from refined flour, and four dishes and a soup that was several times better. As soon as the two side''s foods werepared, the difference was apparent. Of course, the hired workers were displeased. The food is all from the market, so why should the two groups receive different treatment? "Waiter, are the food eaten by the Zhang and Wang manors'' residents also made in the market?" Boss Jin thought for a while and asked. "Sir, no, it''s just made using the stoves over there. People are harvesting rice in the field and lighting a fire nearby might lead to a fire outbreak. After the work is finished, it will be just in time for the food in the market to finish cooking and can be delivered over together." The waiter answered respectfully. "This I''m not sure about. I''m guessing that it will cost about two taels of silver per person. After all, there is fungus in the soup, and they''re each able to eat a lot. The hot sauce is not cheap, and there is also meat and a bunch of other things." The waiter shook his head embarrassedly, and gave the price he came up with after thinking about it. These bosses looked at each other and sighed. The one who was the first to speak in the morning said, "I was right, weren''t I? They don''t n to let us transport these seeds back easily. It costs two taels of silver per person, and four hundred taels of silver for two hundred people. Can you pay that? Two days would be eight hundred taels." Now everyone nodded and admitted this. If they forced their workers to eat the food prepared in the market, they would eat it, but it''s hard to say how much effort they would put into working. If they also order the same food and have it delivered to the workers, wouldn''t that cost a fortune? "Brother Jin, what should we do?" One of the bosses asked. "Waiter, go down there and let the market add in a meat dish---add in for ten coins worth per person. Also add in some rice--- three coins worth per person." Boss Jin couldn''te up with any better n, so he had to resort to this. However, the waiter said, "Boss Jin, how much is added depends on how many tes are used; it''s sold by portions. What if they eat more? Could it be that you won''t let them eat more? There are also dishes that were already prepared, and it seems that they can''t be returned, right? Book 2: Chapter 68 Book 2: Chapter 68 Later on in the day, the sun was no longer as intense as it was in the noon. The asional wind blew by, giving people a brief moment of coolness. The owners of the grain shop added more dishes to their workers'' meal, and the hired workers also found out that the other people were the Zhang and Wang manors'' residents. Since their food will be taken care of by their employer. they happily ate until they were full, and no longer caused ruckus. But when they began to work in the fields again, they realized that when they bent over, the food in their stomach surged upwards. They had no choice but to endure the difort while feeling satisfied that they had eaten the food. Of course, the Zhang and Wang manors'' residents would not eat as if they have not eaten for eight lifetimes. They only ate until they were seven tenths full, and they saved the rest of the meal forter so that they could heat it up and eat it after they finished their work. Four hourster, the Zhang and Wang manors'' residents finished harvesting all of the remaining rice and they threshed all of the grains. They downed a couple mouthfuls of water and rested for a while. Then, they all rushed to transport the grains to the warehouse, and once they were done, they came back and ate the remaining food after heating it up. Before the residents had the chance to heat up their food, Housekeeper Zhang ran over and shouted to everyone. The residents didn''t even question him and they divided up the food. More food was given to whoever had more people in their family, and then they turned around and ran home. They absolutely trusted their master now, and did whatever they were instructed to. Housekeeper Zhang looked at the scattered people, smiled, and instructed those who followed him, "Bring all of the prepared items." After speaking, he walked to the Between The Water And Clouds. The bosses, who were at the Between The Water And Clouds, were bing more and more dissatisfied with the workers they hired. They did a good job in the morning, but they wasted a lot of money at noon---120 coins were spent on each person. They had no other choice. The cost of the meal was three times more expensive than the original price. Including the cost of drinking water, it was 130 coins. Twenty-six taels of silver was used up just for one meal, even though it was originally just supposed to cost ten taels a day. The most annoying thing was that when these people started to work in the afternoon after being well fed and well hydrated, they did not work as swiftly as they did in the morning. Each and every one of them stood up and rubbed their stomachs after cutting a few nts. At this rate, they wouldn''t even finish harvesting in three days. "Brother Jin, we can''t go on like this anymore. It''s not like we have money but do not know where to waste it. Look at how they''re working. The manors'' residents work much faster than them. Their meals are not bad anymore now. How is this hiring people to work for us? It''s more like we''re taking care of our ancestors." Boss Lu looked through the window and shook his head helplessly. "It''s hard for poor people to stumble upon an opportunity to eat delicious food, so they ate until they were bloated and no longer had the energy left to work. I will talk to them when they''re done with work in the evening. If they really do turn against us, where will we find new workers from? Do you perhaps intend for you and I to go harvest the nts ourselves?" Boss Jin understood the reason, but at the same time, there was no good solution. He spoke angrily, "Rather than ming those workers, it is better toin about the Zhang manor''s people. They are so bad. They came to eat together on purpose and the food they ate was so good. I doubt they eat like that on other working days." "Boss Jin, you''re actually wrong. This kind of food wasn''t served a few days ago when they were harvesting the nts. Instead, they atemb soup, which is not any cheaper than this. It was not our intention to cause you trouble when we asked our residents to harvest the crops. It''s going to rain today. If you don''t believe me, you can ask the local elders. They know the climate here best." Just after Boss Jin finished speaking, Housekeeper Zhang walked in from the doorway and exined to them, but the expression in his eyes was telling them that he saw them as people who used petty mindsets to judge an upright person. "It''s going to rain? Housekeeper Zhang, you''re not joking?" After hearing this, Boss Jin shivered. Anything that could go wrong, went wrong. He stared at Housekeeper Zhang, wanting to know if he was lying. Housekeeper Zhang smiled and sighed again, "Boss Jin, do you think I have nothing better to do so I came all the way here to tell you nonsense? Did you not notice that it''s cooler in the afternoon, and it feels a little stuffy? The wind has started. Look at the sky, it looks like it''s almost night time." "How''s it? Do you feel morefortable? Ah~! We are really afraid that when the rain falls, the things in the fields will be ruined. If not, why would we call our people toe back? The work on the mountain is notplete yet." Housekeeper Zhang opened his arms, standing in front of the window, feeling the coolness of the wind, and said quietly. What the bosses felt was not the coolness, but coldness--not just from the fear that their seeds would be ruined after the rain, but also from the fear of the Zhang and Wang manors. Just like what Housekeeper Zhang said, only the elders in this ce know about the climate here. Housekeeper Zhang deliberately waited a few days. He asked them to first deal with the shops before harvesting. So, it turned out that these were their preparations made for the rain. What to do? What should they do? It seemed that the rain was about to fall, and it seemed impossible that the rainless sky wouldst until tomorrow morning. The seeds in the field cannot be sprouted anymore. When the timees, there may be some that are not moldy, and they can be sprouted and nted directly, but they can''t be nted in this season, can they? "Housekeeper Zhang, you can''t be tricking us like this. You let us throw our money into the field, and you caused us to lose so much money. The shops in the capital were sold to you in ordance with your requirements. Now that we have given them to you, you gave us something like this?" Boss Wang stood up suddenly, took two steps towards Housekeeper Zhang, and he spoke with a sad face while grabbing his arm. "Boss Wang, if you have something to say, then let''s talk it through calmly. What we gave you was correct. We left the crops in the field for you to harvest. The reason why we didn''t harvest it for you is because we feared that you would suspect that we had reced it with other seeds. You must be aware of how considerate we tried to be." Housekeeper Zhang moved to the side, but he still could not escape from Boss Wang''s grasp, so he could only calmly persuade him. "No, it''s not like that, Housekeeper Zhang. You knew that it would rain, but why didn''t you tell us a few days earlier?" The veins on Boss Wang''s hands were visible; it was evident how tight his grip was. Hearing this, Housekeeper Zhang''s face sank, his eyes widened, and he said, "Boss Wang, what are you talking about? How could we possibly tell you a few days earlier? If we knew about it earlier, we would have harvested it a few days earlier. Take a look at how tired our residents are, andpare their speed to your worker''s speed. Don''t you know how much effort our residents are putting into it? Just now, Boss Jinined that the food our manors gave to our residents was too good. Human hearts are made of flesh1, so how could we not feed them well when they are putting their lives on the line by working so hard for us? The two Zhang and Wang manors wouldn''t be able to mistreat them like that. Even so, the residents would have to rest for a few days before they can recover. My master had already said that in a while, he would give the residents better things. We bought a few sheep, and butchered them for our residents to eat. Where could we find such manor residents as good as them? Look at the workers you hired--- they eat a lot but don''t work that well." "Housekeeper Zhang, don''t be angry. If you have something to say, let''s discuss it. When we sold those shops to you, we made some money---about a thousand or eight hundred taels of silver. We don''t need that money. We will sell you a few more shops. Help us, is there any way to make us lose less?" Boss Lu was afraid that Housekeeper Zhang would be angered and leave at this time, so he walked over, pulled Boss Wang away, and spoke in a quiet voice. "A solution... is hard toe up with. Don''t worry, everyone, the manor won''t just stand by and watch. Come, sit down and let''s talk. Let''s discuss it carefully." House Zhang led Boss Lu Dong to sit on the chair. He started to frown and thought about it. * Over at the Zhang Manor, Wang Juan was adding fillings to a thin in crepe. Seeing that the sky was overcast outside, she happily spoke to Zhang Xiao''bao. "Yeah. Who told them to report false prices and not pay for the freight? Do they really think we''re easily tricked? This time, if I don''t get him to lose a thousand or eight hundred taels of silver, my name, Zhang Xiao''bao, can be written backwards." Zhang Xiao''bao''s child face showed a devious smile as he replied back to her. He didn''t like to eat crepes that were rolled up. He held the crepe in one hand and with the chopsticks in the other hand, he picked up some fillings, and he ate them separately. Spring crepes were usually eaten at the beginning of Spring, but he got people to serve this to residents at this time of the year. Oh, wait, the people here call it a Spring tter. Wang Juan didn''t understand why Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t like rolling it. When she finished rolling the crepe, she saw that Zhang Xiao''bao had eaten more than half of the four inch crepe and had eaten several bites of the filling. She now understood that rolling it was a waste of time. Even when eating the braised shredded pork that carried a little bit of sauce, Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t roll it up. He just held the crepe in his hand and used his chopsticks to pick up the shredded pork. After taking a bite of the crepe, Wang Juan took a bite of the filling. She chewed it a couple of times, and said, "Other than not having the taste of hot sauce, everything else is almost the same." "It''s just the same things, so of course the taste is almost the same." Zhang Xiao''bao picked up his second crepe. "Xiao''bao, even if our people help them harvest, they perhaps won''t be able to finish it by the middle of the night, right? They will still have to lose some." Wang Juan asked puzzledly. Zhang Xiao''bao was still chewing food in his mouth, and he nodded. After he finished swallowing the food, he said, "Of course. If it really doesn''t rain, I will even dy things for them for a while. I thought of the reason already---it''s too tiring to work during the day. This is to help them work desperately." While speaking, Zhang Xiao''bao used his chopsticks to get a little bit of fermented bean curd. He brought it in his mouth, tasted it and smacked his lips a few times. Then, he continued, "I want them to lose a part. The seeds they have bought have been nned for already: they will sell one part to people they have good rtions with, and they will grow the other part themselves. If they lose some, then we don''t need to look for buyers elsewhere. We can kindly sell our seeds to them." "Xiao''bao, you are still that bad, I understand now. The amount you are going to make them lose is exactly the amount of rice that we have left after we have saved some to use as seeds. Come on, Xiao''bao, I''ll give you this piece of stinky tofu as a reward for you.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Human hearts are made of flesh
This means that humans are able to sympathize with others. Book 2: Chapter 69 Book 2: Chapter 69 The food on the table was already cold, and the wine was no longer warm, but no one around the table paid attention to that. Several pairs of eyes looked at Housekeeper Zhang, waiting for him to give them a good idea. "Well, if it was up to me..." When Housekeeper Zhang said this, he stopped, took a piece of deer tendon with his chopsticks, tossed it into his mouth and chewed it, nodding to indicate that it was tasty. "If it was up to me, waiter, warm up the wine again. Don''t you see that it has turned cold? The bosses will not like it when they drink it. Would you be able to afford the losses?" Housekeeper Zhang reached out and poured himself a goblet. As he was talking, he noticed that the wine was not warm anymore, and he shouted out to the waiter by the door. Among these people, Boss Wang was the one who was most prone to being impatient and impulsive. While instructing the waiter, he pushed the te of deer tendons in front of Housekeeper Zhang and then he asked hurriedly. Housekeeper Zhang still drank his goblet of cold wine, and then he picked up a piece of roastedmb chops with his chopsticks. He chewed and spoke in a not quite clear voice, "This is what I''m thinking of, the people you hired, work too slow. How about you hire some people from the Ge Manor? Their manor''s residents have nothing to do, so it''s perfect for them toe over to do work. With more workers, work will be done more quickly. What do you think?" When everyone heard this, they suddenly realized that for this entire time, they were fixated on thinking about how to prevent the rain from falling, and they forgot about looking for more workers. "Good solution. Thank you, Housekeeper Zhang. There aren''t enough people at the Ge Manor, right? It''s better if Housekeeper Zhang helps us find the Zhang and Wang manors'' residents; they''re able to work more quickly." Boss Wang patted his thigh and was thrilled, but then he felt like there was still a shortage of manpower. "Sigh~!" Housekeeper Zhang was troubled and he paused for a while. "It was promised at the beginning that you will be able to earn money. It has been a lot of work for you to arrange people to run around back and forth." "Housekeeper Zhang is benevolent. Don''t worry, we won''t utter a singleint when you need to use us in the future." Boss Lu sighed with emotion. "We of course trust you, however... the Zhang manor''s residents are really tired. There is a Li Manor next to us, how about everyone go there and ask? If we really make our residents work more, they will die from exhaustion. They may be just the manor''s residents, but my master sees them as family. They''re given good food and high wages all because we fear that their life is not good enough. Thinking that they have to go throughborious work again, oh my heart..." Housekeeper Zhang couldn''t talk anymore. He rubbed his nose twice, and wiped the tears with his sleeve. His lips were tightly pursed in a frown and he looked sad. These bosses were not fools. They knew who owned the Li Manor, so how could they have the guts to hire people from there? Well, unless they were tired of living. They looked at Housekeeper Zhang''s expression, and they were speechless. Boss Jin secretly cursed in his heart, Die from exhaustion? What bullshit. How could they die from working for a day? Back then, did they rest for several days after a day of work? All of the residents look so strong and healthy, so how was that even believable. Treating their residents well, feeding them expensive food, and even giving them higher pay? What pay? Which manor out there pays their residents a separate wage for harvesting the fields?'' He was not the only one that had thoughts like this. The others were also scolding the Zhang manor in their hearts, but they still had to speak nicely. Time waits for no one. Boss Lu stared into Housekeeper Zhang''s eyes and asked. Housekeeper Zhang had just wiped off his tears. He blinked a couple of times, and picked up a fish head and put it in his own te. He chewed a few times, and then said to everyone, "This fish is not bad, it''s delicious. Though it''s a pity that my manor''s residents can''t afford to eat this thing. Even though it seems like fish is worthless, it really depends on how the fish is prepared. Fish prepared by the Between The Water and Clouds cost two taels of silver per fish. Everyone, how''s this for a n. There are only three hundred people in my manor that are capable of doing physicalbor. I''ll give you 15 coins for each worker that you hire from elsewhere. Let my people off. Waiter, go to the manager to get five strings of coins. When I get back to the manor, I''ll retrieve the money to pay you back. " Nearing the end of his speech, Housekeeper Zhang gave an order to the waiter who had just delivered hot water and deer tendons. The waiter agreed and turned to leave. Boss Jin quickly stopped him. "Wait there. Where can I even go to find workers? By the time workerse, it will be raining already. Housekeeper Zhang, I''ll pay each of your residents 100 coins. Just for this one evening." "One hundred and fifty coins, and not for the entire night. They will stop working when it starts raining. If they fall ill, the master has to pay for their medicine." Housekeeper Zhang changed the price. "Okay, three hundred people. That''s just a few picul of seeds anyway." Boss Jin gritted his teeth. "Not three hundred. The two manors now have eight hundred people, and children can also help." Housekeeper Zhang refused to give in at this time. "Okay, hurry up. If it''s 800 people, then we will go with 800. A hundred or so taels of silver is better than losing over ten thousand taels worth of seeds." Boss Jin really didn''t want to dy any more time. Any additional words spoken would mean that fewer rice crops are going to be cut. Besides, it was not just a matter of ten thousand taels of silver, because people have paid deposit money for buying their seeds. They would earn tons if they were able to sell, but if they didn''t have seeds to hand to them, then the bosses would have topensate them with even more money. "The matter should not be dyed. Let''s go. Everyone can go to the Ge Manor to find out about their pricing. Waiter, bring this recently served te of deer tendon to the master household. The Young Master and Young Miss love eating this." Housekeeper Zhang was happy at this time, and he walked outside first, as if he was more anxious than others. The bosses didn''t have time to think about how shameless Housekeeper Zhang was for taking the dish as soon as it was served. Are the people in the Zhang Manor that poor? When they were outside, everyone saw that it was cloudy and since it was dusk, the sky was already dark. Two people went to the Ge Manor to find someone to discuss the price, and the remaining people looked at Housekeeper Zhang. "Oh, it''s dark out already. What should be done? We have to lightnterns. A fire might start if torches are used." Housekeeper Zhang looked at the sky and said embarrassedly. "Then lightnterns. Isn''t it easy to buynterns?" Boss Wang asked anxiously. "Let''s go to the grocery store. The time is too rushed, I wonder if they still have any there." Housekeeper Zhang said, striding towards the grocery store. The others followed closely. When he arrived at the ce, Housekeeper Zhang shouted to the Er''gou, who walking around in the market. "Er''gou, are there anynterns? I need... 400. Everyone, should even the elders in the manor work too?" One of the bosses spoke. He didn''t have the time to haggle the price and he let Housekeeper Zhang do whatever he wanted. Even if he brought pigs over and the pigs needednterns too and knew how to light up thentern, then he would also hire the pigs for 150 coins each. "Huh? Housekeeper Zhang, why do you want so manynterns? This...?" "Don''t ask this and that. Tell me upfront, are there or are there not?" Housekeeper Zhang interrupted Er''gou impatiently, and forced him to answer. "Yes. There are exactly 450nterns, but someone else has already ordered them, and they have to be sent off tomorrow morning. If I gave them to you, then...?" Without waiting for Er''gou to finish speaking, Boss Wang stepped forward in front of Er''gou and shouted out his question, "How much is the total? We will cover the loss you suffer. Hurry up and get thenterns. And the candles too." "Okay, I''ll go get them now. They cost 200 coins each, and eachnternes with ten candles. Let me tell you, that wax..." "I''m begging you, hurry up and go get them." Boss Wang was on the verge of crying. Er''gou was sensible this time, and in a blink of an eye, he ran to the grocery store, where there seemed to be people waiting already. People went in and out, and within an hour, 450nterns were set up with lit candles inside. The young and old males and females of the manor also came out at this time and waited there. Their level of efficiency was so high. As the bosses watched, they could fill their heart dripping with blood. If they didn''t make preparations in advance, how could they be so fast? However, those people were empty-handed. "Housekeeper Zhang, they came empty-handed?" A boss asked with staring eyes. "Oh no, they are so problematic. Who was the one who went to gather them? Didn''t I say that they''reing here to harvest the field? Did you forget to tell them? Er''gou, do you sell sickles here? It''s the kind of thing that we specifically designed, which is better than the ones used elsewhere. We need... five hundred. Calcte how much that costs, and then the bosses will pay for it." Housekeeper Zhang was also very upset, and he shouted at Er''gou. When he saw Er''gou go in to get the sickle, he shouted at the residents, "Everyone heard me. You''re here to help harvest the rice crops. Each person will be paid 150 coins. As long as you''re a person, then you will be paid. Once the work is done, remember to ce the sickles at the same ce, these sickles...." "Housekeeper Zhang, look, the sickles are here, so let''s get working first, okay?" Boss Jin was also unnerved, and he felt more and more anxious. "Grab a sickle and get to work. The children can watch the pile, while the elders and females can hold thenterns." Housekeeper Zhang immediately shouted out. Those people were not slow, and they ran over to fetch the item that corresponded with the division ofbor. When they began working, Housekeeper Zhang wiped the sweat that formed because of the sultriness, and he said to the owners, "Everyone, I will let people prepare meals ording to what was served at noon. We''ll remove the fungus soup, so you can save a little bit of money. How about recing it withmb?" The Ge Manor did not have as many people, and only 100 people came. As for how much money was spent on hiring them, Housekeeper Zhang didn''t care about that. It was considered as helping them to earn more ie. "Housekeeper Zhang, I''ll ept it this time, but don''t worry, I will never target the Zhang and Wang manors again." The boss surnamed Lu looked at the people harvesting, and said to Housekeeper Zhang beside him.
Trantor''s NoteMini ading through! Please check out the Chinese sci-fi novel that I picked up recently that is written by a Hugo Award winning author, Book 2: Chapter 70 Book 2: Chapter 70 Just as Zhang Xiao''bao nned, by the time the hundreds of people harvested more than half of the fields in a hurry, rain came crashing down. The workers immediately left the fields and hid in the tents specially set up for them and they ate the prepared food. The masters of the Zhang and Wang manors also gave wine to their own residents to drink. The cost was covered by the manors, and the bosses didn''t need to pay for it. The children and the elderly were also given an extra portion of porridge cooked with pine flower egg and lean meat. This was also provided by the manors. Of course, the money used to pay for this extra food was already earned back through tripling the work price. However, the Ge family''s residents and hired workers didn''t agree with this. The Ge family''s residents know that they can''tpare their own manor to the other two manors, and they have long been used to it. Fortunately, the food was good; they were given two dishes and one soup. They pretended that they didn''t see that there were others who had five dishes. The workers were also given two dishes and one soup. This time, no oneined and they thought it would be the same as noon. When they saw wine, the more curious ones asked about it, and they learned that it was provided by the masters of their manors. Each and everyone of the workers were both envious and jealous. They were also residents, but they were from manors in the San''shui County. They had already heard that the masters of the two Zhang and Wang manors were good to their residents, but they didn''t think much of it before. Now that they have seen it with their own eyes, they wished that they could immediately be a resident of either one of the manors here. Some people who ran slowly werergely drenched, so they were pulled into a small separate tent so that they could put on new clothes. "This brother here, I saw that those two manor''s residents all wear the same clothing, why is that? Other than the different characters on their chest, the workmanship and the fabric came from the same ce, right?" A worker watched those who had changed their clothese out. Even those that didn''t get changed were also given a set of clothing to hold onto. The worker asked a Ge manor resident who was next to him. "You only noticed this just now? It''s been like this for so many days already. Didn''t you see the people who were handing out the clothes looking at something under the light? They were looking at the name on the clothes. They first got someone to measure each person''s body and record down their name, and then they went to the clothing store to get the outfits made. The same fabric, the same style, and the outfits only differed between men and women. All of the cost was paid by their masters. Even the shoes too." This Ge manor resident watched other people drink wine, yet he could only take a sip of the soup. He answered his question. "They''re that good? How about your manor?" The asker looked at the happy appearance of the Zhang and Wang manors'' residents and enviously asked the Ge manor''s resident. "Things are not bad for us too. The amount of grains that we have to pay this year is reduced by half. Yesterday, our master sent someone to measure our body size too. The shoe sizes were also sent. We will be able to put on new clothes in a few days. This is thanks to their two manors." The Ge manor resident was equally happy when he talked about clothes. The asker was stunned for a moment, "Why didn''t you thank your master, but instead you thanked the other two manors?" "Without them, we wouldn''t have had a good harvest. Without the Between The Water And Clouds and the market, our master would not have thought of us. Our master was afraid that we would run away, so he could only learn from their masters. It''s not just our Ge Manor that is like this, but also the nearby Li Manor." The Ge manor residents have long since understood this point. The kids on the manor went to the Zhang and Wang manor''s school to study. Now their master had agreed with the other side to send the food to their manor and let them cook it. Although it was slightly worse than the other side''s food, it was still much better than the meal the children would have brought from home. The asker heard other people enjoying their meal, and he didn''t bother to say anything else. He lowered his head and focused intently on eating. It was not easy to have a good meal. If they were allowed to take the food home, it would be even better. Compared with the leisurely working people, the ten plus grain shop owners were listless and sad at the same time. "We still couldn''t harvest everything. What should we do nows? Let''s see how much there is in total. Worsees to worse, we won''t nt any ourselves. Hopefully there is enough to give to others, otherwise we will have to lose a lot of money." Sitting in the tent, Boss Wang watched others eat and drink. He couldn''t stomach any of the food in front of him. He drank tworge bowls of wine, drooped his face, and he seemed to be muttering to himself. "It seems that there is not enough. Even if we don''t nt any ourselves, we still have to pay otherspensation. If we do the calctions, it would be about six thousand taels. We already imprinted our finger prints onto the documents. How much can we make from the rest? Six thousand taels, and we still need to pay the workers. It costs more than 600 taels to pay for thenterns, meals, and sickles. The sickles are good and are very efficient, so they can''t possibly be sold for just one tael each, right?" Boss Lu heard what Boss Wang said, and he also stood to the side and started calcting how much money they would lose this time. The other people have heard what he said too. After so many days of struggling, not only did they not earn a profit, but they also had to pay money. It was not that they didn''t have the money to pay, but it was an embarrassment. "Everyone, listen to me. Do not worry. Isn''t there still a section that is not harvested yet? How about this, we will still use the originally agreed price of sixty-five coins, and we will help you recover the amount you lost. Don''t forget that our manors also collected some rice during the day. I think that if we subtract out the amount that we need to save as seeds, it would be the same amount that you didn''t manage to harvest." Housekeeper Zhang listened on the side and exined his Young Master''s arrangement in a timely manner. He had an almost blind admiration for his Young Master and Young Miss--- what was the end result for every single person that came to cause them trouble? Just like what his Young Miss said, that small bridge was the Nai''he Bridge1. Those who do good will be able to reincarnate as a good person, while those who do evil will be thrown into a pot of oil and be tortured. Heaven and hell was separated by just a single thought, and there was no escape. The grain shop owners didn''t know what Housekeeper Zhang was thinking, but when they saw there was hope, they were happy again. "Housekeeper Zhang, what you said is true?" Boss Jin asked carefully with a look of expectation. "It''s true. The Zhang and Wang manors are not nning to harm you. You can harvest the rest and still be able to earn money. The sickles are also good; take them back and use them. They''re better than the original ones." Housekeeper Zhang said sincerely. "Good people, you are all good people. We are the bad ones. We didn''t have any good intentions when we came here. Should we still give you shops in the Capital City in exchange? Don''t worry, we won''t lie about a single coin this time. We will report the price as is." At this time, Boss Wang interjected. They no longer had to paypensation money, and they would be able to earn a bit and not lose pride. In the future, he will nevere here to cause trouble again. The manors here were too wicked. Housekeeper Zhang smiled, and said, "You can give us anything. Choose whatever is convenient for you. The manor will collect whatever you give. Oh, the rice that has been soaked in the rain--- what do you n to do with it? If you''re willing to sell it to our manor, we will use it to make wine yeast starter. As for the price...?" "It''s fine to sell it at the price of normal grain, or perhaps lower than that." When Boss Jin looked at the rice, which would be hard to sell after transporting it away, he quickly offered a price. Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao had just finished their studies and were chatting on the couch. "There''s one more thing. Just now, the housekeeper got someone to report back that those owners are willing to sell the rice that has been drenched in rain." Zhang Xiao''bao thought about it, and this was the only arrangement left for him to finish. "Aren''t we saving it for making wine starters?" This was what Wang Juan had nned. "I don''t want to use such good grains to make wine. Before we leave tomorrow morning, get people to bring the rice back. Once the rice is steamed, it can be used to make rice cakes or popped rice. The grains are better than normal rice. Whether it''s making wine starters or using it to make wine, it''s still a waste. Hmm, make more popped rice and then mix it with sugar. Compared to the amount we will earn selling rice seeds at the Little Luo''shuiter on, we will probably earn around the same amount selling sugar coated popped rice." Zhang Xiao''bao turned over and said to Wang Juan. Wang Juan stretched out her hand to pinch Zhang Xiao''bao''s face, "Let me take a closer look at you. Why are you so smart? People bought it at the price for seeds, but you bought it back from them at the ordinary price for grains, and then after processing them, you can sell them at the price of seeds again. If they know what you did, they will die from regret." "This is the difference between raw material supply and processed products. What we have to do in the future is to find more processing methods. Go to bed; we need to get up early tomorrow, and we will go to Little Luo''shui after making the arrangement. We can get a boat, and I''ll row the boat while you can just sit. I''m really good at rowing. I can make the boat dock sideways with just a swing of the oar." "Stop bluffing. Are those people who earn a living on the river not better than you? Can you swing with a single oar and send the boat off the shore?" Wang Juan replied. "That, I can''t, can you?" Zhang Xiao''bao admitted his shorings. "Of course, I just need to push against the shore with an oar and then in just a bit, I can send the boat away from the shore." The surface of the water rippled as the boat passed by; a handful of bread crumbs caused fish to gather together. The fairnd in the painting was once far away; the dreand in the poem was never encountered. The thin dark clouds pierced through the sunlight; the surging blue water reflected the residual green. The crowd of chirps indicated their direction of flight; the autumn geese flew in two lines across the river and through the rain. Early in the morning, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan woke up and rushed to the Little Luo''shui River, and arrived there at noon. They were there just in time to see the sun shining through the clouds, while the rain drizzled down like silk threads. The boats were swaying as the fish peeped out their heads, the geese called in the empty sky, and groups of people were heading south. "It''s so beautiful. Xiao''bao, make a camera. I want to take a photo of this sight. It is really beautiful. Look at the mountain and water, it seems fake---it seems like a watercolorndscape painting." "A camera is not good. It''s better to film it, which would be more artistic and you don''t need to do any follow-up processing after importing it into theputer. Alright, that''s decided. The scenery here needs to be maintained. Once we create one, we will film this ce." Zhang Xiao''bao still had a bit of sense in him and he knew that this idea was simr to dreaming. "Let''s go. What do you think we should say once we arrive at the ce where talented men and women gather and hangout?" Wang Juan watched the wild geese leave, and she pulled Zhang Xiao''bao to the shore. She nned to go to the First Near Water. "Is it possible to say we''re just taking a look, we won''t talk'' ?" Zhang Xiao''bao replied seriously. Trantor''s Notes
  1. Nai''he Bridge
This is the bridge one must cross when entering the Underworld.(back in , Wang Juan mentioned she etched the drawings of the guardians of the Underworld, the Ox-head and Horse-face, on the Little Bridge). Book 2: Chapter 71 Book 2: Chapter 71 In the light rain, the pier was still a lively scene as usual. The people who carried cargo had a rough rag around their shoulders, and they loaded a bag onto each. After making a grunting noise, they held onto the bags with their hands, and walked away. "Those people are just dockers, Xiao''bao, what are you looking at? Could it be that you did that kind of work before?" Wang Juan knew that the ratio between a docker''s workload and ie seemed to be rtively unproportional whenpared to others, but she couldn''t stop them from working because it was a form of ie after all. Seeing Zhang Xiao''bao stunned in ce there, she thought that he was reminiscing about the past. Zhang Xiao''bao shook his head, "No, I have never done this kind of work before, but if I had to do, I would do it." "Then what are you looking at? Do you feel bad for them?" Wang Juan guessed.posted on "They''re not pitiful. What''s so pitiful about earning money with their own hands? I''m wondering whether the efficiency can be improved. The train station and wharf back in our times have more advanced equipment, and the throughput is tens of thousands of times higher." At this moment, Zhang Xiao''bao''s eyes did not continue to stare at the people carrying the freight, and he scanned the t ground beside the pier with his eyes. "If you can make those equipment, why don''t you help me make abine harvester? I will open a refinery for you." Wang Juan finally found a chance to retaliate. "Do you really not know that you can change it from being automatic to manual? A simpler one would be a pulley system. There is no need for high-speed bearings; wooden wheels can rotate, and ones made from iron could too. The gear mesh does not need to be so tight, and the quality does not have to be every high. If necessary, they can be reced every time they''re damaged. It''s still better than getting people to carry the freight bit by bit." Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t n to make any high-tech equipment. As long as there is a lifting device and a horizontal conveyor, the efficiency can be improved by a lot. The gears don''t need a high degree of tightness. They can just make more of them and use whichever ones that seem to work. After grinding the gears a bit, the mesh would be better anyways. Wang Juan was better at physics than Zhang Xiao''bao since he never studied it systematically. Once she heard this idea and thought about it, she felt that it was actually feasible. It was nothing more than creating a strong frame with chains and gears on it. Wooden wheels could turn, norias can turn, so why can''t the wheels be made of iron? Whether it was crafted by hand or casted by pouring molten iron, it was not a problem, however, the problem was that the chain seems to be not flexible enough. With uncertainty, she asked Zhang Xiao''bao, "Are you sure you can make an iron chain? Then we could also make a bicycle." "Can''t we just use ropes? Hearing you ask that, I can tell that iron chains can''t be made. If iron doesn''t work, then how about copper?" Zhang Xiao''bao really didn''t understand anything that involved junior high level of education or higher, so he could only ask Wang Juan for advice. Wang Juan thought for a moment, and said, "Iron, copper, rope---all of these don''t really matter, we just have to find someone to do it for us. For example, when iron is forged well, then its quality is good. What about the workers on the wharf? Many people will be unemployed when the wharf''s throughput efficiency increases." "Workers will continue to be workers. The loading of the dock still needs people. After getting familiar with the system, these workers are the most important. For example, handling the distribution of goods, or tying ropes--- these are all areas of knowledge. Additionally, once the throughput of the wharf is increased, more people will be attracted to this ce, and there will be more freight. Won''t we still need experienced workers to transport freight even if we use these equipment to transport the goods to the shore?" Zhang Xiao''bao thought more thoroughly than Wang Juan in this regard. Wang Juan was not stupid, and after thinking about it for a bit, she stared at Zhang Xiao''bao and said, "I get it now. You''re saying that we are not giving up the original industry, but we''re adding a department and creating additional job positions for people. What you want them to do is..." "In the future, for the logistics part, these people will not only help us manage short-term transportation around the terminal, but also help us collect information. Just like the pricing power at the manor''s market, I want to know the prices of various items at different locations within the shortest amount of time." Zhang Xiao''bao was ustomed to holding information in his own hands. Now that he had to take so many factors into consideration, he had long felt exhausted. He only dared to ce his chess pieces in one county because he didn''t have much information to support him. He could not make more urate judgments and long-term decisions. For him, enemies were not scary because they were strong, but they were scary because of the unknowns. "Your ambitions are really not small, huh? You even want to use this ce. What do you want to do?" When Wang Juan heard about collecting intelligence, her mind became energetic since she used to deal with this. In fact, she was more keen than Zhang Xiao''bao. Zhang Xiao''bao only wanted to control the information, while she used to be responsible for collecting the information. "I''m not going to do anything. Didn''t someone say that when give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to ce it, and I shall move the world''? Then what I want to say is, give me urate information, and I shall disrupt the universe, and dominate the air and the sea. Regardless of what, having control over information is the true victory." "You''re talking about controlling sea power? Howrge is your ambition?" Wang Juan understood what he was talking about. "My ambition is that there wille a day when I can eat what I want, wear what I want to wear, and do that thing when I want to do that thing." Zhang Xiao''bao said yearningly. "What thing?" Wang Juan looked at Zhang Xiao''bao with an unusual look in her eyes. "The range of this is quite broad, for example, the1......" "Can you speak human words? I already know that you have roamed all over the world before for a while, so don''t try to show up in front of me, you know1?" "Ye~!......" "Zhang Xiao''bao!" "Ok, I get it. Just things like when drinking soy milk, I can make it with white sugar whenever I want white sugar or brown sugar whenever I want brown sugar." Zhang Xiao''bao looked at Wang Juan''s disdainful gaze, and he finally admitted that sometimes working hard and putting in effort could only put a person on par with a genius. He remembered that Wang Juan was proficient in thenguages of nine countries, and some regional dialects. When this kind of person existed in the world, he announced to the world that sess or failure was determined by the one percent of talent. "Zhang Xiao''bao, let me solemnly tell you now, I won''t let you to think of anything else." Wang Juan said with a stern voice. Zhang Xiao''bao nodded, "I didn''t think about anything else. I''ll tell you the truth and I''m not afraid that you wouldugh at me, but I tried hard to live just to fulfill my Dean Grandfather''sst wish, and I still don''t know what love is." posted on "You give me candy, I give you fun things to y with, and when the disaster strikes, you will reach out a hand to me---this is love." Wang Juan thought for a bit and then she replied. "What if I don''t want to hurt you, so I let go." "That''s coldheartedness." "Shouldn''t it be like that folk''s song from a hundred years ago, Unless the mountains disappear, unless the sky and earthe together, I will not abandon my feelings for you''?" Zhang Xiao''bao thought hard, and finally came up with a better line to describe it. Wang Juan was amused. "Shallow. What are you talking about? When we get---no, starting from tonight, I get you to read ssic of Poetry''. I''ll let you know what that song means by, Oh Heaven High, I desire to meet you.summer rain snow.I will not abandon my feelings for you''." "Who are you calling shallow? What about male hierarchy?" Zhang Xiao''bao had never heard this long line before; he always thought there were only those two lines. He stared at her with displeasure and spoke. "Who do you think I''m talking about? What hierarchy?" Wang Juan stared back. "Yeah, that''s right. Nothing about hierarchy, you misheard. I meant to say Meng Po soup at the Nai''He bridge2. Stabbing pains of sorrow when looking back while holding a bowl. Who said that in this lifetime, it is easy to forget one another. Only hoping that in the next life, I can lie by your side''." Zhang Xiao''bao responded quickly and recited a line. "So are you saying that I had a rtionship with you in myst life or before?" Wang Juanughed at what Zhang Xiao''bao said. "Fated or not, cultivate for a hundred years to sleep on the same pillow. Sleep on the same pillow. Heavy rain crashing down, holding an umbre. Holding an umbre in the sea of people, not meeting each other. Not meeting each other, the magpies flew away and the moon waned." Zhang Xiao''bao immediately changed the topic, and continued to babble on. Wang Juan stretched out her hand to cover his mouth, and then she leaned her head onto Zhang Xiao''bao''s shoulder. She spoke with a quiet voice, "You little smoothtalker. Tell me, how many girls have you tricked?" "Why would I con girls? I have been targeting men the whole time." "Xiao''bao, let''s not talk. Let''s go to the First Near Water first. I want to eat some ginger, I feel nauseated." "Don''t you throw up on me. I wonder what you are thinking of in your head all day long." "Brother Jia, you arete. You need to drink a goblet of wine first as a punishment. It''s fine if you neglect us, but you can''t make the beautifuldies wait, or else that would be a serious sin." The person referred to as Brother Jia scanned his eyes across the room and saw the woman next to the resident turn her head. Without saying another word, he took the goblet into his hand, raised his head and drank the entire goblet. Then, he said, "A goblet of wine is also a goblet with weight; tens of thousands of emotions yearning for a beautiful maiden." "Good poetry." As soon as the person surnamed Jia had finished speaking, someone shouted loudly there. "Brother Wei''ran really has good literary talent, and after a goblet of wine, a wave of poems poured out from you." Another person also praised him. Judging by what he called the man, it was evident that the rtionship between these two was closer. Jia Wei''ran didn''t act cocky. He respectfully made a greeting gesture with his hands. He raised his head, and just when he was ready to wee the attention of the beautiful maiden, he realized that she had her head turned away and she was looking at the scenery outside, leaving only her graceful back facing towards him. "Brother Wei''ran, hurry, hurry, sit here." The person who seemed to be closer to Jia Wei''ran raised his hand to greet him, but Jia Wei''ran did not walk to him. Instead, he walked to another window. He rejected them with the expression in his eyes and sat down. "Xiao''ying, there is no scenery to look at outside. It''s better to talk about poetry together than to watch those ill-mannered and naked individuals work, right?" As soon as he sat down, Jia Wei''ran spoke to the woman who was sitting at the other window. Unfortunately, the woman did not turn her head, and all he could see was the side of her face. Just when he was going to continue to talk, another person appeared at the door, and it seemed like he heard Jia Weiran''s words just now. He said in response, "What Brother Jia had said is wrong. Why are the people down there naked? Are they not wearing pants? They also have a piece of linen cloth draped on their shoulders. In my opinion, that piece of linen cloth is better looking than some people''s cloth hats. What does everyone else think?" "Oh, Young Master Han is here." "I didn''t expect that Young Master Han would make an appearance at the party here today, it is an honor for all of us." "Young Master Han,e and sit here." The people sitting down seemed to know the neer at the door, and they all greeted him. The person standing at the door nodded with a smile. He didn''t wait for others to punish him with a goblet of alcohol and he poured a goblet for himself, "I arrivedte by a moment, I deserve punishment." After talking and drinking, he walked to the window again. He stood behind Jia Wei''ran, and looked down at the scene below and said, "I have a few doggerel verses that I can recite to everyone just for fun. The tides on the two shores of the Luo''shui rise, leaves yellow in autumn and are few in the four seasons. Can more be eaten when the five grains are insufficient? Why bother with making prayers if harvests were bountiful? Seven turns and eight twists to enter this ce. Nine hu, ten piculs carried by hundreds of shoulders. Millions of workers gather like ants. Tens of millions ofmoners receive millet rice. Ten boats travelled to nine viges to make deliveries. Eight li and seven journeys arrived in twelve hours. Five ssics and four virtues are forgotten to be mentioned today, and one person mocks with a few words and lines?" The person surnamed Jia was not bad and he understood what Han Xuan''feng meant. He was saying that when this river arrives in the autumn, themoners of the San''shui County will no longer have grains, so why would they care so much about being properly dressed while rushing to transport the grains. Millions of people work together to deliver grains tomoners. Even if it was night, they will still be making deliveries. Only those that forget about the righteousness of fathers, the kindness of mothers, the respect between brothers and friends, and the four merits of gentlemen would try to show off their knowledge and ridicule those people. Unable to resist the anger in his heart, he turned around and charged towards the person surnamed Han. Naturally, the people around would not let him seed. While pulling onto him, everyone praised Han Xuan''feng''s doggerel. "It''s so lively here; there are so many people. Xiao''bao,e in. Brothers and sisters, keep talking. We''re not here to cause trouble; we''re just taking a look. We won''t talk. We even brought our own stool." When those people were tugging and pulling at each other, Wang Juan pulled Zhang Xiao''bao into the room. She smiled shyly at others, and exined as she dragged Zhang Xiao''bao in. Both of them were each carrying a foldable stool, and they both ran to the corner to sit there.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. "For example, the.", "you know"
For these two lines, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan are actually speaking English.
  1. Meng''po soup at Nai''he Bridge
Meng''po soup is given to people before they cross the Nai''he Bridge in the underworld so that they can forget about the past life when they were alive and then reincarnate.
  1. Hu
A measuring unit for volume. Ten 10 dou makes 1 hu. Book 2: Chapter 72 Book 2: Chapter 72 Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan wanted to see the excitement, so they came over with their foldable stools. They ced the stools in the corner of the room and they sat next to each other. While hugging a pouch in their arms, they blinked their big eyes as they watched the group of people. Now those schrs were stunned, and Jia did not try to fight Han anymore. Even the few women who were standing on the side to watch themotion earlier had now curiously turned their eyes to the two children who came in suddenly. When Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao came here, they changed their clothes in a small house that was reserved for the Zhang and Wang families. Unlike before, Wang Juan was now wearing a pink skirt that was pulled up to her underarms. Her shoulder and arms were covered by a thin cropped robe. Her slippers were modified ording to her own design and it had little pompoms. Her hair was down, and arge bow was ced obliquely on the loose hair. She even used two small bamboo pieces to curl her eyshes, and since it was not fixed with mascara, hershes appeared very natural. These two styles of clothes were slightly different from the current ones here. Fortunately, all kinds of clothes were worn by people during this time period. There were plenty of weird styled ones, so there was no need to worry about bing aughing stock. In the eyes of others, the way they dressed was overly cute. In particr, some of the women were looking at these two interesting little kids without even blinking. If it weren''t for the fact that they were concerned that their guardian woulde over, they really wanted to hug and kiss them right now. "Little brother, little sister, how did you get up here? How old are you?" A woman did not hug them, but instead, she bent down and asked with a soft tone. This ce on the third floor was not easy to enter. The entire third floor has only four such rooms, and were specially designed so thatrge sections of the upper floor protruded out from the building. Below the protruding area was basically empty. Each of the four corners on the third floor was designed like this, so the entire third floor was circr. There were windows all around so more of the outdoor scenery could be seen. This was the second best room. From here, the river, the mountains, and the wharf can be seen. There was a room outside that connected to here and in order to enter the private room, one would have to walk through the outside room first. There was a waiter in that room to guard the ce. The two children definitely did not pass through the room simply because the waiter was cking off and didn''t see them. This meant that the two children often appeared in this ce and the waiter recognized them, so they must have a bit of money in their family. Looking at the clothing they wore, the entire outfit would cost 20-30 taels of silver. In particr, the clothing that was half draped and half worn by the little girl subtly revealed her fair skin, but upon closer inspection, that area of the skin was actually covered by threeyers of sheer cloth. The woman wanted to know what the two children''s families did for a living because she didn''t want to say the wrong thing and anger the two little kids. "This beautiful sister, we walked up here with our legs. We are four years old this year." Wang Juan replied and gave her a sweet smile. What she said was not wrong. Going by their fake age''1 , they were indeed four years old. In a few days, after the New Year passes, they will be three years old. Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t say anything at this time. He felt ufortable talking to others like this. He didn''t want to pretend to be a child except when necessary or when he was with his family. He liked letting his grandparents or parents hold him and kiss him. However, Wang Juan was reluctant to ept this and she even said that Zhang Xiao''bao had Abandoned Child Syndrome. "Four years old? You''re so smart already. Then tell older sister, what do you want to look at here? Won''t the people in your family worry about you two?" The woman was praised by the little girl so she felt happy. She thought that the children were telling the truth, and never would she have imagined that these two children sitting in the corner were able to raise the wind and summon rain2 in the San''shui County, and were secretly supporting the Zhang and Wang manors, and used the the small bridge as the boundary line to keep troublemakers out. "Not scared. We will go back when the timees. We didn''t run off randomly. We''re here to just look, we won''t interrupt." Wang Juan was still disying a sweet smile. This was the first time she and Zhang Xiao''bao have traveled this far so she was happy. "Oh, then don''t sit in the corner. Come here, eat something. See if there''s anything you like to eat. The food at the First Near Water is almost just as good as the food in big restaurants in the Capital, and there are some signature dishes here that are not avable elsewhere. Come,e to older sister." The woman beckoned, and regardless of whether the two children could understand her words or not, she still introduced it to them. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan stayed in the same ce. No one else could do anything. If someone else suddenly entered the room, they would kick the person out andin to the waiter. However, seeing that these were two cute children, it was hard for them to kick them out and neither did they want the waiter to take the two children away. At this time, Young Master Jia saw that the beautiful woman of his heart was also staring at the children. He could only temporarily give up his attack on Han. This was mainly because he knew that he couldn''t win him in a physical fight or in a literarypetition. The only strength he had was that his family''s status was better. Thinking of his familys status made him feel better. If San''shui County was good, then his life would be better and better. With this in mind, he changed his angry appearance and said to the beautiful woman of his heart, "Xiao''ying, take a look down there and see if there is anything that you don''t agree with. Later I will get people to correct it." "Young Master Jia, what you''re saying is that you want to manage other people''s property? They bought that ce, so how could you change it ording to your own wants?" Young Master Han seemed to dislike this Young Master Jia. Other people did not dare to speak like that. When the woman named Xiao''ying heard his words, she nodded in agreement. "Indeed. After this wharf was built here, the lives of the people of the San''shui County have improved. I think it''s pretty good. I really want to change something. How about repairing the road? In particr, the area following the bridge. More stones can beid so that the delivery of goods will not be dyed after the snow melts." "What Xiao''ying said is correct. It needs to be repaired, the road needs to be repaired. The cost should be covered by the wharf since the road was ruined because of them transporting goods. In a few days, I''ll get them to repair it. Not only will they repair it, but they also have to build an Imperial Road''3." Young Master Jia agreed without even thinking about it. He acted as if he was the decision maker for the San''shui County. Wang Juan, who was sitting in the corner, did not agree with what he said and she muttered to Zhang Xiao''bao, "The person surnamed Jia is quite cocky. He wants to build an Imperial Road, what, does he think he''s the Emperor?" She said this in a quiet voice, but everyone was thinking about what Jia said and the room was quieter, so it happened that what she said was heard. Perhaps Wang Juan did this deliberately. Jia Wei''ran nced at the two children. He didn''t like children. He stared at Wang Juan and said, "Little girl, you don''t know who I am? Ask the adults in your family. How dare you talk to me like this?" "Don''t dare. I wasn''t talking about you, I was talking to Xiao''bao." Wang Juan said aggrievedly, showing a trace of fear in her expression. "Young Master Jia, she''s just a child, why are you being like this? Little sister, so his name is Xiao''bao, then what''s your name? It''s noon already so you must be hungry. Come and see what you want to eat, older sister will give it to you." The woman on the side couldn''t bear watching this. How could he scare little children like this? Furthermore, little children don''t understand much. Wang Juan was not that scared this time. "Sister, my name is Juan''juan. We brought food ourselves." Seeing that they refused again, the beautiful female schrs didn''t bother them anymore. While they ate, they chatted about random things. asionally, a few of the women would nce at Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. Jia Wei''ran originally wanted to talk to Xiao''ying more, but he found that Xiao''ying was always looking at those two children, and this made him feel angry. He saw that the two children took something out of a greased paper packet, and it seemed to be a kind of smoked ham. For sure, it was not beef. He ced a piece of braised beef on the te and said to Zhang Xiao''bao, "Your name is Xiao''bao, right? Don''t eat that thing. Come over here and eat good food. I have braised beef here, actual beef, you normally wouldn''t be able to eat it. The color of your braised pork does not look good." Zhang Xiao''bao raised his head helplessly, and he held the meat in his hands so that people could see it. "Beef is really hard toe by. It would be troublesome to kill cows directly. You can eat it. It''s fine for us to just eat smoked venison." "Everyone, eat. Don''t worry about him. He doesn''t know what is pork and what is venison, let alone smoked and braised." Young Master Han spoke with a light, carefree tone, and two women couldn''t help butugh. Jia Wei''ran''s face turned green because his pride was lost. He said that the meat in their hands was not good, and he wanted to give them beef, but it turned out that they were eating venison. The preciousness of beef lies in the livestock used for farming, but it was notparable to that of venison. Huh? Looking closely, the venison meat was taken from the neck and there were also tendons in it. Just one slice of the venison meat they were eating was enough to buy a few dishes on the table. If he was unlucky, this embarassing gossip would spread to everyone. Huh? What is that? The little girl took out a thick bamboo tube. Was it because she wanted to drink water? While Jia Wei''ran was feeling upset, he saw Wang Juan taking out a thick bamboo tube, and then he nced at the young bamboo shoot and chicken soup on the table. Finally, he felt that he had a chance to regain some pride, and he said, "Juan''juan, don''t drink water. Come and drink this soup. Fresh young bamboo shoots are not easy to store until this time of the year." "Not drinking water, eating something." Wang Juan exined in a quiet voice. She grabbed arge chunk of soaked fungus from the bamboo tube. It was only one piece of fungus but it was the size of a small bowl. She took a bite and then fed some to Zhang Xiao''bao and he took a bite of it. "Hahahahahaha..." Young Master Han finally couldn''t hold hisughter in anymore. He pointed at Jia Wei''ran with one finger and held his belly with the other. Not just him, but everyone elseughed too. One person squatted on the ground, and even though he grabbed at his own hair, he still couldn''t stop his ownughter.<> Trantor''s Notes
  1. Fake age
It is tradition to consider a new born baby as one year old, so a year is added to their age.
  1. Raise the wind and summon rain
This is a Chinese proverb describing a person who is very powerful/ influential
  1. Imperial Road
A road for the Emperor to walk on Book 2: Chapter 73 Book 2: Chapter 73 From the very beginning, everyone had guessed that the conditions of the two children''s families were good, but they didn''t expect it to be this good. If it was just venison, then it would be fine, but they even had such big fungus. Seeing that they took bites after bites and finished it in a short period of time, everyone felt that it was a pity since a piece of fungus like that could be cooked into arge te of stir-fry or make several portions of soup. Yet, it was given to the two children to eat just like that. How much money do they have in their family since they were able to obtain such arge piece of fungus? Since it was eaten raw by the children, then it must mean that their family definitely did not care about the cost. Although Jia Wei''ran could hear other people''sughter, he was no longer angry. His only concern was that the children would tell their parents what he had just said. He still had no clue which families the two children belonged to. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan took out another equallyrge piece of fungus. The bamboo tube was empty now, so they put it aside. The two of them ate this as well, and then they took out garlic. Everyone was stunned. There was nothing special about garlic since a lot of people liked to eat garlic. Some people would even ask if there was any garlic whenever they go to eat, and they would eat it if there were any. However, everyone''s facial expressions changed again when the two children took out tworge chilled shrimps that were almost four inches long after they finished eating the garlic. It was shocking to see suchrge shrimps being eaten cold. If this was anyone else who were from ordinary families, they would be saddened to see this. Normally, ordinary people would only be able to eat shrimps that were about an inch long. There were plenty of ways to prepare a shrimp thisrge, and certainly, chilling the shrimp after it was cooked would not be one of them. What is luxury? This is it---using precious ingredients to make simple dishes. Being subtle was the true symbol of wealth. Everyone watched the two children finish eating these things. When they thought there was nothing left to eat, Zhang Xiao''bao took out two more bamboo tubes from his own bag and from the tube, he took out two cucumbers with thorns and a flower on the top. After pulling it out, he didn''t bother with washing them. He rubbed the thorns off with his hands, and then he took arge bite and chewed it in his mouth. "I picked it from the nt. If Sister wants to eat it, here, I have two more." Wang Juan took out two more bamboo tubes from Zhang Xiao''bao''s bag, stood up, ran to the table, and stood on her toes to ce them onto the table in front of Xiao''ying. "We''re asking you where it is sold at, can you tell Brother?" Right after Jia Wei''ran questioned her, he suddenly thought of the two little kids'' parents, and he changed to a kinder sounding tone. "Not selling, no matter the price. Wait for the winter." Wang Juan said as she walked to the corner. "You live in San''shui County?" Jia Wei''ran asked again. "Mmm, from this county. What do you want?" Wang Juan asked back. "Haha, San''shui County. That''s good then. Do you know who am I?" Jia Wei''ran spoke with a proud voice. He was happy when he heard that the two little kids lived in Sanshui County. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan did not question further like Jia did, and they continued to eat cucumbers. Jia Wei''ran had to speak himself, "The next magistrate of the San''shui County is my father, don''t you know?" "The new county magistrate? It''s over. The new one really dide from outside." Wang Juan mouthed her words to Zhang Xiao''bao. "Mmm, and he also brought a hedonistic son with him. When the son is not well taught, the fault lies in the father; if the teaching is not strict, then the teacher iszy. From this we can see how the new county magistrate is. There is no news announced yet, so this means that this magistrate has connections in the Imperial Court. We will make some arrangementster. Since he has arrived, we should knock some sense into him." Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t suspect that Jia Wei''ran was lying-- he knew that this was true after taking just one look at the faces of the other people. Since a local official was not promoted to this position and since the person who came brought a son like this with him, they had to rush to make arrangements. Wang Juan nodded slightly, "Then what should we do? Teach him a lesson? How about we tell the people from the administrative office to not go greet him when hees? In principle, Magistrate Cheng should have waited for the new magistrate toe before leaving. Who would have thought that he would leave ahead of time, and just leave behind the magistrate stamp and other items to the Recorder and let him wait for the arrival of the new magistrate?" "It''s not just this. Usually, the new county magistrate will arrive after the New Year. Hearing what he said just now, he should being here soon. We have to teach him a lesson, but we can''t stop the people from the administrative office from going out to greet. They have to greet him, and it must be done with great fanfare." Zhang Xiao''bao thought of how to deal with it in an instant, and then he needed to see in detail whether the new county magistrate was as greedy as he imagined and would disregard the life and death of the people. The two people spoke by mouthing their words, and the others didn''t even know what they were saying since their lips were only moving slightly. Jia Wei''ran was now confident knowing that the two children were scared after hearing about his identity. He asked, "Where is your family? Tell me, when the timees, I''ll help you deal with minor problems." He actually wanted to appeal to Xiao''ying, the daughter of the Qi family, who also had an official in her family. As for whether he really wants to help them in the future, it depended on how many gifts the families of the two children gave. Before Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan could talk, Han said while standing beside him, "Jia Wei''ran, your father hasn''t taken office yet, and you already started bullying people? Asking you for help? That''s just a waste of money. Juan''juan, Xiao''bao, don''t be afraid of him. Tell Brother if you have any issues at home, Brother will ask Sister Qi to help you." Qi Xiao''ying also said, "Yes, you two are so sensible. If you have any difficulties, let people send a message to this ce. We will being here often in the future when there''s nothing to do. What does your family do?" "Sister Qi is really nice, Brother Han is also really nice. My family farmsnd, and it''s the same for Xiao''bao''s too. Sister Qi is going toe here often? Then take this thing then. When you get to the wharf, you will get a 30% discount for buying food and drinks, and 10% off for buying items at any locations with a banner with a drawing of rice crops." Wang Juan had a feeling that thisdy''s family was not ordinary. Seeing that there was an opportunity to build a connection, she immediately took out a badge, and then an ink stick. She wet the ink stick with water, pressed her hand on it, then left a print on the back of the wooden badge. Then she took a knife that was used to cut meat, and carved into the wooden badge. Once she was done, she handed it to Qi Xiao''ying. Everyone watched Wang Juan''s series of actions, then watched them hand the badge to Qi Xiao''ying. Only until the two of them left together, were they able to breathe again. "Jia Wei''ran, Young Master Jia, your father is a county magistrate, what arge official. Zhang and Wang manors asking you for help? Hahaha, I''m going to die fromughter. When your father arrives here, I wonder who will beg who? I can imagine that those two children will repeat what you just said to their parents. Oh, there''s more, didn''t you say you want to build a road here? And you wanted them to pay for the road? Juan''juan and Xiao''bao have heard everything. They are so intelligent. Tell me, do you think that such intelligent children will forget what you said? Xiao''ying is the great one. She even received a badge from them. We can save a lot of money today. Not only can that badge be used at The First Near Water, but also every location in the wharf that has their banner-- including the little boats. There''s also the Between The Water and Clouds at the Tu''qiao Vige. Xiao''ying, everyone is here today and we have seen them give you a badge. If something happens in the future, you have to help, otherwise that little girl will be saddened. Such a well-behaved child will cry if you don''t help. I would feel distressed too. " Han said a few words to Jia Wei''ran, who was already stunned, and then pointed out the purpose of the badge and told Xiao''ying, who was holding the wooden badge next to him, what to do. Jia Wei''ran nodded while in a daze. He admitted that Young Master Han was right. At that time, who will ask who for help? Zhang and Wang manors already made a name for themselves. Without them, the Sanshui County would not be this prosperous, and would not have liang''pi, savory crepes, the workers on the wharf, the carriage drivers, the workers in the stores, the ces rented out, the imported soybeans, the curved-plough, the cheap price of soy sauce, and the exchange of old grains for new grains. The whole San''shui County has been branded by their families. There were also those talented people who wrote poems and music, and the hand-embroidered poems--- which thing is not worthy of making people sigh with awe? The Zhang and Wang manors have set deep roots in the hearts of the people. One word of theirs during critical times were more impactful than the government''s. If those two little children ever get lost in the San''shui County, as long as they tell others their identity, many people will help protect them. The horse carriage businesses would even send out a team of carriages to escort them. What did he just say earlier? It''s over. He couldn''t trust that these two children would keep secrets for him. How could such intelligent children not know the meaning of his words? Mouth, why are you asking to be pped? Just when Jia Wei''ran was deep in regret, the waiter came in from outside. Now, no one would ask them why they let the two children run into this room. This was their own restaurant, so they could go wherever they wanted to. If their parents came to toast a drink, then that would be showing them respect. The two little kids were so cute. The way they called everyone older brother and older sister was already extremely respectful. As the waiter spoke, he looked over to Qi Xiao''ying. Just now Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan found out about Qi Xiao''ying''s family background the moment they went out. Her family had worked in the Imperial Court for several generations. Although the rank was not too high, their foundation was strong. One should be generous when gifting others. This was not an opportunity that they could let slip pass; many people don''t even have the chance to give gifts. "Huh? That many cucumbers? That''s great, I can eat it every day then. Waiter, take this bracelet and give it to Juan''juan. Tell her that it''s a token of gratitude from me." Qi Xiao''ying loved eating cucumbers, but she didn''t expect them to give her cucumbers directly. As long as she had this badge, she would be given cucumbers everyday, and she could buy up to five catties when entertaining guests. While talking, she took off the bracelet from her wrist and passed it to the waiter. Book 2: Chapter 74 Book 2: Chapter 74 "Everyone, I suddenly remembered that there''s still an important task at home for me to tend to, so I''ll be leaving." The more Jia Wei''ran thought about it, the more worried he got, so he decided to go home first. Everyone understood what he was going through. Things will be troublesome for him now. Once the two children, Xiao''bao and Juan''juan, go back home and tell their parents about the matter, it would be hard to predict what will happen when his father takes office. After waiting for Jia Wei''ran to leave, the rest of the people looked at each other and suddenlyughed. "Today was really fun. I didn''t expect to meet two children. I''d say that the two children of the Zhang and Wang manors are the most fortunate. They have been together since they were young. It''s so much better than having parents look for a random marriage candidate. Sister Qi, don''t you agree?" A womanmented; she was envious of Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. They have been together since they were young, so when they grow up, they will get along perfectly. The other man, who was more burly, said at this time, "It''s not just that. Look at the ce where the two little kids were sitting just now---it happened to be the corner of the wall. The one called Xiao''bao always sat with his left side turned to us, while the one called Juan''juan was sitting more on the inside. They also have knives. If I''m guessing correctly, then if an unarmed person really wants to do something to them, the person will be injured. Xiao''bao never used his right hand when eating. He was obviously unustomed to eating with his left hand. Don''t be fooled by how he was eating so smoothly with his left hand. Every single time he ate, his right shoulder would move too. " "What''s there to pity? He has a lethal weapon in his right hand. He faced us with the left side of his body. When he jumps into action, he can transfer the momentum of his turn to the weapon in his right hand. It would be difficult for others to guard against. Think about their sitting posture when they were sitting there just now. As a girl, Juan''juan should have sat with her legs together, but they were slightly apart, and Xiao''bao sat with one foot in the front and one foot behind. I thought for a while before I realized that if someone rushed over and wanted to hurt them, Xiao''bao could just turn around and thrust his weapon out, while Juan''juan could move behind him. If the Juan''juan could also attack, then they could change their positions. After this, the attacker would be restrained by Xiao''bao. ording to their height, as long as the knife is sharp enough, Wang Juan can stab the knife into the person''s stomach. These two children are not ordinary. Fortunately, Master Jia didn''t fight with the children, otherwise if he really bullied them, he would be the one that would suffer." The strong man stood up. While holding a chopstick in his hand, he acted out the motions for others to see as he talked. He used a stool as a ceholder for Wang Juan, and he took Zhang Xiao''bao''s position. When someone came in front of him, he just turned around and thrusted the chopstick in his right hand out while moving his feet. He stabbed again and shifted his position again. Through this process, his body had turned a full circle. He swung out with the chopstick again. If the chopstick was a knife, the attacker would try to block him, but after he changed his position, the stool, which represents Wang Juan, would be exposed. As long as she holds a sharp knife in her two hands and moves forward, the person in front of her would bepletely vulnerable to her attack. "It turned out to be like this. That''s too scary. The two children were also guarding themselves from us when they were sitting there. Good thing Master Jia didn''t go up to them." The woman finally understood the techniques behind the position changes. She didn''t expect that the two children were sitting strategically. No wonder they had their backs against the corner of the wall. Young Master Han also nodded. "It''s really unusual. This shows that they have been taught by others. Given the financial resources of the Zhang and Wang family, it is too easy to obtain two good daggers. Perhaps the daggers even have poison on them. Jia Wei''ran should be depressed this time. I wonder, if there really is danger, would Juan''juan actually make a move?" "If it was me, I would. Even if I don''t have such a good dagger, I would try to use the hairpin on my head to pierce the attacker. The one facing the most danger is Xiao''bao. He''s the first one to deal with the person''s attack. Juan''juan must be the most fortunate person since she is able to grow up with a person like this." Qi Xiao''ying said with a look of anticipation, and at the same time looked at Han Xuan''feng next to her. Xuan''feng'' was just a nickname, his given name and real name was Han Chang'' and Han Sui''jiu'', respectively. His literary talent was beyond description--in a blink of an eye, he couldpose a perfect poem. He was not ordinary at all. Furthermore, he carried a sword with him. She heard from others that his riding skills and archery skills were not bad. He was the only person left in his family, but he did not be a wandering traveller like other people did. He relied on himself to earn money, writing for others, guarding the conveyance of goods or freight. Although it wasn''t a lot of money, he didn''t ask others for help. It was a pity that his family background was a little worse, or it can be said that he had no family background since he was only one person. If he was from a manor, then she could...even if the manor was notparable to the Zhang Manor and was just any ordinary manor, then it would be enough. Maybe, she could think of a way to ask Juan''juan how her family runs their manor, and when the timees, it wouldn''t be too troublesome for her to get him a manor. She nned to go find Juan''juan tomorrow. Juan''juan was such an intelligent child, so she should know quite a bit. If he could earn more money, she would have an excuse to give her family. Qi Xiao''ying thought of this as she turned her eyes. In this short moment, she had set her mind to help Han Xuan''feng. If she waited any longer, there would be no time left. Her family was now constantly looking for candidates. If it weren''t for the fact that those people were not good enough, she would probably be married already. "Xiao''ying is indeed an extraordinarydy. If it was me, I would be willing to be like Xiao''bao and stand on the side." It was unclear if Young Master Han was a bit drunk from the wine, or if he said this intentionally. After he said this, he was afraid to look at Qi Xiao''ying. Whenever people looked over to him, he would always avoid their eyes a little bit. * Jia Wei''ran did not dare to make any dys when he came out of the restaurant. He found a carriage and paid double the price, so that the coachman would rush to the capital. From here to the capital, it would only take one day by horse. It would take two days if the person rode their horse a bit slower, but it would take more than three days on a horse carriage. Originally, he wanted to see what the San''shui County was like. He had inquired about a lot of things, but he felt that it was better to see the ce with his own eyes. This time he finally saw with his own eyes that the drought in the San''shui County was not a big deal, and from time to time, there were ships bringing food in. The local people were also looking for work on their own. There were more small businesses, and there were also a lot of people helping to carry the cargo at the wharf. In addition, taxes were exempted, so after the autumn harvest, the people still had some spare grains in their homes. But the only difficult thing to handle was the two Zhang and Wang manors. Before he even came here, he inquired about the two ces. In fact, the whole administrative office treated those two manors as if they were their own family. During critical moments, they even delivered good news by travelling at the speed of 800 li1 a day, which was normally used for urgent reports only. Originally, he wanted to find a chance to meet the people of the two families. Who would have expected that the meeting wouldmence like that? The two children have heard everything. He shouldn''t have mentioned anything about building an Imperial road, or make them pay for road repair costs. Rather than hoping that those two children won''t tell their parents everything once they get home, it was better for him to go back to the capital to find the father and discuss this with him. "The title of brother'' is too much for me, Young Master, you should call me Crazy Horse like others do. I am indeed from this ce. My father was also a coachman, but he is too old to work now, so he handed the job over to me." The coachman was a young man. Hearing his question, he quickly replied and at the same time, he whipped his riding crop. "Oh, brother, why do you have such a name? I wonder how is your father doing? I heard that because of this drought, there is not much money left in everyone''s home." Jia Wei''ran continued talking. The coachman pulled back his dangling leg and he shouted out to his horse a few times, then he said, "My surname is Ma, as in the character for horse, and I drive my horse carriage crazily quick, so others call me Crazy Horse. Actually, I rode my carriage that quickly only once. It was because I was drunk, so I didn''t think about how tired out my horses would be and I kept rushing them. My father is not bad now. There is not much to do all day, and he is much healthier than before. Young Master, since you''re in such a rush to get back to the Capital, should I make my horses go faster? " "No, it''s not good if your horses be exhausted. I heard people say that the Zhang and Wang manors---the ones from the Tu''qiao Vige--- did a lot of things. I heard that they raised the prices, is that true?" Jia Wei''ran asked nonchntly. "That''s fake. I know some of the things over there. They have never done anything to drive up prices. It must be that someone who is jealous of them is spreading rumors. If I get to know who this person is, I will let him know whether or not it hurts to be whipped by a riding crop." The coachman looked like he was ready to fight to his death when he tried to rectify the reputation of the Zhang and Wang manors. Jia Wei''ran obviously didn''t want to hear such words, so he asked again, "Then they are good to you? Do they usually give you some money? Otherwise, there won''t be so many people helping them buy those kinds of wine dregs left behind during wine making." Hearing this, the coachman smiled and said, "They are indeed good. Like what you have just said, they do give us some money. As long as we put one or two small gs on or beside our horse carriage, they will pay us on a monthly basis. Although it''s not much money, it is better than nothing at all." "gs? What are they for?" Jia Wei''ran really didn''t know about this. He now recalled that when he got onto the carriage, he did see a drawing on the carriage mentioning something about a fabric shop. Now he understood that this was a way of earning money. "This is called an advertisement. I don''t quite understand it myself. Anyway, as long as it is ced on the carriage, they will pay for it." The coachman continued. Trantor''s Note
  1. 800 li
This refers to travelling 800 li or ~400 km in a day on horseback. This is the fastest speed that messages or reports can be delivered at. Note that this li'' is different from the Li'' in Li Xun. Book 2: Chapter 75 Book 2: Chapter 75 Jia Wei''ran nodded. He knew about these advertisement things. In fact, the idea was the same as finding people to holler out promotions in some ces--- the only difference was that these ones were drawings and words. Those who were literate, could read the words, and those who were illiterate could look at the drawings. There were also pulled carts that had the ads too. He asked curiously, "Then how much do they give you a month?" The coachman waved the riding crop again, and he hesitated for a moment before he said, "This is hard to say; sometimes more, sometimes less. For example, if you ask me to take you to the capital, I will earn money from driving you, but I will also earn another 10 coins. Usually, if I stay in the local area, I will earn 20 coins a month. This month, I made two trips outside the area, so I''ll get an extra 16 coins. In total, that''s 36 coins." "Why do you get so much?" Jia Wei''ran didn''t understand. Everything about this matter sounded unusual. He believed that it would be useful to tell his father once he figured it out. "It''s a far trip; this lets outsiders know that there is a fabric shop here, so naturally, the pay will be higher. I also have to help pass out a hundred pieces of printed things, and that''s it." The coachman replied concisely, and then he took out something from his arms, and handed it to Jia Wei''ran to see. Jia Wei''ran took it. He was literate; he read what was written on the cloth, and said that when this piece of paper is brought to the fabric shop when buying fabric, then the person wouldn''t have to pay money when riding carriages in the San''shui County. It was really astonishing. How could there be such a good thing? If the person didn''t need to spend money, who would pay for the fares then? Could it be possible that the coachmen would work for free? "This fabric shop is owned by the Zhang and Wang manors?" Not only the fabric shop, but also the other grain shops, meat shops, and garment shops. As long as someone holds a piece of paper like this, we will bring them to the shop and the shop will pay us the money. In addition, in the San''shui County, there are set prices for certain distances. For example, three people going from the Little Luo''shui to Between the Water and Clouds will only be charged for the cost of one carriage---it doesn''t depend on the number of people--- so, it would only cost 17 coins. From the Little Luo''shui to the Administrative Office is only two coins. There''s a bridge at the Little Luo''shui; if you insist on riding a carriage from here to there, then you need to pay a coin. If you keep going to the ce that sells incense paper, it is also a coin." The coachman took the trouble to exin. While listening, Jia Wei''ran switched between phases of understanding and phases of feeling confused, "Then how much is the least? How much is the most?" "The least is a coin, but it is hard to say what''s the most. If a person insists on going to thend of Ba''shu, I guess it would cost 50 or 60 taels. Also, if you think this speed is slow, we can go more quickly, but the money has to be increased. Once the horse bes tired, it wouldn''t be able to run for the next few days." The coachmen memorized this really well, and when others asked them, they were all able to recite it without even thinking. The carriage was pulled by a mule, but it was usually also called a horse. It was not too slow , and it did not stop to eat when it passed by the grass. The road was not too good, and it was a bit bumpy since there was no shock absorption equipment on the carriage. Jia Wei''ran swayed around as he listened to the coachman talk. He wanted to understand the situation, but he found that the more he thought about it, the more confused he was. So, he continued to ask, "Why is the price so much more expensive to go to a ce that far? If I go by myself, twenty or thirty tael of silver should be enough for the whole journey." "That''s different. We''re afraid that something will happen. Young Master, if you want to let my carriage go to that ce, even if there is only one passenger, we would still need two carriages and two horses traveling together. The price I mentioned is actually too low. One horse will be half a li in front of the carriage, and the horse will be one li behind. The other carriage will be an empty one that follows along. If the carriage in the front breaks, then the carriage in the back can substitute it. If there are any dangers on either side, then the horse rider on one side will be able to notify the other side. This is the rule. For example, at night, the price will be higher than during the day. We can only travel when we can find apanion to apany us, otherwise, if we encounter robbers, there will be no one who can call for help. " The coachman was excited to talk about this. This was a rule for all coachmen. Rules like this never existed before; Magistrate Cheng discussed these rules with the owners before he left. Now, they were no longer scared of driving their carriages at night. The coachman felt that the matter did not have to be kept secret, and told Jia Wei''ran more. Jia Wei''ran was irked when he heard about this. No wonder the tax money was not handed in this year. The submitted reports only emphasized the drought in the county, but did not mention anything about the money at the wharf. When it came to reporting about the wharf, just a brief statement about someone doing good deeds was written down. The money was spent on buying horses and recruiting people. Bailiffs do not need to be assigned by the Imperial Court, and can be found by the county itself. How much money would this cost? He felt distressed for a while when he thought of the money his father had spent to earn others'' favor to help gain this position. He came to this supposedly rich county, thinking that he could gain something good, but he didn''t expect that before the previous magistrate left, he used the tax money already. Wanting to get a better understanding at how much money was spent, he inquired further, "In that case, then there should be over a hundred bailiffs in the county? Is that the same for the horses? I don''t understand how they are able to arrive at the furthest ce in less than two hours. Two hours would not be enough to go from the Administrative Office to there, right?" "One hundred bailiffs? That''s nowhere close to being enough. The original number was already around a hundred; now there are more than 400 bailiffs in the San''shui County, and each person has a horse. The child from my third uncle''s family always fooled around, but this time, he has been recruited to be a bailiff. Originally, he frequently quarreled with my uncle and aunt, and made my uncle worry all day. But he''s better now, he became more honest and he now knows how to respect his parents. Now that he has a proper job, he''s happy all day long, and he doesn''t go gambling anymore. I heard that on the second day of working, my aunt went to visit him at the Administrative Office, but he quarreled a few words with her, and in the end, he was punished with twenty hits. The county magistrate said, How can people who don''t respect their parents be good to the people and work hard for the people''s safety?'' For ces far away, a bailiff is sent out every two hours. That is, when the previous bailiff has left for nearly two hours, another bailiff will ride over. There are many people, so it''s easier to do. In Little Luo''shui and Tu''qiao Vige, basically two bailiffs will pass by every quarter of an hour. In particr, the bailiffs sent to the Tu''qiao Vige are all of the original bailiffs. The County Magistrate said that nothing is allowed to happen there. " When the coachman talked about topics he liked, he said a lot in one go. After hearing this, Jia Wei''ran was taken aback, and then he suddenly became happy, and asked, "Why are so many good bailiffs sent to the Tu''qiao Vige? Is it because that ce is chaotic?" "How can it be chaotic? There are two manors that belong to the Zhang and Wang families there. Everyone knows that they have two children there that are so precious. Little children are so easily tricked, what if someone kidnaps them? Today I heard that those two little children have arrived in Little Luo''shui. We have agreed that as long as we spot them, then someone needs to follow them. Absolutely nothing is allowed to happen to the two of them. How many people are relying on their two manors to live? Young Master, perhaps you have not seen them yet, but those two children are really good looking. They''re much better than the child in my family. They''re iparable. Ah~!" There were hundreds of residents there, and in addition to the ones from those two families, the ones from the Ge Manor will definitely not turn a blind eye. Between The Water And Clouds was also right next to them. He heard that the two children have whistles on them. Once it is blown, anyone who hears it, will run to them. Only a person who doesn''t want to live anymore would go there to kidnap people. It seemed like this was something he could make use of. Why would a manor be able to make the best bailiffs of the county go over there on patrols? That was right, he could use this matter to cause them trouble. Thinking of this, Jia Wei''ran asked again, "Then are they not afraid of others reporting to the top, saying that they are using government officials privately?" After saying this, he waited to see how worried the coachman would look. After all, the coachman was fond of that ce. However, in the end, he was left disappointed. The coachmanughed twice, and said, "How is it for private use? There are two seventh-rank officials there. The bailiffs are not there to protect them specifically, but to protect the ce that had auspicious omens. Furthermore, I heard that one of the Emperor''s nephews is there. With more bailiffs, wouldn''t he be more safe? Who would dare to talk nonsense?" "Eh? Things can work like that?" Jia Wei''ran was stunned. Why was that ce soplicated? Any kind of mess could happen. "Young Master, judging by what you have said, do you have any ulterior ns? If so, then you should get off the carriage quickly. I won''t charge you for the distance we have just travelled, otherwise, by the time you get into trouble, I will suffer too. If you want to attack the two Zhang and Wang manors, it is like attacking our hearts. Thousands of people follow them to seek a way to survive. If they fall, what would we do?" The coachman was not stupid. When he heard that wordsing from the person in the carriage were all about the two manors, he responded unhappily. "No, no, I don''t have any ns. I''m curious, I''m just curious. Let''s talk about the snacks here." Jia Wei''ran looked at the outside of the carriage--- they were in the middle of the wilderness. How could he dare to confess? If he was thrown here, then wouldn''t he die from exhaustion by the time he finds a ce where he can catch another ride?" * "Xiao''bao, hurry up and find someone to go to the capital to ask how the new county magistrate was appointed? We need detailed information about him. Money can influence a person''s heart. If that''s the case, they''re not allowing a good ce to have a good official." Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao left the restaurant, and were now standing on a small boat, looking at the river that rippled in the rain. They were a little dissatisfied that the county magistrate was reced with an outsider. "Mmm, someone has been arranged. Don''t be anxious, He should be more worried than us. This is our ying ground. You will understand once you look at the surrounding boats." Zhang Xiao''bao pointed to the dozen or so small boats next to them, which seemed to want to pass but also wanted to turn away. Some of those boats would leave after a while, and new ones would join. It looked normal, but if inspected closely, one will notice that these boats were sort of protecting him and Wang Juan''s boat. If another boat wanted to rush over, no matter from which angle, at least three boats needed to be sequentially knocked over. Book 2: Chapter 76 Book 2: Chapter 76 "Let''s go, I wonder who leaked our identities. If we keep standing here, we will just dy the boatmen''s work. Boatman, let''s go ashore." Zhang Xiao''bao looked at the boats that spontaneously guarded them from the side. He was unwilling to waste other people''s time, so while holding an umbre, he notified the person rowing the boat. "Okay, young master, we will go ashore now." The person rowed the boat to the shore, and the surrounding boats also moved, using the boat in the center as a pivot point. Just like what the coachman had said, the existence of the Zhang and Wang manors was not only rted to themselves. Many people relied on them to survive. Therefore, nothing can happen to the people of the two families. By the time Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao arrived at the shore, it was as if the Heavens were cooperating with them. It was not raining too much before, but now, the rain was crashing down and a cloud of mist immediately formed at the shore and on the river. When a gust of wind blew, Zhang Xiao''bao had no choice but to prop the umbre up on the ground. He and Wang Juan firmly held the umbre with their four small hands. In order to block the rain, the two of them used arge umbre with a diameter of 1.5 meters. They were short while the umbre handle was long. This was the perfect opportunity to show that only a bit of surrounding rain that crashed against the ground could ssh onto them. "Xiao''bao, are you cold? It''s so cool." Wang Juan could feel water mist blowing at her and asked Zhang Xiao''bao. She stood facing the wind, Zhang Xiao''bao had his back turned to the wind, blocking most of the tiny raindrops. "Xiao''bao, don''t men like to protect women?" Wang Juan had no better option, so she hugged Zhang Xiao''bao. "Not all. Some men like to let women protect them. I think men who are willing to protect women are generally controlling. They believe that they hold the decision making power and it''s their responsibility to protect women. Whenever you want to receive something, you always have to give something away in return." Zhang Xiao''bao thought for a while and analyzed it rationally. "How about you?" "I am also rtively controlling, but I still listen to some of your opinions. After all, sometimes, for certain things, you are more professional. I think you are also a controlling person. I don''t know whether it is because of your family or because of the department you were in." While talking, Zhang Xiao''bao tightened his abdominal muscles to keep his core warm. At the same time he rxed the muscles in other parts of his body by giving himself psychological cues. If he doesn''t do this, goosebumps would form on his skin and increase his body''s calorie consumption. The purpose of goosebumps themselves was to reduce heat dissipation, but if his entire body''s muscles were contracted, energy consumption would speed up. "Didn''t you get someone to check my background? Why didn''t you find out about my family?" Wang Juan asked with a smile. "Nothing was found. That kid didn''t know much; he only knew about what you originally studied and trained for. Nothing about your family was found. I found a deputy ministerial official to check, but we only found out your name and the names of your family members. We don''t know anything else. But, because of this, I know that your family is absolutely extraordinary. I guess that your grandfather, on either your mom''s or dad''s side, has armed soldiers standing guard at the door of their house. You are indeed very fortunate. Not because your family is great, but because you have a family. Huh? The wind is dying down? " Zhang Xiao''bao felt a bit regretful every single time he thought about how he asked someone to check the background of the person who wanted to arrest him. The time was too short. If he was given just one more day, he would be able to find the answer. Unfortunately, after they came back, Wang Juan reacted too quickly. While he was still talking, he realized that it was not so cold anymore. Wang Juan smiled, "It''s not cold anymore, right? Do you know why? This is the power of the human heart. Don''t always think about my family''s affairs. Mhhm, you guessed it right. Both my grandpas houses have guards, but your level of alertness is too low. Did you not hear the noise? Turn your head and look back." Zhang Xiao''bao was not as alert. The cold made him focus all of his attention on adjusting his body. He turned his head and looked back. Even if he had be ustomed to many things, he couldn''t control himself at this moment, and his eyes turned red. Hundreds of people that were doing things on the pier, were now standing behind them. They just stood there next to each other, with no straw raincoat on their bodies, nor hats on their heads, and they formed a rectangr array that was 20 meters wide and 56 meters long. The blowing wind couldn''t break through this wall of people at all. "I really didn''t hear any footsteps. Why did theye here?" Zhang Xiao''bao took a deep breath, blinked, and returned to a calm appearance. "I came gently, and spring bugs grew silent for me. Silence is the footsteps in the rain, and the wind shatters outside the human wall." Wang Juan said a weird poem. Zhang Xiao''bao understood, and nodded, "From tomorrow on, no, starting from today, I will make a buffet ce for all the workers here at the wharf. They can eat as much as they like for two meals just for two coins, and drinks are sold without profit. This is to continue to squeeze out every little bit of worth they have left in them. Let them advertise for our shop here or for Between The Water and Clouds, and make custom-made clothes for them, with our trademark printed on it. We can''t give the clothing away for nothing." Wang Juan rubbed her eyes on Zhang Xiao''bao''s shoulders; she was also emotionally touched. She and Zhang Xiao''bao were the only children of the manors, but just because they did some things they thought they should do, they received this kind of treatment. Perhaps even Magistrate Cheng did not get to enjoy such treatment. If these workers were reced by the soldiers from her and Zhang Xiao''bao''s time, then she would believe that they would do something like this. However, these people were not that strongly disciplined, let alone have such a high level of perceptiveness. Everything was due to their sincerity. What these people thought of was actually the same as Zhang Xiao''bao original thoughts. If you treat me well, I will treat you well. Life in the family was better than before, so they had to safeguard this benefit. She and Zhang Xiao''bao issued an order to not charge any additional fees for dock workers. Other docks required the dock workers to pay some extra money every day just so they could work there. "Why would there be nothing to do? They can dig pits in winter. After two days, when the boats are less, the digging can begin and we can hire them to work for us. They need to dig big pits. One pit will be connected to another pit, and a frame will be ced over top of the dirt or we can just get them to dig a cer, a bigger cer." At this moment, Zhang Xiao''bao really wanted to find something for them to do. They couldn''t let them waste a whole winter doing nothing. Wang Juan thought for a while and said, "Are we going to get them to dig a cer to store some vegetables or something? Then, they have to work now. But there is a lot of work on the wharf to do." "Absolutely not. We don''t have to worry about the vegetables. The cer is dug for storing ice. Once the water in the river freezes in winter, we can store it in the cer. When the next summeres, the ice can be taken out. I don''t n for people to eat it. It can be used to cool things, or be ced in a basin so people can have a basin of ice next to them as they eat. This is all money. Saltpeter is not cheap either. If Magistrate Cheng encounters something in the Capital, ice can also be transported to him by boat. Since we have decided to invest in him, we have to n ahead for him. We need to get him to understand that he has a huge team standing behind him." Zhang Xiao''bao was a quick thinker. He immediately thought of a way to continue to make people have things to do, so he voiced his idea to Wang Juan to listen. "Yes, he is not fighting alone. At this moment...hehe, let''s not joke anymore. What else can they do after digging the cer and storing the ice? Liang''pi is not easy to sell in winter, right? Savory crepes should be okay." "By the time the work is done, it should be near the beginning of spring already. If they havend at home, then they can farm theirnd. If they don''t havend, then we can organize them to help others to farm thend, and they can go pick mountain vegetables and other stuff. It''s not that they are not unwilling to work, but theyck an organizer. In the uing years, I n to connect everyone in the San''shui County with our manors. Whoever dares to touch our manors will be trying to attack everyone in the San''shui Country. The thing about the Liang''pi is easy to handle. Change it out if we can''t sell it and rece it with numbing spicy skewers1. There seems to be too little spicy ingredients, but there should be ingredients to make the numbing'' sensation. The tools are simple to make. Although it doesn''t seem like we earn that much profit and others will be able to copy uster on, our brand has a good reputation. When numbing spicy skewers are mentioned, the first thing people will think of is the Zhang and Wang families. " If this was back then, Zhang Xiao''bao would never even consider these kinds of low profit businesses. Now the environment was different. He had to think about ways for people to ept the two manors as a part of their life. "We can''t just stand here and wait. Let''s go to the barbecue restaurant. If we don''t, the others will catch a cold." Zhang Xiao''bao nced at the people who were standing there to block out the wind and rain again, and Wang Juan grabbed the umbre and walked to the restaurant. When the two of them moved, those people followed closely behind. No one spoke. They walked in silence, and their paces matched Zhang Xiao''bao''s and Wang Juan''s pace. The end result was that Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan walked on the side, and on the other side, a uniform sound came from the direction of the wind blowing. The sound of footsteps resonated in the water, and people in the distance could hear the thud thud noise. As they walked all the way to the Zhang family''s barbecue restaurant, the surrounding shops and pedestrians hiding from the rain all looked at the group of people, dumbfounded. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan appeared more prominent since they were the only ones under the umbre. When they came to the entrance of the barbecue restaurant, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan held up their umbre and looked back at the people who showed good intentions to them. They wanted to say something, but found that everything was pale at this time. The two looked at each other, then turned around and entered the store without looking back at those people. The restaurant was not small. The low windows were open, and the pitter patter noise of rain came from outside. People eating in the shop were able to clearly see that after therge group of people escorted the two little children here, they turned around and left tacitly. Because of this, when Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan looked around looking for a spot, many people could not help but feel the impulse to stand up.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Numbing and spicy skewers
This is a very popr food item in China and has its origin in Sichuan. Skewers of meats or vegetables that are cooked in a rich "numbing" and spicy broth and then eaten. The numbing sensationes from the Sichuan peppercorns inside the broth. Book 2: Chapter 77 Book 2: Chapter 77 "Do you see this? This is due to having a particr aura; its appearance is not rted to how powerful you are, but rted to how people around you pamper you. When I was standing in front of the supermarket, no one would think how powerful I was, but rather some people may think that I''m being inconsiderate." Zhang Xiao''bao whispered to Wang Juan. "Really? Isn''t the aura of a person a natural part of them?" Wang Juan thought of her paternal and maternal grandfather; she had a feeling that Zhang Xiao''bao was wrong. Zhang Xiao''bao seemed to know what Wang Juan was thinking, and said, "You thought of your family, didn''t you? It''s because you know about their status. Think about a high-ranking official going to a food vendor to eat and sitting there with a serious look. Other people who are eating will not pay attention to him; only the waiter will ask him what he wants to eat. At this time, let''s say there are a few gangsters drinking on the side. He puts on his dignified mighty look and lectures a few words to the gangsters. Can you guess the end result? " "He gets beaten up, doesn''t he?" Wang Juan thought for a while and answered. "It''s good if you don''t get beaten to the point of being disabled. You put on a stern face and talk to the punks in the same tone as your subordinates-- is that having a strong aura? Having the policee and surround the punks, and then having more peoplee over, and speak to him respectfully is called having a strong aura. Even if he was beaten up to the point his mother can''t recognize him, even if his originally good clothes were ripped into shreds, others will still be afraid of him. If you usually look aloof, others will retreat back. It''s not that they could sense your aura, it''s that they don''t want to wrestle with you. Zhang Xiao''bao introduced Wang Juan about the scenarios where establishing a strong aura was useful. Wang Juan nodded. She admitted that Zhang Xiao''bao was right. When interacting with people, if you always keep a straight face and treat others like your subordinates, some people will back off if they are unwilling to get into conflict with you, while some people will be disgusted with you. So she asked Zhang Xiao''bao, "How did you get others to treat you well and respect you?" "Simple. You have to respect others first. If you find that when you respect others, but they don''t respect you back, it means that they have a strong aura. They treat others'' respect as a form of sucking up to them, and they would think that you are afraid of them." Zhang Xiao''bao exined again. Wang Juan smiled and said to the few people who had stood up, "Continue eating. It''s raining heavily outside, so they sent us here. Don''t mind us. Adults always want to protect little children." Both Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao had wet spots on them, but the two of them were still smiling happily, and this made everyone feel that they were more and more interesting, especially when Wang Juan talked---she acted like she was a little adult. "Waiter, I''ll pay for the two little babies'' meals." A middle-aged man looked at Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan and then spoke to the waiter. "Do you see that? This is also a type of aura. True aura does not require the help of others to establish it. As long as you show your kind side, then people with the same type of kind intentions like you, will like you. Of course, even if you put on a straight face, others will still like you. A serious face on a child makes them appear more cute." Zhang Xiao''bao mouthed his words to Wang Juan. Wang Juan nodded and said, "That is to say, no matter what we look like, others will like us, right? That''s the perk of being a child, isn''t it?" "No, some people have no hope towards life, and their heart is so cold that they don''t know how to cherish and love, so they won''t like us. For example, Jia Wei''ran. At first, he was unwilling to pay attention to little children like us, butter, his attitude changed because he was afraid of us. There is no light in his heart, only personal interests." "Then wouldn''t his life be depressing?" Wang Juan asked. "No. It''s very well possible that he thinks our lives are sad. When the birdughs at the fish not being able to fly freely in the sky, the fish may also think about how sad it is for birds to not be able to breathe in the water." Zhang Xiao''bao faced the person looking at him. He smiled and then mouthed his words to Wang Juan. "Xiao''bao, you must be not bad in philosophy. Have you reached the realm of a master?" Wang Juan narrowed her eyes. "No. If I really did learn philosophy well, then I wouldn''t need to learn all kinds of psychology." Zhang Xiao''bao thought for a while before answering. "That depends on which perspective you understand it from. A child who piles sand on the beach is not creating a castle, but a dream. I met a paralyzed girl by the beach; she was only four years old. On the sand, she drew wings, all kinds of wings. At that time, I was negotiating with a country about gas usage. It was actually a scam. I wanted bikes to run on gas, which produces less pollution. That''s fake though. After all, usingpressed gas on bicycles would be dangerous, especially if the bicycle gets hit. I wanted to use this to buy out their country''s gas at a cheaper price so that it could be used in their country''s bicycles. When I was in distress, I saw that little girl, and I asked her, Why are you drawing wings? ''She said, I can''t walk, so the only thing I can do is fly. The drawn wings can fly with me and charge forward with me''. Then, I changed my strategy, I... " "I see, the most amazing scam in the world is a scam that is not a scam ---The Natural Gas: My Dream Is To Fly. You made 16 billion yuan in just one go. That country had most of its budget invested in that. In fact, while advancing their local gas storage and safety technology, they lost a lot of money, making it impossible to judge whether they were conned or had benefited. So it was you behind all of that, okay. When you were making contributions to disabled children in the world, you also defrauded a lot of money. Is that money now invested into the basic education of children in our country now? Amazing. So this is what happened. This case has been added to textbooks. " Wang Juan didn''t wait for Zhang Xiao''bao to finish talking. She already knew about the case, but she really didn''t know how to evaluate Zhang Xiao''bao''s behavior. Without even spending a single dor, he almost destroyed the entire country, while allowing children with disabilities to receive benefits and significantly improving the country''s gas technology. Because of this, it was stated in the textbooks that it was a scam that was not a scam. She didn''t really know that Zhang Xiao''bao did this thing. After listening to Zhang Xiao''bao, she did not doubt him. She knew that Zhang Xiao''bao would not deceive her, and deceiving her had no practical purpose to Zhang Xiao''bao. "That''s not what I wanted to say. What I want to tell you is that little girl is better than those engineers. The hundreds of floors they built is not as good as the castles on the beach. This is philosophy. It carries the simplest goal and hope, and it has countless imperfections. It is art, it is true philosophy. Flying birds are not seen as pretentious because of their airborne posture, and the swimming fishes have never been cocky about their ease in the water, so why do humans dare to be proud after doing a little something ?I have never felt prideful after conning people. I know that I am walking on thin ice, so I have suppressed all my arrogance, just to fulfill thatst wish. " Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t know what he was going to say as he was talking, and after a few breaths, he calmed down. Wang Juan sat opposite to Zhang Xiao''bao, looked at him, and suddenly smiled after a while, "Xiao''bao, I finally know why so many people are following you wholeheartedly. You invested your life into your dreams, and I feel really d to be here with you, fly with me and charge forward with me." "I don''t hope to fly anymore, I don''t know how to do that. I''m only good at conning people." Zhang Xiao''bao felt relieved after speaking out. "Make it or not make it. I wouldn''t act that shamelessly; I never take care of others." "Your words don''t reflect your mind. Then who fixes my nket when I sleep at night? I always toss and turn." Wang Juan continued. "Shi''liu, it must be her. Waiter, charcoal." Zhang Xiao''bao said, lowering his head and calling out to the waiter. "Waiter, didn''t I just say that we will pay for that table? What kind of charcoal are you giving them, why is it shaped like that?" The person who spoke earlier unhappily asked when the waiter brought charcoal over. The waiter was stunned for a moment, and he looked at the charcoal in the shovel in his hand, and then at the speaker''s charcoal, and exined, "Sir, the two of them don''t have to pay when they eat here, so naturally they use different charcoal. Your charcoal produces smoke, while this charcoal burns without smoke. Bamboo charcoal was purposely smashed and baked until it turned slightly whitish, then it was shaped. You wouldn''t be able to buy this kind of charcoal. Really, it''s a lot better than the charcoal you are using. Even if you didn''t tell me, I wouldn''t dare give bad things to the Young Master and Young Miss. You will know once you look at the food they are eating. The food they eat is different from others'' food. " As the waiter was talking, he showed something on the te to the others. It turned out to be a slightly translucent thing. It was fish meat that had been grinded and then pressed with a hot red iron te. It could be eaten directly and does not need to be grilled at all. He didn''t know about the principle of using high pressure and high temperature under anaerobic conditions to make things. That person was stunned when he heard this. He waited for the waiter to put down the charcoal, and when he saw that there was no smokeing out, he believed his words. At the same time, he asked with dissatisfaction, "Why can''t I use that?" "The cost is too high. Unless you are willing to spend more; it would be several times more than what you are spending now." The waiter answered honestly. Book 2: Chapter 78 Book 2: Chapter 78 This man felt a little unconvinced after listening to the waiter speak. When he was about to continue speaking, the woman next to him said to him, "My husband, don''t talk anymore. If my guess is correct, one of those two likeable children should be Wang Juan, and the other Zhang Xiao''bao." "My wife, is what you said true? How do you know?" The person who was arguing just now quieted down and asked the woman next to him in a low voice. "My husband, you''re always busy with significant matters all day, how could you know about such small details? I heard people say that each of the two Zhang and Wang families in Tu''qiao Vige has a child, one is a boy and the other is a girl. From the moment they opened their eyes and saw each other, they insisted on sticking close together. ording to what some people say, they are good ymates and childhood sweethearts. From then on, the two children, the boy and the girl, were inseparable. Whenever they go out, they always go with each other. The two children are particrly sensible and never cause trouble for their family. They are not like other children when they meet outsiders; they always smile first. As long as it is a ce managed by their families, whether it was the shopkeeper or the waiter, they would be able to remember their appearance. My husband, you have been here several times, so you should know that the waiter never called anyone else Young Master and Young Miss before. Regardless of how old the person is, the honorifics used were the same. You must have heard that the waiter called them Young Master and Young Miss earlier, and he used a different respectful tone. Even the charcoal they use is special. The woman spoke in an orderly manner, but the man didn''t know how resourceful the woman beside him was, so he really stood up and walked over there. With a swoosh sound, eight people from two nearby tables stood up. Four of them wore tight-fitting blue robes, two of them seemed to be schrs, and the other two were dressed in bailiff clothing. As the eight people stood up, the waiter who had just spoken earlier also made an "ah" sound and stood in front of the table where Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were at. The moment he shouted out, two other waiters immediately came in. One blocked the path and the other stood in front of the man who wanted toe over. "Sir, what would you like?" The waiter who stood in front of him put away his smiling face and asked with caution. "Nothing. I think those two children are good so I want to talk to them." This man was not a fool. He noticed that something was wrong about the looks of the people around him. It seemed that the two children were like what his wife said--they were indeed the young masters of the two manors. He had also nced at the eight people. In less than a quarter of an hour after the two children arrived, the two bailiffs had their hands ced on the hilt of their swords. "Sir, if you really want to talk to them, then I need to do a body search on you. Please forgive me." The waiter looked at Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, and when he saw the two masters nodded, he continued. This man was even more curious now. Normally, who would dare conduct a body search? Well, unless the shop doesn''t want to stay open anymore. At this moment, he looked at the waiter''s gaze. Seeing that the waiter did not intend to give in, he had no choice but to agree, "Okay, search me. Once you''re done, I can go over there right? Ha. Ha. You care a lot about those kids, huh." The waiter didn''t bother with being courteous; he went over and searched his body. He found a bit of silver pieces and a string of copper coins from this person. He then went to the front of the woman to block her and said, "Sir, please." "This brother wants to go over and see? I n to go too, why don''t we go together?" A bailiff on the side suddenly spoke at this time. He took two steps forward, and stood right next to the man. "Uncle Song, you are here too. I wonder how that little brother of mine is doing? Does he cry all day long?" Wang Juan stood up at this time and greeted the bailiff. As soon as he heard Wang Juan''s words, the bailiff revealed a smile on his face, and replied, "Everything is well. That kid cries all day long, and themotion he creates is not small at all. He''s obviously a mischievous one. I have no idea how I''ll manageter on. The two of us came here to patrol and happened to see you two. How is your family?" "Mmm, thank you for showing concern, Uncle Song. Actually, my little brother does not cry for no reason. He is either hungry, or feels ufortable with the temperature, or wants to pee. You just have to observe him more. The most important thing is to make him a small bed and ce it in the corner, not next to the window, but next to the door. Add warm colors to the walls on both sides. Oh, the red cloth, make it thicker too, and there shouldn''t be too much empty space around his bed. Put random stuff around him, even cing bags around him would work. That way, he won''t cry that much anymore. That''s right, Xiao''bao, it''s your turn. Didn''t always let me talk. You know much more about this, what else should be done? Come up with ideas. " Wang Juan gave suggestions while smiling, but as she talked, she noticed that Zhang Xiao''bao had been silent the entire time. She touched him with her hand. Zhang Xiao''bao had no choice but to speak up, "The other thing is to hold him often, especially when sleeping. He should sleep between his parents. Put up a curtain at the foot of the bed, and ce an extra pillow at his head. This way, he won''t cry anymore unless he is hungry or has peed." In particr, the span of the space was the most important thing. Children usually aren''t aware of height. They would not be scared of climbing down from a spot that is tens of meters up high. They have no concept of height, but the size of their surrounding environment was the most intuitive to them. In particr, at night, the moment they cannot see their surroundings, they would be afraid. In the dark, even if their body temperature drops by two degrees, he will wake up immediately and cry for protection. Oftentimes, the parents don''t understand what''s going on and would just hum to coax their child, which is not very effective. The most correct way is to hold the child in their arms. The child will usually fall asleep again within a few seconds. Adults were ustomed to this kind of thing, and they were unable to change their habits, unless they train themselves like him or Wang Juan, so that they can adjust their body through psychological cues. Those in the inner courtyard of the manor were able to sleep peacefully because there were always people patrolling in the main courtyard at night. Bailiff Song nodded keenly while he listened to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan''s words. If anyone else told him this, he would doubt their words. He always trusted these two children''s words. He had heard people say that when they were almost one year old, two two kids never cried before. They were not rmed when the servants in the Zhang and Wang manor woke up to relieve themselves. The surrounding guards were always there to protect them. "Okay, I''ll arrange that when I go back. What should he eat on a daily basis? Only milk? Oh, thanks to Manor, my wife has been able to produce enough milk for him." The bailiff asked Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan for advice, and at the same time, he was very grateful. His wife was able to produce enough milk because their manors gave them a lot of gifts. The small restaurant in the county basically gave his family a portion of milky white fish soup with vegetables and no salt added everyday. Also, a pork knuckle was delivered to them every three days. He was unable to repay this kind of considerate care. Today, he happened to hear from a freight carrier today that the two of them wereing here, so he told his partner in advance toe here together and wait. Wang Juan imagined the little boy''s yful appearance, and said, "You can also get him to drink more fruit juice. Don''t use fruits that are too sour; choose sweet ones and he will love drinking it. If there is no juice, then feed him some rice porridge. It''s best to add in some sugar. Oh, we have forgotten about that. We oughta send someone to give sugar for him to eat. We will arrange thatter." Wang Juan was right. Children like to eat sugar, not because it is sweet, but because their genes dictate it. No matter what kind of food, when the body absorbs it in the end, it will be in the form of sugar. When children are not as sensible yet, they are influenced by genes and would like to eat sugar, which is needed for survival. Another thing was that children were not afraid to eat fishy or greasy things. If you give him a piece of fatty meat, as long as he can chew it, he will also like eating it. Some adults don''t want to eat fish because it was too fishy tasting, while children are not afraid due to their natural survival instinct. When Zhang Xiao''bao said this, he thought of his Dean Grandfather. At the beginning, when some children were sent in, they were fed with food like that and now his younger brothers and sisters have all grown up. "Okay, I''ll keep that in mind. This brother here, don''t you want to talk? Sit, sit here, I''ll stand." Bailiff Song firmly made a mental note of what Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan said. He gestured to the man next to him to sit in a spot that was opposite to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. At this time, this person finally believed that the two children in front of him were definitely the young masters of the two Zhang and Wang manors. He had already heard that the people in the Administrative Office treated their families well, but he never thought it would be this well. "Hmm, uhh...little boy, little girl, what do you want to eat? My treat.." The man sat down, looked at the bailiff next to him, and said in a trembling voice. "Nothing much. We''re just going to grill some garlic. It''s raining heavily and it''s cold outside, so we''re afraid of getting sick. It''s good to eat some garlic. Waiter, add a dish of fish to each table." Wang Juan picked up the pressed translucent fish, put it on the grill and brushed ayer of oil onto it. After slightly grilling both sides, she gave a part of it to Zhang Xiao''bao and ced the remaining part on her own te. Then she spoke to this person, andter the waiter. The man looked at the thing that Wang Juan grilled, which should be called fish fillet but was not quite like fish fillet, and asked, "Little girl, are you not going to add some spicy sauce to it?" "No. If you put spicy sauce on it, then it will only taste like spicy sauce. The original vor tastes the best. Uncle, oh, elder brother, have a taste of this. Uncle Song, take a few of these fish back hometer and give it to the little brother and let him chew on it." Wang Juan continued speaking again. Book 2: Chapter 79 Book 2: Chapter 79 Wang Juan appeared very impressive when she said this. If an adult said the very same words, other people would probably think that the speaker was trying to pretend to be impressive. However, when these words came from a child, people would only think that the child was taught well by their family. Her smiling and calm appearance made others who were eating, feel envious and sentimental. "Husband,e and take a look, there is something good here." Just when the man was put on the spot, the woman who came with him suddenly spoke up. The man smiled apologetically at Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, returned to his original seat , and asked the woman, "My wife, what are you talking about?" "Oh, husband, look at this, the meat turns from red to white as soon as it is ced on the grill, isn''t that rather amusing?" The woman really didn''t know what to say. She called back her husband so that he would not embarrass himself. She didn''t expect that he would be so oblivious towards the situation. "Oh, it really did change. Ha ha, let''s eat first." The man finally understood the expression in his wife''s ring eyes, and heughed and agreed. The people at the surrounding tables either looked at him with envy, or looked at his wife. Having a good woman in the family could really save a man from making a lot of mistakes. "Xiao''bao, that woman is amazing. I heard her analysis from earlier, and now, she was able to help her husband suffer less embarrassment. It''s a pity that the man doesn''t know how to behave himself in public, otherwise what he could achieve would be greater than what he has now. " Wang Juan chewed the fish in her mouth and whispered to Zhang Xiao''bao next to her. For men, the untalented ones will think that their pride will be hurt, but those that truly understand logic and truth will position themselves in the correct spot within the family hierarchy. I think my dad is good. My mom is in charge of the whole household, but my dad never intervenes and only concentrates on studying. Who dares say that he is notpetent? Can someone who is ipetent find a wife that is as good as my mom? I present myself as quite controlling in the household, right? However, my dad never said anything about that. This is what it means to be a true man. If there is danger, I believe he would stand in front of my mother and me, even if he isn''t that powerful. Look at the people in the inner courtyard---who dares to belittle my dad? When a man gives in to his family, that is not losing dignity, that is showing tolerance. The green mountains do not rejoice or grieve when the flowers bloom or leaves fall. The sea is not saddened by the rise or fall of tides. The sky does not experience sorrow because of the curling or spreading of clouds. " "Then, do you listen to my words?" Wang Juan picked up a piece of Zhang Xiao''bao''s grilled garlic with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. "I do. When you told me to get off the couch, didn''t I also roll down first? It was so high, and I had a minor concussion. Did you not notice that I''m a lot dumber now?" Zhang Xiao''bao also chewed on a piece of garlic, and he replied. "Who''s fault is it that you''re so amazing? You can be 15 meters up high and jump down without getting hurt. You can even climb up a nine-meter high wall with your bare hands. That couch wasn''t even that high." "I practiced that back then, okay? If you make me jump from a height of fifteen meters now, I''ll be just like this slice of grilled fish. Besides, I didn''t jump down vertically. There was horizontal motion too, and when Inded, I carried out a series of shock absorption actions. The limit of human beings is not at 15 meters. Someone identally fell from the fourth floor, but did not hurt themselves. It was around twelve or three meters, and they fell straight down, vertically. This shows that humans can have moretent abilities. I don''t have natural talent for that, so I obtained that skill by using countless injuries as an exchange. " Zhang Xiao''bao was not arrogant of his ability, since he understood the bitterness and pain of it. Wang Juan thought for a moment. "Yes, I heard that more than a hundred years ago, not long after liberation, there were thieves who were able to escape by jumping off the fourth floor. My department has been studying one thing." "What thing? Jumping off buildings?" Zhang Xiao''bao asked curiously. "Huh, jumping off what building? It''s studying sleepwalking. During sleepwalking, humans can usually push their bodies to the limits. For example, for a person who takes six minutes to run a kilometer, he would be able to go from the tenth floor to the ground by climbing down the water pipes. Think about it, the long jump record is more than nine meters, so that means a normal person can jump six or seven meters with a running start. But, in our internal records, there was a sleepwalker, who was able to jump back and forth between two buildings that were 8.5 meters apart, and that was done without any jump starts. Of course, when he was checkedter, it was found that he was severely injured, but regardless, he made the jump. Why, though? It''s because he pushed his body to its limits during that process and activated histent abilities. His muscles and bones, and even his oxygen consumption, were perfect at that moment. If soldiers can do this during war, then even the special forces would have to stand to the side. In my department, we have research projects like that. We wanted to arrest you because one, we want to get the money, and two, we want to study your body. It was a pity though. I wonder if it was because you were so incredible that your physical body became wasted so you became severely ill, or you just have bad luck, and brought me here. " Wang Juan finally told him the thoughts that she had never talked about before, and this made her feel relieved. Zhang Xiao''bao was stunned for a moment, "So, did you create any type of drugs? Ones that can temporarily enhance a person''s performance?" "Mmm, yes. There were always drugs like that, otherwise athletes wouldn''t have to have urine checks. But our research department found that the human body can secrete that particr hormone and we have been looking for such a person---looking for you. Who would have thought that we would have to dere this as a failure in the end? No one had expected that you would be so kind, that you were willing to take the spot of a child. What you did at that time was considered to be kind, but it would still be a light punishment for you to be executed ten times over because of the crimes you havemitted." "That''s so far away, it''s just a story now. Let''s think about what is in front of us right now. Before the new magistratees, I n to invest 5,000 taels of silver into the San''shui County. Help me think about how to use the money. We need to give everyone the impression that we are very down to earth and caring towards the people." Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t want to talk about the original topic anymore; he could only treat the memory as a dream. What has passed, has passed, and when he wakes up, it was like just another morning. "Why don''t we send some oil to each family? There would still be some money left over if each family was given a few catties. This won''t work, this won''t work. How about we repair their houses? That would cost less. We will repair, not rebuild. Or give them some fireworks and firecrackers. If they hold onto them until Chinese New Year, would it get wet in the meantime?" Wang Juan came up with ideas, but she rejected them right after mentioning them. Eventually, she ran out of ideas, so she decided to stop thinking. She ced a shrimp on the grill and grilled it. Zhang Xiao''bao was also thinking hard. He wanted to kick the manor''s reputation up by another notch before the new county magistrate arrived. He pondered for a while and said, "Let''s collect manure, not human manure though, we''ll collect only animal manure. Let others dry the manure, and we will collect them. The price can be slightly higher. In addition to this, we can collect other things like rotten fish and shrimps." "You want to make fodder?" Wang Juan asked suspiciously. "Impossible. The smell is so unpleasant. We will use it in our households only. Don''t we have medium and low quality fields? Next year, we will do some crop rotation and let the fields rest for a year and convert all of the fields into top quality ones. The rest can be used to feed the chickens and we can save money that way. Not a lot of money will be needed and the remaining amount can be used for them to build heatable brick beds. That should be able to use up all of the money." Zhang Xiao''bao thought for a while and came up with such an idea. He was not afraid that others would say that they were being silly anymore. Every time the Zhang Manor did something, people didn''t understand and would say that they were stupid. He believed that these people would have changed by now. "Alright, let''s do that. We should be done with eating, let''s go change our clothes." Wang Juan didn''t grill much, so leftovers didn''t have to be thrown away. She ate the shrimp, and pulled Zhang Xiao''bao out the door. The bailiffs also left. The other four people looked at each other and dispersed again, following behind Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan from a far distance. Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao, who had changed their clothes, sat at the door while watching the heavy rain outside and chatting. Zhang Xiao''bao''s eyes were fixed on the rain and fog, and after hearing her words, he replied, "Mmm, you reminded me. We should fix it. Not only should we repair it well, we should also add a resting area for those who want to submit awsuit. While the new county magistrate has not arrived yet, we need the people to get used to this change." "You are so bad. Are you waiting for the new county magistrate to arrive, and then abolishthis rule because it is out ofpliance, resulting in him being scolded by the people? Then his prestige will be lowered by a lot. Should the people report theirwsuit directly to patrolling bailiffs instead of going to the Administrative Office?" Wang Juan understood Zhang Xiao''bao''s meaning, and followed along with the idea and added more to it. Zhang Xiao''bao nodded vigorously. "Good, good idea. This way, things in the Administrative Office will be more cumbersome. If he is apetent official, there is absolutely no problem with this. However, if he is someone who secured the position by other means, then he will suffer." "But I heard that this year''s selection of county magistrates was done by Li Long''ji himself. Could something go wrong?" Wang Juan asked again. "He is also a human, not some sophisticated machine. If he is a human, then he will make mistakes. If he is actually that incredible, then who assigned the governor with the surname An? Who assigned the prime ministers with the surname Li and Zhang? Oh right, what is that kid, Li Xun, up totely? I haven''t seen him for a long time, so I quite miss him." As Zhang Xiao''bao was talking, he suddenly remembered that there was a nephew''s neighbor next to them. Book 2: Chapter 80 Book 2: Chapter 80 Strumming softly, singing softly; the flowing water apanies me. When leaving, the fallen leaves fluttered about; when returning, they were either green or yellow. At home, mother waited at the door, missing her son who was elsewhere. Strumming softly, singing softly; the flowing water apanies me. A team made up of children from ten to fifteen years old were walking in the endless and vast field. Among them was a child who perhaps had a different upbringingpared to others since he brought a pipa1 out with him and was ying and singing while he followed the group. "Little Dark, can you stop singing? We''re not even that far away from home. Hearing you sing makes it seem like we''re noting back for good. It''s upsetting" "Who did you call Little Dark, am I dark? I am most annoyed by people who blindlye up with nicknames for others. Cistern, can''t you talk normally?" The boy called Little Dark" stopped strumming and replied. That kid was no longer happy. "Who did you call Cistern? I am a bit short and fat now, but that doesn''t mean I will not grow anymore. Everyone calls you Little Dark. Who''s to me when you were the one who fell into the mud during summer? You didn''t even go home to wash yourself up, and you continued ying with us." "I''m not the only one that calls you by that nickname too. Everyone else calls you that. Who cares about what happens in the future. You are fat and short right now, so just ept it. You shouldn''t even havee. I heard that this time will be different from the previous two times. I wonder how much you can even carry?" Little Dark didn''t want to let the person disturb his mood so easily, so he sarcastically mocked him. "Then let''s wait and see. Do you see how thin you are? The heavy weight will crush you." The one nicknamed Cistern did not give in. The team passed through the field, and there was a small road ahead. No one knew where it led. At this time, Li Xun began to let people announce the rules for this time. He listened to Zhang Xiao''bao''s and Wang Juan''s words and prepared for a real survival experience. The first change was removing the water stations. Regardless of whether it was day or night, there were no tents set up, unless someone wanted to withdraw. Only then would a tent be set up. People could bring their own tents, but they had to carry it themselves. Not only that, but he also allowed people to bring as many things as possible, whether it''s for eating or drinking. At the same time, he did not limit how far they travelled each day. They now only cared about who gets to the final destination first. It seems that the fastest journey time would be four or five days. During this process, adults were not allowed to give children things, and children were also not allowed to go to stores to buy things. If they wanted to drink water, it was simple---- bring enough yourself, or drink from the nearby river. They can ask others to help them check if the water was safe to drink or not. It was the same when it came to eating too--- they will eat whatever they can find. If the person can''t keep up anymore, then they can leave the team. This time, not too many people participated; there were only 80. This was so that he can clearly record down this survival training experience and can show his father, and perhaps even send the report to his Imperial Uncle. The team stopped temporarily on the road. Following the shouts of Li Xun''s staff, these children began to prepare, wrapping their things up the same way Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did. Their belongings were almost half of the size of their body; it was not small at all. The adults were busy stuffing in things like dried meat, water, clothes, nkets, and all kinds of random items. Li Xun also packed his own items. He specifically consulted with Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan about these things, so he was rtively well prepared. Having a nket was extremely important. In addition to jerky and fried noodles, he also originally wanted to get some instant noodles made by Zhang Xiao''bao, but he felt that it took up too much space, so he had to give up the idea. He also brought two water pouches, a pair of recement shoes, a small shovel, that special bowl set and a fire striker. "Why didn''t Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juane?" A person in the team muttered a question while his teeth were clenched. It was as if he had a deep hatred for Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. Li Xun heard this and turned his head to look at Han Yong''yao, who was the one that was talking. He knew that this conflict was caused by himself, so Li Xun found it to be quite funny. This kid didn''t dare to seek revenge on Li Xun, so he directed his hatred towards two children. Even if they dide, would it be possible for Han Yong''yao to do anything to them? Hitting? The two of them can gang up on him to hit him. After what happened in the desert, Li Xun inquired others about it, and came to understand the situation clearly: he was knocked to the ground. When it came to surviving in the wilderness, the limited skills that Han Yong''yao had could not evenpare to the mastermind behind those two little children. "If I see them again, I will definitely let them know how great I am. Humph, how dare they knock me over. I refuse to admit defeat." Han Yong''yao continued. "There are too many things you won''t admit defeat to. Don''t mumble next to me, it''s upsetting." Li Xun frowned and looked at Han Yong''yao, replying back with dissatisfaction. He had a good impression of Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. Although they were just children, they spoke like adults and were just as knowledgeable as adults. Despite their young age, they were much better than the current Han Yong''yao. If the two little children lived in the pce since they were young, then this would be exinable, but they grew up on a manor. This only meant that they were taught well by a master. Li Cheng still has not returned after running to that manor. He had no idea how things had progressed with that mastermind and Li Cheng. He recently heard that the mastermind has been giving Li Cheng some interesting questions. It appeared simple, but it was very difficult toplete. He hoped that when Li Cheng came back, Li Cheng could give him a surprise. When Han Yong''yao heard that he was interrupted by someone, he was about to refute, but he suddenly realized that it was the emperor''s nephew, and immediately shut his mouth tightly. Although he feared that he would cause trouble, he felt even more ufortable in his heart, and hated Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan even more. He didn''t dare to provoke the emperor''s nephew, so he walked slower and waited for others to pass before he began to mumble again. "Don''t think I don''t know. That piece ofnd they took was nearly 6,000 mu, but they were only granted 4,000 mu. They imed more, didn''t they? When I get home, I''ll settle the ount with them. It''s not that easy to make me give up. You want to earn money? Then I will make sure that you won''t have the life to spend the money." "Who else could it be other than the little kids at the Zhang and Wang manors who stole thend that my family wanted to get. Last time when we were in the desert, they kicked me over when I wasn''t paying attention. Both of them were afraid that I would hit them, and they ran off so quickly. They were gone in a blink of an eye. I can''t suppress this anger." Han Yong''yao nced at the person next to him. He recognized him. They saw each other often, and his manor was near Han Yong''yao''s manor, and was muchrger. Thus, he slightly changed the story a bit when he told him about it. "Ah? The two of them kicked you over? I heard that the two of them were less than three years old. How did they do that? In the desert? When?" Hearing this, the boy was curious, and didn''t care whether this question would sadden Han Yong''yao or not. "Yes, it was the two of them, a boy and a girl. We were surviving in the desert. They joined the five year old group. Although they are young, they are not that small in size and their minds are full of evil thoughts. I was knocked down by the two of them because I was being careless. Don''t you know? I can beat them without any effort. Have a look, they didn''t evene this time. They''re scared." Han Yong''yao found an excuse for himself, and then motioned this person to look around. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were indeed nowhere in sight. "You''re right, they really are scared." This person didn''t know what to say for a while, so he could only go along with Han Yong''yao''s words. The other person next to Han Yong''yao didn''t think highly of Han Yongyao, and interjected, "Who is afraid? You should be happy that you didn''t meet them today. Did you not see the two of them jumping onto the horse when we were in the grasnd? They scared you to death. Are you even as tall as a horse? Two of them cooperated with each other, and they changed their movements midair. If you encounter them, they will work together to jump up to kick you. Do you think they are that easy to bully? During the two rounds of wild survival training, were they not always running in the front? In the desert, while you were crying, they were jogging. " At that moment he was really convinced. He remembered that when the two of them passed by, there were chanting one, two, one, two''. They moved at the same pace and swung their arms at the same rhythm for the entire trek to the tent. Their voices still echoed in his ears. He thought about the astonishing way they mounted a horse. He would not even try topare himself to them even if he was lent the courage. Han Yong''yao obviously didn''t like to hear others praise Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, and turned his head, "I''m talking to you. Brother Xing''yi, I''ll exin it to you." "Okay, tell me." The person called Xing''yi nodded. It was the first time he participated in this event, so he really didn''t know what happened before. "Help me think about how to teach those two a lesson, okay? Let me tell you, their family upied morend. They were only granted 4,000 mu, but they took up nearly 6,000 mu instead. I must let them know how powerful I am." Han Yong''yao had his anger bottled up and hoped that others could help him, since he really couldn''t think of any good ideas. "Oh, that''s what happened. I also heard about the situation there. I don''t think we should talk about thend first. You need to show how powerful you are using a different approach. I thought of a way. Hear me out..." This person thought for a while, then he put his mouth next to Han Yongyao''s ear and whispered his idea. "Will this work? If you ask me to do that, and if the government finds out, my family will be in trouble. It''s not easy to put in poison." Han Yong''yao hesitated after hearing this person''s words. "How can it be hard? You two are next to each other. Just send two people over at night." This person continued to reinforce the idea. "Well, I''ll listen to you this time." Han Yong''yao finally agreed.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Pipa
A Chinese plucked string instrument Book 2: Chapter 81 Book 2: Chapter 81 After the autumn rain, there was an additional coolness in the air and finally, the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant was able to live up to its name. Wild fish have not been washed by the water to this ce here yet, and the local ones were nowhere to be seen. The people in the restaurant had to take some fishes out from the manor''s pond and ce them in the enclosed area in the center of the restaurant. The surrounding tables on the first floor where people can fish from were all filled. These tables were the only ones that allowed people to fish for fish while eating, so the price wasparatively higher. Not only were there more guests than usual, but everyone eating on the first and second floor had a tablet with them and the tablets had a number written on it. When the number on a person''s tablet was almost reached, a waiter would greet them, and the person would follow the waiter to a private room on the second floor to discuss with Housekeeper Zhang about buying popped rice. To be exact, it was popped rice coated in sugar and then cut into cubes to be eaten as a snack. The people outside don''t know how the discussion proceeded inside the room, and none of the businessmen would answer when others asked. The waiter walked over with a smile, and stood respectfully on the side, "Sir, please ask away. As long as I know the answer, I''ll tell you everything I know and not hold back any details from you." "I heard that the rice used in the popped rice was originally reserved to be used as seeds? It was drenched in rain, is that true?" The fat businessman thought that when he enters the private roomter, he had to negotiate the price properly, so he figured that he should prepare in advance. For example, he could say that their rice was drenched in rain before so the price should be lowered. The waiter blinked his eyes a couple of times, coughed lightly and cleared his throat. Then he said, "Sir, you also know about this? Yes, yes, something like that did ur. You have no idea, man, that day, there were so many people. The sky was so dark that nothing could be seen and the rain was about toe down. Everyone was in a hurry, especially the owners of the grain shops, who had their eyebrows raised anxiously. But, guess what? Once thenterns were lit up, man, half of the sky was illuminated. The sickles were swung and the rice nts fell over one by one, but unfortunately, there was still not enough time. They were in the middle of harvesting, and KABOOM, the thunder struck. I wonder how many people were killed by the lightning. Then, heavy raindrops that were the size of soybeans fell. Man, everywhere, the SHAaA SHAaa sound of rain pouring down could be heard. People had to watch the unharvested rice nts get smothered by the rain, and the grains flew everywhere, man..." "Waiter, what are you talking about? When it was raining so heavily at night, how could you see grains flying while standing here? Let me ask you, are those rice moldy?" Listening to the waiter boast, the thin businessman interrupted the waiter''s words with dissatisfaction. The waiter didn''t feel flustered at all, and smiled. "Sir, what you have said is correct. I only heard this from others, I apologize for the confusion. You have asked whether it has be moldy or not? No, it did not. Please listen to me continue. I heard people say that the ten plus grain shop owners cried from being so worried and anxious, man, did they look pitiful. Guess what? The Zhang manor collected the rice that was drenched in the rain, and they also sold them some new seeds. They were so touched; each of them were all saying that the manor was good. They cried even more loudly than they did before. If others encountered this, it would be over for them, but the Zhang manor was unperturbed. They harvested the wet rice overnight, and then began to dehusk it. After dehusking it they ced it inside something and then ced it into the fire and BOOM, loud noises were heard across the entire manor. Man, did that sound like thunder. I went over there the next day in the afternoon, can you guess what I saw? There''s no way you can guess. My eyes almost popped out of my sockets. Ahhh, it was so frightening. " "How was it frightening?" The waiter gesticted as he spoke and this attracted the attention of the two businessmen. When he was just about to talk about the most important part, he paused. tter. A string of coins was thrown onto the table. The skinny businessman didn''t say anything, and kept his eyes on the waiter. "On that day, I saw boards spread out in the manor''s yard, and the boards were covered with paper. Small hills of popped rice were piled on the paper, and the entire yard was filled with those fluffy white popped rice. On the side, there were people making syrup to stick the popped rice together " The waiter changed his attitude and spoke out what the two people wanted to know as quickly as possible. At the same time, he picked up the string with twenty or so coins and ced it in his sleeve. "Mmm, do you know what was used to pop the rice?" The fat businessman asked. "I don''t know." The waiter answered without thinking. tter. Another string of copper coins were thrown on the table, but this time it was twice as much as thest time. The waiter had no idea those two people threaded all the coins onto the string; it was oddly heavy. "I don''t know. Don''t take more out. Even if I knew, I can''t tell you." The waiter decided to be direct with his words. The two businessmen nced at each other and the skinny man nodded. Then, the fat man said to the waiter, "Do you want to work at a better location?" "Yes, but I don''t know, the housekeeper said that I will be promoted into a manager of some other location." The waiter stopped smiling at this time, and spoke seriously to the two people. The skinny businessman looked at the waiter, and pondered, "Then you have to work hard. I heard that the Zhang Manor has been selling baby chicks recently. Do you know how many have not been sold yet?" While talking about this, the waiter was smiling and waving his arms around. The two businessmen listened and sighed at the same time. They took out another string of coins and pushed it over to the waiter. "There are probably more than 6,000 left that can be sold. The manor has to give them to the residents first and the surrounding manors too. If you want to buy them, you should hurry, otherwise other people will buy them all and there will be none left. I have a list right here. The two of you can have a look at it; it tells you the size and price of each poultry type." When the waiter put the money away, he gave them the news that the two people wanted to hear the most, and then he took out a piece of paper from his robe. The fat businessman took it, and then handed it to the skinny businessman. On it were the prices of the three poultry types of different ages, and gender. It even described what they should be fed with, which type would be cost-efficient and which type would allow them to grow quickly-- it was very detailed. "Who do we go to to discuss this?" The skinny businessman folded the paper and put it away. "When the number on your tablet is reached, you can just talk to Housekeeper Zhang. If you transport them back by yourself, perhaps the price can be lowered. If they are transported by the manor, then there would be an additional cost. " After the waiter said this, he saw the expression in the two people''s eyes and he immediately stepped out. *posted on It became warmer at noon. Eighty children who were tired from walking, found a ce under a tree, squatted there and started eating. Although the bags that everyone was carrying were a bit heavy, there were plenty of items in the bag. There was water and meat, and some people even brought pre-washed fruits with them. "Brother Yong''yao, have you arranged for someone to go there to add poison yet?" The person who gave the terrible idea and was referred to as Brother Xing''yi by Han Yong''yao, came over, holding half a leg ofmb in his hand, and whispered his question. "Humph, humph. Don''t worry, it''s already arranged. Brother Xing''yi, have a taste of themb chops my family brought me." Han Yong''yao passed some of the smokedmb chop pieces in his hand over to him. "Good, it''s good that you have arranged it already. Brother Yong''yao, you should also try mymb leg. I brought three of them with me this time." Xing''yi exchanged themb leg with him. The two peopleughed sinisterly there. Li Xun was also eating at this time. Beside him were some of the people who persisted through the grasnd to the desert and now, to this ce. The things they brought with them were different from the items brought by those who joined for the first time. The item that they brought with them that was the most abundant was water. They didn''t bring any whole roast chicken,mb legs ormb chops, let alone braised beef. Instead, they brought all kinds of fried noodles that had some hard jerky in them. He grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his mouth, drank some water, chewed slowly, and then licked away any crumbs on his mouth and hand. "Young Master Li, looking at the things they brought, it seems that they won''tst for a few days. Are you really going to punish them by hitting them with nks?" A person asked softly after finishing chewing what was in his mouth. Li Xun calmly looked at the people who were eating, and snorted coldly, "That was what was stated at the beginning. They came here willingly, and we told them in advance that the journey is long and far. How could they dare bring all that meat and bones, which take up so much space. Punish them. The trek is divided into ten sections. If they don''t walk a section, then punish them with five hits. I will never let anyone who dares dy my important affairs off that easily." The important affairs that Li Xun was talking about was to make a summary of the situation and then hand the report to his father so that his father would approve of a trip that was more dangerous, longer and farer away. As of now, he did not include the ideas of obtaining intelligence and counter-reconnaissance yet. After Li Xun finished speaking, the other people didn''t know what to say. Li Xun thought for a while and said, "For those who really make it to the end, apart from the Jin''shi subject1, I will give them an opportunity to take the Imperial Exam2. Rewards and punishments are distinct from one another." "Thank you Young Master Li." When they heard that the Emperor''s nephew had given the people who came here a personal favor, they all thanked them. "Young Master Li, the fried noodles we brought might notst until then. It''s estimated that it will take half a month to get there. What will you eat then?" An excited person next to him suddenly thought about how there was a limit to howrge the backpack can be since if it was too big, it would be impossible to carry. Once they run out of food, how will they replenish their supply? The grass have yellowed already and the wild vegetables could no longer be eaten.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Jin''shi
This is the highest and final degree in the Imperial Examination
  1. In the original text, Li Xun talks about something called "xiang''gong lit. Homn tribute". This is a type of examinee that does not require to be part of a official school and can directly participate in the Imperial Examination
Book 2: Chapter 82 Book 2: Chapter 82 Among the surrounding people, there was more than this one person who was worried--others were worried too. If too much was added to their backpacks, they wouldn''t be able to carry it. It would take them about half a month to travel the arranged distance, so no matter how they packed their bags, it would not be enough. "I brought it, but the shovel is useless. The wild vegetables can''t be eaten anymore; chewing on them is like chewing wood." The person who had spoken earlier nodded quickly and took out the shovel, which was inspired by Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, from his backpack. They each had one now. "That''s good. Don''t worry about anything else. Did all of you bring salt?" Li Xun asked about another item. Everyone nodded together. nkets, salt, shovel, bowls, lime power, fire ignitor, rope, and extendable poles have be their must-have items. They still brought all of these items with them even if it meant that they had to sacrifice some of the food they carried. If they didn''t, it would be easy for idents to ur. They also brought a spare pair of shoes that had small bumps on the bottom side. "Then there''s no need to be afraid. I have brought a little more than everyone else this time--- I have a small canister of vegetable oil. When the timees, I can share some with everyone. Don''t me yourself though, you didn''t know about this beforehand." Li Xun only told them that they had to bring the items, but he didn''t tell them what the items were used for. Everyone really wanted to know, but they didn''t dare to ask, so they could only keep these words in their mind and wait until the time came. They added water to the dried noodles and Li Xun and the others continued their journey after eating. They didn''t wait for others at all. When the other people saw that the Emperor''s nephew had left, they followed suit. Fortunately, what they ate could be held in their hands and they didn''t need to squat down in an area to eat. * Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan changed out of their pretty but cumbersome clothing. Under the protection of a few people, they climbed up a nearby mountain. They had no idea what the ce was like before arriving. After they made a few turns, they saw the built pavilion on the small path and a small observational tower. Only then did they realize that quite a few schrs were there. Perhaps, people''s inspiration for poetry was in full swing during autumn and anyone who arrived at the pavilion and tower left behind poems. When there was no ce left to write, people deliberately hung pieces of white paper there to allow people to write more. Some people even had their brush dipped in ink before realizing that the paper was upied by another person so they had no choice but to wait. "Xiao''bao, look, this poem is well written. Today iste autumn, I''m here to climb the mountain. The poultry is also climbing, ducks idling on a cliff. This person must sing very well, e i e i o1." Wang Juan looked at the chicken scratch writing and said to Zhang Xiao''bao with a flushed face. "Mmm, not bad. It''s a good poem." Zhang Xiao''bao also praised it. "So this Young Master and Young Miss also think that I, Mister Wang, have written a good poem? I really feel grateful." As soon as Zhang Xiao''bao''s finished speaking, a person next to him who was about to write a poem replied to them. The two of them were surprised to actually encounter the writer of the poem. Wang Juan''s mouth moved, "Xiao''bao, remember to remind me in the future to write myst name upside down. I don''t want to be like him." "Alright. I''m lucky though. If he had the surname Zhang, then I would have to split up myst name and write them separately, with the Zh'' on top and ang'' at the bottom.2 " Zhang Xiaobao expressed his sympathy. After this person finished saying his sentence, it seemed like he wanted to say more. He stopped and said, "Then do you two know what my poem means?" He didn''t belittle the two children because of their young age and treated them as someone who he could speak on the same level with. Wang Juan looked at Zhang Xiao''bao and gave him a meaningful look. Zhang Xiao''bao curled his lips and said, "ording to my guess, this is a poem that shows concerns about the world. From thest line, a duck idling on a cliff'', one can tell that when a duck stands on the edge of a cliff, one would worry about it falling off. If even a duck is treated this way, then how about a person? " "That''s not right. My poem is about reminiscing about the past. This young miss here, you exin it." This person didn''t intend to let Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan go that easily. He shook his head and looked at Wang Juan with anticipation. Wang Juan had no choice but to force herself toe up with an answer. She stared at the top of the poem'', trying to make up an exnation rted to nostalgia. "Oh~! I know, there must be ducks in your house. During autumn, you miss your home so you climbed up the mountain, and you happened to encounter other people''s ducks so you thought of how your home is at the edge of the ocean, while you are near the cliff. You have ducks at home, and there are ducks here too, so you feel nostalgic, right?" Wang Juan held back for a while, and finally said her words. The man nodded, "Mmm, although you''re not correct, you are not far from the answer. When I saw the ducks, I thought, why aren''t you a wild duck? That way, you can fly farther away. Could it be that you want to jump off the cliff and then then fly up? If I I had wings, I would fly home to have a look''." "Wait. Based on my observation of you two, you two seem to be quite good, so how could you not express any sentimental statements? For example, something about your past. Whether it wasst year or this year. How about you leave some writing behind for people to readter on?" This person stopped Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan again, and insisted on getting them to write something sentimental. "Juan''juan, write something. There''s really no other way. Just write something down so that we can leave." Zhang Xiao''bao let Wang Juane forward this time. His writing ability was better than this person, but he didn''t practice enough. "O... okay." Wang Juan ran over to this person to take his brush. She spread the paper on the stone table, but when she was about to write, she said, "I don''t know how to write poems, so I''ll just write something funny but sentimental, absolutely sentimental." While Wang Juan was talking, she wrote in willow style3. The strength of her wrist hadn''t been developed yet, so her brush strokes were a little too soft. After writing, she threw the brush aside and pulled Zhang Xiao''bao and ran away. After the two people left, this man smiled and went over to see what Wang Juan wrote, La, you are the wind, I am sand.'' "Hehe, the little child is indeed a little child, her writing is so fun." This personughed aloud when he saw the first few words, and the person next to him came over curiously and read it aloud, "La, you are the wind, I am sand. Blowing across ayer of lily pads, asionally smiling, flowers falling." The person next to him looked at the words written on the paper, then looked at the person surnamed Wang, thenughed twice. He didn''t say anything, and just left. "Young Master Wang, I wonder if you can give this piece of paper to me?" Just as Wang was pondering what Wang Juan had written, a person who had just arrived came closer, nced at the words, and spoke to him. "This." "Young Master Wang, I have a hundred coins here; I can use it to exchange for the writing in your hands. How about I give you another one hundred coins for the one you''re about to write?" The man immediately added in. "Okay." Wang didn''t try to negotiate. Seeing that he was going to earn 200 coins, he wrote another one and he even wrote down another copy of Wang Juan''s poem and he sold it to this person. This person took the paper, turned around and walked away in a hurry. After walking a short distance, he instructed the person that he encountered. "Go, send this to my lord quickly and tell him this was written by the Wang manor''s little girl." The other person agreed, carefully putting the writing away. He then turned and ran off. The person took out Wang''s writing, nced at it, and cursed to himself, "Meaningless dog fart." He crumpled the paper, and tossed it into the mouth of a toad carved from wood that was actually just a trash can. A man on the road carried a basket on his back and held a broom in his hand as he swept the branches and pebbles on the ground. He nced at this person, then nced at the direction the other person left in. He swept the ground under his feet at afortable pace, then he turned to walk in a different direction. Right after the turn, he suddenly elerated his pace. * "It''s too scary. Later, we should make a detour so that we don''t encounter him again. I now know not to talk nonsense again." Wang Juan, who ran all the way to the top of the mountain with Zhang Xiaobao, said with lingering fear in her heart. "Mmm, he''s too persistent. I hope that he is not taking the imperial examination for the Jin''shi subject. His calligraphy is terrible. Hmm, standing here and looking down, it really is a nice open space, but the ce has not been repaired, and there is only a tform without any fences. If someone falls, that would be horrible." Zhang Xiao''bao opened his arms, feeling the blowing wind. He looked at the scenery below, and said happily. Wang Juan replied, "Yes, once the fence is finished, we also need to add twos underneath. I''m afraid that someone will stand on the fence to experience the exhrating feelings of being up high. Unfortunately, there aren''t good steel cables here, otherwise we can make a zipline. That would be so fun." "Okay, let''s go. Let''s leave the mountain and get rid of the people tailing us. Let''s see how theke is being made." Zhang Xiao''bao whispered. He pulled Wang Juan down another road, and the people protecting them continued to follow behind. Descending the mountain took a longer time since there were norge roads, and was bumpy. The stairs were carved out from the mountain, and there was only a rope as a safety precaution. When they arrived at the bottom of the mountain, there were three carriages parked side by side waiting to escort passengers. The guards first surrounded the three carriages and waited for Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan to get in, and then they quickly escorted one of the carriage to the Administrative office. As soon as the carriage left, two people climbed into the second carriage, and ordered the coachman to go to the same ce. Once the second carriage left, the remaining carriage turned around, the horse trotted away towards ake over there. After about a quarter of an hour, the third carriage stopped and the carriage door opened. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan came out from the inside. There was water in theke already and they were still building the surrounding dam. Holding each other''s hands, they ran over there together. "Good. Once the dam ispleted, they can dig a canal to connect it to Little Luo''shui. It will be much easier toe here next summer." Wang Juan was standing in the pavilion by theke as she made ns. "Mmm, yes. There are no springs on the mountain though, otherwise, we could have connected it to a small river, so that the gifted schrs and beautiful maidens can hold a winding stream party4." Zhang Xiao''bao felt that it was a slight pity.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. A duck idling on a cliff, e i e i o (yi ya yi ya you) (yi ya yi ya you)
In Chinese, "a duck idling on a cliff" is pronounced simr to "yi ya yi ya you", which is the Chinese equivalent of "e i e i o" in the nursery rhyme, Old MacDonald Had A Farm.
  1. The surnames Wang and Zhang
The joke here is that when Wang Juan''s surname is written upside down, it would look the same. This doesn''t work for Zhang Xiao''bao''s surname, so Xiao''bao suggests splitting the character into two: (meaning bow) and meaning grow), and then cing on top of to form a non-existent character.
  1. Willow style calligraphy
This is a calligraphy style that appeared duringte Tang Dynasty. It is characterized by having brush strokes that are thin, clean and stiff.
  1. Winding stream party
This is an old Chinese custom in which the participants wait by a winding stream andpose poems before their cups full of rice wine float down to reach them (Wiki) Book 2: Chapter 83 Book 2: Chapter 83 "Xiao''bao, who do you think is following us? I think things are getting quite interesting." Wang Juan talked about the people tailing them. Those people tailed Xiao''bao and Wang Juan in a very unprofessional manner; Xiao''bao and Wang Juan could tell that they were following them from the moment they headed out in the morning until now. During this long time, they have swapped out the groups of people who followed them only twice. They didn''t even make arrangements beforehand and only followed Xiao''bao and them from behind. Did they think that they were really good at this or did they think Zhang Xiao''bao were stupid? Zhang Xiao''bao shook his head slightly, "How would I know who they are? There are many people who are curious about the Zhang and Wang manors. Any one is possible. When the tracker returns, things may be more clear. What you wrote was taken away by them, so now, they should keep studying it. Let them do whatever they want." "Xiao''bao, let''s go out to yter so that they can see us, and then dump them. Let them see our capabilities." Perhaps Wang Juan felt like things were too boring, so she suddenly thought of that idea. "Okay, let''s do that. We should wait for the sky to get darker, and go boating on the river." Zhang Xiao''bao agreed. * "Idiot, why did you lose track of them? Tell me, where did you lose them?" In a house next to the Administrative Office in San''shui County, the two people who were following Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan stood in front of a man, who was less than 30 years old, with their heads bowed while being lectured. They rode in the second carriage and kept following behind the first one. In the end, the first carriage arrived next to the Administrative Office and stopped there, and the people escorting the carriage dispersed. The coachman unloaded the horse and tied it to a nearby tree, and then he found a rock and sat there dozing off. They waited and waited, but even when it was almost night time, no one came out of the carriage. When the day was getting a little dark, it seemed like the coachman nned to tidy up the carriage, and he dismantled the surrounding boards. This allowed the two of them to see the empty inside. Now they are confused--- where were the two children? Why are they gone? "Speak. I''m asking the two of you. How do you not know where you lost them? Think about it carefully. You can''t even keep watch of two children, and you even call yourselves Xiao''cong and Da''cong1? With your level of stupidity, you dare to use these kinds of names? " A man sat there trying to get these two people to remember when they lost track of the two children. "It should be that when those people dispersed, they hid Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan in their clothes." Xiao''cong thought for a while and said. "No, we would be able to see them if they were hidden in other clothes. I think they jumped off when they crossed the bridge." Da''cong refuted Xiao''cong. The person sitting there was angered. "Weren''t you following behind them? There''s a railing on the bridge. You can try jumping over for me to see. Keep thinking." "Then, it should be when the carriage was dismantled. He blocked the carriage with a horse. That''s right, he led the horse around the cart. At that time, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan must have run out and ran... No, wait, you can see the surroundings clearly since there were no obstructions. When was it then?" Xiao''cong answered, and then he negated his own words. Da''cong also didn''t understand and was perplexed. "Okay, send more people. Da''cong, Xiao''cong, you guys go too. Remember, this time you are not allowed to lose track of them again." The sitting person nodded slightly and red at the two of them. "I''ll keep up with them this time, and we will get more people to keep an eye on them." Xiao''cong promised, and Da''cong also had a determined look on his face. By the time the two people got to the wharf, they happened to see Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan standing under thentern on the boat, pointing at the river, as if they were talking about something happy. "Da''cong, there they are." The person who stayed here watching the two children pointed to the figures on the boat and said to Da''cong. "I see them already. Go, let''s get on the boat, and arrange for a few people to rent a boat and stay nearby. Let''s see where they want to go." Da''cong vented his anger on this person, and then he got a few people to go with him. He got Xiao''cong to watch from the periphery. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan also spotted the two people who were following them earlier. They looked at each other and smiled. They turned and entered thergest cabin in the middle of the ship. There were quite a few people inside. The design of this ship was different from the others--- in the middle, there was a ce reserved for people to eat, drink, and chat here. They decided to rest. There were two exits, and there was only one floor, since the beams above couldn''t support the weight of another floor. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan walked through the crowd, turned around and went through a door. After a short while, two other people went in after them. While Da''cong found people to stay in the cabin to keep watch, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan even came out to watch the excitement and then went back in again. "Keep your eyes wide open, how many people have gone in?" Da''cong was certain now. "Four, Zhang Xiao''bao, Wang Juan, and two others---one man and one woman." The person who stayed behind replied. "Okay, now there are six---two just went in. Five now-- an old man just came out. A kid went in. Keep a close eye. Don''t lose track of them when peoplee and go. There are four now; an adult just came out." Da''cong stared at him without blinking, and asked people to see if there was any way to other ces. "Da''cong, the kid who had just entered hase out. That''s right, it was the same one as before. Now there are three people: Zhang Xiao''bao, Wang Juan, and another person." One of the people watching came back from over there. "Five went in, so now there are eight in there. Two more, so that''s ten. Three went out, and two children went in. Both are around ten years old--- that doesn''t matter. Four went out, so there are five people left... two went out, and three went in, and another two more came out. Keep an eye on them. There is one left in there, and... how many are there?" Da''cong confused himself as he counted, and asked with a little uncertainty. "Da''cong, I remember, there is one left. The person came out, and now there is no one inside." The person next to him was still smiling as he said this. "Quickly, let''s go find Xiao''cong, he''s still outside." Da''cong shouted, and ran outside first. At this time, the boat hadn''t left. It would take a while for the majority of the people to get on board. Xiao''cong was guarding outside. There were their people on small boats, on the wharf, and on the bridge. He refused to believe that they would lose track of them again this time. After waiting for a while and the boat was almost about to leave, he suddenly saw Da''cong running out. With the light emanating from the boats to illuminate the ce, he looked over in that direction, and it seemed like Da''cong was very panicked. Xiao''cong hurriedly went over to him, "What''s wrong, Da''cong?" "Gone. They disappeared right under my nose. Did you see them?" Da''cong grabbed Xiao''cong''s shoulder and asked nervously. Xiao''cong asked puzzledly, "What''s gone? Who was I supposed to see?" "Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. The two of them are not on the boat. We had our eyes on them, but then they just disappeared. Did theye out?" Da''cong didn''t know how to describe his feelings. The thing he regretted most was that he didn''t send anyone in there. However, it seemed like the cabin was rented by someone else, so he couldn''t just send his men in. Xiao''cong understood what happened and he nodded, and then, he shook his head. "I see, you lost them. I didn''t see anyone out here. They must still be on the boat. Arrange for people to board the boat and follow along, and then get them to keep watch when people disembark. This boat is going to the Capital, and it might stop up to three times along the way." Da''cong gritted his teeth and gave the order. Four of his men boarded the boat, and he and Xiao''cong rushed back. They had to report. On the third floor of the First Near Water, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were in the semi-circr room that was closest to the bridge. They stood by the window watching Da''cong, Xiao''cong and the others move in a hurry, and theyughed the entire time. Wang Juan looked at Zhang Xiao''bao and sighed helplessly. "That was not a satisfying win. Why didn''t they take note of what the people who came in and went out looked like? They only thought about looking for the two of us. It''s over for them; they lost track of us again. They didn''t notice the two asions where three kids pretended to be one person and came in. They also didn''t notice that four kids pretended to be two people and went out. Don''t they know that two kids can pretend to be one person by wearing arge robe to cover their face, wearingrger shoes, and using wooden sticks to lengthen their arms? How do they not know about this trick? " "Hehe. Let''s give them another chance. Let''s go to the night market in the county seat for snacks. There is no curfew here; I wonder how it is in the Capital." Zhang Xiao''bao intended to continue provoking the opponent. He already knew which household it was. When Da''cong and Xiao''cong were following the first carriage, he got other people to follow them. The two of them went downstairs while talking, and then they took a boat to the shore. They didn''t try to hide their whereabouts, and they strolled directly to the night market. *posted on "Young Master, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan have hid on the boat. We have sent people to go watch them. There is also one person standing guard outside. We would know if a smaller boates to pick them up. There is one person inside, and there are two others waiting for rotation. The people protecting the two children probably know that someone is following them." Da''cong and Xiao''cong returned to the house and reported to the person, who was still sitting there. The man pondered for a while and asked, "Did you see which cabin they entered?" "I saw it, but there was no one in the cabinter on. We kept staring at it, but I don''t know how they disappeared. Perhaps the cabin was connected to a secret path elsewhere." Da''cong came up with an exnation that best fitted the situation at the time. "What secret path? That ship has no secret path at all. It was specially checked at the beginning. All the wood patterns are correct, and there were no signs of the wood being joined together. Idiots, you still lost track of them." This person really did not know what to say anymore. Da''cong trembled. He wanted to exin. He opened his mouth to speak but he couldn''t make out any words. "Young Master, I was guarding outside the entire time, but I didn''t see the two of theme out. They must still be on the boat." Xiao''cong helped Da''cong speak at this time. "Report!" Just when Xiao''cong'' finished talking, a person came in through the door, "Young Master, our people saw Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan eating savory crepes in the night market in the county seat. Wang Juan also got the soup used in Liang''pi, and they got people to grill shrimps at a barbeque ce." "Hmm, I see, you can leave now." The young man replied. Once the person left, his eyes turned to Da''cong and Xiao''cong. He didn''t say anything and he just stared at them.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Xiao''cong and Da''cong
Xiao() means little'', while Dameans big, while cong( ) means smart. Book 2: Chapter 84 Book 2: Chapter 84 "Young Master, did they make a hole at the bottom of the boat and water got in?" Da Cong was confused and tried hard to find exnations. "I think water got into your head. Didn''t you just say that you were counting people? Why are you talking about water getting in now? Why would there be lesser people when water gets in? Idiot." This young man was also puzzled. Usually Da Cong and Xiao Cong were very smart, but for some reason, they kept losing track of those two kids. Xiao Cong, who was standing on the side, also didn''t understand. It was odd that they disappeared in a blink of an eye. Looking at the gloomy face of his young master, he whispered, "Young Master, I will definitely not lose them this time, I will go again." "Go. Send everyone. Follow them. It doesn''t matter if you lose track of them or not. What they want to do has been achieved long ago. Take a good look, and learn from them. Get someone to find Mister Song tomorrow. Go early in the morning, don''t wait for him toe find us. Tell him that we are not malicious." The young man gave up his ns of punishing these two people. He dismissively waved his hand like he was shooing away flies. "If you are able to follow them, why wouldn''t they be able to follow you? Just because you lost track of them, it doesn''t mean they will lose track of you. Up until now, they have not gotten the bailiffs to go find us, so that means they are waiting. If theye tomorrow, that means I have lost by a far stretch." "My Young Master is saying that they followed us too? I didn''t see anyone. Da Cong and I have been careful. Why would the bailiffse over? Would they dare to arrest us?" Xiao Cong was a bit unconvinced. The Young Masterughed angrily, "Ha ha ha. They won''t arrest you, but they will take you away so that you can get treated by a doctor. Do you know what kind of illness? For getting water into your brain. Hurry up and scram." Da Cong and Xiao Cong ran out confused. They stood at the door of the house, and nced around vigntly. "Da Cong. Did you see anyone following us?" Xiao Cong asked. "No, but if the Young Master said so, then it must be so. Let''s hurry up and go. Our Young Master is angry. Today, I''m going to follow them until night time, and I''ll follow them tomorrow during the day. I refuse to believe that I will still lose them." Da Cong looked back at the house, trembled, and walked quickly towards the night market. By the time the two people arrived at the night market, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan had already finished eating their savory crepes. They were almost full and were currently eating shrimps. This time, the shrimps were small and each were about an inch in length. Live shrimps were taken out of the bucket, and grilled until they turned red. After pinching off the head, they were ready to eat--- they didn''t even need to peel the shell. "It would be better if they brushed on some salt water; the taste is a bit nd. Xiao''bao, here, have another one, and I''ll have another one too. Once we''re done eating these two, we should go. They''re here." Wang Juan burped from being full. After seeing that there were two shrimps left in front of her, she shared one with Zhang Xiao''bao. Zhang Xiao''bao was also full, but he was reluctant to throw the shrimp away. He grabbed it, peeled off the shell, and slowly chewed the shrimp in his mouth. He gave a meaningful look to the person next to him, and the person tossed down a few coins to pay for the shrimps. "Let''s go. Let''s lose them, and then go rest at the inn over there." Zhang Xiao''bao wiped his hands, stood up and walked with Wang Juan to a stall. "The two of them are wearing white clothes; that makes it easy to recognize them. Follow them." Da Cong watched Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan get up, and noted the colors of the two people''s clothes. The two kids were also surrounded by their guards. This time, he will definitely not mistake others for these two. Xiao Cong took a deep breath, clenched his fist again, and then began to follow them. What happened today was too embarrassing. He had to find back some of his pride. In the night market, people wereing and going. Because it was near the wharf, smallmodities imported from other ces were bought by the small stall owners at the wharf. When night came, those stall owners would set up their stalls so that they could earn a few coins or trade for some goods and improve their lives. It was almost winter so it was hard to find work. If they didn''t save some money, then during the event of an emergency, it would be difficult to borrow money from someone. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan strolled slowly in the night market, stopping to take a look from time to time, and asionally buying one or two toys. After going around for a while, suddenly more people gathered up ahead. New cheap radishes arrived and were sold for a coin for three radishes. The price was low, and could be eaten during the winter, or be made into pickles, and eaten bit by bit. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan nced at each other, then gestured to a person next to them, and the two squeezed their way into the crowd. After a while, the group of guards squeezed out of the crowd with two young children dressed in white clothes, and the two children continued to walk in front of them. Da Cong wiped the sweat off his forehead andined, "I was almost crushed to death in there. We didn''t lose them. Come, let''s get closer." "Aren''t they afraid of the two kids getting crushed? If I was Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan''s family, I would find new guards for the two of them." Xiao Cong also murmured. After the two followed them into the crowd, and then made their way out. There were two children wearing grey clothes with white objects in their arms, squatting there picking radishes. Each of them was also holding a coin in their hand. "Xiao''bao, I think this radish is good, buy it and stew it with beef. Tie it up for me. Actually, forget it, I''ll wrap it with my robe. Here''s the money, we want all six of these." Wang Juan wrapped the three radishes in her clothes, reached out and tossed the money to the person. She got up with Zhang Xiao''bao and walked back. Two more guards came up to their side. An hourter, Da Cong and Xiao Cong were a little annoyed. They squeezed their way through ces to ces, wondering why the two children were shopping endlessly. When the two children arrived at a ce that sold all kinds of wooden trinkets, the two children squatted down to pick. The guards around them simultaneously dispersed, as if they didn''t care about the two children anymore. Da Cong and Xiao Cong were confused again. They got closer and heard the girl say to the boy, "Brother, the people of Zhang and Wang families are really nice; they gave us some clothes and bought us a lot of things and we even have all of these guards protecting us. Later, when we get home, we have to show our mother. I even got five chi1 of fabric for mother." "Little sister, they also gave me ten coins. I''ll get our father some wine; two coins'' worth." The boy pitched in happily. "You two... why are you wearing white clothes?" Xiao Cong swallowed and asked with disbelief. "What we wear is none of your business. Our house is nearby. If you dare try to mess with us, it will be over for you. Bailiff uncles, someone wants to kidnap us." The little girl looked at Da Cong and Xiao Cong warily, and said a few words. Coincidentally, the bailiffs on patrol happened to pass by during this moment and the little girl saw them, so she yelled out to them loudly. The patrolling bailiffs carried swords on them, and as soon as they heard the shout, they ced their hands on the hilt of their swords and ran over. There were two bailiffs, and each of them focused their attention on one person. "We''re not, we''re not trying to kidnap them. We''re just asking them some random questions. We also n to buy them things. We even have the money ready, look." Da Cong was clever this time; he took out a small string of coins and stuffed it into the little girl''s hands, while trying to appear harmless. "Thank you, bailiff uncles. Brother, let''s go home. Let''s not buy anymore for now." The little girl held onto the money; she didn''t look like she intended to return it back to him. She thanked them and followed her brother to the direction behind the stall, which led to their house. "Let''s go. In the future, don''t go around asking random questions." The bailiffs looked at Da Cong and Xiao Cong and warned them before letting them off. They didn''t believe that people would try to trick children at the night market. A few people who were once jobless switched over to running small businesses, and they would definitely try to help the people in the county, otherwise if Young Master Zhou finds out that they stood watching on the side without helping, he would not spare them. In the study of the mansion next to the Administrative Office, a person was writing something with a brush in his hand. Suddenly, light footsteps approached the door. "Who is there?" He ced down his brush and asked. "Young Master, Da Cong and I are back." Xiao Cong''s voice sounded. "Mmm,e in." The young man uttered a nasally sound, permitting them toe in. Da Cong and Xiao Cong opened the door, walked in and stood side by side in front of the Young Master while bowing their heads in silence. The Young Master swept his eyes up and down the two of them, and said, "Lost track of them again?" "Our Young Master can read the future like a deity." Da Cong showered him with ttery. "Predict what matters? It''s because I know you two are idiots. Three times. Within one day, you lost track of them three times. You have made me lose my face. This must be intentional. They must be doing this intentionally. They are trying to give me a warning. They must beughing now at how my subordinates are so ipetent yet I still dare to send them out to do work This is what they want to convey to me." The young man said these words, smiled bitterly, and then continued, "I don''t me you. I was the one who underestimated them. Come and take a look. There are a few drawings here. You will understand how you lost track of them once you see this." The young man took a few sheets of paper from the table and tossed them in front of the two''s feet. "Our Young Master is so great. You figured out how they hid from us." Xiao Cong ttered him while picking up the paper. "Those were sent to the door of the house. Since you''re here, don''t go out anymore today. Just stay in the house." "Entering is permitted, but leaving is not. The ce has been surrounded by bailiffs; we can''t send information out and the people outside will not dare to fight against the bailiffs. Hurry and look at what it means to use tactics." The young man said helplessly. Now Da Cong and Xiao Cong understood. They looked down at the paintings on the paper. ording to chronological order, they rode the carriage, were on the boat, and were in the night market. The eyes of the two of them widened as they examined the drawings. "Xiao Cong, aiya, if we knew ahead of time, we should have hired the remaining two carriages too. They even got people to stand on top of each other on the boat; that''s kind of interesting. I will remember this from now on." Da Cong seemed to have learned a lot and he spoke happily. Xiao Cong also nodded sharply, "Mmm, during the night market, they wore an extra piece of clothing on the outside, and found two simr children. When we squeezed through the crowd, their guards misled us into believing that those two children were them. Young Master, do not worry. Next time when they ride a carriage, ride a boat, or swap people at the night market ,Da Cong and I will definitely not lose track of them." "Twenty whips for each of you. Go receive your punishment. Next time? Next time, they will use a different trick. You two have been idiots for the entire day." The young man didn''t me them for being unable to keep up with the kids since their methods were too amazing, but Da Cong and Xiao Cong were being such idiots that he finally couldn''t hold back anymore.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. chi
Chi is a length of measurement. During the Tang Dynasty, one chi is equal to 30.7 cm. Book 2: Chapter 85 Book 2: Chapter 85 Da Cong and Xiao Cong left the room, feeling upset. The young man pondered for a while, picked up the pen and wrote two more lines down. After blowing the ink dry, he folded the letter and ced it into an envelope. He thought about it again a few more times, and threw it onto the table. He draped an outer garment onto himself, stood up and walked to the door. Standing in the middle of the house, he looked at the night sky while listening to the sounding in from outside. He shook his head, and went back inside. When he arrived at the door, a person came over and asked, "Young Master, should we charge our way out? We still have some men left in the house." "No need. Come, follow me." The young man walked to the study as he spoke. He picked up the letter that had just been written from the table, and handed it to the man. "Later, go to the main entrance and hand them this letter. Tell them to hand it to Song Jing''gong, and we will be able to go outside tomorrow." "Young Master, we don''t have to do this. They are just a manor." This person tried to persuade him. "Go on." The young man didn''t want to say more. He spat out two words, and closed his eyes while sitting there. * Li Xun and these people have been travelling the entire time and they only took a break during dinner. They weren''t able to fall asleep just yet so they continued to walk for over two hours before they decided to think of a way to rest. There were no tents since the tents were too heavy, and thus, it was also one of the items that were abandoned so that more food could be carried. Next to Li Xun were the thirty or so people who had participated in the previous expeditions, and the others were people who joined for the first time. The thirty of them used knives to cut down the surrounding dead grass, twisted them into ropes, and set them alight. The ropes with wormwood were much more effective. In the heavy smoke, they spread nkets out to sleep on. Next to them were the fire they set up, and they took turns to keep watch. The neers also prepared a lot of things and copied what the others did. However, even so, there were still some courageous mosquitoes that flew forward to bite them. But it was unknown whether they would have the strength to fly back afterwards. "Don''t make any noise, others are still sleeping." Li Xun warned when he heard the movement. It was Han Yong''yao who spoke just now. After he was warned, he became more well-behaved. Listening to the buzzing noise in his ears, he couldn''t sleep at all. He also brought a nket, but because he was a little fatter, he wasn''t able to cover himself with it afterying it on the ground. Other people were able toy on top of half of the nket and use the remaining half to cover their body. Others who were also fat, gritted their teeth and settled with using the nket to cover their body and slept on top of a mat of hay. The hay was a bit pokey, but it was better than being bitten by mosquitoes. "Brother Xing''yi, are you asleep? I can''t fall asleep." Han Yong''yao didn''t dare to speak loudly, and could only whisper to his Brother Xing''yi lying beside him. "No, I can''t sleep either. If we keep going like this, I''ll be doomed in just a few days. If we quit, do you think we will be beaten?" Xing''yi regretted it and felt that he shouldn''t havee here. At first, he was intrigued by the novel idea, and he wanted to get to know the Emperor''s nephew. Never did he imagine that he had to suffer like this. "Yes, as long as we quit. Although, I don''t know how many hits we will have to suffer. Let''s just try to bear with this. Brother Xing''yi, after adding the poison, are there any other ways to let them know how powerful I am? Help mee up with an idea." Han Yong''yao felt that it would be too easy on the Zhang Manor if he only poisoned some fish. He originally wanted to poison their poultry, but the person he sent said that he was unable to poison the poultry since they were caged up at night. If they woke up to eat in the middle of night, themotion would be too big and people would notice, so he decided to poison the fish instead. "Hmm, let me think about it. Hehe. Brother Yong''yao, they have a forest there, what would happen if you set that ce on fire? How about you burn that ce down. Get someone to go there during night time to light the forest on fire. Don''t start the fire near your ce, that would be too suspicious. Just be careful about the wind direction." Han Yong''yao nodded happily, and sighed again after a while and said, "No, this really can''t be done. If they find out, it will be over for my family. There are mulberry trees in the forest over at their ce. If the mulberry trees are destroyed, the Emperor himself might get involved. Think of another idea. I''ll take note of this though and I''ll use this n as ast resort. I can find a trustworthy person, and then get them to flee far away after setting the ce on fire. Let me keep thinking. Let me think. Something else. For example, they have a restaurant, and businesses at Little Luo''shui. " Xing''yi pondered for a moment, and felt that it was indeed too dangerous. If they were really caught, he would also be dragged in too and his family would also be affected. "Restaurant. Open a restaurant topete with them? No, we don''t have the ability. Restaurant. The First Near Water restaurant is in the middle of water. Find smeone who is good at swimming, and get them to swim over there at night, and slowly chip at the underwater pirs of the restaurant. Break a bit of it everyday. Over time, they will have to fix it, and the money needed will not be a small amount. If this doesn''t work, then go dine in a private room on the second floor. Bring along a bamboo tube filled ants-- the type that eats wood. While eating, make a few holes and ce the ants in. Go to a new area in the restaurant everyday. It would be best if you can ce ants in all of the rooms on the second floor. If you''re willing to spend more money, then go dine on the roof, and put ants there too. It won''t take long before the ants eat away the internal structure of the restaurant. The same can be done for the businesses at Little Luo''shui. How would anyone know that you were the one behind this? " Xing''yi was able toe up with a lot of bad ideas. In just a short while, he came up with two of them. After hearing the second one, Han Yong''yao finally decided to go with this idea. The idea was really great. He just had to ce some ants and wait for them to eat the wood. By then, the restaurant would be doomed. "Brother Xing''yi, rest assured. As long as I am able to take revenge, I won''t forget about you in the future. I''ll go with this n. I''ll find someone to dine there tomorrow. First, let''s push ourselves through these journey. We would even get a Xiang''gong position1. I don''t want to be beaten up." Han Yong''yao thanked him. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. "I''m happy to be able to help Brother Yongyao seek revenge. Let''s go to sleep, we still have to travel tomorrow." Xing''yi replied, then turned around, and closed his eyes tightly. He nned to fall asleep quickly, but he was fixated on thinking about how great his idea was. The wind was also a bit chilly, so it was hard to fall asleep. The family members who followed along saw how much their own children had to suffer and they really didn''t understand what the Emperor''s nephew was nning to do. It was hard to say whether their children would be able to survive this torment. Everything was fine so why did they need to train to survive in the wilderness? Isn''t it the same being at home? The parents could stay in tents, but their children had to lie on top of grass, and there were mosquitoes. Seeing them suffer made their hearts ache for them. * At night, three figures appeared in the Zhang and Wang manors. The brilliance of the stars and the moon was blocked by clouds that were floating in the sky, making it difficult to see in the darkness. "Big brother, it''s this ce. Pour the thing into the pond and then let''s get out of here immediately. They won''t be able to find us. Which pond was it again? There are many ponds here. I heard that there is only one that is used specifically for fish breeding, and the others are not taken care of. If there are wild fish, then they will let them grow, and if there are none, they won''t add any fry either." All three of them wore dark gray clothes. When approaching the small bridge, one person whispered that the dark night was advantageous for them, but it also prevented them from seeing the ce clearly. In order to not raise other people''s suspicion, they got another person to investigate the ce during the day, and they made judgements based on the information they heard from that person. "It should be up ahead, next to a big tree. Be careful. Don''t disturb the dogs. It would be bad if the dogs start barking. Come on, let''s go over there." A deep voice spoke, then the three figures crossed the bridge, and walked around the marketce. "Brother, look, this is the market, and there are some simple buildings there. I heard that there are goods stored in them. Do you want to steal some on our way back?" The three people hid in the shadow of a building, and the person who spoke first said another sentence. "Don''t think about that for now. Today,we are just going to add the poison in. If we mess up the main mission, just wait for the beating when we get back. Lower, lower, don''t let people see us." That older brother was more reliable and ced his focus on the main task. The three people passed through this area, and continued to move forward. Just when they left the shadow they were hiding in, the wooden door nk of that ce was suddenly pulled from the inside. A person stepped out and looked around. The person also bent his back and secretly ran to a house on the opposite side. "Someone is making trouble. Go find someone, I''ll keep an eye on them." The person who stepped out earlier said a few words, and turned around. He followed after the three people, and at the same time, he drew a short knife from his waist. The person who opened the door also ran out, and he walked ten or so steps to the grocery store. He climbed up from thedder next to the ce and went up to the top, then he got into a tiny cubicle that was only big enough to fit one person. While inside the cubicle, he took out a fire igniter to light a candle. Then, he ced a copper mirror in front of the candle, directing the reflection towards a high ce up front. Once the other side shed a light twice, he blew out the candle, and then climbed back down. He also took out the short knife, and went in the same direction the previous person left in. How would the three people who came to poison the pond know that the Zhang and Wang manors were so heavily guarded? They were still thinking that everything was fine, and they nned to enjoy the next few days afterpleting the mission. After walking a short distance, the three of them felt so miserable that it was beyond speech. They entered the rice field, which was a great ce to conceal themselves, but they kept on identally kicking the rice nts at their feet, which they had a hard time seeing. "Brother, there''s a patch of rice nts in front of us. Let''s go over there to rest. I almost fell to my death." One person tripped several times in a row and his face was scratched up. Using the dim illumination from the moon, he was able to make up a patch, he saw a patch of rice nt in front of them. "Okay, don''t rush. We have the entire night, it''s fine if we take our time." The older brother also felt that that ce was a good ce to hide. The three people changed their directions a little bit and went over there. Just when they were making their way there, more than 30 people gathered together on the manor, and they were also heading over the patch of rice nts. There were also people standing guard there since they were afraid that someone would start a fire there, which they still had use for. Book 2: Chapter 86 Book 2: Chapter 86 Deep into the night, the dew was heavy, and the wind blew cold, so how does one stroll in the rice paddy? Where do the three drunk talking peoplee from? Facing each other, moving in the dim vagueness. Torture used haphazardly, allowing others use their power, only to dig holes in the ground. Don''t mention the noble person you rely on; for the sake of the future, suffer the short-term pain by being buried. The three people who intended to poison the pond were caught. They could not even begin to fathom how much energy, money and manpower Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan had invested into this ce in order to keep the ce safe. ording to two people''s personal understandings of reconnaissance, counter reconnaissance, seizing, and counter seizing, the two people designed a special offensive and defensive routine, and maximized the usage of the entire manors'' poption as much as possible. Given the same weapons and the same physical fitness of people on both sides, they were able to defend against troublemakers that were three times as many as their own people. Thus, the operation that was codenamed "My manor, my space" began. The emergency shing light code was three short, three long and three short. If a meaning had to be added onto it, it would be Send Our Sour'', or SOS''. For this purpose, Wang Juan also drew a three-dimensional defense map of the Zhang and Wang manors. It was the type that had the navy, armed force and airforce joined as one, and worked with coordinated operations. However, due to the limitations of resources at hand, they only made a system to defend a few important locations onnd. Apart from the main yard, the other ces had undercover guards instead of patrolling ones since theycked usable manpower. The Strong Seedling Protection Team formed the central body. Hidden guard posts were set up in ces where Zhang Xiao''bao or Wang Juan felt like others could go through to sneak into manors, and the posts were paired with second-tier teams. These teams focused on defense, such as defending rice crop patches, which can''t be burned since that would affect the grain output next year. If it weren''t for the fact that there was not enough time, Wang Juan would have created an underground tunnelwork that linked the Zhang and Wang Manors to the Between The Water And Clouds Restaurant. The adamant Wang Juan was nning to realize this idea within three years, and create an underground army made up of thousands of men. Those who wanted to ambush them cane and try. When this arrangement was first made, the residents didn''t quite understand it. They only knew that since their master told them to do it, they had to do it. The people from the inner yard also didn''t understand, but they knew that they had to follow their young masters'' words. That night, the 30 plus people, who were holding hunting weapons, divided into small groups and surrounded each person. The residents were amazed by their master, and the servants of the inner courtyard praised their little masters. "What are you doing? Bring me wine. I haven''t had enough yet." The youngest of the three were surrounded by a dozen people, and he squinted and shouted out. "What wine? Who are you trying to deceive? You want to poison the pond. You must be blind, do you think that bridge can be crossed that easily? Keep pretending, keep on pretending. Captain, the three of them want to poison our manors'' fish. I heard this clearly with my own ears." The man standing at the hidden door in the wall pointed his finger at the man sitting on the ground and said angrily. The team leader was selected by Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan from a pool of more than 700 people, so naturally, he was not a simple man. He sneered, "They''re not trying to poison the fish, they just drank too much. Go, go to the grocery store to get wine, get a jar of wine, and let him drink. If they can''t finish the wine, then toss them into the pond." The people around him immediately ran to the grocery store. Although he just said a jar, they knew how big the jar should be--- as big as a water basin. It was a wine jar that was buried in the ground, and weighed forty to fifty catties. It would be a surprise if they don''t die from drinking this. "Bring those two people over too. The three of them don''t need to be treated like this. Splitting up and surrounding them is good, but there aren''t enough opponents, so it''s not worth the effort." The captain of the Seedling Team continued speaking. He didn''t know whether he should be happy or angry. This was the first time that the Strong Seedling Protection Team has encountered troublemakers and he managed to catch them, so their master would be happy to hear this, but at the same time, it was hard to believe that there were people who had the guts toe to the manor to cause trouble. It was obvious that those people were belittling their Seedling Protection Team. Did they think the team was for show only? The most frustrating thing was that these three people came here to poison the fish. There were not many fish left in the pond since most of them were transferred to the mountains. When springes, they intend to throw in seedlings to allow lotus flowers to grow along with the fish. Even if they really managed to poison the pond, it was just a small number anyway. They put in so much effort toe here all just to try to poison the fish that was going to be given to the residents. People like them were the most detestable. His seven year old son told him that once their family was given their share of the fish, he would grill fish fillet for his three-year-old sister. If the fish were poisoned to death, how would he grill fish? Trying to bully my child? Just wait for it. After a while, the wine was brought over. A loud deep thud was heard when the wine jar was ced onto the ground; it was obvious how much wine was in that jar. The three captured people were herded together, and the person who was the big brother finally spoke. "Don''t even bother trying. Even if we die from drinking, we still won''t tell you who sent us. Come at us with all of your tricks and try to see if you can pry open our mouths." "Good, I like people like you. Let''s keep it simple and straightforward then. Go dig holes. Our master had told us that people who speak like you aren''t backed by an ordinary person and are not someone we can mess with. It would be more troubling for us if we manage to extract answers. Bury them and let them be fertilizer, and then we will inform their backers. Tomorrow morning, send this news out: three drunkards drowned in the river, and were buried afterwards." The captain snorted disdainfully, gave instructions to them, and turned to leave. After the captain had left, a few of the remaining people went to the grocery store to obtain the items they needed, and after a while, they came back carrying shovels in their hands. The shovels were distributed to the ten or so people and they started digging a hole next to them. Sounds of feet kicking the shovel heads, moving dirt, and huffing breaths were mixed together. People who had no idea what was going on would have thought that people were trying to build a house. What frightened the three people the most was that under the dim light of thentern, they could see a person kneeling on the ground and arranging joss sticks, incense paper and other things neatly on the ground as he muttered something under their breath. "If they ask you at the court of the Underworld, please tell them carefully who you are. Why did youe here looking for death, erecting a new grave in the field? Looking at your hometown from the stage of Wang Xiang1, you have already be a spirit. From here on, the realms of the alive and dead separate you; your parents at home will leave an empty dinner bowl. Babies babbling asking for their father; deep into the night, tears stain the widow''s face. When arriving, everyone gives their blessing, but who will ask about the old and young who pass away? I''m burning incense paper not for myself; I only wish that the Underworld would be peaceful. If the judge of the Underworld says you must be tortured by deep frying you in hot oil, give him 300 silver coins. Also give him a dozen joss sticks so that you can have a good life in your next reincarnation. Maybe your wife will reincarnate too. The only fear is that you will walk right past her but not know. I''ll burn more incense paper, you must remember..." My mother is old, and my father died early. My mother worked hard to raise me. And I just got married recently; it''s been only four months. I''ll have a kid in half a year. I told you everything, don''t bury me. " The youngest of the three couldn''t help it, and shouted out everything he knew. The sound of digging ceased, and the chanting voice turned silent. The people around looked at the three of them without moving. The person who was burning the incense paper stood up and said to the others, "Retreat. Tie up the three of them and bring them to the main yard. I will go find the housekeeper." "Lao''san2, you must be out of your mind. They were just intimidating you, how could you tell them everything? What about the people in your family? Will those people let you off?" The older brother couldn''t stop him in time and the third brother spilled everything out, so now he was deeply frustrated. The person who burned the incense paper frowned and asked the third brother, "Is he your actual brother?" "No." The third brother was confused now, and he answered without much thought. Bang. A shovel hit across the oldest brother''s face. It was hard to tell how much force was used, but it was enough to knock him unconscious. "No, my second brother is a mute and never speaks. It''s been several years already and I have never heard him talk before; he only makes gestures with his hands." The third brother hurriedly interceded. "Hmm, then stay here for now too. I will tell the housekeeper to send stuff to your house so that your child can be born." "You don''t need to tell me. From now on, you will take care of these things in the future. Yu Yong, wait for me to talk to the master and madam. I''ll ask them to let you take on the surname Zhang. From now on, you will be in charge of matters like this." Housekeeper Zhang also rushed over at this time. As soon as the person who was burning paper finished talking, Housekeeper Zhang gave away some of his power. "Housekeeper Zhang, what do you-- I don''t dare to..." "Your captain told me that you came up with the idea. Work diligently in the main house. If I was in your ce today, I wouldn''t have done just as well as you did. There are more and more matters to handle in the manor, and I am unable to keep up. With another clever helper, I feel more relieved." Housekeeper Zhang knew what Yu Yong was thinking, and spoke with a smile on his face. He actually didn''t want to delegate his own power, but he knew that his Young Master and Young Miss were opening more stores, so he wouldn''t be able to handle everything by himself. If he held onto the power by himself, perhaps the Old Master and Old Madam would not say anything, and his Master and Madam would be willing, but what about his Young Master and Young Miss? Unless he gets everything done well, otherwise, if something goes wrong, and he still refuses to let go of his power, then this would anger his Young Master and Young Miss. It would be much better to make arrangements right now. Are his Young Master and Young Miss ordinary people? They were able toe up with those kinds of schemes without even seeing the opponent''s face. His Young Master and Young Miss only needed to know what the grain shop owners were talking about, and they knew what those people were thinking and what they nned to say. They absolutely would not permit their subordinates to cling onto power for things that they can''t manage. "Thank you, Housekeeper Zhang. I will definitely listen to your words from now on. I''ll do whatever you want me to do." Yu Yong said gratefully. Housekeeper Zhang was startled. "Don''t. Don''t listen to me. You have to listen to our Madam, Master, Old Madam and Old Master, and our Young Master and Young Miss. You will understand thister on. If you listen to me, then you might as well just continue doing whatever job you had before."
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Stage of Wang Xiang
The Stage of Wang Xiang is the tform that one reaches when they are at the end of the Nai''he Bridge in the underworld. "Wang Xiang" means to "look at [one''s] hometown"
  1. Lao''san
Lao''san literally means "Old Three". It would refer to the third youngest in the group. Book 2: Chapter 87 Book 2: Chapter 87 After saying this, Housekeeper Zhang felt fortunate in his heart. It was a good thing that he had listened to his father''s words and worked earnestly for the manor. He did not try to fight for power with his Madam and Master, and he did not try to oppress his young master. If he did, perhaps he would be buried underground by now. On several nights, he dreamt of his Young Master''srge eyes, and mesmerizing smile, and he would up from shock every time. He didn''t know why, but when he looked at his Young Master during the day, he felt like his appearance was very likeable. However, in his dreams during the night, a particr kind of coldness emanated from within his Young Master. In particr, the expression in his eyes seemed like they were staring into him. Yu Yong didn''t know what Housekeeper Zhang was thinking. After hearing what Housekeeper Zhang said, he nodded and agreed. He got the people to send the three troublemakers inside the yard. It didn''t take a long time for the bailiffs who were assigned to stay at the manor to rush over. A total of three bailiffs came and the leader was someone the manor residents knew--- it was Chen Dong. "Sir, I was wronged. Us three brothers identally walked into here after drinking too much. They beat us up and used us that we were here to do bad things. Sir, I was wronged. Sir, you have dropped some money." That eldest brother switched out of his usual calm demeanor, or it could be said that he saw this as an opportunity and shouted out to the three bailiffs who came, hoping that he would be able to receive help from them. At the same time, he threw himself over to them, and tugged at Chen Dong''s hand. From his sleeves, he pulled out a string of sixty or so coins, and two silver beads. When Chen Dong picked up the money, the eldest brother turned his head and looked at Housekeeper Zhang and Yu Yong with an expression that was self-exnatory. Upon seeing his gaze, Housekeeper Zhang turned his head away, and Yu Yongughed a couple of times. This made the older brother feel confused. Thud. Chen Dong kicked the older brother''s chest, sending him three meters away, and said, "I dropped that money? But my money pouch has been on my waist the entire time, so how did it drop? Both your hands are tied up, yet you still dare to steal my money. Show him a lesson." Chen Dong took a step back as he spoke, and the two bailiffs next to him rushed forward and began to beat one of them up and curse at him. "You must blind for stealing Brother Chen''s money. You failed to steal Brother Chen''s money and you lied saying that he dropped it. Who told you to steal it, huh? Who gave you the guts? This is a ce where even someone like Young Master Zhou has to put on a smile, and yet you have the guts toe here and cause trouble. Do you think the San''shui County belongs to you?" The other one was more ruthless-- he deliberately hit the sensitive parts on his body and also cursed at him, "The Zhang and Wang manor framed you? Why don''t you take a piss and see what your own reflection looks like? Poisoning? If you can poison the pond today, then you can poison another ce tomorrow. What if the poison gets on the wood fungus? What if it gets on the cucumbers? I know now. You want to poison my 70-year-old grandmother to death. Brother Chen''s baby is only one year old, and you''re still able to be so cruel? I''ll beat you to death. You wait for it. When we get back, I''ll teach you a lesson. You could have chosen to cause trouble anywhere, but you had to run over to this ce. Great, how amazing. I usually have to change into my daily wear when I cross the bridge. You have given us extra work. Good, you''re so brave. You made use all the way here in the middle of the night. " "No, sir, I have been wronged." The older brother was beaten until he was confused. He gave out four or so taels of silver, but he was still treated like this. How much money do the bailiffs even earn in a year? Just a few hundred coins a month, so this amount of money can cover a year''s sry. Why was he still beaten up? The person who was beaten up was crying loudly. Father Zhang left his study after hearing themotion and Madam Zhang-Wang followed closely behind him. When they arrived, the two brothers were on the side, curled up on the ground. "Brother Chen, what''s going on here?" When Chen Dong saw the master of the manor hade out, he shot a look at the other two bailiffs, and they stopped. Chen Dong walked forward and said, "My lord, I didn''t do a good job and I ended up letting people go into the manor and try to nt poison. Good thing they failed, otherwise, I would be too ashamed to even go back home. If my father finds out, he will beat me to death. Father Zhang looked at the person who had been beaten and said, "Brother Chen, your words are too polite. There has never been any "lord" in the Zhang and Wang manor. We all have kids at home. I wonder how Uncle Chen is doing? It has been coldtely. I heard that it''s hard for Uncle Chen to move around. Someone,e, go to warehouse number five to get medicinal herbs that fight the cold. Remember to pick therger pieces of ''Fangfeng1''. Brother Chen, I''ve been busy these days, and you know that I usually don''t manage these kinds of things, so I forgot about Uncle Chen''s situation. Don''t take this to heart. I have heard from others that your son is very sensible and obedient. Later, when I go back, I''ll get a bell for him. Gold is too heavy. A silver one will be fine. Madam, how are those heated brick beds made again? The weather is getting colder. Last year when my father''s legs were cold, he felt better afterying on one. Get people to make one for Brother Chen and the others. If charcoal is used, then give them some charcoal; if firewood is used, then buy them locally. " "What my husband said is correct. It is my fault for not being considerate enough. Don''t worry, I will keep this in mind now. The firewood is too wet to be given away, it would produce a lot of smoke when burned. My husband, it''s cold this evening, you should have draped a coat over yourself before leaving." Even though Madam Zhang Wang was the one who usually manages the house, at this time, she really gave Father Zhang face, and she spoke softly beside him, without making any excuses at all. No matter what, Father Zhang was still the head of the family, so he had to act like one. Furthermore, he had the title of an official that was a proper seven-rank, which was not too small. Madam Zhang Wang maintained a gentle demeanor. "What my husband said is correct. I''ll ask people to get them now. There are still some left in warehouse number five." "Uh~? Warehouse number five?" Father Zhang hesitated. Warehouse number five belonged to Zhang Xiao''bao. Normally, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan sent a part of their ie to the Zhang and Wang family''s warehouse. The two families knew that Zhang family''s warehouse number five was theirrgest warehouse. Practically everything can be found in it--- things that fly in the sky, run on the ground, swim in the water, or hide in the grass, and even silver and copper coins. As long as the item is amonly seen item, then the item can be found there. Just now, Father Zhang had already selected some medicinal herbs from his son''s warehouse, so now he felt a little embarrassed to take fungus too. "Husband, the gatekeeper at number five may be a bit stingy, but if you''re the one that wants to take the items, the gatekeeper would be more than happy toply. Speaking of the children in Uncle Chen''s family, I thought of Xiao''bao and Juan''juan. Having two children is good." Madam Zhang Wang said suggestively. Father Zhang immediately understood what she meant. His son and daughter-inw would never get angry with their family members over this kind of matter. Even his official position was obtained by his son. This was the good part of having a deity-like son. He never had to worry about the things at home since his son kept things well organized. His son was also sensible and obedient, and he studied the lessons he taught him with earnesty. After thinking about this, Father Zhang had the confidence to speak, and he ordered, "The Administrative Office''s bailiffs run around all day, and they don''t have it easy. Outside is more dusty, and if they catch a cold, their coughing will be chronic. Give each person half a catty." "What my husband said is correct. I know what to do now. Tomorrow, we will give out half a catty of wood fungus and half a catty of snow fungus too." Madam Zhang-Wang continued to agree with him. It was as if her existence had added luster to Father Zhang. Half a catty was not that much anyway when the fungus is not dry. It was fine to give away half a catty of remoistuned fungus. It seemed like a lot if every single bailiff took some, but the Zhang and Wang family cultivated it themselves, and given the current circumstances, the benefits of giving it away was evident. Even if those people weren''t actuallying here to poison the pond, they can use those people of anything, and those people wouldn''t be able to do anything about it. This didn''t really have anything to do with this man''s official title since he was just a seven-rank official without any actual power. The bailiffs were working by the book, so no one can find any faults with this. Chen Dong did this because the manor treated them so well that they even took care of everyone''s families. The bailiffs were pretty much done with beating him up and it was about time to bring him back to the Administrative Office. Chen Dong didn''t say any words of thanks. He waved his hand at the two bailiffs, and they pulled the eldest brother of the three out of the manor. "You can''t arrest me. Do you know who sent me here? The Han family, it was Han...Ah!" One of the two bailiffs that was escorting him raised his arm up and pped him, causing the older brother to bleed. Of course, Chen Dong wouldn''t let him speak. It was up to the Zhang family to decide whether they wanted to advance forward or back off. Otherwise, why would he and the other bailiffs be sent here to guard the ce? The eldest brother was beaten silly and was dragged out, while the other two were left behind. The third brother was sitting on the ground with a face full of fear. He finally understood it now. He thought that the Han family were powerful, but once the border of the state was crossed, their family became useless. The Zhang family was the most powerful one here. Take a look at how the San''shui County''s bailiffs acted just now. They were just like the family''s servants, and did whatever they were told, and were punished ordingly if anything happened. Fighting with this family? That was just courting death. Only the second brother''s expression didn''t change much. It was as if he had known about this for a long time already, or he was like this regardless of what happens. "I''m telling you, you are done for. You have offended the Han family. In this ce, everyone is afraid of them. Let me go. Lao''san, I can''t believe you dare surrender to the enemy. There''s no way your family will be let off easily." The oldest brother still had blood flowing out of his mouth, but right now, he seemed to have snapped back to his senses. The beating from earlier on did not cause him any internal injury, but thest few blows broke his lip. He yelled out. Chen Dong didn''t care about what he yelled out. The Han family? Who is that? It didn''t matter. Unless it was the Emperor himself, there was nothing to worry about. The prince governed this state, so could the Han family be more powerful? The Emperor''s nephew''s manor was nearby too. He took note of his works, and intended to write this down in his criminal record. "This time, Older Brother is doomed." The second brother who has not spoken the entire time, spoke up all of a sudden.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Fangfeng
This refers to the Divaricate Saposhnikovia root. "Fangfeng" means to "protect against the wind". In Chinese medicine, the root of this nt relieves symptoms of influenza or rted respiratory diforts. Please leave ament or small donation to show support! Book 2: Chapter 88 Book 2: Chapter 88
"Second brother, you could talk?" The third brother was the most surprised. Even though he was worried about the situation at home, he still looked at his second brother, who had never spoken before, with fear. "Yes. If I don''t speak now, I will not have a chance to speak. The Han family chose the wrong opponent. The Zhang and Wang manors are not that simple. Unless the Emperor makes an order, no one in the entire San''shui County would be able to control them." The second brother''s voice was a little hoarse when he spoke. He wasn''t sure if this was because he had a sore throat or if it was because he hadn''t spoken in a long time. The third brother had no choice but to acknowledge the Zhang and Wang manors'' power in the San''shui County. Just now, he heard with his own ears that they were able to easily give away half a catty of wood fungus and half a catty of snow fungus. If anything happens in the country, the bailiffs will definitely inform them. However, he was unsure whether or not the Recorder and Magistrate Assistant had been bought off by them. He was still clear-minded. He knew that the county magistrate here had left, and a new magistrate was going to rece him, but hadn''t arrived yet. During this time, the county''s affairs were taken care of by the Recorder and Magistrate Assistant. If they wanted to convict people, they didn''t even have to report it, or they could just report it secretly. He was also afraid that his family would be affected. He sat there with a sad expression and said, "What about my family?" "Family? You''re still thinking about your family? Why didn''t you think about what would happen to them after you poisoned the pond? What if someone in your family identally ate the fish, and died from poison? Have you thought about that before?" Er''gou appeared at the entrance of the manor. He was fine before he heard what the third brother said, but after hearing his words, he was unable to control himself and shouted at the third brother. "It''s not easy for me either. It was all just so that I could earn some money. It''s nothing more than just killing the fish in the pond anyway. At most, the manor''s master would lose some money." The third brother really didn''t know what to say anymore, so he came up with this excuse. However, as of a few days ago, the fish no longer belonged to the master family. The fishes were going to be used as food for the residents of the two manors during the new years. A few of the fishes in the pond belonged to me too. If you poison the fish to death, what will we eat? Eat you? Each person can take a bite out of you, and even if we eat your bones too, there would still not be enough for us. Don''t you think you would be let off easily." After hearing Er''gou''s words, the third brother became even more frightened. He shriveled himself into a ball, and did not dare to speak out. The second brother had no choice but to say, "We want to live well." "Who doesn''t want to live well? Just because you want to live well, you want to poison our fish?" Er''gou said contemptuously. "Brother Er''gou, now is not the time to talk about this. Master, Madam. I am Liu''er. We need to bring his family over here. Do you have a family?" At this moment, a little girl stepped out from behind Er''gou. She briefly greeted Father Zhang and Madam Zhang Wang, and then pointed to the second brother and asked. "No. I don''t have anyone in my family anymore. Who are you? What do you want to do? Liu''er? I never heard of that name before. Are you a resident of the Zhang and Wang manors?" The second brother looked back. It seemed like the expression in his eyes was always this ice cold. But Liuer was not afraid, and she said, "I am Liu''er, Feng Liu''er. In the evenings, I help Brother Er''gou with ounting. I heard that something was happening here so I came over. Master, Madam, hurry up and go to sleep. This person is not bad." As Liu''er spoke, she pointed at the second brother with her little hand. If someone else said something like this, Father Zhang wouldn''t pay attention to that person at all, and Madam Zhang-Wang would also not agree. However, because the person in front of them was this little girl, they had no choice but to take her words into consideration. Their son and daughter-inw thought highly of Liu''er, and they gave her a lot of gifts and even reserved a ce in the Between The Water And Clouds for her family to stay at. It seems that there weren''t any other people that received this kind of treatment from their son and daughter-inw. They weren''t able to understand themselves, but they believed in their son''s judgement. "Housekeeper, I''ll leave this matter to you to handle. Liu''er is a good child." Madam Zhang- Wang nced at Father Zhang and then spoke to Housekeeper Zhang. After speaking, she and Father Zhang left. "Qiao''er, did I say a lot of things that I shouldn''t have said today?" Father Zhang felt like he acted a bit unreasonable just now, especially towards his wife. Madam Zhang-Wang was only in her twenties and was not old at all. When she heard this, she smiled and replied, "My husband, nothing you say is ever wrong. My mother used to tell me that in front of outsiders, what a man says is always right. As long as the wife is by her husband''s side, she will take care of any mistakes. Mother said that a good wife would be able to guide her husband so that he can avoid all dangers. The man should stand in the front, while the woman should stand in the back. If there is trouble, the man should be the first one to step forward. When the man makes a mistake, the woman should take responsibility. This is what it means to be a family. The true rise and fall of a household depended on the woman of the family. Xiao''bao said he was going there to see theke. Next year, my husband should also take me there. We can go there to see how theke surface is calmer than the human heart, to see how one greeting is weed by thousands of people, to see the fragrant flowers and peaceful grass, to see the fondness of green mountains and blue water. Going during the Autumn is fine too. Thousands of red leaves with a touch of green luster; remnants of a waning moon hanging amidst the infinite stars. Rowing the light oars slowly with the current; disregarding the woes of the human realm or underworld. " "Qiao''er~! I...I." Madam Zhang-Wang didn''t wait for Father Zhang to finish speaking, and she interjected. "Hmm, the lines are average, but it''s hard for a child under three years old toe up with lines like that. I will teach them wellter. It is a pity, my wife, why don''t you teach them? You are the female schr of this generation." Father Zhang nodded slightly. He did not say many praises, but he was very satisfied with his daughter-inw. It was not easy for a child that young to write such a thing. In particr, the first three words,l'',pletely encapsted the mentality of a child. If it was changed to apply to adults, the poem would perhaps be better. Madam Zhang-Wang was also very satisfied with Wang Juan. This was not only because she wrote a few words, but more importantly, it was because she always stayed beside Xiao''bao to helpe up with ideas and find loopholes in ns. She knew best in her heart that the two children spent countless nights thinking about manor''s matters. Apart from the time when the night watchmen were all asleep, the two little children stayed awake trying toe up with ns. Although she couldn''t clearly hear what they were saying, new arrangements always appeared the next day. For example, those people who tried to poison the pond were caught because of the two kids'' proposition. At the beginning, she thought that her children were just ying around, so she went along with them. She had no idea how effective the arrangement was and that danger would arise on the manor. "My wife, what are you thinking of? Let''s go rest. If we give our son a younger brother or sister, will he be as smart as Xiao''bao? It would be good too if we can have a daughter like Juan''juan." In Father Zhang''s mind, he was still dreaming about having another child. If it was a boy, he would be like Zhang Xiao''bao, and if it was a girl, she would be like Wang Juan. "Whatever my husband says. What I want to say is that the font of the characters written by Juan''juan is different from what we have seen in the past. I don''t have the ability to teach them. As long as their stomachs are filled, and they can stay warm. This world no longer has a female schr, only Madam Zhang-Wang and Xiao''bao''s mother. Whoever thinks they are amazing can try topare themselves to me. They can try to give birth to a son like Xiao''bao. Just the Between The Water and Clouds alone would be enough to scare her." Madam Zhang-Wang said proudly. Father Zhang didn''t want to hold his son up on a pedestal that was too high, otherwise it would hurt a lot if he fell down. "What''s between the water and clouds? You have to take care of him in the future and don''t always dote on him." "You are always reading by yourself and never care about your son." Madam Zhang Wang immediately said with dissatisfaction when she saw that there was no one else around. Father Zhang didn''t care about her change in attitude. Qiao''er was well liked by her parents, was able to cook delicious food, knew how to take care of others, and more notably, her literary talent was better than his. Ever since she married him, she never showed off to outsiders and she focused on managing the household wholeheartedly, and was really good at it. She was the female schr of the generation. He married up by marrying her, furthermore. Sigh, I need to do well in the examination next year and raise my social status so that I can make Qiao''er proud. "Yes, what my wife said is correct. What''s wrong with the water and clouds?" Father Zhang willinglypromised. He contributed too little for this family, particrly since he hasn''t made a name for himself yet. As for his seven-rank official title? It was obtained with the help of his son and daughter-inw. Hundreds of thousands of catties of grain were given out for nothing, and more than 30,000 poultry were released. The arrangements made in the county, the contributions made to the state, and the auspiciousness omens for Imperial court were all the doings of his son and daughter-inws. When gifts were given to families with newborns, money wasn''t given. Instead, the gifts were items needed by the parents and children. When the elders of any families were celebrating their birthday, a team of carriages were sent over to liven the atmosphere. When any bailiffs were getting married, firecrackers were set off in the entire vige. When any bailiffs were injured, the doctors would rush over in the shortest amount of time with the highest quality medicinal herbs. ording to his daughter-inw''s words, this was to let those bailiffs get used to the Zhang and Wang manors. Even without mentioning the manors, they will never forget about the manors. Madam Zhang-Wang smiled at Father Zhang, "The Between The Water and Clouds is not simple. Yong''cheng, let''s talk when we get back to our room." Book 2: Chapter 89 Book 2: Chapter 89
The people who tried to poison the pond were caught. Madam Zhang-Wang and Father Zhang went to rest after having a quick look, and the rest was given to Housekeeper Zhang to take care of. Liu''er watched from the side, suggesting ideas. She came up with two ideas--- one was to treat the captured people well so that they can act as witnessester on, and two was to send people to bring the third brother''s family over. Housekeeper Zhang epted the second idea, and sent the Seedling Protection Team to do this. As for treating them well? It was decent enough that they were just tied up and thrown into the woodshed. They were at least better off than their older brother. It was unknown what kind of treatment the oldest brother will be facing after being taken away by the bailiffs. Housekeeper Zhang watched the Seedling Protection Team leave. He wasn''t worried about whether they could bring the people back or not since the other manors were not as strict as the Zhang and Wang manors. He instructed the guards in the inner courtyard, "Hu''zi1, rush to the Little Luo''shui on horse and tell the Young Master what happened just now." Hu''zi agreed, and ran to the back to get a horse. Along the way, he took out a water pouch and two steamed buns from the wooden box at the door. This box was specially prepared by Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao. Not only did it contain food and drinks, but also some simple medicines and other small tools. This made it convenient for people to use in times of emergencies. Sitting in the side hall, Housekeeper Zhang copied Zhang Xiao''bao''s and Wang Juan''s way of drinking tea. He made a pot of strong tea for himself, got a te of snacks, and frowned while thinking of things. Standing next to him was a servant who was usually responsible for running errands and doing misceneous tasks. Seeing that Housekeeper Zhang only sat there without drinking the tea he made for himself or eating the snacks he prepared, the servant yawned to remind him. "Housekeeper Zhang, the tea is going to turn cold. Do those two need to be interrogated? If we get more answers from them, then when morninges tomorrow, our Master and Madam will be happy." "Wait for our Young Master and Young Miss first. As long as nothing happens here, then we shouldn''t intervene. Otherwise, if we make a mistake, we would end up disrupting the Young Master''s n." Housekeeper Zhang warned the servant with a look. As long as he kept watch of the manor and didn''t make any mistakes, he did a good job. When his Young Masters made ns, he made arrangements far into the future. If Housekeeper Zhang did things randomly, it would make things more difficult for his Young Master. "I understand, I shouldn''t say things that I shouldn''t say. Housekeeper Zhang, why are two rivers being dug at the Between The Water and Clouds? Even after branching the main river, the amount of water flowing through is still the same." The servant was frightened as he almost caused himself trouble. The rule in the master household was that everyone was in charge of one line of work. If a person has managed their own work well, then they can learn from others how to do other work, study words, etc. However, they were not allowed to manage other people''s work. If they noticed that another person had made a mistake, they could give them a reminder, but they were not allowed to deliberately wait and then report them. If they want to secure more benefits and be valued by their Master and Madam, then they have to gauge their own capabilities. If they were not capable, then it was best to not rush forward. If people wanted to trick others to gain an advantage, then that person would be the first one to get rid of it. Because of this, the people in the master''s house were divided into different star rankings. However, this ranking only allowed them to manage work, and could not be used to bully others. The master household didn''t need their servants to conspire against each other to fight for power. Housekeeper Zhang was rtively satisfied with the servant''s response. He poured two cups of tea and motioned for the servant to sit and drink. Then he pondered while saying, "Buildings are going to be built over there, and roads are going to be built over here. Those two rivers are dug to divert the water away, and then arger pond can be made there. It will be like a smallke." "Buildings are going to be built too? Our master is really rich. Housekeeper Zhang, if other buildings are built there, will there still be a lot of peopleing there? Things are pretty good at Between The Water and Clouds. There''s also those stores that are connected to each other at Little Luo''shui. The roads in the front have been built already, do we still need to build more?" The servant sat on the side excitedly. He has been in the side hall a few times previously, but he has never sat inside before. Originally, the main house only had a main hall, and did not have a side hall. The change in theyout was only made after their master became an official. Being able to sit here made him feel like his status became higher. He didn''t quite understand what Housekeeper Zhang was talking about though. The road leads to the mountain, and that mountain now belongs to us. Later on, people can climb the mountain and explore the ce, and walk around among the restaurants there. Our Young Miss has drawn a general outline already. The buildings will be built by hired workers and the overall set up will follow the drawn picture. In the future, several of the restaurants will be connected together, and there will be a corridor-like ce at the top. " Housekeeper Zhang spoke slowly beside him, and the servant listened without even blinking. With a face full of anticipation, the servant added more tea for the Housekeeper. He continued to listen to the Housekeeper talk. "Also, for our ce here, we will connect the six ponds together, build a corridor in the middle and a canal, and then nt flowers and grass on both sides. The mist would be heavy this way, so the ce will appear foggy, regardless of whether it is during the day or night." "So beautiful. What should I say?" The servant imagined what the scenery would be like and he searched for words to describe it, but he couldn''t find any so he felt frustrated. "The Young Miss said that the ce will have green mountains outside of the mountains, and buildings nested in buildings. Reeds will be nted too. We will nt patches of them near the restaurant so that boats can weave through them. The center will have a tform built from stone, and a pavilion can be built on top. The pavilion will be connected to two separate areas of the restaurant with two corridors." As Housekeeper Zhang spoke, his face was also filled with anticipation. He will be able to see the ce next year. It was as if there were deities living in this manor. The servant''s eyes widened, and then he suddenly said, "I get it now. A lot of people wille. As it says in the poem, with more women, the reeds are lush and white dew turns to frost. The so-called lover is at the side of the water. Moving against the current, the path is long and hindered; moving with the current, as if in the center of the water." "Hehe, you brat, it seems that you have managed to learn something. Yes, that''s the idea. The mountain is to the side while being in the center of the water. However, the reeds are not nted just for this. The feces in the house needs to beposted, but firewood from the mountain alone is not enough-- reeds could be used instead. The reeds can also be woven into mats. You should study hard. As long as you can learn just a bit from the Young Master and Young Miss, it will be more than enough for you to use in your entire life. The ns that our Young Master and Young Miss set up are never that simple. There are other things that I would not be able to think of if our Young Master and Young Miss did not mention it. I''m only able to guess about the built roads and buildings. " Housekeeper Zhang was surprised to hear a poem about "reeds"ing from the servant''s mouth. He briefly praised him and then expressed his sentiments again. The servant shook his head embarrassingly, heughed sheepishly, "Everyone in the household is learning, and I don''t want to fall behind. When our Master''s official ranking bes higher, I don''t want to embarrass our Master when I go out. I need to study harder and work well, and then let those schrs see what kind of people work as servants at the Zhang manor." The servant became more excited as he spoke. He had already memorized a lot of things and knew around a few hundred words. He also practiced writing during his free time. After speaking, he calmed done a bit, and then he continued, "I would feel confident if I''mparing myself to outsiders, but I wouldn''t dare topare myself to our Young Master and Young Miss. As long as I can learn a tenth, no, half a tenth, from our Young Master and Young Miss, I would be content." When the servant spoke, he wasn''t acting humble at all. He really didn''t dare topare himself to his Young Master and Young Miss. His two young master''s ns were as far-reaching andplex as they needed it to be. Last year, when the grains were harvested and the chickens were raised, who would have thought that it was for a locust gue? With just that, two official titles were obtained for their masters. "Go to sleep, don''t dy tomorrow''s affairs." After speaking for a while, Housekeeper Zhang finally felt sleepy, and ordered the servant to get up and leave. The servant tidied up the things on the table, and also left the ce with his mind full of dreams and aspirations. Perhaps he will have a good dream tonight. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan hadn''t fallen asleep yet. A letter sent from that mansion wasid out in front of them. The letter clearly stated that they had no malicious intent and they wanted to meet the person in charge of the household. "There''s no name; who sent it? If they have no malicious intent, then they shouldn''t have sent people to follow us. For us, tracking is considered to be malicious. No one would be happy if they are constantly being watched by other people." Wang Juan observed the calligraphy of this person; she wanted to read the writer''s personality from their written words. "Then let Song Jing''gong go talk to them tomorrow morning. We will go with him and then we can see what''s going on with this person. What you wrote was taken away by their people, but it was not delivered directly to the mansion. Instead, they left by boat, and went to two ces. What do you see from this?" Zhang Xiao''bao rested his chin on his hand, thinking. He didn''t know which noble family or government official or even rich merchant had sent these people. "The brush strokes are restrained; this person should be more calm when doing things. The outside parts of the characters are nicely written; this means that this person often makes arrangements and ns. His tone is a little bit self-centered, so his status shouldn''t be low. He thinks that our two manors are insignificant." Wang Juan observed and analyzed the writing; this was her specialty. She was able to write with both her left and right hand, and she knew how to write with different calligraphy fonts. She always adjusted her mood when writing, so as to prevent others from extracting information from her writing style. Zhang Xiao''bao picked it up and took a look. He really didn''t know anything about the calligraphy fonts, so he wasn''t able to tell much from the writing. He only felt that this person''s handwriting was better than his own. He put down the letter and said, "We''ll go meet him tomorrow and ask who is behind him. It can''t be that someone thinks that we''re cute so they sent someone to protect us, could it?" "Let''s go to bed early then. After we meet that person tomorrow, let''s y for a bit before heading home. We need to make some arrangements, and we need to wee the new county magistrate." Wang Juan tossed away the letter in her hand. She pulled onto the thin quilt andy inside it first. Zhang Xiao''bao stayed there for a few seconds, shook his head a few times, and then got on the bed too. The next day, at twilight, before Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan even got up to get ready to meet that person in the mansion, Hu''zi rushed over to them on horseback. "That damned Han Yong''yao. I can''t believe he''s not done yet. Let''s go over there. Let Song Jin''gong take care of things here." Wang Juan said angrily.
Trantor Notes
  1. Hu''zi
This name literally means "tiger". Book 2: Chapter 90 Book 2: Chapter 90 Zhang Xiao''bao also agreed that they should not go meet that person. They decided to go to where Li Xun was to find Han Yong''yao and let him know that others would not try to seek revenge on a person if that person did not do evil deeds. The two of them told Hu''zi to go rest first, and then they sent bailiffs to tell their family what happened. Since the opponent made a move, they had to counterattack. After arranging these matters, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan ate their meal in a hurry, made some preparations, and rode a carriage to that ce. The ce Li Xun chose was next to San''shui County, and some of them have already left San''shui County. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan sat in the carriage with their faces sullen, and they did not speak. They bounced with the bumpy ride. Shi''liu was sitting across from the two of them. She tried to persuade them, "Young Master, Young Miss, it''s not worth getting angry with such a person. If you teach them a lesson, they will know what to be scared of." "Hmm, yes, let''s not be angry. He''s just a bit annoying. Such a young child, yet he''s filled with so many evil ideas. It seems like the adults in his family have never disciplined him properly before. Let''s go over there first and deal with him. We can''t let his family off easily too. " Zhang Xiao''bao adjusted his posture and leaned on the cushion behind him. Wang Juan also agreed with him. Even though he was just a child, he could act just as evil as an adult, especially since his family has some power. At first, he may just want to vent his anger, but if you don''t do anything to him, he will treat it as a fun activity, and will scheme against you whenever he''s bored. Shi''liu felt that her Young Master and Young Miss were the most interesting during times like this. They called him a child even though they were even younger than him. She thought for a bit and then asked, "Can''t we get the government to arrest them? Those three have been caught already, so we have witnesses." "We don''t have any proof though; there is no written evidence. When the timees, he can just say that he doesn''t know anything and that those three people are framing him. What can be done to him then? Anyone knows how to be bad. Let him be bad." Zhang Xiao''bao felt that it was the greatest misfortune to have a neighbor like this. They spent their entire day wanting to cause trouble, and he had to expend energy to guard against them. Who has that much time to waste like that? Wang Juan replied, "We can''t let him off. Xiao''bao, how should we teach him a lesson? We can''t just beat him up, right?" "We don''t need to beat him up. We just need to scare him and slow him down. As long as he can''t get to the ce in the end, Li Xun will hit him. Li Xun has always wanted to show hispetence to adults. We need to fully take advantage of this mentality." Zhang Xiao''bao also smiled sinisterly and poked his own face with his finger. Seeing her young master make this gesture, Shi''liu began to feel sorry for that Han Yong''yao. She had no clue what kind of idea her young master woulde up with this time. "Xiao''bao, that Xing''yi guy is next to the Han family, right? His surname is Yuan. He also helped withing up with this idea. We should give him a warning this time too." Wang Juan leaned her head onto Zhang Xiao''bao''s shoulder and closed her eyes to rest. "Yes, how could there not be a single good person over there? It''s also the perfect opportunity to discuss with Li Xun about the construction of another restaurant next to Between The Water And Clouds. We should get Li Xun to help." In order to get ready for the long arduous journey ahead, Zhang Xiao''bao also closed his eyes, leaning his head on the carriage. The carriage rushed the entire way, and finally caught up with Li Xun and others in the evening at the Shen hour1. The team was split up-- the faster people were leading in the front while the slower people were behind by about one li [~454 meters]. Li Xun did not walk that fast, and the people around him also tried to conserve their stamina. Han Yong''yao was also in this ce; this was ordered by his family. They even sent a servant to watch him. Everyone was walking on the road when a carriage suddenly joined in, and Li Xun''s expression suddenly became ugly. Who was so daring to drive over at this moment? Han Yong''yao''s and Yuan Xing''yi''s expressions also changed. They knew about what they did. They came up with their idea and sent people to add poison just yesterday, and today, these two children, who didn''t join the training at the beginning, suddenly came? Did e here for me? "Young Master Li, we have alsoe to participate. We''re a bit too young, and we''re budding in at this time, do we need to start from the beginning? If that''s the case, we will get the carriage to drive us back." Zhang Xiao''bao jumped out of the carriage first, turned around and stuck his hand out to help Wang Juan down. Then, he turned around to ask Li Xun. With a happy smile on Li Xun''s face, he stepped forward and said, "If it was someone else who was as young as you two, then of course that would not be permitted. However, because it is you two, I don''t have to worry. Just as you said, you two are a bit too young, so it only makes sense that you have to walk a shorter distance. You can join us starting from here. Did you bring everything you need? This time there are no tents for you two to go into and discuss about the quality of the food." When Li Xun spoke, his eyes swept across the backpacks Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan carried. He wanted to know what they brought over this time. In his opinion, the two backpacks were no different from magical bags. Zhang Xiao''bao stretched out his hand and patted the side of the backpack, and said with a smile, "We did, we brought everything. We can start now. Young Master Han is also here? Did you dream of falling into the pondst night? And found that the water inside the pond was poisonous and that there were dead fish floating around?" After greeting Li Xun, Zhang Xiao''bao turned to face Han Yong''yao and asked gently. "What pond? I don''t know what you''re talking about? I''m in a hurry." Han Yong''yao shivered, and took two steps backwards in shock, not daring to look at Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. Yuan Xing''yi smiled and said at this time, "I didn''t expect that the two people who were highly praised by others woulde. Young Master Zhang, we will depend on you for the rest of the journey." Zhang Xiao''bao also smiled back, but he did not say anything. In his mind, he thought to himself. Children from wealthy families were indeed better than from ordinary families. Although they may be a bit worse at enduring hardships, they were better at dealing with people or matters. This was because they learned this from adults. "Xiao''bao, can I have a look at your backpack?" Li Xun couldn''t resist the curiosity in his heart, so after the other children started to leave, he walked beside Zhang Xiao''bao and asked. Zhang Xiao''bao shook his head. "It would take up too much time if you look at it right now. You will get to see when the items are being used. We didn''t n toe, but something happened at home when Wang Juan and I were ying at Little Luo''shui, so we had no choice but toe here and ask Young Master Li for help." The surrounding children were all well taught at home, so they spoke just like grownups. Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t bother with acting child-like anymore and also spoke to Li Xun with the tone of an adult. Of course, Li Xun was not dumb too. After hearing what Zhang Xiao''bao said, he seemed to understand. Then, he thought about how dodgy Han Yong''yao''s eyes were just now. He smiled and said, "Could it be that somebody went to your house to poison your pond? How many fishes died? Last time your household sent someone to deliver a fish recipe. I was nning that after this training ends, I could go to your pond and catch a fish or two. It seems like that''s not possible anymore." Han Yong''yao and Yuan Xing''yi, who were not far behind, heard what the Emperor''s nephew said and they almost tripped and fell. They immediately felt sweat form on their foreheads. What they wanted to know most at this time was whether those people they sent were caught or not. If they were caught and exposed who sent them, then wouldn''t that mean the two of them wanted to murder the Emperor''s nephew? Zhang Xiao''bao seemed to know that the two people behind him were scared, and he deliberately turned his head to nce at them. He said with a meaningful tone, "Young Master Li, you may not know, but there are some people who wish to poison everything in my house to death. Unfortunately, we have let them down. One of the manor''s residents happened to get up at night, and he saw three people. Master Li cane and pick a few good fishter on." Yuan Xing''yi felt scared in his heart, and he spoke to Zhang Xiao''bao with a concerned expression on his face. "Yeah, they were caught and sent to the Administrative Office. However, these three people are too stubborn. The messenger told me that the bailiffs have not gotten any answers from them yet. It seems that the person who wants to poison Young Master Li is not that ordinary." Zhang Xiao''bao attached thisbel to these two people. How could Yuan Xing''yi possibly admit to this? He quickly said, "Young Master Zhang, your words are too extreme. Young Master Li only mentioned that he wanted to eat fish just now, so how could those three people know ahead of time? If they know that Young Master Li ns to go there to eat fish, they would not have the guts to do that." "Yes, they won''t dare. Perhaps someone from another manor was jealous that the Zhang manor had a fish pond, so they went over there. This is something minor. Why would there be someone who is secretly instructing them? The only thing to be scared of would be that the three of them will cause random trouble. Later, I''ll get someone to go back and check it out. If it''s a resident from my manor, then I will not let them off easily." Han Yong''yao replied. The only thing that he hoped for right now was that the three people would say nothing or die suddenly---that would be even better. "Of course, the government will take care of this kind of thing. It''s important to keep moving. ording to the current situation, we have to travel for half a month. There is a long way to go." Li Xun knew what was going on now, but he didn''t say that he was going to punish these two people. In particr, when Zhang Xiao''bao said that someone was nning to poison him, he felt that Zhang Xiao''bao was interesting. If that was the truth, then these two people''s families would have to be executed. Even though he didn''t have the opportunity to sit in that position, and was only part of the extended family, his status as the Emperor''s nephew still had to be protected. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan also knew that they couldn''t get revenge right now. They could only wait for an opportunity. They stopped paying attention to these two people, and looked at the road that never seemed to end as they walked beside Li Xun. "Young Master Li, when we rest at night, I still have some matters to discuss with you." After taking about a hundred steps, Zhang Xiao''bao thought of the cooperation opportunity and spoke to Li Xun.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Shen hour
This is equivalent to 3 pm. Book 2: Chapter 91 Book 2: Chapter 91
Li Xun chose this trail to avoid interfering with traffic on the main road. People have been sent to the front to check for any dangers already, and normally, there were no pedestrians here. However, along this route, they had to travel over two hills. The hills were actually just dirt hills that had a few trees growing on it, and there were no cliffs. After they walk a bit more today, they will arrive at the hill. Travelling over the hill took up quite a bit of time. While Zhang Xiao''bao spoke, he hastened his pace by a little bit. ording to his calctions, most people would rest on the hill at night. He and Wang Juan didn''t talk, and Li Xun and the other surrounding people also remained silent and focused on travelling. However, Han Yong''yao and Yuan Xing''yi, who were behind them, couldn''t stay quiet. They moved a little farther away from the team and got together to discuss matters. "Brother Xing''yi, I just can''t figure out how the three of them were caught? Do you think they will give my name out?" Han Yong''yao rubbed his hands anxiously, hoping that Yuan Xing''yi''s words couldfort him. Yuan Xing''yi was also worried. Hearing this, he smacked his lips a few times, "They will. Those bailiffs are very skilled. I''m not afraid of this though. If they give out our names, we can just not admit it. What can they do about us? We''re not from the San''shui county, would they dare to go there to arrest people?" "Fine? The matter is severe. The Zhang and Wang manors will remember us now. If we don''t handle things well, they will cause trouble for our two familiester on. No, I need to send someone home and notify my family. We need to put more people on watch at night." As Yuan Xing''yi was talking, he suddenly thought of this idea. He ignored Han Yong''yao''s questions about how the Zhang and Wang manors would retaliate, and he quickly found the guard who apanied him here. After his guard left with his orders, Yuan Xing''yi finally let out a breath of relief. He looked at Han Yong''yao, who had also just sent away a messenger, and he said, "It''s alright now. In the future, we should interact with Young Master Li more often and give him some benefits so that Young Master Li would not help them. It seems like Young Master Li is rather nice to those two manors. I wonder why he gave up on purchasing their restaurant and manor. If we have a chance, we should provoke their rtionship with this matter." Perhaps because he thought his idea was good, so after Yuan Xing''yi spoke, heughed sinisterly. Han Yong''yao nodded rigorously, thinking that this idea was indeed good. "When we eatter, I''m going to give the good food in my bag to Young Master Li to eat." Han Yong''yao thought of such a way to approach and please him. Yuan Xing''yi shook his head. "That''s not appropriate. Young Master Li is here to obtain something. He won''t eat the food you give him. He wants to experience what it is like to survive in the wild. If you really give him food, he will get angry." "Brother Xing''yi is right. I have not thought through it carefully. Hmm, I shouldn''t give it to him." Han Yong''yao felt that he was a lot worse than Yuan Xing''yi. He felt more grateful towards him, and tried to copy him. Li Xun continued to travel, and from time to time, he looked up at the sky. He felt that the day passed by too slowly today. He kept thinking about how Zhang Xiao''bao said that had something to discuss with him. In his opinion, it was not Zhang Xiao''bao who had something to say to him, but instead, it was the mastermind that wanted to use Zhang Xiao''bao to deliver his message. While being tormented by this emotional state, the sky finally slowly darkened, and the team also arrived at the second hill. When the round egg-yolk-like sun setted below the mountain, the team stopped. The faster group of people had already taken out their food and started eating. Li Xun and them also started to take things out to eat. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan took their stuff out and when others saw their items, they were all surprised and Li Xun was also a little puzzled. He thought that Zhang Xiao''bao and Wan Juan would bring out the same fried noodles as him, but he did not expect that what the two of them took out of their backpacks was raw rice. "Xiao''bao, you two are nning to..." Li Xun asked, pointing to the raw rice. The two of them took out a small pot, and they ced a bowl into the pot. One item was adle and the other item was a steamer, but it was smaller in sizepared to normal ones. Wang Juan was in charge of adding water and steaming the rice, while Zhang Xiao''bao had to dig a hole and to pick firewood. A small foldable three-legged iron ring was ced on the fire. While the rice was being steamed, the two of them took out pre-cut radish and beef, ced them in another pot, and poured in some oil. They fried some chopped green onion, and cooked the radish beef stew. Everyone was dumbfounded. How could they be in the mood to cook? Under everyone''s surprised gaze, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan took out two big goose eggs. It was hard to believe that they ced goose eggs in their backpacks. "Xiao''bao, let''s just eat one. One is enough for the both of us." Wang Juan looked at the goose egg in his hand, then she looked at Zhang Xiao''bao''s and spoke. "Okay, let''s just eat one then." Zhang Xiao''bao put his own egg away, and took out thergest bowl in the set and then he lit up the pile of firewood. He poured oil into the bowl, and Wang Juan came over and cracked the goose egg on the side of the bowl. Crack. The egg white and yolk slipped into the bowl. "Raw?" Several people said at the same time. They thought that the egg would either be cooked already or was salted. They didn''t expect that the egg was raw. Li Xun watched from the side. The more he thought about it, the more wrong it seemed. Howe Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan didn''t bring food that was convenient for travelling? They started cooking while on the road. With this done, there were lesser things in their backpacks. He couldn''t help but be curious and asked, "Xiao''bao, are there any secrets about the items you brought with you?" "Secrets? No. Juan''juan and I came here in a hurry. We came over from Little Luo''shui. How could we possibly prepare other things? We could only bring some random items. Do you want to eat radish and beef stew with uster? It has our special seasoning in it. I like dipping this beef in garlic sauce, but Juan''juan refuses to do so." Zhang Xiao''bao exined to Li Xun. He and Wang Juan were actually here to cause trouble for Han Yong''yao and Yuan Xing''yi. They weren''t nning to actually survive in the wild, so they nned to enjoy the process as much as possible. Li Xun naturally didn''t believe his words. How could there be nothing at Little Luo''shui? Hearing Zhang Xiao''bao say this, Li Xun could only keep the words in his heart and wait to see what the two of them would eat when they ran out of food. Will they try to eat that stuff everyday from now on? As the food was stewed in the pot, Zhang Xiao''bao''s thirteen spice mix was added. After a while, its fragrance floated everywhere in the air. The fragrance of the rice also spreaded. This made those who could only eat fried noodles or reheated food secretly swallow their drool. It would be great to even have a sip of the stew. Li Xun thought for a while, and finally decided to eat some of Zhang Xiao''bao''s and Wang Juan''s food. He said, "Serve me someter. Give me less meat and more soup. You two can''t finish the rice, right? Get me some too. I''ll add it into the soup. Is this... cucumber?" While Li Xun spoke, Zhang Xiao''bao took out two cucumbers from his bag. He flipped an iron bowl upside down, and then pulled out a small kitchen knife. Smack smack. He began smashing the cucumber t with the knife. Wang Juan also handed him a few cloves of garlic. Hearing Li Xun''s words, Zhang Xiao''bao replied back but he didn''t stop working, "Yeah, cucumber. We''re making garlic with smashed cucumber to eat. We will share some with youter. Unless the cucumbers are brought over from elsewhere, most people won''t have the chance to eat cucumbers." "I know. It looks like your house has an auspicious omen again this year, right? When winteres, give me some and I can help you sell it. What do you think?" Li Xun knew about their cucumbers. It had nothing to do with auspicious omens--- it was just the Zhang manor''s method for growing cucumbers. He made this guessst year, and he even wanted toe over to steal their method, but he was stopped by his father. He father told him that they could not interfere with people''s money making methods. They should be content with being able to eat it. The Zhang manor counted on cucumbers to earn more money. Later, he heard people say that the Zhang Manor had been prepared for this long ago. As long as someone else goes there, the people in the manor will destroy the ce. This dispelled his idea. Now that he was more familiar with Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, he felt even more embarrassed to ask for their method, so he could only buy some. Zhang Xiao''bao brushed his hands clean. Then, he ced the cucumber and garlic in the bowl and sprinkled in some salt. While he tossed them together, he said, "We don''t need to sell it. This year, my family has grown a lot of cucumbers, so we have enough to eat until next year. We nted them at different times. When we get back, I''ll get someone to give you some. You could offer them to your elders. You can also learn about the cultivation technique and then tell your father. This is a good way to help themoners." "Yeah, my father said to give it out. We didn''t give itst year because the technique was discovered very suddenly, so we didn''t know how effective it was. It was an auspicious omen. This year, we have a good grasp of the technique so we have no worries anymore. Actually, that person in my house said that we won''t be able to keep it for ourselves anymore, so if we give it out, we would even gain some benefits in return. If we don''t hand it over, and try to sell it, how would we dare to call it an auspicious omen?" Zhang Xiao''bao said helplessly. Once the technique was given out, it could be used to grow other nts, not just cucumbers alone. How much money would they lose? But this thing was like a bomb. With the arrival of the new county magistrate, Little Luo''shui''s ie was so high that the Zhang and Wang manors were being targeted. Li Xun pondered for a while, "Understood. Earlier, you said that you have something to discuss with me. This was it? What benefits does your family want? Promote your father''s and Wang Juan''s father''s ranking?" "No. Even with promotions, it''s still an empty title. It''s enough to have a seventh-rank official title. We''ll think about what to do for Juan''juan''s fatherter. My father should not be promoted. If his ranking is too high, it would be hard to make arrangements for him in the future. It is enough for you to help my father build a reputation. This technique should be called Yong''cheng nting Technique." Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t want to ask for an official title for his father right now. If his father really did get promoted, then how will his ranking be arranged after he writes the imperial examination? If he bes a sixth-rank official now, will he then be directly assigned to be the county magistrate? Then that means he would be the magistrate of Chang''an in the capital county. It was better to use this cultivation technique to gain some reputation. Later, they will promote this to everyone, and Magistrate Cheng can help too. It would be easier to post some ads too. Li Xun didn''t know that this was the result of the discussion between Zhang Xiao''bao'' and Wang Juan, and he thought these ideas belonged to the Zhang manor''s mastermind. "Young Master Li, this was not what I wanted to discuss. It''s something else. We n to build some restaurants next to Between The Water And Clouds. We will tell you about the detailed nter. The other thing is that we need your help." Zhang Xiao''bao continued. Book 2: Chapter 92 Book 2: Chapter 92 "What kind of help?" Li Xun asked. "I want my father to get first ce in the provincial exam, and enter the Imperial Examination as the top ju''ren1 of the Bin Prefecture." Zhang Xiao''bao said with a serious tone. "For which degree?" Li Xun swallowed when he heard the words top ju''ren, and then he asked again. "The jin''shi degree, which was originally the xiu''cai degree." Zhang Xiao''bao replied. This time, Li Xun did not swallow; instead, he wiped his sweat. He promised to give these children a xiang''gong title, but it would be from the lower positions and he also wasn''t expecting many children to actually make it to the end. However, the mastermind behind Zhang Xiao''bao wanted first ce and to take the exam for the Jin''shi degree. This was too frightening. "Uh, Xiao''bao, when you get back, tell your family that it''s hard to give your father first ce. He has to have actual talent and a good reputation, and he also needs people to support him. My promise would mean nothing. Let''s talk about the restaurant instead." Li Xun was a bit troubled. He was not powerful enough to have a pull on the position of the first ce ju''ren. However, Zhang Xiao''bao wanted to discuss this matter first, so he said, "Young Master Li, you don''t have to feel troubled. He will have a reputation. Starting tomorrow, all of the restaurants in the San''shui County will sing and recite Yong''cheng poems. Within half a month, all of the restaurants in the province will sing and recite Yong''cheng poems. During Chinese New Year, everyone will be singing Yong''cheng poems in the Guan''nei Division, He''nan Division, Shan''nan Division, He''dong Division--- basically anywhere with wells." Li Xun was astonished. He understood what the Zhang family intended to do. They wanted to use money to pay people to promote in different areas. As long as what his father wrote is not too bad, then this wouldn''t be hard, but how much would this cost? No wonder he didn''t want an honorary official title. Thinking of this, Li Xun nodded, "If that''s the case, it would be easier to aplish. Combined with the cultivation technique, your father would have a great reputation. You''ll have to let your father write more good poems. Did your family mention how much money they are willing to put out to send other people invitation letters?" He was asking Zhang Xiao''bao how much money his family would be willing to give to the people above to support his father. Zhang Xiao''bao remained silent at this time. He had to calcte how much ie he had and how to distribute it. His family suddenly became poor again. Just the expenses for spreading the words alone was already quite high and they also have to give gifts. How much money do they even have. Not too much money was earned at Between The Water and Clouds--- at least not right now. However, this money was not avable all at once. He needed more time. They may be poor now, but things would be better after his father finished the exam. "Five thousand taels a month. We can borrow some, probably thirty thousand taels. We can take this out all at once. Young Master Li, what do you think?" Zhang Xiao''bao calcted it. He sighed that he had no money, and gave Li Xun a number. Li Xun didn''t understand what Zhang Xiao''bao was thinking about. Did his family not tell him about this? When Zhang Xiao''bao said these words, Li Xun smiled. "It''s good to have this amount of money. I''ll help you sort things out. In fact, that''s quite a bit already. How much imperial tax is given a year? With this money, people in the capital city can be sent invitation letters. Just wait for the good news. It seems like your family earns quite a bit of money. I will count on you in the future." Of course Zhang Xiao''bao knew that the court didn''t collect that much tax and that it was impossible for it to be in the tens of millions. This was mainly because the tax rate was low here, unlike where he was from. Businesses there had to pay 20-30% tax, and there were some ces where it was even higher. However, it can''t be said that there was no money here. For the big households in the capital city, a random gift may cost 800 to a thousand strings of coins. At this time, the river there has not frozen yet. When the weather turns cold, ie will perhaps drop. He could only wait until they sell ice next year. "Thank you so much Young Master Li. When the restaurants over at Between The Water And Clouds are set up, Young Master Li will gain a small ie too." While Zhang Xiao''bao spoke to Li Xun, a fragrance prated into his nose. In just a while, the food would be ready to be eaten. Li Xun knew that this was a benefit given to him by the Zhang family. It seemed like this Zhang family was actually quite good. He would gain some benefits just from the cultivation technique alone, and now he would be able to gain even more. The Emperor''s nephew was poor too. His monthly allowance from the pce was actually not enough for him to use. He originally wanted to buy the Between The Water And Clouds, but it seemed like he didn''t have to anymore. This matter Zhang Xiao''bao discussed was a spontaneous idea of his. He immediately arranged for the people that came with him to go back and tell his father to write some poems. His father was rather talented, and knew a lot. As long as the poems were not made on the spot, the quality of his poems was guaranteed. If he wasn''t afraid that he would anger his father, he would have asked Wang Juan to write some poems for him. The stew has been bubbling for a while, and after the stew thickened, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan removed the pot from the fire and shared some with Li Xun. They began to eat it with their fragrant smelling rice. Li Xun eximed as he ate, "Wonderful. What did you put in it? Don''t forget to give me some of that seasoning of yours when you go back. I''ll tell my chef at home to add the seasoning when cooking." Now that they sharedmon interests, Zhang Xiao''bao and Li Xun''s rtionship became closer. They chewed the beef, which had bits of tendon on them, and nodded, "Okay, I will send them to you when we get back. Once our restaurants are built, the mountain and the restaurant can be connected together. You can bring your food friends there to y. Remember to pay though; you can''t let your restaurant go out of business." "Yeah, pay, we will pay. I own the ce too. My horse carriage needs to be reced, and I need to get some more outfits made. Look at this clothing. I wore itst year, and now they''re a bit small." Li Xun spoke happily as heined about being poor. The three people sat together, eating and chatting. Han Yong''yao and Yuan Xing''yi were behind them, eating smoked meat. They felt miserable in their hearts, especially since the scent of radish and beef stew, and cucumber made them feel like the meat in their mouth was difficult to swallow. "Brother Xing Yi, didn''t you just say that Young Master Li won''t eat other people''s food? He ate two of their dishes this time." Han Yong''yaoined while looking at the smoked leg ofmb in his hand. "If you give it to him, he certainly won''t eat it. That dish is freshly made. If you offer it to me, I wouldn''t be able to resist too. I can''t believe two little kids can make such a delicious meal, and garlic voured cucumbers. Just having a bite would be nice too." Yuan Xing''yi also felt that the food in his mouth was tasteless. He watched the others eating hot food, and finally he took another bite of his own food after smacking his lips a couple of times. Who was to me that he didn''t bring any raw food? If he didn''t want to be punished with a beating, he had to persist. Those adults who followed them also smelled the dishes made by Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. One of them, who was probably a mother, spoke to a mother next to her, "If I knew beforehand, I would''ve brought something for Xin''er. " "It would be useless even if you brought it. They don''t know how to cook it. The little children of the Zhang and Wang families are amazing. Last time on the grasnd, I saw them cooking food to eat. I wonder how they are taught at home." The woman expressed her thoughts after hearing the voice. The one who spoke first replied, "It should be because their families are not rich, and the children in the family have to help with things from an early age." "Not wealthy? Sister, do you know which family they are from? They are the precious babies from the Zhang and Wang manors of the Tu''qiao Vige. The wharf at Little Luo''shui is owned by them. That ce alone has hundreds of shops, and they have several restaurants and warehouses. They only rent the warehouses out and they don''t sell it. The rent collected in a year will be hundreds of thousands of strings of coins." The woman who knew about the situation of their families exined to the one who didn''t know. As she spoke, she felt even more envious. A barrennd that was bought using a thousand taels of silver turned out to be a chicken thatid golden eggs. After the woman heard that the two children belonged to the two Zhang and Wang manors, she opened her mouth in surprise, and it took a while to close her mouth. Then she said, "Their manors are so rich, yet their families still make their children cook? Could it be that they want their children to go to their restaurants and work as chefster on?" She spoke with a jealous tone. Then, she looked at her eleven-year-old kid eating a piece of meat bread, and his face was covered with crumbs. Then she looked at Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan''s reliable appearance, and shook her head helplessly. Today was thest time her child could eat meat bread, and starting tomorrow her child had to eat something else since meat bread cannot be kept for too long. In a short while, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan finished eating. They looked at the oily bowl, and then looked at the water pouch they brought with them. They poured in some water distressingly, sloshed it around a few times, and they lifted their heads to drink the oily water. Then they took out two pieces of paper to wipe with. "It seems like we will reach the river up front the day after tomorrow. Let''s bear with it for two more days." Zhang Xiao''bao packed up the things and thenid on top of the withered grass. "Do you really n to go to that ce?" Wang Juan asked, lying beside Zhang Xiao''bao. Zhang Xiao''bao turned his head slightly to look at where Han Yong''yao and Yuan Xing''yi was, and he put his arms under his head. "It depends on when those two withdraw. If they stay for a short time, we will go back early. If they can persist to the end, then I would admire them." "That''s absolutely impossible. We won''t scare them to death, but we can cause them to have mental breakdowns and feel physically weak." Wang Juan took out nkets and pushed Zhang Xiao''bao to roll over. One nket was ced below them, and the other was used to cover the two of them. "What, what do you want to do? Let me tell you, if you dare use the knife, you are doomed." Han Yong''yao asked cautiously as Zhang Xiao''bao came over with the knife. Yuan Xing''yi was also stared at Zhang Xiao''bao from the side. He didn''t believe that Zhang Xiao''bao would make a move at this time. Zhang Xiao''bao approached the two of them, and squatted down. He smiled at them, and said, "Don''t be afraid, don''t have nightmares at night. I''m here to cut some grass so that I can use it as a pillow. Don''t mind me." As Zhang Xiao''bao spoke, he did actually cut the grass beside the two of them. This made Han Yong''yao and Yuan Xing''yi confused as to what they should do. By the time Zhang Xiao''bao was pretty much done with cutting, Yuan Xing''yi remembered and asked, "Is there no grass on your side? Why did youe here to cut?" "There is, but I don''t want to watch you die, so I decided to help you. Something will happen where you''re lying on." Zhang Xiao''bao spoke in a trembling whisper.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Xiang''gong , Ju''ren , Jin''shi degree
There are two types of candidates that can participate in the imperial examination. The first type is Sheng''tu (), which is a student who has attended a proper school, and have basic agree, allowing them to participate in Imperial examinations. The other type is Xiang''gong (), which is someone who didn''t attend school and received private teaching. By giving the children a xiang''gong title, they can participate in Imperial examinations directly. Ju''ren is the title awarded to people who passed the triennial provincial exam. Jin''shi degree is the highest and final degree that can be achieved in the imperial examinations. Book 2: Chapter 93 Book 2: Chapter 93 "What, what nonsense are you talking about? Do we need you to save our lives? Exin things clearly to us." Yuan Xing''yi shivered when he heard Zhang Xiao''bao''s words. Feeling a little ufortable, he asked angrily. Han Yong''yao, who was next to him, stared at him as if he would not let Zhang Xiao''bao go if he didn''t give them a reasonable exnation. Zhang Xiao''bao waved the grass in his hand and said to the two of them, "Do you see this? This grass is different from other ces. Take a good look, is it a little longer?" Listening to Zhang Xiao''bao''s words, the two of them looked around and found that the grass around them was indeed a bit longer than the grass in the distance, but they didn''t know what was wrong with grass being taller. Could it be that it could kill people if it grew taller? "You don''t understand? Let me tell you, there is an old tomb under the ce where you were sitting just now. Grass grows taller on old graves. Why? Because grass needs water, how can it grow without water? Old graves are ces with shade, and the shade is cool, and if it is cool, there will be more water." Zhang Xiao''bao exined to them. The truth was that this ce was facing the sun, and there weren''t many trees nearby, so naturally, the ce the two were at would have taller grass. Even if it was shorter, it would be fine since Zhang Xiao''bao coulde up with another saying. "Don''t try to scare us. We''re not afraid. Why would we continue to sleep here? What does this have to do with you cutting the grass?" Yuan Xing''yi stopped in his tracks, but he still refuted what Zhang Xiao''bao said. Zhang Xiao''bao sighed, shook his head again, and said, "It''s hard to get you two to understand. Have a look, this grass has been cut, so now there is not so much grass in this ce, right? Look, there are still some grass that have not withered and are still slightly green. The grass that I cut was like this, do you understand?" The two shook their heads together. Han Yong''yao shivered, feeling a bit cold, and asked, "It''s enough to just cut the grass? The stuff inside won''te out?" "Yeah, smart. It''s just like that. You twoid on top of someone, so you have to do something for them. This ce is a shady area, and the thing inside likes shade. Once the grass is cut, the grass that has withered would not be able to absorb the water from below, and the thing inside would be happy. Only then will they be able to forgive you." When Zhang Xiao''bao spoke, his voice trembled slightly. He thought about the degree that the people here believed in things like this. If he had the guts to talk like this to people during modern times, people would directly jump up and punch him. Yuan Xing''yi and Han Yong''yao nced at each other, nodded, and felt that what Zhang Xiao''bao said did make sense. Yuan Xing''yi walked back and squatted next to Zhang Xiao''bao and asked, "You helped us cut the grass, so everything should be okay now, right?" Why can''t we leave?" "Who said that it''s okay? You have to let the thing inside know that the two of you did the work? You have to put this grass under your body when you sleep and at night, the thing insidees out to have a look, it will not harm you. Remember, you must not let the grass touch water, otherwise, you will find that when you sleep, something will be sitting on your body, making it hard for you to breathe." Zhang Xiao''bao continued to cut the grass, and when he was done, he rolled the two bundles of grass over to Yuan Xing''yi and Han Yong''yao. The two of them hesitated and then chose to listen to Zhang Xiao''bao. The main reason was that a few people nearby also came to watch what was going on, and they nodded as they listened to Zhang Xiao''bao. At the same time, everyone began to look around to see if the grass on the area they nned to sleep in was too tall or not. Yuan Xing''yi and Han Yong''yao were tying the grass alone, and dragged them to another ce. The grass was short here, so they spread the grass, and then looked at where they were sitting and standing. While Zhang Xiao''bao made his way back to Wang Juan, he spoke to Yuan Xing''yi and Han Yong''yao one more time, "Remember, don''t let the grass under your body touch water, otherwise you will be crushed by that thing when ites out. That thing holds grudges. Who knows how many nights it''s going to crush you for. Once they crush you, you''ll find that when you get up in the morning, your body is sore and sticky." "Xiao''bao, you are really amazing." Wang Juan said in a low voice when she saw that Zhang Xiao''bao hade back. She shifted over a spot to let him sit down. "I''m a good person, I didn''t poison them, and I even helped them. Tell me, what should be done if that thing down therees out?" Zhang Xiao''bao looked serious, making Wang Juan unable to hold in herughter. "You''re a good person? Yeah, you''re just tricking ghosts by burning newspaper instead of incense paper. I''m going to sleep first. Keep an eye on the fire and don''t let the mosquitoes bite me. This should be thest batch of mosquitoes, they keep biting me." Wang Juan muttered, curled her body and slept on her side. Zhang Xiao''bao held a handful of grass in his hand and sat there, watching the fire. asionally, he waved the grass over Wang Juan''s face to prevent mosquitoes from flying near her. In the middle of the night, Wang Juan woke up. She touched Zhang Xiao''bao, and then Zhang Xiao''baoid down again. When dawn was near, Wang Juan did not stay on watch anymore. She got into the nket. She napped for a bit while hugging Zhang Xiao''bao. Then, they both got up. Yuan Xing''yi and Han Yong''yao didn''t have to stay awake to keep watchst night. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan volunteered to do so so that they could each spend the time to scheme against the two. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan packed up their things, and then they came to the ce where Yuan Xing''yi and Han Yong''yao slept. They squatted down to watch them. Several other people who had gotten up also came over. "Oh no, there''s water." Among the few people who came over, one person pointed to the grass under them and yelled out. This voice awakened the two of them. Just when the two were about to move, they suddenly felt sore and sticky. They didn''t know what was going on, and the people around started asking questions one after another. Some asked if they had nightmaresst night, if they felt crushed, if they felt sore and ufortable, and some even came over and touched them to see if they were sticky. Yuan Xing''yi and Han Yong''yao listened to the people around them. Looking at the water drops on the grass, they touched their own bodies. They thought aboutst night, and it seemed like they did dream of something. They couldn''t piece the fragments together but their faces still turned pale from shock. "Why did you do that? Didn''t I say to keep the grass dry? It''s over now." Zhang Xiao''bao sighed sadly and said. Wang Juan nodded beside him, pointing to the faces of the two people and said, "Why are they so pale? Could it be that their yang energy has been taken away?" The people around looked at the pale faces of the two people and nodded one after another. Yuan Xing''yi''s and Han Yong''yao''s facial expressions turned ugly. They looked at each other and immediately gasped. Han Yong''yao was the most cowardly one, and he almost cried out of fear. He kept muttering, "It''s over, it''s over, what should I do now? Someone,e over." The servants of his family also knew about this and they came over to look at him at night but they couldn''t see clearly. The grass felt a little damp when they touched it, but there was no water. One of the servants was a bit more clever, and he said, "Young Master, don''t be afraid, this is just dew." "I don''t care what kind of water it is. Right now, my body feels sore and ufortable. Figure out a solution for me." Han Yong''yao had no time to care about the dew at this time. Dew was still water. The servant thought for a while, then took a fabric pouch from his neck and ced it in Han Yong''yao''s hand. He said, "Young Master, mother begged this talisman for mest year. Wear it, maybe it''s useful." "Okay, I will definitely reward you when I get back." Han Yong''yao took this thing and put it on his neck, and finally felt much better. Then the man immediately said, "Really?" "Yeah, it''s much better, but it''s still a bit pale, better than before." A person said affirmatively. Han Yong''yao let out a long sigh of relief, and he was finally not so scared. However, the ufortable feeling on his body did not disappear. Yuan Xing''yi was still scared. He found the people from his household and asked them. They actually managed to obtain him a talisman. He wore it and thanked Zhang Xiao''bao. "When you arrive somewhere elseter today, you still have to use that kind of grass to pad underneath yourself, and see what happens. If that doesn''t work, then you can only go home early." Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t seem to think that just wearing a talisman would work, and continued talking. The two of them believed now and they nodded their heads. They tried to endure the ufortable sensation as they ate, but they felt nauseated when they ced good into their mouth. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan took out two dried steamed buns, and they also made some cucumber goose egg soup with extra minced ginger in it. They ripped the steamed buns into small bits and soaked them in the soup. They ate until they were full. They didn''t want to catch a cold like Yuan Xing''yi and Han Yong''yao. How could they not feel ufortable for lying on top of fresh grass? If they were adults, they would definitely fall ill. Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t want to kill them, so he only told the two people to lie on top of grass for another night. There was a lot of dew on the mountain, so even dry grass would have ayer of dew, let alone fresh green grass. By the time everyone was up, those who wanted to arrive there first, had left already. This didn''t have any use. If the people who left first had the guts to sleep in a different area, then it might have some effect. But unfortunately, even if they knew that there were people looking after them, they still wanted to rest with the main group of people. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan changed their usual way of not talking this time and talked as they walked. Usually, Wang Juan asked and Zhang Xiao''bao answered. "Xiao''bao, do you think that thing from underneath will go looking for the two of them tonight? Will it stumble upon us?" Wang Juan''s voice was not quiet, and she nced at Yuan Xing''yi and Han Yong''yao. "Who knows? I hope it doesn''t find us. Let''s stay away from them at night, and don''t sleep too deeply at night, otherwise if something does happen, we wouldn''t be able to respond." Zhang Xiao''bao also looked back at the two people and shook his head. This meant to sleep less at night. Book 2: Chapter 94 Book 2: Chapter 94 What Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan said made other people move a bit farther away from Han Yong''yao--- they were afraid of getting implicated. After the parents and guardians heard of this, they also persuaded their children to not get too close to those two at night when they were sleeping. Some people immediately asked others to go to the Taoist temple to ask for a talisman. Yeah, a Taoist temple, since the Buddhist temples were almost demolished so those were hard to find. Yuan Xing''yi and Han Yong''yao were only scared at first, but after hearing Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juanwere talking constantly about this, they felt even more terrified. They kept stumbling and tripping as they walked. Their eyes were dull and expressionless, and they kept looking around nervously every single time they noticed the slightest movement such as grass being blown by the wind. When the two of them looked around, others would look too, making the atmosphere even more tense. Previously, when they travelled, there were a lot of talking voices, but they had now disappeared. Only Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were telling stories about ghosts and monsters. When they were eating at noon, Han Yong''yao and Yuan Xing''yi couldn''t eat a single bite. They forcibly drank some water, and their eyes were visibly sunken. "Young Master, Young Master, there is news from home. Last night, a haystack in the house suddenly caught fire, and following that, an entire field of hay burned too." Just as Han Yong''yao was wondering what to do when night came, a servant from his family ran over from behind and panted as he spoke. "It burned? How did it burn it? Was it done by someone, or did it happen spontaneously?" Han Yong''yao frowned when he heard that the hay in his house was burned. That hay could have been used as firewood or forposting. A lot of money was lost now. "It''s not known. It shouldn''t have been done by someone. No footprints were seen nearby. The bailiffs arrived there first, and they said that it happened spontaneously. However, someone said thatst night they heard some noises. It sounded like the firecracker called Sky Jumping Monkey sold by the Zhang manor." The servant looked at Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, who were sitting there eating, and answered the young master''s question. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan naturally heard them too. The two looked at each other, trying to hold back the smile, and looked at Han Yong''yao suspiciously. "The haystack at Young Master Han''s house caught on fire? Aiya, this costs a lot of money. This is so weird. Why does trouble keep arising at our ces in the past two days? The other day, someone tried to poison the fishes at my house, and then a fire was started at Young Master Han''s house? It really didn''t happen spontaneously?" Zhang Xiao''bao said angrily, Wang Juan also joined it, "Ain''t that right. Who is so bad that they are targeting us? Aiya, would something happen to Young Master''s Yuan house? Did the fire injure people?" Wang Juan''sst question was exactly what others wanted to know. The servant immediately replied, "No one was injured. The haystack was left outside, and was quite far away from the houses. I wonder to whom have Young Master Zhang''s house sold the Sky Jumping Monkey to?" The servant suspected that the people of Zhang Xiao''bao''s household. He heard that the Zhang manor had caught the three people who wanted to poison the pond. There were rumors that they belonged to the Han family. If it was thought of in this way, then it was only normal that they would retaliate. Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t pay attention to the servant''s words. How could a servant question a manor''s young master? It would only be eptable if the question was asked by the servant''s master. "Shut up, how can you say something like this. Young Master Zhang, I have not disciplined my servant strictly. However, this is indeed what I wanted to ask. As long as you could find who you sold it to, this can be investigated." Han Yong''yao knew what Zhang Xiao''bao was thinking as soon as he saw Zhang Xiao''bao''s attitude. People from his own family talked over top of him. Others will only think that his family did not know how to manage their servants. They never saw the servants brought by Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan act like this. They always followed them silently, and asionally, they would just smile when others talked about their young masters. Moreover, when the servants talked to each other, it seemed like Zhang Xiao''bao''s servants were educated. For a moment, someone would talk about the sparse floating leaves'', and in the next moment, someone would reply with next year spring begins'', etc. With this starkparison, it was obvious who were better and who were worse. He red at his servant and then exined to Zhang Xiao''bao before he talked about what he intended to say. Zhang Xiao''bao shook his head cluelessly, "I don''t know. It''s sold every day, so who knows who the buyer is? Juan''juan and I aren''t home. Could it be that Young Master Han suspects that Juan''juan and I rushed back homest night and used the Sky Jumping Monkey to burn the hay in your home? Someone intended to put poison at our ce, and we never suspected Young Master Han." Han Yong''yao bottled up his anger. He knew what was going on, but he couldn''t say it. His face turned red, and after a few breaths, he squeezed out a smile and said, "No, how could it be the Zhang family. Just like what the Young Miss from the Wang family said, there must be someone who wants to harm our manors." Yuan Xing''yi, who was next to him, heard the conversation between the two parties, and he turned his head to look at the ce where his family stayed. Then, he looked at the innocent expressions on Zhang Xiao''bao''s and Wang Juan''s faces. He became worried, but he also understood what was going on. Li Xun came over at this time and said, "The haystack at Young Master Han''s house was burned? I remember I bought a lot of firecrackers a few days ago. Among them, I also bought two hundred Sky Jumping Monkey. Buying more is cheaper. Could it be my manor''s people?" "No, no, how could the person be from Young Master Li''s household? An outsider, it must be an outsider." Han Yong''yao could only swallow the broken tooth into his stomach1. What can be done since he was the one who started this? He felt anxious and angry in his heart, and his facial expression became ugly again. "Young Master Han, don''t think too much. It''s just a bit of hay, it''s not worth a lot of money. If you need to use hay, you can buy it from my house. I''ll sell it to you at a cheaper price." Zhang Xiao''bao continued to anger Han Yong''yao. Zhang Xiao''bao was actually very unwilling to do this in his heart. Why was he so fixated on messing with this child? However, if he didn''t scare him, Han Yong''yao would send more people to cause trouble at his manor. Zhang Xiao''bao wouldn''t have the time to deal with that, so he could only resolve this matter ording to how a child would. This was all because Han Yong''yao had some power in his family. "Okay, thank you Xiao''bao." Han Yong''yao was really scared now. The Zhang family seemed to be able to do anything. In particr, the kid in front of him knew what was going on, but he was pretending to be cute. None of the children from rich families were easy to deal with. At this moment, while Yuan Xing''yi was worried about what happened, a servant hurried over. Before he could speak, Yuan Xing''yi asked, "Did something happen at home? Were the haystacks set on fire by the Sky Jumping Monkey firecracker?" "Young Master, no. Last night, someone passed by the front of the manor and they were selling split soybeans and paste that were infested by bugs. They were also selling what should be grass that sprouted before autumn came-- it was still green and it was very cheap. They asked around about the Zhang Manor, saying that they nned to go to the Zhang Manor to sell it. The housekeeper got people to buy some. However, today morning, four horses and six cows from the master''s household began to have diarrhea, and they can''t even stand up anymore. Didn''t you send someone to go back to deliver a messagest night? We felt that things didn''t seem to be that simple, so I was sent over to inform you." "Who was it? Who wanted to harm our family''s cows and horses? And they even specifically asked where our family was located? Good thing Young Master Yuan''s housekeeper bought them, otherwise my family''s cows and horses would have to suffer. Young Master Yuan, your household suffered coteral damage." Before Yuan Xing''yi could speak, Zhang Xiao''bao yelled out angrily and turned to Yuan Xing''yi to thank him. "You''re wee. Xiao''bao''s family is lucky." Yuan Xing''yi also squeezed out a smile, and then he said to his servant, "Go back and tell them that there is no need to investigate the matter anymore, and there is no need to report to the officials. They won''t be able to find that seller. Who were the ones responsible for feeding the cows and horses? Howe they didn''t notice that something was wrong with the fodder?" "Young Master, of course they looked at it, but there was nothing odd about it. There was just grass and beans." The servant replied. He knew that the person who fed the cows and horses was going to have it bad now. Wang Juan interrupted at this time and said, "Young Master Yuan, do you think it''s like this? The fodder was moldy, but then this shouldn''t affect the cows--- the cows at my home are able to eat just anything. Then it should be croton seeds. How could that not be seen though? Think about it, if you boil the croton seeds in water, and then soak the soybeans and grass in that water, no one would notice, right?" "Yes, the intelligence of the young miss of the Wang family is not ordinary. Boiled croton seed water. How cruel." Yuan Xing''yi looked at Wang Juan''s as she blinked her big eyes innocently. He felt a bitter taste in his mouth thinking about how great she was for being able to figure out what happened, while his Housekeeper was enticed by the cheap price. "Go back quickly, and tell my family to not think much about it. Use the rest to makepost." Yuan Xing''yi said to the next person. Once the servant left, Yuan Xing''yi swept his eyes across Zhang Xiao''bao''s and Wang Juan''s body. After thinking for a bit, he said, "When I get back, I will get people to guard the manor. If anyone still wants to cause trouble on the Zhang manor, I will definitely not let them off--- especially the ones who tried to poison your fish. Don''t worry." "Really? Young Master Yuan, get that servant toe back quickly. I just thought of a solution. Cook garlic with vinegar and get the cow to drink it. See if that works?" Wang Juan batted her long eyshes. Yuan Xing''yi was stunned for a moment, scrunching his face together. He nodded, "Okay, thank you, Young Miss Wang." His servant came back and he retold the servant what Wang Juan said. The servant was a little concerned about this method and asked, "Young Master, will this work?" "Okay, go. Can things be worse? If they don''t drink it, they will die." Yuan Xing''yi believed that Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan understood what he said just now was apromise so they gave him a solution. They no longer had the need to sabotage him. Han Yong''yao didn''t have as many thoughts as Yuan Xing''yi, so he didn''t even think about apologizing. He didn''t understand what Yuan Xing''yi said. When others no longer looked at him, he asked, "Brother Xing''yi, you are really going to help the Zhang Manor? They had just caused you trouble." "I''m helping myself. Don''t think about harming them when you get back. Hold it in and wait until the new county magistrate arrives." Yuan Xing''yi advised Han Yong''yao. If he doesn''t listen, then nothing could be done.
Trantor''s Notes
  1. Swallow the broken tooth into his stomach
This means to ept your own tragic fate because you''re ipetent. Book 2: Chapter 95 Book 2: Chapter 95 When everyone began to travel again this time, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan stopped talking about ghost stories. Issues arose at two manors consecutively. If one were to take what happened here into consideration too, they would immediately know that Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were deliberately trying to scare people. Wang Juan walked beside Zhang Xiao''bao and whispered, "Is it bad that we''re bullying other children? Look at how we bullied them. We''re adults already, yet we still acting petty towards those children." "Do they know that we''re adults? They know that we are less than three years old, and it''s not like they''repletely ignorant, especially that Yuan Xing''yi. He spoke so well; he apologized to us but others can''t tell that he apologized. When he bullied us, did he ever think that bullying children is bad? Furthermore, if we don''t bully them, they will never stop causing trouble. Are you able to get my parents to go talk to their parents? The best way to deal with children is to use the methods of children. In those children''s shows that you''ve seen before, don''t they all have adults pretending to be children? " Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t feel much about it. The two sides were even now, and things would be more stable in the future. "Then let''s let them off. If they cause trouble again, we will teach them a lesson then. I wonder who set off the Sky Jumping Monkey firecrackers; that person can''t even be found. They''re aren''t scared anymore, are we still going to try to get them to leave? If there''s nothing else to do, let''s go back home." Seeing that the purpose ofing here was achieved, Wang Juan lost interest in staying here. If not, why would they bring so many raw ingredients? They never intended to stay here for long. She didn''t believe that Li Xun would punish them, after all, even if the two of them made it to the end, it was impossible for him to give them a xiang''gong title. Zhang Xiao''bao thought about it, and felt that he could take this opportunity to ask certain things and make ns ahead of time. Wang Juan nodded in agreement, and the two of them stopped talking again. They lowered their heads and continued travelling. It was true that Yuan Xing''yi and Han Yong''yao were no longer afraid, but they caught a coldst night, have been worried for arge part of the day today, and didn''t eat that much, so they didn''t have much energy in them. They clenched their teeth and followed behind. "Brother Xing''yi, why are these two children so smart, even we were deceived by them." Han Yong''yao said weakly. "They aren''t the smart ones. The adults of their family might have told them before they came, or the servants around them. As long as they are not stupid, they can be easily taught." Yuan Xing''yi would not have thought that these ideas were Zhang Xiao''bao''s and Wang Juan''s. He thought that others instructed them. Han Yong''yao expressed his own thoughts, "They made things tough for us. I don''t even know if I can make it until the end. When will the new county magistrate arrive?" "When the timees, you will know. They can grow cucumbers on the manor. When the county magistratees, we can find an opportunity to teach them a lesson. Things would be much simpler if it weren''t for those two seventh ranking officials. Let''s put up with it. We can''t offend them before the magistrate arrives. We have to put away those little tricks for now." Yuan Xing''yi finally gave up on the little ideas he came up with. He could only listen to his family''s words and wait. His family had long found out what the Zhang manor was up to these days, and his family wanted to intervene but there was no chance. Otherwise, why would he give Han Yong''yao those malicious ideas? He wanted to let the adults see that he could also sabotage the Zhang manor using his own ability and allow his family to reap some benefits when the timees. They could keep messing with the Zhang manor until they give in. He never would have thought that he would fail on the first step. Now they were taking revenge--- they messed with his household, and also messed with him. * The residents of the three manors were all digging diligently in an area next to the Between The Water And Clouds at the Zhang Manor. There weren''t many people from the Zhang and Wang families this time since most of them were sent to the mountain. On the other hand, the Ge manor sent out all of their manpower. Ge Ying''xi stood on the side, watching with his hands behind his back. Bursts of joy filled his heart, and he stood on the side, constantly smiling. "Master, once those restaurants are built here, our family''s wealth will be even greater. The Zhang and Wang family are quitepetent. However, they are a bit dumb. They gave so many benefits to their manors'' residents and shared part of the benefits with us. They''re wasting their families'' wealth." While Housekeeper Ge was calcting how much ie they would have, heughed at the Zhang and Wang families. Ge Ying''xi turned his head and red at the housekeeper, and said in a deep voice, "From today on, I don''t want to hear you say such things again, and you''re not allowed to have such thoughts anymore. The Zhang and Wang families don''t want to see us live a hard life. Do you still want to live the way you used to? As the master, it would be nice to have around a hundred guan1 by the end of the year. How about now?" "I tallied the numbersst month. In the household, we have 1,400 pieces of silk, 280 taels of silver, 160 copper coins, and 51 taels of silver pieces. The two warehouses in the house are also filled with items, which is probably worth three or forty taels of silver. Master, the household is indeed much better. I was just saying random things earlier. I don''t dare to say or think about that again in the future. However, I still don''t understand. Can''t they just buy our manor? Why bother being this nice to us? " The housekeeper was excited when he talked about money, and he reported exactly how much money the manor had now. Arge part of the money was earned from Between The Water And Clouds, and a small part was earned from selling seeds. The Ge family selected good rice nts and sold seeds too. The price was not so high, but the ie was not bad. Ge Ying''xi nced at the Little Bridge and said, "Let''s not talk about whether I would sell it or not if they want to buy it. Even if I sell it, so what? They have too many confidential matters on their manor. If they buy my manor, they would have to deal with other neighbors. At least we and the Ge manor''s residents won''t harm them now. If they have a new neighbor, can they guarantee that the new neighbor will not harm them? Our three manors have been here for a long time, and we know each other very well. The Old Master of our house is able to get along and chat with their families. Would this be the case with a new neighbor? " "Master, I understand. If they have a new neighbor, they would still have to share some benefits with them in order to keep things smooth sailing. Regardless of who it is, don''t they still have to share with someone? At least they''re more familiar with us. With this said, doesn''t that mean that we would have to help them out during critical times?" Matters finally be clear for the housekeeper. Ge Ying''xi admired the Zhang and Wang families from the bottom of his heart. He heard that when the two children were about to reach their first birthday, a mastermind arrived at their manor. Why didn''t the masterminde to the Ge manor? If the mastermind came to his manor, then would he also share the benefits like them? He would. The mastermind told them to, and likewise the mastermind would have told him to. Housekeeper Ge was also thinking about this. He was much better before now. In particr, the residents used to look at him with fear, but now they looked at him with respect. Wasn''t it nothing more than just making them some clothing and giving them some gifts? After thinking about it, Housekeeper Ge''s mind became active again, and he asked respectfully: "Master, I''ve seen the pictures drawn by Zhang Manor. Should our manor follow their example by digging a few ponds and bringing water in? We can then connect them with canals. It shouldn''t cost that money?" "Wait a bit. Wait until they finish and then see if it''s good. If it''s good, then we will copy them. By then, how many people wille will depend on how the Emperor''s nephew repairs the roads connecting to Hua''yuan County and Yun''yang County. If the river can be widened and then connected to the river there, it would be even better." Ge Ying''xi was also aware of these matters. The ie will only be better if more peoplee. Otherwise, with the current rugged and bumpy road, the only people whoe will be from Little Luo''shui. "Master, look, there are some peopleing over there. There are quite a few people. Should we go wee them? It doesn''t seem like they''re going to the Between The Water And Clouds. A different path would be taken if they''re going from Little Luo''shui to the Between The Water And Clouds." While Ge Ying''xi and the housekeeper were immersed in their imaginations of a better life, the farsighted housekeeper pointed to the road over there and said. "Let''s go take a look." Ge Ying''xi was also puzzled. His greatest fear was that those people were here to cause trouble. Seeing that there were a lot of benefits, a lot of people came here to cause trouble, but they were all beaten by the Zhang family. After having an official title, the situation became slightly better. When the two people walked over there, they could faintly see that there were about twenty people. One person was guarded in the middle, and was pointing their finger in the direction of the Between The Water And Clouds that was not far away. Then they walked to the field; it seemed like they wanted to walk through that ce. Ge Ying''xi and the housekeeper also quickly changed their directions and greeted them from the side. The residents who were digging the canal also noticed theing people. Seeing that the master of the Ge family was greeting them, the residents stopped working one by one, and gathered together to go over there. In particr, the residents of the Ge manor were afraid that someone would hurt their master. "Look, my lord, that''s the Between The Water And Clouds. Many people want toe to ce after hearing about it. My lord, watch your step." As they got closer, a person began to introduce the Between The Water And Clouds to the protected person. The lord nodded slightly, "Yes, I heard people say that you can eat and fish while you are there. The person who came up with this idea is pretty good. What''s with the canal digging over there? Why are they digging a canal?" "My lord, I found out a little bit about this. I heard that they want to build restaurants here. There''s a saying from the Book of Poems that goes with this: with mountains on the side, being in the center of water." The person next to him seemed to know a lot. Another person next to him added on, "My lord, I also heard something too. Yesterday, I heard from the residents that they will eventually build a road leading up to the mountains. They say it''s called green mountains beyond mountains, towers beyond towers." "Good, very domineering. Just the name itself sounds great already. I''ll have a taste of their foodter. I heard that the taste of the food here is just as good as the specialty dishes in the Capital city. Perhaps even better." Trantor''s Notes
  1. Guan
This is a unit for money; one guan is 1000 copper coins. Book 2: Chapter 96 Book 2: Chapter 96 The ground was hard and the crop stubble was short; people were heading to the side path. Speaking together about the building in the water; blocking off the oing people. Ge Ying''xi, who came over to have a look at what was going on, was blocked. Four sturdy men, who were each holding a sword, stood in front of him and the housekeeper. Looking at the hilts and scabbards, it was evident that their weapons were not for show. The swords were different from the treasured swords usually carried by schrs. "Who are you? How dare youe forward?" The four stopped Ge Ying''xi froming closer, and another person came over and questioned him. "We can''te over?" Ge Ying''xi was a little confused. "Of course, this ce is not a ce for ordinary people to step on." The person continued to make a stern face. Ge Ying''xi pointed his finger at himself, then he pointed to the ground under his feet, and then he pointed at the person who spoke to him. His mouth was open twice as widepared to earlier. "Master, let''s back off first. There are too many of them. Hurry up ande over. Our Master is being kicked out of his ownnd." The housekeeper stood in front of Ge Ying''xi. He stepped backwards, and shouted to the residents who were almost there. This was not a small deal. The moment the residents saw that someone were shooing their master away, they felt that it was too unfair. If their master ends up being kicked out, then they will no longer be able to earn a living in the manor anymore. They would be too embarrassed to even lift their heads up high when they leave their house in the future. Shortly, the residents rushed over with the tools in their hands. With this said, they knew what to do. The residents of the two manors also rushed forward. When the twenty or so people saw that people were charging over while holding "weapons'''' in their hands, some of them momentarily panicked, but the guards remained calm and got ahold of Ge Ying''xi and the housekeeper first. As soon as Ge Ying''xi was caught, the residents surrounded the twenty or so people. They red at each and every one of them while clenching their hands tightly on the long handle of their mattocks. "Don''t cause a ruckus. Let their master go." When the swords were drawn, the man who was being protected and should be a man in his sixties, looked at Ge Ying''xi and spoke. "My lord, there are many residents here, if..." "Let them go." The lord did not permit others to say more. "Let them go." The leader of the guards gritted his teeth and ordered. At the same time, he became more cautious of his surroundings. "Master, are you okay?" Ge Ying''xi and the housekeeper were released, and the residents immediately pulled them into the crowd and asked with concern. "I''m okay, I''m okay. At night, ughter that cow that is usually not very obedient and let everyone have a taste of it." Ge Ying''xi took a look at the surrounding residents, and he decided to ughter the cow and ept the corresponding fine. After speaking, he turned to look at the twenty or so people. However, he only saw that the old man was not as frightened as he thought he would be. Instead, he was smiling at Ge Ying''xi. "Are all of you the residents of the Ge Manor? You have the loyal heart to protect your master, excellent." The old man looked at the surrounding residents, smiled and praised them. The residents were silent. They were a little nervous, but they didn''t want to back down so they continued to try to stay strong. "My lord, those two groups of people with different clothes are not from the Ge family." The person next to him who was scared earlier now realized that they weren''t being attacked, so he felt slightly relieved. He pointed to the people of the Zhang and Wang families as he spoke. Hearing this, the old man became interested and asked the residents of the Zhang and Wang families, "Is there someone in charge here?" "A one-star servant from the Cloud Rider Officer''s mansion is here." The person in charge straightened up his back and took a few steps forward. He spoke loudly, facing the old man. "One star is the lowest. Why shouldn''t wee? The Ge is a model of the Zhang and Wang. If Ge dies, Wang and Zhang will follow suit." This servant replied loudly without fearing the old man''s gaze. "Cong''hu, do you know what he is talking about? Zhang Manor''s lowest servant." The old man stared at this servant and asked without looking back. The person closest to his left side thought hard and shook his head, "Master, I don''t know. Who would even know what nonsense he''s talking about?" The old man sighed softly and said to the servant, "Would you be willing to work for me?" The servant shook his head vigorously, "In the ancient times, Zhou has mentioned no joy'', and I am not part of the Tian family." "Great, what a great one-star servant of the Cloud Rider Officer''s Mansion. Hahaha, the lowest?" The old man said andughed. Housekeeper Ge, who was standing on the side, was confused, and he asked Ge Ying''xi puzzledly, "Master, what are they talking about?" Like Father Zhang, Ge Ying''xi also wanted to take the imperial examination. Hearing the housekeeper''s words, he smacked his lips a few times and said, "''The Ge is a model of the Zhang and Wang''2. He''s making a reference to the idiom if the lips die, the teeth will turn cold too'' from the Spring and Autumn Period. Later, he talked about Zhuang''zi''s greatest joy''3. The person from the Tian family said that loyal subordinates do not serve two masters, but did not live up to their words." "Ah? Master, are you saying that a servant of the Zhang family was able to use two allusions in a row? When did the Zhang family be this amazing?" Housekeeper Ge felt as if he suddenly fell asleep, otherwise, why would he be having this dream? He recognized that servant. Ge Ying''xi''s voice was not loud, but it was also not too quiet, so the people around him heard his words. Cong''hu, who was asked by the old man earlier, shouted to the servants of the Zhang family, "How dare you deceive my master. Answer! Who are you? How do you know so much?" The old man''s face, which had remained unchanged this entire time, suddenly turned red. He turned his head and red at Cong''hu, and shouted, "Stand back." Cong''hu shuddered. He lowered his head and didn''t dare to make another noise. The old man asked the servant of the Zhang family again, "Can you tell me, where did these two linese from?" "The servants in the mansion are first taught etiquette. In the mansion, there is a room for storing paper and books. Any servants can use them as often as they wish. If they can''t read, they can ask the teacher in the mansion. If they don''t understanding the meaning behind the words, they can consult our master, madam, or teacher when they happen to encounter any of them. The three of them acts as our teacher. They will exin everything and all they know." I''m quite stupid and have only learned very little. Just now, I happened to encounter what I have learnt and reflected deeply, so I casually expressed my thoughts. Compared to the five-star servants in the household, what I know is very minimal. " If Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan saw this person right now, they would definitelyment that this person was the ad lib type of contestant. Normally, he would stutter during school examinations, but during today''s critical moment, he performed extraordinarily well. The old man and the people who followed him didn''t know, so they thought that any random person from the Zhang Manor would be like this. This was a bit too scary and also a bit depressing. Not to mention that this is the household of a seven-rank honorary official, even the household of a third-rank official like himself would not be able topare with them? "The young miss of the Wang family also teaches you some knowledge?" The old man looked over there, even though he could not see the main courtyard of the Zhang family. He still decided to ask. The servant''s eyes immediately opened wide. He looked at the old man in front of him with a little fear. He thought as quickly as he could and then said "How do you know? The young miss of the Wang family indeed teaches us often. There are a lot of fun games that we didn''t know of, but after seeing Young Miss Wang and Young Master y together, we found out that such fun games exist." This time, it was the old man''s turn to be stunned, "Who is the young master? The young girl of the Wang family is this old already, how could she teach you and other servants how to y?" "The Young Master is the Young Master. He''s the Madam and Master''s son; the little master of the Zhang family. Ever since Young Miss Wang opened her eyes and saw the Young Master, they have never parted. Later on, when they were almost one year old, the Young Master and Young Miss taught us how to y." The servant spoke while thinking about whether or not he had said something wrong. It would be very troublesome if other people learn about the Young Master and Young Miss. The old man understood this time, and nodded, "You are talking about the little Juan''juan from the Wang Manor? No. I''m talking about your family''s Madam, Wang Qiao''er. It is your blessing to be able to be taught by Qiao''er. Zhang Yong''cheng got lucky. Fortunately, he managed to obtain an official title in just a few years, otherwise.humph!" "Otherwise what?" The servant disagreed. This person kept an aloof demeanor. Is his master someone this old man can criticize? "Otherwise, it has nothing to do with me. He will suffer himself. I heard that the two children of the Zhang family are better looking than other kids. I wonder what they usually y?" The old man stopped talking about Father Zhang, and started talking about Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. The smile on his face grew wider. The servant was still angry right now, and turned his head, "I don''t know." Suddenly he turned around again, with a faint smile on his face that was simr to the signature smile of servers. He said, "I was thinking of something else just now, so my answer was not directed to you. You want to know what the Young Master and Young Miss usually ys? I only know about a small vehicle. As for the other things, you can ask Shi''liu." The old man was even more surprised. The servant was obviously angry, but he suddenly changed his expression. This kind of thing was usually only seen between some major merchants or officials. They don''t get on the bad side of others, nor do they cause trouble. "Shi''liu is the Young Master and Young Miss'' maid. She was originally three stars, butter, she had no stars. She has a spot on her cor dyed blue. She went to y with the Young Master and Young Miss at Little Luo''shui." The servant knew that they had gone to the Emperor''s nephew''s survival training, but he lied. "Why is there no star? And why dye it blue?" The old man asked with a smile and cooperated with the servant. The servant didn''t know. He assumed that the old man was led astray by him, and continued, "Old uncle, look up. The sky is blue. Shi''liu follows the Young Master and Young Miss around. The significance is to be...to be evesting as sky and earth, to follow the principles of the sky and earth, to be perfectlyposed by the sky and earth, tost until the sky turns empty and earth turns old, to be a perfect match made by the heavens." When the servant said this, he was still thinking about what the Young Master and the Young Miss had said. Another meaning was that beyond the sky was the sky, a trap set up in the sky and earth. Anyone who dareses here to cause trouble needed to learn about the harshness of this ce. The old man didn''t expect this to happen. It seemed like those two little kids'' status in the two families were not ordinary; they could make the servants around them be set apart from the others. "Oh, then tell me, what''s the matter with the 6,000 mu ofnd on the mountain behind your house?" "Six thousand? How is there six thousand? There is only four thousand. The ce has been encircled and reported to the administrative office. Some of the ravines in the mountains have not been encircled." The servant became more vignt this time. Could it be that he came to investigate thend?
Trantor''s Notes
  1. If the lips die, the teeth will turn cold too
This is a Chinese idiom describing when the interests of two parties are deeply entwined, if one party suffers, the other party will suffer too.
  1. The Ge is a model of the Zhang and Wang.
This is reference to the line, "" meaning "Humble officials are the models of the civilians, corrupt officials are the thieves of the civilians".
  1. No joy, greatest joy
Zhou Zhuang''zi once wrote that there is no such thing as true joy in life, thus the greatest joy is the same as no joy. "What people value is wealth, status, longevity, and reputation; what people like is physicalfort, abundant food, pretty essories, vibrant colors, and good music; what people view as lowly is being poor, weak, short-lived, and notoriety; what people are troubled by is not being able to receive physicalfort, not tasting good food, not being adorned with beautiful essories, not seeing vibrant colors, and not listening to good music. If one does not receive these, then they will be filled with sorrow and worry. The superficiality of these requests is overly foolish!... What I regard as true happiness is something that everyone is troubled and pained by, so the greatest joy is not having joy, and the best reputation is having no reputation." Book 2: Chapter 97 Book 2: Chapter 97 The old man really didn''t expect that the Zhang and Wang''s family did not upy 6,000 mu ofnd, but only 4,000 mu. Beforeing here, he had heard others say that a lot of people had their eyes on this ce. Normally, he wouldn''te here himself. For the past few days, he hasn''t been feeling well, so it was a perfect opportunity toe here for a look. He heard that the scenery here was not bad. There were still a lot of people working in the ministry, and the busiest time has passed. "Old uncle, could it be that you''re the new county magistrate? I advise you to take office as soon as possible. Don''t try to find faults here. The manors here have been acting ording to the rules of the court. Your county office has been repaired, especially the area where the county magistrate and his family lives. The best window paper was used, and even the tables and chairs are the newest type. Heated brick beds were added to the side rooms, and the firewood is already prepared for you." The servant automatically assumed that the old man was the new county magistrate. The old man was just a little older, but he seemed good, so the servant kindly persuaded him, and at the same time the servant gave a nearby resident a meaningful look. The resident was clever, and he turned and left. The old man found this interesting, so he agreed and asked, "What other arrangements were made?" "Arrangements? No, there are no arrangements. This was done by the people. It is said that the new magistrate loves the people like his own son, so that''s why they helped with setting things up." The servant didn''t want to say too much. "There are no fresh cucumbers? It would be nice to nt some cucumbers in the backyard." The old man said purposefully. The subordinate hesitated for a moment, "This... My lord sees maintaining peacefulness in the world as his own responsibility. Perhaps an auspicious omen will appear." "Then what should I do if I be a magistrate here?" The old man asked. "Of course, it is to work on water conservancy, protect the people, pave official roads, promote agriculture, build schools, and broaden the collection of public opinion to be submitted to the Imperial Court. It is especially important to listen to what the people want. It is not easy to be a good official. It can be easy if you want it to be easy. For example, for money matters, you can...you can think of ways." The servant spoke smoothly, and he almost had a slip of tongue. He took a small step back. The old man looked at the servant and nodded, "Who did you hear about this from?" "Of course it''s...it''s my own thoughts. My lord, please take office promptly. Work hard and within two years, you will be able to umte enough political achievements to rise up. If you have any trouble,e find... find usmoners." After the servant thought of the old man as the new county magistrate, he was a little excited, and his words were not as smooth as before. Just when he didn''t know what to do next, the resident who had just left ran over with Housekeeper Zhang. From the looks of it, they wereing over from the direction of Between The Water And Clouds. No wonder he came so fast. "Housekeeper Zhang, you''re here. Just now, this old uncle asked about the 6,000 mu of mountainousnd." The servant finally breathed a sigh of relief. While the residents of the Zhang and Wang families were leaving, Ge Ying''xi also gave the housekeeper a meaningful look. The housekeeper also gave orders to the Ge family''s residents. The surrounding residents dispersed one after another. After the residents dispersed, another 20 or so people came. Those people also carried swords on their waists. Compared to the people around the old man, although they appeared a bit worse, they were higher in number. The old man was not only surrounded by guards. Housekeeper Zhang nced at the people next to the old man, and said to the old man, "Old Uncle, I wonder what are you here for? If it''s for a chat, it would be better to go to Between The Water And Clouds." "Yeah, let''s go to the Between The Water And Clouds. Lead the way. Zhang Yong''cheng and Wang Qiao''er haven''t arrived yet?" The old man changed the gentle manner he had when speaking with the Zhang family''s servant earlier, and made a stern face as he indicated to Housekeeper Zhang to lead the way. He also asked about the Master and Madam of the Zhang family. Housekeeper Zhang did not say anything and he led the way. After taking ten or so steps, he slowed down his pace, "Old Uncle, are you from the Capital? My master is studying at home, and my Madam is busy nning trivial matters." "Studying? Humph! Does he think the imperial examination is that easy? Does he know the rules?" The old man asked disdainfully. Housekeeper Zhang was not sullen, and still appeared peaceful. "There is no need to worry, Old Uncle. The Zhang Manor naturally has its own ns. Someone,e here. Head over to the Between The Water And Clouds first, and get them to serve our signature dishes." The old man took a look at the sun; it was indeed gettingte into the afternoon. He didn''t decline, and continued to move forward and acted like he didn''t hear the Housekeeper''s words. When the group of people came to the entrance of the Between The Water And Clouds and was about to enter, there was a slight sound of horseshoes clopping in the distance. The old man''s guards reacted quickly and immediately became alert. After more than ten breaths, two houses and a person could be seening from that direction. From the looks of it, he was in a rush and was riding the horses alternatively. As the distance drew closer, they could see that the iing person was wearing tight-fitting clothes and the rope that tied his hair was long gone so his long hair was flying in the wind. He was holding a riding whip in his hand, whipping the horse nonstop. When the person was near, he pulled the reins vigorously, and the horse he was riding stood up straight, neighing softly. The rider pressed the horse''s head with his hand, then he spread out his leg and jumped directly off the standing horse''s head. When hended, he staggered a bit. He took out a letter from his robe. He heaved his chest to control his breathing and shouted, "By the order of the Young Prince, I am here to deliver a letter for Young Master Zhang." "Someone,e. Call the doctor. Prepare warm tea. Get the stretcher." As soon as Housekeeper Zhang heard what he said, he didn''t dare to neglect the matter. He mentioned what the Young Master and Young Miss usually ordered. He went forward and helped support the ier. He did not rush to take the letter. The ier was indeed exhausted. If he wasn''t Li Xun''s close guard, and was just an ordinary person, he would have died from exhaustion on the road. He left with three horses, and one of them fell over from exhaustion along the way. He breathed heavily and yelled out. His mouth tasted a bit salty, but he beared with and said, "Letter." Housekeeper Zhang took the letter and said, "You have worked hard. Wait a bit. We have prepared warm water for you to bathe in. There is also warm tea." Before entering the door, he turned his head slightly and said to Housekeeper Zhang, "He''s just exhausted, he''s alright." "Okay, doctor, you have been troubled. Get someone to prepare white fungus and bird''s nest soup. Let him eat it when he gets up." Housekeeper Zhang was now relieved. The Young Master and Young Miss valued this kind of messenger the most. How could he dare to neglect him? All of this was seen by the old man and the people around him. He was surprised at the speed of Zhang manor''s reaction, and even more surprised by the way the Housekeeper Zhang treated the person. If the Emperor felt unwell, he wouldn''t be able to be treated by the imperial physician at this speed. A physician could be found at a restaurant? A messenger was allowed to eat white fungus and bird''s nest soup? Was the Zhang family stupid? Housekeeper Zhang nced at the envelope, hesitated, and said to the old man, "Old Uncle, pleasee inside." "Aren''t you going to take a look at the letter first? A young master''s letter? Then that young master should be Zhang Xiao''bao from your manor?" The old man was amazed by Housekeeper Zhang''s calmness. "There''s no rush. The most important part for fast message delivery is to travel quickly. There''s no need to look at the letter immediately." Housekeeper Zhang said lightly, and seemingly inadvertently handed the letter to a member of the Seedling Team who had just rushed over here. The man stretched out his hand to receive the letter, and someone next to him lit an object in his arms with a fire ignitor. He only heard two consecutive "boom rumble" sounds, and arge me appeared in the sky. The old man nced at it with suspicion, but he didn''t say anything. He followed Housekeeper Zhang upstairs and entered a room on the second floor. The clopping sound of horseshoes was heard again. Looking down through the half-opened window, he saw a horse with its rider arrive at the bottom of the restaurant. "The letter from the Young Master. Four-star express delivery to the Master and Madam." The people from the Seedling Team ran over and greeted the person. The horserider didn''t dismount his horse. He handed the letter, shouted out, and then left. The person directly pulled his horse and went back to the main courtyard of the Zhang manor. The old man saw this and he smiled, "Not in a hurry? How fast is the four-star express? How fast is the fastest?" "Five-stars." Housekeeper Zhang was a little embarrassed and said two words in a small voice. The old man also breathed a sigh of relief at this moment, and muttered to himself, but several people around heard him. When the waiter brought up the dishes, Housekeeper Zhang didn''t need the waiter to introduce the dishes. He introduced them to the old man himself. He saw and heard the old man''s demeanor and words, and he felt that the old man wasn''t nning to scheme against the Zhang family. The old man did not continue to inquire about the Zhang family. He talked to the housekeeper about some of the building constructions here, so that he could express his own opinions. There wasn''t a lot of food on the table, but he tasted a few bites of everything. After eating the cold dishes, he only nodded, "It''s alright, it''s a bit worse than some major restaurants in the capital." When eating hot dishes, he said with satisfaction, "I heard that you have a special seasoning here. There should be some in the dishes. Let me take a look at what other dishes you have here." As soon as the old man finished speaking, the waiter brought a te over. Once it was ced on the table, the old man finally changed his expression. Although the ingredients on the te weremonly seen, during this season, these items could only be seen in southern areas. There were a few straight cucumbers with thorns and a flower on the tip, and two green round eggnts. It didn''t look like they were washed at all, and should have been recently picked and sent here. "Where''s the sauce?" The old man really likes these two ingredients, so even if the eggnt was raw, he wasfortable eating it. "Old Uncle, you want sauce? The taste changes when sauce is used. Someone,e here. Bring three kinds of sauces." Housekeeper Zhang spoke as he demonstrated to the old man. He directly picked up a cucumber and rubbed off the thorns on it with his hands. He bit off a portion and chewed on it. The old man understood this time. Indeed, being able to eat cucumbers in this season was not something that would make a person feel embarrassed. Others would only envy the eater when they see this. He picked up a cucumber, and was ready to eat it after he rubbed off the thorn. At this moment, the guard on the side came over and said, "My lord, I would like to have a taste too. Seeing my lord and Housekeeper Zhang eat makes me crave for it." "Hmm, take one for yourself then. You don''t have to grab the one from my hand. Given the Zhang manor''s capability, they wouldn''t stoop that low and use such a dirty trick." The old man paused for a moment, and finally said with determination. "My lord." Crunch. "It''s delicious. I''lle to eat this when it gets cold. By then, it will not be Between The Water and Clouds, but Between The Snow And Clouds. Does Housekeeper Zhang agree?" The old man didn''t let the guard stop him. He took a bite, smiled and said to Housekeeper Zhang. However, Housekeeper Zhang shook his head and replied, "No matter when the Old Unclees, this ce will always be the Between The Water And Clouds. Even if there is drought elsewhere, there will be no shortage of water here. The mountains are on the side while being in the center of the water. During the cold winter, people here will burn charcoal to melt the snow and ice." "The same. Unless the person only eats vegetables. Our...our people heard others say that reputation is more important." The housekeeper almost uttered the three words our Young Master''. At this moment, the waiter hurried in from outside with a scroll in his hand. Before the housekeeper asked, he said, "Housekeeper Zhang, these are verses written by our Master. Starting today, these verses will be put on disy at Between The Water And Clouds, Little Luo''shui, every restaurant and the pavilions on the mountain. Before I left, our Madam said to let Housekeeper Zhang contact the stores in the capital--- not our stores though. Even if we have to spend money, we still must get them to disy our master''s poems. Before the New Year, we need to find people in the capital to send greeting cards to. " "I see. Hang them up. Old Uncle, is there anyone you know in the Capital? The Zhang and Wang manors will never mistreat you." Housekeeper Zhang understood once he heard his words. It seemed like his Young Master and Young Miss were going to make a move. Coincidentally, there was this old man here who seemed like a decent person. If he doesn''t make use of the old man, then wouldn''t he be giving away a table of food for nothing? The old man never fully opened his eyes, but now he raised his upper eyelids to the highest point, and said in surprise, "So that''s how it is. So Li Xun is also helping? If you have the ability, don''t tell me. This has been arranged from the beginning of the drought and locust gue. Give me money and I will help you find someone who doesn''t want to help but has no choice but tohelp." Book 2: Chapter 98 Book 2: Chapter 98 The sunset glow followed the wind, and the red sun set in the west. There was no apanying chorus of tree insects, there was only the withered grass on the roadside, sitting at the foot of the mountain.... Wang Juan hummed Grandmother''s Penghu Bay'' while she cooked. Zhang Xiao''bao randomly changed the lyrics into gibberish and sang along on the side. Li Xun sat there and waited until the food was ready so that they could eat together. He felt that the tune Wang Juan hummed was nice, but as for Zhang Xiao''bao''s lyrics, he had noment. "Prince Li, Juan''juan and I are nning to return home tomorrow. We''re pretty much done with the things here. We will be able to enjoy at least a short period of peacefulness. You should finish that important task first, lest others lose confidence and fail to keep up." Zhang Xiao''bao found out that his lyrics were not appreciated, so he had no choice but to stop. He spoke with Li Xun. The purpose of him and Wang Juaning here was to frighten Yuan Xing''yi and Han Yong''yao, and to get them to settle down for some time. Now it seemed that the effect was not bad. He had already finished talking with Li Xun about building restaurants in that ce in the afternoon. Song Jing''gong also sent someone over and they received some useful information. The person in that house was surnamed Zheng, and his family didn''t seem to have much power. His father was rtively ordinary, but he had a mother whose surname was Hua, and two maternal uncles. He came here because he was entrusted by someone else to see what the Zhang and Wang manors were like. The other purpose was to learn from the wharf at Little Luo''shui and build a simr wharf at the Zheng''qu River located not too far from the Capital. That ce also had mountains, but there were more trees on it. However, given his family''s capability, it was worthwhile to try. At the same time, Master Zheng also had a bit of wealth in his family, and this amount could be even more than Zhang Xiao''bao''s money. It wouldn''t be a problem for them to spend ten times the amount of money. They couldn''t find out who they were entrusted by though. Li Xun was a little confused when he heard this surname. He didn''t know which family this was until he thought about how that person''s mother''s surname was Hua and he had two maternal uncles. He smiled and said to Zhang Xiao''bao, "If you want to fight with others, your family''s foundation is far from being strong enough. Your family has a manor, manage it well. The new magistrate hasn''t arrived yet, don''t worry." Li Xun replied in this way, "County Magistrate Jia has some skills, but for political affairs, he''s okay. He strives to do things steadily and he usually doesn''t make mistakes. He''s a little bit greedy. Don''t worry about what the affairs you and my family are working on, I will take care of it. As for Little Luo''shui, I don''t have a ce there, so you can only think of something by yourself. There is one thing you don''t need to worry about. He still doesn''t dare to fight to earn taxes in San''shui County, and he doesn''t dare to randomly allocate work to the people. That means he will only pry from the hands of some merchants. How about this, I will pay 10,000 taels to buy a fifth of the shops at Little Luo''shui. Go back and talk to your family about this. " "No need. My family will find a solution by ourselves. It is enough for you to take care of the ce at Between The Water and Clouds. Young Prince, you must not invest too much, otherwise don''t me my family if you make less money." Zhang Xiao''bao replied quickly, deliberately emphasizing the words Young Prince''. Li Xun was not angered. Others were afraid of him. Even if others pretended to be not afraid, they still acted very respectful. Only Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were different. Perhaps they were too young to understand status and authority, but at the same time, he felt like this might not be the case. When they spoke to him, they sounded like children that were the same age as himself. He really couldn''t figure it out. "Time for dinner. Tonight is thest meal. I used almost all of the ingredients." Wang Juan greeted Zhang Xiao''bao and Li Xun while she poured the bokchoy and shrimp out of the wok and into the bowl. She took the initiative to cook, saying that she was an expert at making this dish. Li Xun smelled the scent of the food. He looked at Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, who were always so happy looking, and then he thought about how they were going to leave tomorrow. He felt a little reluctant to let them leave. He always felt that when he was with Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, there was nothing to be afraid of when encountering difficulties since they were able to handle it. Picking up his rice bowl, Li Xun scooped two small spoons of braised pork sauce and mixed it into his rice. Then he tore off a strip of eggnt cooked with garlic. After a few bites, half a bowl of rice was in his stomach. He said to Zhang Xiao''bao, "ording to the rules, if you two quit halfway, it is necessary for you to be punished. I thought about it and decided to save the punishment untilter, what do you think?" "Nothing. If you say it like that, then Juan''juan and I will keep going. I want to see how you will give the two of us a Xiang''gong title." Zhang Xiao''bao replied without acting polite. Li Xun was really dumbfounded. The two children were too young. Others were at least ten years old. When the timees, others wille back after having a look at the Capital. He had no hopes that they would actually pass the examination. It was no big deal if ten year olds pass the exam, but if Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were sent over there, then the moment they enter the examination room, their young age will be enough to cause chaos. Li Xun already knew what Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were here for--- they wanted to mess with Han Yong''yao and Yuan Xing''yi. It also seemed like their families had made their moves already too. Those two people have been so terrified that they have not been causing any troubles in the recent few days, So it turns out that boiled croton water can harm other peoples'' livestock, and Sky Jumping Monkey can burn quite a bit of straw. From this, it seems that if the Sky Jumping Monkey was made to be bigger, it could be used to burn rations and horse feed. He already knew that it was impossible to punish Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan by beating them with wooden boards, but after hearing Zhang Xiao''bao''s words, Li Xun felt that he had a weak stance, so he could only say, "You have eaten almost everything that you have brought. Could it be possible that you n to eat only one type of food from now on? You ran out of salt too, didn''t you?" Wang Juan said with disdain. As long as she and Zhang Xiao''bao cooperates well, it was not hard for them to survive in a deste area as long as the mission was not too difficult. They would be fine as long as they do not encounter wolves on the grasnd. Li Xun froze for a moment. He didn''t believe her words, but then they had a mastermind behind them. However, if he chose to believe her, he felt that what she said was too unrealistic. He chose to ignore this topic and said, "Should we start digging soon?" "The timing does not matter. Don''t dig too much. Actually, dig up as many as you can. Although they are small, once you collect a lot, it would be enough tost for a day." Zhang Xiao''bao gesticted as he exined. Li Xun nodded. He ate another big bowl of rice and then he wiped his mouth with his sleeve boldly. He said to the other people who were enviously watching the three of them eat, "Let me tell you about a good thing." After speaking, Li Xun went up to a tree and tilted his head up to look at the branches. Then he started digging under the tree with a small shovel. As he dug, he said, "During the summer, there are a lot of cicadas here. Right now, there should be a lot of small cicadas at the bottom of the tree. They would fall off the tree and then dig their way into the soil. When there''s nothing to eat, we could dig these things up to eat. Don''tin that I didn''t tell you. Whoever quits because they can''t find food will still receive a beating." The children around here lived a decent life at home. When did they ever have to eat this kind of food? Those people who asked questions earlier understood now. No wonder the Young Prince brought vegetarian oil along --- it was to fry this food and eat it. With Li Xun''s demonstration, other people quickly finished the food they brought along and also began to dig. In particr, those who persisted through the grasnd didn''t feel that eating bugs was disgusting at all. They were able to eat silkworm pupae and even grasshoppers, so of course they were able to eat cicadas. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan did not join in. In fact, the two of them would be able to eat tree bark too. Grass roots was also a good option. However, these children did not have to experience that kind of suffering. At night, Han Yong''yao and Yuan Xing''yi were still tired, but they were not afraid anymore. They no longer listened to Zhang Xiao''bao and did not sleep on top of green grass like fools. Before Li Xun went to bed, he specifically asked someone to write down what happened today. After he finishes sorting it outter, he would present it to his father to earn credit. On the other side, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan covered their bodies with nkets and only left a small opening so that they could breathe. When day broke, they were not bitten by any mosquitoes. After getting up, they made breakfast and used up all the ingredients they brought along. They allowed the people they had a good rtionship with to eat the food together with them. They climbed into the carriage and Li Xun watched them leave with an unwilling gaze. At this time, the other children were very smart and didn''t ask Li Xun why he didn''t punish the two people. * "Young Master, Young Miss. The arrangements have been made here ording to what you two said. The day before yesterday, someone came over here. His guards were superiorpared to the Seedling Team on the manor and his guards all called him as lord''. They stayed here until night time and then left in a hurry. It seems like he knows our Master and Madam." Housekeeper Zhang helped Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan to open the carriage door, and immediately report to them what had happened the day before yesterday. "Lord? How old was he? Do you know hisst name?" Zhang Xiao''bao felt that things were not that simple when he heard this, and asked. Housekeeper Zhang shook his head, "I don''t know, I couldn''t get any answers. It seems that he won''t do anything disadvantageous to the manor. Before leaving, he said that he would help our Master. The old man did not look like a bad person." "He did not look like it. People who have the word viin'' written on their face will definitely not be a viin. Did you send people to follow him?" Wang Juan never believed in judging a person by their looks. She had a living example right next to her right now. The housekeeper nodded at this moment, "People were sent. We sent four members from the Seedling Team to follow him." "Oh, then those four people should be returning soon. If theye back, then it means that that person does not want to fight with us, or that he has a much more evil n. If they don''te back, then they better not let me find out who they are. I will definitely seek revenge. " Zhang Xiao''bao was a little worried when he heard what kind of people the housekeeper sent. Members of the Seedling Team were just residents. If they wanted to follow him, they would be better off sending the residents who were once hunters. Of course, it would be best if him and Wang Juan went over there themselves. Their hiding and tracking abilities were much better than the residents. "Young Master, are you saying that they will be in danger?" The housekeeper thought for a while and felt that he did not n this out properly at the beginning. "There''s no danger. They''re back. Go ask them if they lost track of the person near the Jing''shui River." Zhang Xiao''bao looked in the direction of Little Bridge, and the four came back on horseback. Book 2: Chapter 99 Book 2: Chapter 99 In the early winter days, the first light snowfall entered the world from the sky, flying. As soon as theynded onto the ground, a puddle of water formed on the roof. The poultry on the manor trembled and did not want to leave their den, while the old yellow dog had gathered some old rags and hay from somewhere and made a little bed for itself. Apart from the evergreen trees, it seemed like not a single trace of green could be found in the entire world. The croaking of summer and autumn frogs and the chirping of the little swallows were absent. There were only mud puddles on the ground, but no fragrance of the mud. The sericulturers boiled the silkworms. Some were going to be spun into silk, and some were just stored away. This year, the county did not need to hand in anything. Although the harvest was lower, life was better. The people selling liang''pi in the county were no longer around, and it seemed like the savory crepe business became better. The people selling candied hawthorns also came out early and they stayed from dawn to night. The kes of rock sugar would not melt too much. Compared to white sugar, it was a lot better. It tasted sweet and sour, and had a nice crunch to it. The workers at the Little Luo''shui Wharf were busier than the previous days. Many merchants who wanted to earn money in the winter were working hard to transport the goods they received and export goods while the river had not frozen yet. Severalrge frame structures with ropes on the top and hooks below were set up there, thus making the terminal''s throughput a lot faster. This made the business of the restaurants and shops next to the wharf go crazy for thest time. The gifted schrs and beautifuldies felt like there was nothing to write into poems during this season. Some of them stayed at home thinking about what to write when there was heavy snow in winter. The only ce where there were still many talents willing to stay was at Between The Water And Clouds. Wang Juan deliberately used a line from a poem, which attracted many people before it snowed. "''Who said thin clothes are cold when the cicadas cease to sing, but say that the cool days make a good autumn.''" Others didn''t know where this line came from, nor did they know that the actual first line was Young people don''t know the vors of sorrow.'' Many schrs interpreted these two lines as when it was cold, peasants did not have clothing to wear, but there were still people praising this kind of scenery''. Literati always like to pin their emotions onto the scenery. In addition, Between The Water and Clouds has introduced a new dish, which made more people willing toe here and taste it. People ate food while dwelling on their sentiments. It was not the cicada''s sound and silkworm at heart; the silk ends only when the autumn silkworm dies. That was how the name of the dish came to be. To put it simply, it was three words, "The Silk Ends". Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t put his brain on this aspect. Wang Juan came up with this idea herself. Judging by the number of customers that came, it seemed that the dish was quite good. Usually, after the silk is drawn from the silkworm pupae, normal people wouldn''t eat the silkworm. The residents would keep them for a few days and eat them. If they can''t finish them, then they would throw them away. Wang Juan specifically thought of this solution for them and she changed Li Shang''yin''s line1. That was how Wang Juanmented on Li Shang''yin: when reading his poems, it was more about sadness, such as Brocade Zither'', which sounded nice but there was always a kind of poignant beauty to it. From the poem, Wang Juan liked the line, At the boundless sea, the pearl like moon has tears'', while Zhang Xiao''bao loved listening to the line, Zhuang Zhou knew that it was a dream; captivated by the butterfly2.'' After saying those two sentences, Wang Juan also asked Zhang Xiao''bao, "How''s it going? Did I put the two lines together very well?" "Average. It''s not as good as what I heard from the three girls in the Chinese faculty. I didn''t understand anything at that time though. I was sitting on the train and they were talking about poems. They mentioned a poem that was very nice, especially these two lines, this passion can be treated as chasing a memory, but helplessly, the flower has withered 3. At that time, I was greatly shocked, andter..." "Later you found out that these two lines are from two different poems?" Wang Juan asked with a smile. Zhang Xiao''bao shook his head, "No,ter I thought to myself, if Yan took over Li''s body, would he be able to write being sick during the autumn rain at Maoling, the west wind withered the green treesst night'' ?" "Zhang Xiao''bao, can''t you speak with some morality?" Wang Juan asked with a smile. "I''m being serious. Do you eat that ck thing in silkworms?" Zhang Xiao''bao said solemnly. "No. Who would eat the internal organs? Have you ever seen what the silkworm pupa looks like after growing up if the silk is not taken away from it?" Wang Juan asked. Zhang Xiao''bao nodded, "Hmm, when I was younger, someone gave us more than 50 catties of cocoon pupae. A woman in her thirties wanted to adopt a girl, but unfortunately, she couldn''t. I always felt like she was the most beautiful one. When we were eating, one of the pupae fell to the ground. When spring started, it turned into a moth that was this big, and it was white. I cooked it with fire and ate it. "Aiya, if I knew about this earlier, I would have saved some for roasting. As long as you say that it is something brave people would only eat, then a lot of men would eat it, especially when beautiful women are present." Wang Juan looked regretful. * How could one not know the day is cold? Yetin that winter iste. Single-robed, staying near the red charcoal, asking who wants roasted tbread. "Father, it''s here. Look, it''s cold, but the water did not freeze yet. They are sweaty from working. Quite a bit of money is earned during every trip. Father, a few days ago, I heard people say that the Zhang family has sent over many nts bearing cucumbers to the Administrative Office and they have been nted in the backyard. They are trying to please you, father. Why don''t we take advantage of this opportunity to say that the Zhang family falsely reported about the auspicious omen. Otherwise how could there be another one this year? We could also send people to sneak into their manor to learn how to grow cucumbers in winter. " At the wharf, Jia Wei''ran, who had just bought a tbread with meat filling for two coins at the head of the bridge, spoke to the man, who had the physique of a wealthy person, next to him. The two of them didn''t bring any servants with them, and the clothes they wore were not luxurious. They walked slowly here, and snowkes fell from time to time, but they didn''t care about it. It was as if they were no different from the ordinary people. The person who was called father by Jia Wei''ran was the new county magistrate. For some reason, he decided to discreetly scout the area. There were still a few more days until he was supposed toe into office, so he went to the San''shui County. After Jia Wei''ran went back to report the newsst time, he returned here immediately. He did not meet up with his former friends, instead he only watched and listened at the wharf. At this time, he finally did not let his efforts go to waste. He exined the situation here in detail to his father. Magistrate Jia nced at his son, then at the lively scene on the wharf, and said, "Toote. A few days ago, someone had already handed in the instructions for growing cucumbers during winter. Now, a lot of people know about Zhang Yong''cheng. We can''t go forth with that idea, it will lead fire onto ourselves." "Ah? It has been submitted already? Could it be that his Zhang family is stupid? Now that everyone knows about it, why did they send cucumber nts to the Administrative Office? Do they think we can''t afford cucumbers?" Jia Wei''ran didn''t expect that the idea he spent a few days working on became useless before he had a chance to use it. Thinking about the cucumbers delivered to the Administrative Office, he felt like he couldn''t swallow down his anger at this moment. Magistrate Jia said to his son, "They reported it. If other people want to nt it elsewhere, they would have to wait for some time before the nt bears cucumbers. Not only can this instruction be used to grow cucumbers, but also for some other vegetables. It''s not easy to do. You would need to keep the nts with bees and butterflies before they die. The Zhang family is not stupid. By giving up this portion of money, they will have less trouble to deal with. How much can cucumbers be sold for during winter? What is the value of the wharf at Little Luo''shui? Even a prince, let alone two manors, would not dare to keep this method of growing vegetables in winter to themselves. If they do, what does that say about how much they care about the people? " Magistrate Jia thought about this more extensively than his son. Before he came, he knew that this ce is not easy to stay at. The previous magistrate finished doing almost all of the phnthropic tasks. After Magistrate Jiaes into office, he can only follow the previous magistrate''s steps, otherwise, the people would protest. This ce was not the same as the others. The prince was the governor of the state and this ce was close to the capital. If something went wrong, it would be impossible to hide it. Furthermore, the two seven-rank officials of the Zhang and Wang Family would be able to send in reports to the Imperial court. "We can''t make a move that casually. We can''t." Magistrate Jia mumbled as he thought about it. "Father, what the kid saidst time won''t work? They were granted four thousand mu ofnd, but that piece ofnd they imed is more than six thousand mu. They secretly upied 2,000 mu. The crime is not light, right?" Jia Wei''ran still didn''t want to give up. He kept thinking about how he was embarrassed at the restaurant that day. Even if it was two children, he still had to hold those two children''s family ountable. Magistrate Jia continued to remain calm. "You need to go back and look at the documents in the Administrative Office. If it was really upied, then it would be easy to deal with. I am afraid that they did not upy it. There is a wharf at Little Luo''shui, and taxes are also paid, so they aren''t tight for money. They would be afraid of others causing trouble for them over this." Jia Weiran didn''t know what to say at this time. He took a bite of the tbread in his hand, chewed it for a while and swallowed it. Suddenly, he said, "Father, this tbread is really good. There is another seller up ahead, I''ll buy one for you to tryter." "Hmm. These days are cold now, but there are still people doing business here. It''s better than going hungry. If not, it would be hard toplete the assessment next year. Magistrate Cheng was indeed somewhat capable." Magistrate Jia wanted to have a moreprehensive understanding of the situation. If the local people lived a better life, it would be easier for him too. Jia Wei''ran pursed his lips, "Father, how is it that Magistrate Cheng is the one who is the capable? There is a special seasoning from the Zhang manor in this tbread. I don''t know how they make it. It seems that the seasoning is a bit different for the same dish. I asked someone to taste it. They can guess what some of it is, but not if there are a lotit with someone, maybe a few can be tasted, but if there are more, it won''t work." "Why is that?" Magistrate Jia truly didn''t understand. "I asked someone to smell the seasoning but they kept sneezing while smelling it. I asked someone to taste it, and they were able to tell a few of the ingredients in it, but when they had a taste of it again, their mouth went numb. I got people to cook a few dishes with those ingredients. If enough was not used, the taste was not right, but if more was added, it was hard to describe how the taste was wrong, or it would cause diarrhea or difort. I heard a professional say that herbs have certain side effects if used in particrbinations." Jia Wei''ran was depressed when he talked about this. The seasoning for fish was absolutely different from that for meat. The tbread was also different. There were also special ones used for fillings and used for soups. I wonder how the manor was able toe up with some many methods. When Magistrate Jia heard this, he felt that this was right. He pointed to a ce where savory crepes were sold. "Go there and buy a savory crepe. Beforeing here, I heard people say it was delicious." "How is it delicious? It''s nothing more than just having sauce that is more salty and having more chopped green onions. Poor people find everything to be tasty." Jia Weiran muttered and walked over in that direction. "Isn''t this brother Jia? I haven''t seen you for a few days, what have you been busy with, Brother Jia?" Before Jia Wei''ran had gotten to the ce, a sudden voice next to him called out. Trantor''s Notes
  1. Li Shang''yin
This poet''s original poem is "The silk ends when the spring silkworm dies." The word "silk" is a homonym for "pining".
  1. Zhuang Zhou knew that it was a dream; captivated by the butterfly.''
This line in the poem Brocade Zither'' is a reference to Zhuang Zhou''s story, Butterfly Dream. In this story, Zhuang Zhou speaks of being a butterfly in his dream, and when he wakes up, he ponders if he is actually a butterfly dreaming of being a human. In the poem, the poetments that Zhuang Zhou is actually just envious of how carefree a butterfly is.
  1. this passion can be treated as chasing a memory, but helplessly, the flower has withered''
The first line is from Brocade Zither'' by Li Shang''yin, while the second line is from Washing River Sand'' by Yan Shu.
  1. being sick during the autumn rain at Maoling, the west wind withered the green treesst night''
The first line is from the poem Writing To Officer Ling''hu'' by Li Shang''yin and the second line is from the poem Butterfly Loves The Flower'' by Yan Shu. The first poem was written by Li Shang''yin to his old friend Ling''hu Tao and hements on his misfortune, while the second poem is about pining for love. With that said, it should be obvious why Wang Juan reacted like that XD. Book 2: Chapter 100 Book 2: Chapter 100 Jia Wei''ran was afraid that others would recognize them. If the Zhang Manor knew that his father was there, it would be difficult for them to do things. He turned his head to look at where the sound came from, and saw a person, who was wearing hemp clothes and pigskin boots, smiling at him. Jia Wei''ran thought about it for a while, but he still couldn''t recall who this person was. Judging from the clothing on his body, this man was far from Jia Wei''ran''s status, so he asked with a confused voice: "You are...?" "Brother Jia, why don''t you remember me anymore? I''m Ma Liu1. You really did forget about me. Keep pretending, you''re pretending aren''t you? Last year, the five of us worked together at Little Luo''shui. At the time, didn''t you say you wanted to make money elsewhere? Me and Yang Si2 were always there, and thenter we ran over here. What, did you earn money? Hmm, it seems that your clothing is better than mine. Stop putting up an act. I''m not asking you for money. Today, I got them to alle over. Let''s all go to the ce behind the First Near Water, and roast some meat and radishes. We should also have some stinky tofu and wine. Why are you still spacing out. Don''t you like to eat stinky tofu the most? You would take half a month to finish a piece of stinky tofu. Back then, Niu Wu3 said that he gave you good tofu to eat, and it took you forever to finish eating it, so by the end, the tofu became stinky. Let''s go, my treat." This person who imed to be Ma Liu came over and attempted to drag Jia Wei''ran over there with him. Jia Wei''ran had never heard of these weird names that seemed to be all rted to livestocks. Seeing this person''s arm, which was sullied with some unidentifiable color, stretched out trying to grab him, he took a few steps back out of fright. He said, "Wait, howe I don''t remember you? Tell me, what is my name?" "I already said that I don''t need your money, yet you keep asking me this and that. Us brothers were not like this at the beginning. Regardless of how much money you have, we don''t want any of it. We make quite a bit of money working at the wharf everyday. Your surname is Jia, isn''t it?" Ma Liu was a little dissatisfied, and withdrew his hand back. "That''s right. Then what is my name?" Jia Wei''ran felt that he was suffering from amnesia? He had no impression of this. "Bah! I don''t care if you''re Ma Wu or Ma Liu, just stay away from me. I don''t know you, you have mistaken me for someone else." Jia Wei''ran was so angry. When did he ever go swimming with others, and when was he ever bitten by a turtle? He red at him and then sped walked to the where the savory crepes were sold. He vigntly looked at the person standing there with a face of contempt. "Sigh~! Since Brother Jia doesn''t want to admit it, then forget it. I was wrong from the very beginning. I''m going to go look for Niu Wu now. Someone, prepare the carriage." Ma Liu shook his head regretfully, and he beckoned his hand as he spoke. Three luxurious carriages came over there, each of which was drawn by four horses. From the first nce, it was evident these carriages were not from the carriage services. Jia Wei''ran watched the carriages stop next to the person who had just talked to him, and two people, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, jumped out of the second carriage. They respectfully greeted him, and the carriages left after he climbed in. Jia Wei''ran raised his hand, and touched his forehead. He muttered, "It''s not hot." "Who says it''s not hot? The savory crepes were just made. Are you going to buy it or not. If not, stop blocking the way. If you are, then give me money. You can use items to trade with me too. Hurry up." The seller thought he was saying that his crepes were not hot anymore, so he spoke with dissatisfaction. Jia Wei''ran was still perplexed. He took money out to buy the savory crepe, but when he was about to go back, a person suddenly came up to him. When he was about to walk past him, that person said in surprise, "Brother Jia, hahahaha, I finally found you, what have you been up to these days?" Jia Wei''ran took a step back again, and looked at the person in front of him. He also didn''t know him. He thought about the stevedore who left with the three luxurious carriages just now, and then he looked at the person in front of him. He was dressed in light green satin clothes. He didn''t dare to neglect the person, so he smiled and replied, "Not much, I''m just hungry, so I''m buying a savory crepe to eat. What have you been busy with?" He wanted to address him with an honorific, but unfortunately, he didn''t know what his surname was. This person smiled. "Brother Jia, have things been difficult recently? Why are you eating savory crepes? Let''s go, follow me to the First Near Water to eat some food. I''ll order your favorite stinky tofu. I''ll call some other brothers to join us. You were always like this, you would eat four or five pieces of tofu every meal. If there are none, you don''t have the appetite to eat. But you always end up so smelly afterwards. Let''s go." "I eat four or five pieces a meal? Didn''t it take me half a month to eat one piece?" Jia Wei''ran felt like he was not in the human world right now and he repeated the words of the man from earlier. The man waved his hand and said, "Could it be that Brother Jia has fallen to this state now? Eating a piece of stinky tofu for half a month? Brother Jia, you...sigh~! Don''t worry, brother will find work for you to do. You can''t live like this anymore." "Manualbor of course. Look, if I take off these clothes, what do you think, aren''t I suitable for doing manualbor? Being a stevedore is good. You can buy some decent food for a few coins, and you get two meals a day. Youing? " This person took off his clothes, revealing his naked body underneath. His shoulders were covered with callouses. Jia Wei''ran shook his head, "No." "You sure? Well, then eat your savory crepes then. I''m leaving now. Sigh, another two ships came. Brother Jia, see you another day." The man ran over there as he spoke and took off his shoes. Jia Wei''ran stood there, holding the savory crepe in his hand, blinked, and didn''t know what to do. After a while, he remembered that he was buying something for his father. When he raised his head, there was no one at the ce his father was once standing. He looked around, but he couldn''t find his father''s figure. He was really dumbfounded this time. Where was his father? He was still there just now. Panicking, Jia Wei''ran began running around looking here and there, but he still couldn''t find his father. "Brother Jia, what are you looking for?" Just when Jia Wei''ran was anxious, a voice rang behind him. "Don''t try to deceive ... deceive... Brother Zhou, why are you here?" Jia Wei''ran knew this person. It was Zhou Xi''hu, Just now, he thought that it was someone who was going to treat him to eating stinky tofu again. Zhou Xi''hu took a closer look at Jia Wei''ran and said, "My house is here. Where can I go if I''m not here? Seeing how anxious Brother Jia looks, could it be that the beautifuldy apanying you has disappeared? Brother Jia, tell me, what does she look like? I''ll help you look for her." "Is it that Brother Jia is unable to describe her appearance? How about you go to the First Near Water? Beauties love going there since there are a lot of schrs there." Zhou Xihu continued to persuade him, preparing to take Jia Wei''ran there. "No, no. I''m-- I''m just wandering around. I''m not looking for anyone. Brother Zhou, you can go ahead." Jia Wei''ran didn''t dare to reveal the truth. He could only try to suppress the anxiety in his heart ande up with some random answer. Zhou Xi''hu didn''t force him, and said, "Alright, if Brother Jia encounters any issues here, you can go to the First Near Water and ask someone to find me. As long as I can help, I will definitely not decline. Oh, there is a new fried stinky tofu at the First Near Water. Brother Jia should try it when you have time." After speaking, Zhou Xi''hu walked away. Jia Wei''ran was stunned again. Why did everyone who saw him talk about stinky tofu? His father was gone, so naturally he had to go search for him. Jia Wei''ran began to expand the scope of his search and walked to the ce of the Administrative Office. Along the entire way, he didn''t see his father. Then, he turned around and went to the Qian''chang Town on the other side. He still didn''t see his father, so he turned around. He went to the innermost shop on the wharf, but he still didn''t see him. Seeing that it was getting dark, Jia Wei''ran had no choice but to walk towards the First Near Water. He wanted to get some to ask Zhou Xihu for help. If something happened to his father, it would be serious. "Young Master Jia, you''re here too? Do you want to eat the restaurant''s stinky tofu? Master Jia, pleasee in." The waiter who was at the wharf waiting to wee customers greeted Jia Wei''ran with the same line. Jia Wei''ran was already numb to this. He stepped onto the boat, without saying a word and he let the boat take him to the restaurant. He walked through the doors, and went to the second floor. Immediately, another waiter came over and said to Jia Wei''ran, "Master Jia, it''s been a long time since I''ve seen you here. The stinky tofu has been prepared for you. It''s in the room number three the third floor." Room number three on the third floor. Jia Wei''ran knew that this was the room he always went to back then. As he walked up with the waiter, he asked, "How would I find Zhou Xi''hu?" "You''re looking for Young Master Zhou? Young Master Zhou was still here just now. Is it urgent?" The waiter asked with concern. "Yeah, I''m looking for someone." Jia Wei''ran felt a little bit exhausted after running around for so long. "What a coincidence that Master Jia is also looking for someone. Just now, there was another person who came here with the surname Jia too. The Recorder and Magistrate Assistant from the Administrative Office came here with him. They said they were looking for someone. They went to room number four together. The Recorder and Magistrate Assistant called him as their lord''. I wonder what kind of official he is." The servant replied. "Yes, does Master Jia know that person? Please tell me." The guy replied excitedly. "Take me to room four. Forget it, I''ll go by myself." Jia Wei''ran ran over there as he spoke. The waiter shouted from behind, "Master Jia, should I bring your stinky tofu over there too?" Where did Jia Wei''ran care about the stinky tofu. He rushed to the ce and opened the door just to see his helpless and anxious father. There were two other people sitting there to apany him. It was the Recorder and Magistrate Assistant of the San''shui County. "Father, why did you go here?" Jia Wei''ran heaved a sigh of relief and asked suspiciously. "Sigh. It''s good that you''re here. Eat something first. I''m going to take office tomorrow." Magistrate Jia said with a sigh. Trantor''s Notes
  1. Ma Liu
Ma means horse, and liu means six.
  1. Yang Si
Yang means sheep and si means four.
  1. Niu Wu
Niu means cow and Wu means five.
  1. Jia Yu
Jia Yu means soft shell turtle.
  1. Turtle (wang ba)
Wang ba is another name for turtles, but it could also mean bastard. Book 2: Chapter 101 Book 2: Chapter 101 Jia Wei''ran heard his father''s words. He had no idea what was going on, but seeing that there were outsiders around, he couldn''t say some things for now. He nodded and sat next to his father. After sitting down, he felt that he was ufortable all over. "Young Master Jia is here too. Just now, the two of us were telling the magistrate that nothing will happen to Young Master Jia. Young Master Jia, tell us, where did you go? Were you kidnapped? Ever since Magistrate Cheng left, San''shui County has been in a lot of chaos, but there is not enough manpower. The two of us were telling the magistrate to recruit some more bailiffs." Magistrate Assistant Zhang Ming''sheng said to Jia Wei''ran with a look of concern. The first thing Jia Wei''ran thought of was that if the Administrative Office recruited more people, the money at the Administrative Office would be even less. There were hundreds of bailiffs already, so why recruit more? How many people were there in San''shui County? He had to oppose them, "Magistrate Zhang, I think the public security in San''shui County is good, why recruit more people?" "It''s wrong for Young Master Jia to say that. What one hears is fictitious, but what one sees is reality. The Magistrate has a deep understanding of this. If the Administrative Office''s bailiffs did not notice that something was off, perhaps San''shui County would have to change the magistrate. We should recruit 200 more bailiffs. It''s actually not that many. There''s enough for Little Luo''shui, but I heard that more restaurants will be built near Between The Water And Clouds. A lot of people will go there. What if someone encounters danger? Do you agree, my lord? " Recorder Zhao Xiang added. He was now full of anger. Originally, he was supposed to be promoted, but now a new official came. Regardless of who was in Zhao Xiang''s position, it would be impossible for them to be happy. Magistrate Jia sat there helplessly. He looked at his son and then he looked at the two people who sat opposite him. He nodded, "Recorder Zhao and Assistant Zhang are right. We should hire another two hundred bailiffs. Wei''ran, earlier when you were buying stuff, someone stuffed my mouth and covered my head with a sack, and kidnapped me. If there were two more bailiffs there, would something like this ever happen?" "Huh? Father, you were kidnapped? In that short amount of time? How did such a thing happen? Was there not anyone around to witness this?" Jia Wei''ran opened his mouth wide and asked in disbelief. "Young Master Jia, this proves that those bad guys are brave, and they don''t care about whether or not there are people around or care about the location. Young Master Jia, you were also nearby, but didn''t you also not see what happened?" Magistrate Assistant Zhang further said. Jia Wei''ran thought about the situation at the time, and then he thought about his father''s appearance, and the Recorder''s and Magistrate Assistant''s expression. He understood everything now. He and his father should have noticed when they arrived here. The Administrative Office nned to keep using money, possibly so that by the time his father took office, all of the money would be almostpletely spent. Jia Wei''ran felt sad. Today, he managed to see howpetent they were. Just earlier he was discussing with his father how to scheme against them, but it now seemed like they would make a joke out of themselves if they tried. It was not surprising that his father agreed. If not, then if this matter spreaded, what would happen to his father''s pride? Thinking of this, Jia Wei''ran could only choose a temporarypromise, and said, "I wonder where the Recorder and Magistrate Assistant n to assign the 200 new bailiffs?" Magistrate Assistant Zhang replied, "One hundred people will be ced at Tu''qiao Vige, fifty at the Administrative Office, and the remaining fifty will be ced where the magistrate encountered danger." "One hundred and fifty people will be dedicated to doing things for the Zhang and Wang families? No, they have to be assigned elsewhere." Jia Wei''ran could feel the hatred inside himself. He was able to tolerate them recruiting bailiffs, and he was able to ept that they were going to spend money, but he couldn''t ept that many people being sent to work for the Zhang and Wang families--- this would allow them to be even harder to deal with. Before the Recorder and Magistrate assistant had a chance to talk, Magistrate Jia lectured him, "Wei''ran, what do you mean by doing work for others? Don''t those two ces belong to the San''shui County? Don''t talk nonsense." "Alright." Jia Wei''ran didn''t dare to talk any more. This time he was not able to scheme against them, and instead, he and his father fell for their trap. Originally, a few bailiffs were sent to the Tu''qiao Vige already, ano now a hundred more will be sent there. Later on, that ce will be more stable. Does more need to be said about their rtionship with the bailiffs at the Administrative Office? Now there was nothing else important to discuss. After all, Magistrate Jia had not yet taken office. They could discuss more once he takes office. They hastily ate some food. They agreed that tomorrow the magistrate would leave the county first, and return with his men. Then they dispersed. Jia Wei''ran didn''t eat the stinky tofu. He left with his father. When they were outside and he saw that there was no one around, he said to his father, "Father, you just let them bully us like that? I really can''t swallow this anger." Magistrate Jia didn''t look very well. He pursed his mouth, "So what if you could swallow it? We secretly came over here, but we were spotted immediately. They''re telling us that we shouldn''t try toe up with little ideas, and that I should work honestly, otherwise, something might happen." "What should we do then? Is working honestly our only choice? This ce is not the same San''shui County as before. Father, you spent quite a bit of money to get here. If you don''t earn the money back, wouldn''t it be a loss?" Jia Wei''ran felt ufortable when he thought about how his original ideas were swept away by the waters. The wharf was so profitable that it was like a basket of gold was earned everyday. "Let''s observe first, there''s no rush. It''s not like we''re leaving immediately. We should wait for an opportunity. I doubt that their Administrative Office and the Zhang and Wang families are that clean. As long as we can find evidence, the San''shui County will change." Magistrate Jia was also distressed about the money. It was even more saddening to be able to see the money, but be unable to grab the money. * At this time, Recorder Zhao Xiang and the Magistrate Assistant Zhang Ming''sheng were also talking, but the mood of the two was different from that of the Magistrate Jia and his son. "Brother Zhang, this time I really relieved my anger. I didn''t intend to do that at the beginning, but who would have thought that the two of them snuck in by themselves. They saved us a lot of trouble. When we wee the magistrate tomorrow, we will show them how amazing the San''shui County is. If they want to earn money, then it''s easy. First, finish their work and satisfy the people." Zhao Xiang smiled as he spoke to Zhang Ming''sheng. He let out a long breath. He felt like the day was not so cloudy anymore, and it was satisfyingly cooler. Zhang Ming''sheng also had a smile on his face, and he replied, "Brother Zhao is right. He didn''t take up his post yet, but he''s already thinking about the money. If we don''t let them know how amazing we are, will the people in the county still be able to have a good life? After spending so much effort to find temporary work for the people to do so that their ie can increase, would the days still be good if the magistrate messed around with things?" Having said this, Zhang Ming''sheng suddenly remembered something and asked, "Brother Zhao, how much money is left in the Administrative Office?" "You''re the magistrate assistant, and you don''t know? You''re asking me? There''s not much left. There''s probably a thousand or so strings of coins. When we recruit new bailiffs, it''s perhaps perhaps not enough to pay for horses and weapons. If money is spent on paying the bailiffs and buying weapons, then there''s not enough for horses." Zhao Xiang teased Zhang Ming''sheng, and he told him about the Administrative Office''s financial state. He knew that Zhang Ming''sheng deliberately asked that question so that he could speak out the answer and make Zhang Ming''sheng happy again. The new magistrate was greedy for money? Then push him down. That was what he deserved for being greedy. The Administrative Office has been repaired, and the issue with the bailiffs'' meals was easy to deal with. They could get that ce at Little Luo''shui to send something called a "buffet", or borrow money from other people. As long as it was a business that cares about the San''shui County, for example, the Zhou Xi''hu''s family''s or the original three restaurants, they would be willing to lend money. They can be paid back when it''s time for them to pay for taxes. Of course, they would have to talk to the Prefecture first, otherwise it would easily cause trouble. They would report it when the wharf at Little Luo''shui pays taxes next year, and then wait for the higher ups to respond. Zhang Ming''sheng smiled again, and said, "Then why are we recruiting so many bailiffs? A bailiff can make it to the farthest part of the county within two hours and the Zhang Manor has their own Seedling Protection team. Although this name is good, others will think that they have something to do with farming. The Emperor''s nephew is also there. How could the Li Manor not have any guards? Tossing a hundred bailiffs over there is pointless." "There is a purpose. The Zhang manor wille up with a way to use them. The extra people assigned to the Little Luo''shui will be used too. Let''s go. Let''s hurry back and prepare. We need to write out the needed promation, and let the people know about the new county magistrate." Zhao Xiang didn''t worry that they were hiring too many people. The Zhang Manor was the one who came up with this idea. Although they didn''t intend to use this idea today, they happened to bump into the magistrate today, so he decided to use it. * There was another snowfall at night and it was much heavier than the one during the day. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan didn''t get onto the heated brick bed yet since it was still too early. They only added a brazier to the room. The two of them were at their table studying. They have written half a page of words when the Administrative Office''s messenger arrived. "Unexpectedly, Magistrate Jia is quite interesting. He actually paid a private visit, but he didn''t carry this out well and messed up." Zhang Xiao''bao looked at the letter written over there and said to Wang Juan. Wang Juan smiled, "So he really has his eyes set on our wharf? Then should we still give him benefits? If not, he will cause trouble for the bailiffs once he sees that we keep giving the bailiffs benefits." "Yes, we have to give him it. Let''s first give him wood fungus. Didn''t we send some cucumber nts over already? Later we can send some other daily use items. But we will not give him any money. An official''s sry is not enough for an official to use. After we provide him with the items he needs to use, his sry can be used to help himself get promoted." Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t want to be too harsh. No matter what, he still had to let others stay alive. The more things the Magistrate does for the San''shui County, the more benefits they will give him, allowing him to develop a habit. As for whether this will seed or not, he didn''t know. Book 2: Chapter 102 Book 2: Chapter 102 The next day, the sky was covered with flying snow. The snow that began to fall at night did not seem to stop even when noon came. The people in San''shui County who were near the Administrative Office gathered together. They followed behind the Recorder, Magistrate Assistant and others. Standing in the snow at a ce that was three li outside of the county seat of the San''shui County, they waited for the arrival of the new magistrate. Magistrate Assistant Zhang wrote some things about the new county magistrate yesterday. The entire article was all about the new magistrate''s positive attributes--- how he loved the people like his own children, how he was good at strategizing, and how he could improve the people''s life. Magistrate Assistant Zhang ordered people to post this article all over the county in the morning. Those who lived further away rode their horse through the snow to this ce if they had a horse at home. The people didn''t know that the new county magistrate intended to take a good look at this ce here yesterday to find ways to earn money. They really thought the new magistrate was like how the Magistrate Assistant described him to be. Those who were illiterate pulled people who were literate over with them to read the content of the announcement aloud. Their faces were filled with expressions of happiness. Magistrate Assistant Zhang only wrote the news of weing the magistrate at the bottom of the announcement, and the people rushed over voluntarily. They didn''t have too many requests. It was fine as long as life would be the same as when Magistrate Cheng was here. Their biggest wish was for the people in their family to still be able to do odd jobs when they were idle. and have a good year. "Father, what would the ce be like when we get there today? Is it possible that we won''t have to meet anyone, and you have to quietly take office by yourself? And then as soon as you begin work, a lot of people will gather outside to fileints, and theints will be just trivial matters? And then your desk is covered with paperwork from a few years ago to the present. Would it be a zhang high [3.3 metres]?" Jia Wei''ran said worriedly. After thinking about it, he added, "And when you give orders, although there are obviously so many bailiffs, they will all say that they''re sick and can''te. The Magistrate Assistant and the Recorder will stop being as sharp as they were yesterday, and pretend to not know the answer to anything. And will people with a bit of influencee over to cause trouble?" Magistrate Jia didn''t know what could happen, but he felt like what his son said seemed to be right. Usually, some of the underlings don''t like to see the people above theme, so they would employ these seemingly simple but effective tactics. Not a lot of people would be able to pull through. After pondering for a while, he said to his son, "Don''t be afraid, I will find a way to deal with it when that timees." Jia Wei''ran was in a bad mood, but he knew that this was the only choice. The people who were protecting them did not have such calm thoughts. They were not stupid and they knew the that their Master pulled some strings in order to be the magistrate here. Perhaps they will have to live in a dpidated house and the food may not be so good. Everyone had their own thoughts and emotions. Gradually, they approached the county seat. When they were four li away, they still could not see the area ahead clearly because of the heavy snowfall. Their surroundings werepletely white, but as the group got closer and closer, everyone finally saw the scene ahead: countless people stood in the snow, looking to this side. The people over there should have seen them too. People wearing the same clothing led them over to wee the iing group. Such a scene frightened Jia Wei''ran and the others and they thought they were going toe and besiege them. Magistrate Jia raised the curtain and looked out. "Master, look at their clothes. They should be the bailiffs of the San''shui County. There are so many." A person standing next to the carriage reported. "Hmm, I see. Stop here." Magistrate Jia felt upset, but had to put up an act. As soon as the two people had finished speaking, the bailiffs and themoners spoke in a disorganized manner to wee them, and gave way by standing to the sides. Magistrate Jia, who originally sat in the carriage thinking about what would happen, could no longer sit still. Even though his original intention foring here was to earn heaps of money, seeing this many people standing in the snow to wee him made him feel touched. It made sense that the Recorder and the Magistrate Assistant came to wee since they have to give him some respect. The bailiffs came over because they feared that the Magistrate would make things difficult for them in the future. However, even themoners came. No matter what, he was able to take office in an impressive way this time. Unable to sit still, he got out of the carriage and looked at the bailiffs with a serious and slightly respectful expression. Then he looked at the joyful people, and he knew right away that the people were not forced toe over. He walked a certain distance forward towards a seven- or eight-year-old child who was nestling next to his parents. He squatted down and asked, "What''s the little child''s name? How old are you? Are you cold?" The child was a little afraid of strangers, so he hid behind his father. He hugged his father''s waist and stuck his head out, and spoke in a crisp voice, "My name is Li Xiao''shu. I''m seven years old. It''s cold. When the wind blows, it bes cold. Daddy said that when a good officiales, it won''t be cold anymore. Are you a good official?" Seeing the child''s innocent appearance and slightly shivering body, Magistrate Jia was speechless for a while. He could feel the expectant gaze of the people around him. He wanted to say that he was a good official, but he felt that it was a bit contradictory because of his ulterior motives. What if he said he was not a good official? What a joke that would be. While the child waited, Magistrate Jia finally said, "I don''t know if I''m a good official or not, but I will do my work properly." While speaking, he untied the cloak from his body, and draped it around the child''s body. He touched the child''s head, then he stood up and said to the person behind him, "Go in with me." With him leading the way, other people dismounted their horse and followed. Jia Wei''ran followed behind too with his mind nk. He hypothesized many scenarios that they would encounter, but he never expected that it would be like this. He didn''t expect that he would be surrounded by so many people. In the center of the crowd, the wind was weakened and he felt warmer, but he still felt unhappy. Looking at the Recorder and Magistrate Assistant, he could only secretly praise their greatness. So many people came out in the heavy snow to wee them. If he and his father really did anything in the future, what will the people say then? The Zhang and Wang families had two seven-rank officials, and if everyone signed a petition, even a governor, let alone a county magistrate, would have to step down. Especially since they were so close to the capital. Zhao Ming''sheng replied, "Good official." They walked three li, and when they entered the county seat, the sound of gongs, drums and firecrackers sounded one after another. Many people waited on the side of the road. When they saw that the new county magistrate arrived, they cheered and hollered while the children smiled and jumped happily. Magistrate Jia smiled and gestured to the people on both sides, but there was an indescribable feeling in his heart. He could imagine that many people would know about today''s affairs. People in the prefecture, or even people in the court, would perhaps send rewards to him and then everyone would know that he is a good official. Good official? Aiya~! Amazing. This was even better than the idea his son came up with earlier. Good officials can''t be greedy for money, and can''t think for themselves, otherwise.... While thinking of things in his mind, the road seemed so long. He finally reached the Administrative Office. He knew ahead of time that the outside of the building appeared very morous, but he had no idea what the inside was like. His son couldn''t find out about that. As he entered the main hall, he felt like this ce was not bad. Magistrate Jia was quite satisfied. After the handover, the people dispersed happily, and the group began to head off to see where they were going to live in the future. Everyone felt uneasy. "Huh? Father, this-- this is where we will live in the future?" When he came to the back , Jia Wei''ran saw neat bluestone bricks on the ground with withered flowers and grass on both sides. The newly painted courtyard walls were beautiful, and new tiles were installed on the roof. The path that led to the curved path further away had a pagoda tree. He couldn''t believe his own eyes. Magistrate Jia was also surprised. He looked at the yard that was obviously newly renovated. He didn''t expect that the Administrative Office would treat him like this. When he walked past the front yard, entered the yard and arrived at the second entrance, he began to wonder even more if he had gone to the wrong ce. The path was paved with blue tiles, and had yellow sand on both sides. There was a flower bed on the left and a moongate leading to another courtyard on the right. This entrance was clean and tidy. Passing through the moongate, one could see that the path in front was curved again. There was a small pond with a corridor leading to it and there was a pavilion at the pond area. On the other side of the pavilion was a cluster of plum blossoms with wind chimes hanging on the branches, and it chimed with the moving wind. "My lord, pleasee here." A bailiff walked in front of him and led Magistrate Jia and the others to take a few turns along the path. They arrived at another ce surrounded by Oriental thuja trees and that ce had curtains set up. Someone cleared the snow from time to time. Before they had the chance to look inside, the scent of cucumber floated over.posted on "My lord, this is the cucumber prepared for you. Fresh ones can be harvested and eaten. Let''s go to the pavilion to heat up wine and admire the plum blossoms in the snow." The bailiff introduced. "Oh, good. Assistant Zhang, I wonder what this is for?" Magistrate Jia suppressed the surprise in his mind and asked Zhang Ming''sheng who was following behind. Zhang Ming''sheng looked puzzled, "What is my lord referring to?" Magistrate Jia knew that he was deliberately speaking like this, so he had to speak explicitly, "Why was my ce repaired so well?" "That''s what my lord is asking about? It''s not that well. It''s enough for people to live in. We can''t let my lord''s family live in the middle of the yard. This was the people''s decision. My lord is a good official, so of course the ce needs to be renovated. The days are cold now; if my lord falls ill, the people will suffer." Magistrate Assistant Zhang Ming''sheng gave the reason, but no one around him believed his words. "My lord, also, from time to time people will deliver somemon foods for eating. This will be done by merchants on a voluntary basis." Recorder Zhao Xiang added. "Hmm, then my thanks goes to all of the people." Magistrate Jia couldn''t say anything else. He now fully understood that the people here, or to be precise, the Zhang family, won''t let him be greedy for money. All the benefits can be given to him, so that he can live well, and they will provide him with food and drinks, so all he needed to do was to work honestly and fulfill his duties as a magistrate. No matter what, he couldn''t extend his hand out, otherwise....... Book 2: Chapter 103 Book 2: Chapter 103 The road began ahead; the sun hung high after a long slumber. Tranquility was everywhere in sight in the county; nothing to do during idle time. Magistrate Jia, who had only taken office for less than five days, got out of the warm bed with a yawn. Servants helped him freshen up and after he finished eating breakfast, he put on his official robes. He wandered around the garden, then he took a look at the front hall and sat down on the chair in the center to drink a bowl of tea. Looking at the bailiff who was dozing off at the doorway from time to time, he asked nonchntly, "Are we still going to the wharfter?" "If my lord wants to go, then I will follow. If my lord wants to go somewhere else, then I will prepare the horse carriage." The bailiff shook his head to wake himself up and he replied back. "Oh, okay, then let''s look at a different ce today. Let''s take a casual stroll along the river. There''s no need to prepare a horse carriage. Did anyonee to file reports today?" Magistrate Jia asked hopefully. The bailiff still shook his head like before, "My lord, no one filed any reports. My lord governs justly and the people live in peace. Any outsiders would not dare to cause trouble when they see that the bailiffs are patrolling back and forth." Magistrate Jia stopped talking. He took a sip of tea, closed his eyes, and sat there to take a nap. However, he couldn''t help thinking about things. He was too idle. He was here for five days already. His mother and wife kept praising him for finding a good ce to take office. The garden was beautifully made, the house wasfortable to sleep in, and the food and drinks were not bad. The cooks just need to follow the instructions to cook the ingredients brought over from the restaurant. Even his twelve-year-old daughter said that she didn''t need to work. This was a given since there was nothing to do all day long. In the past few days, she went out and wandered around every day. The ce was very prosperous, and the people she saw always had a smile on their faces. asionally, a beggar from outside the county could be seen kneeling in the snow. In less than half a quarter of an hour, a bailiff woulde over to ask if that person is willing to work somewhere else. If he was willing, then he could go to the Administrative Office to register his name and the registration can be submitted to the Prefecture. This could bepleted by the Magistrate Assistant, or someone in the office. It didn''t take much time and they just needed to stamp a seal. If the beggar was unwilling to find work to do, then they will be driven out of San''shui County. No one can find fault in this since those people starved because they refused to work. There was nothing for Magistrate Jia to worry about. Surely enough, he had nothing to do, but what did hee to San''shui County for? There was no money in the treasury, and the bailiffs'' daily meals and the meals at home were provided by the Little Luo''shui Wharf. He didn''t need to spend a single coin, and all of the food and clothing was taken care of for him. This way, he could only depend on his sry as his money source. But what was the point of this? He wanted to submit a memorial to the throne to report the merchants for privately offering benefits to the government, but he saw a petition on his table. Everything was written down already except for a name. If he were to submit his memorial, then the people would write his name down in the petition and say that they were grateful for the Magistrate''s kindness, so they offered him gifts out of gratitude. Then, the first one who will be punished would be Magistrate Jia. "The little boy from the Tong family, are you free right now?" When the Magistrate was sitting near the fire to keep warm, an old woman came by at the entrance of the Administrative Office''s main hall and asked the bailiff who was sitting there. She didn''t seem to notice that a person was sitting in the hall. "Aunt Hong, why did youe out? It''s cold outside, hurry up and go back. Let Brother Honge over if you need anything." The bailiff opened his eyes, looked at the olddy, and persuaded with concern. Magistrate Jia became attentive. He thought that someone was here to file a report, and with a smack'', he tapped the table with the gavel1, and asked the person at the entrance, "Who is the one suing? The bailiffs on the left and right, quickly bring the person into the hall." The olddy and the bailiffs were taken aback at the same time. The bailiffs looked at the olddy and the magistrate, and didn''t know what to say. The olddy helped him out. She squinted her eyes, looking at the person in the hall. She said, "No one. I don''t want to trouble my lord. I''m here to ask the son of the Tong family to help ughter the pig at home. I only have a son and daughter-inw at home, and the neighbors are busy. They can''t tie the pig up. He wille back soon. My lord, continue your work." I''m not busy'', Magistrate Jia muttered to himself in his mind, and then he said, "So it turns out to be such a major event. Tong Yong,e with me to check it out." It didn''t take long for Magistrate Jia to rush over there. He even carried a small pot in his hand. When he went home just now, he saw his mother, and his mother said she wanted to eat blood tofu, so she gave him a small pot. He also grabbed two coins, and nned to bring some pig blood back. The olddy led the way, while Magistrate Jia followed behind with the bailiffs'' escort. The three left the Administrative Office and went to the olddy''s house. Magistrate Jia was very happy. This was his first time doing government work ever since he took office. Ah, it was not easy. While walking, Magistrate Jia noticed that someone in front of him was trying to steal something from another person. That person had their hand stretched out to another person''s waist, which had a little pouch. The words big case'' floated across Magistrate Jia''s mind. He touched the bailiff beside him, and pointed ahead. "This should be an outsider. Looking at his clothes, his family is not wealthy. My lord does not need to worry. This person will find a job in the county in a few days. It must be his first time. He doesn''t even dare to touch that person''s little pouch." The bailiff saw this a long time ago. If it was someone else who was being robbed, he would catch the thief, however, he didn''t have to worry about this person who was about to get robbed. This person was once a legendary thief in the county, butter, he stopped stealing and made some small trinkets for the Zhang Manor''s restaurant. He was very good with his hands. He was able to earn three or four strings of coins every month, which was incredible. "He should be arrested and put in jail." Magistrate Jia wanted to convict him. "My lord, there is no one in the prison. The previous inmate who hasmitted a heavier crime has been taken to the Prefecture, and the ones whomitted lighter crimes have been released to do work. Rather than imprisoning a person, it is better to save the person. It''s that person''s first attempt at stealing. The purpose of putting him in jail is so that he can be a proper person. If we don''t arrest him now, he will still be able to be a proper person." The bailiff could only persuade Magistrate Jia. Once this person is caught, he will be sent to Zhou Xi''hu, who was short of manpower. If this person knows to repent and has made no major mistakes, he will be arranged with some work to do. If he does not repent, he will have to work under supervision. If he was locked up, they would also have to feed him. Sure enough, just as the bailiff said, the person who wanted to steal finallymitted the act after hesitating a few times. As soon as his hand touched the little pouch, his arm was grabbed and twisted. The person cursed at him, "Your dog eyes are blind. You dare try to make a move in front of me? Do you not know who is in charge of this street? How could you dare try to steal from me." Magistrate Jia was taken aback for a moment. It happened too fast; that person was seized immediately. He happily walked forward. The surrounding people did not gather around to watch themotion like the people from other ces would. All the sellers and buyers on the street shook their heads and sighed that the guy had bad luck. He tried to steal from a legendary thief. Even if he wasn''t stealing from the legendary thief, he would be caught stealing from other people. After gangsters who once loitered around with nothing to do changed their ways for the better, they also began looking after the people and did not allow anyone to prey on the county''s people. Even the patrol bailiffs who had already noticed the situation stood aside, and had no intention of stepping forward. "Brother, let me go, I don''t dare anymore, it''s my first time." The caught person cried and begged. The pain in his arm made his forehead seep with sweat. Seeing that his subordinates did not listen to him, Magistrate Jia had no choice but to ask the servants around him, "What about robbers and murderers? Could it be that these kinds of people nevere to San''shui County?" "My lord, you are actually correct. In the recent years, no murders have ured in the San''shui County. Outsiders whoe here are usually people who have fled from disasters. As long as no one incites them, and as long as we give them food, they would be even morepliant than the locals. In the past few days, no one had stolen things. Some of the previous gangsters in the county have changed their jobs to earn money. Some of them are like me and became bailiffs. " The bailiffs exined there. Magistrate Jia took a close look at the bailiff beside him, and asked, "You used to be on this street...?" "I don''t intend to hide from my lord. Two years ago, if the name Tong Hei''zi'' was mentioned, everyone on the street would be scared. Is that right, auntie?" The bailiff exposed his past. The olddy on the sideughed. "Yes. My lord must not know, before, this child caused trouble and was not filial at home. The neighbors avoided him. He was thrown into jail once every few days. Now he''s different. He''s good, very good." After the olddy said that, Magistrate Jia didn''t know what to say. He felt that this was too unworldly. The past gangsters became bailiffs, what kind of world was this? The surprised Magistrate Jia could only turn his gaze back to where the thief was. At this time, the thief stopped shouting. He had a savory crepe in his hand and was devouring it hungrily. In the blink of an eye, the entire savory crepe was in his stomach. He grabbed the water that was handed to him by the man who seized him earlier and he took a sip. He picked up another savory crepe and ate again. He looked at his thin body again, and wondered how he fit all of the food in. "He truly is hungry." Magistrate Jia believed the bailiff''s words now. It was the thief''s first time doing this. He was hungry. It seemed that allowing the bad people to be bailiffs was not a bad idea their observation skills were incisive. It was not easy tomit crimes in front of people like them. The person who seized the thief watched the thief finish eating, and asked, "Is there anyone else in your family?" "No. Yes, I have a younger sister, she''s nine. Brother, what can I do for you?" The thief knew that he was caught, but was also given food, so he must do something for that person. "I''ll go with you to pick up your sister, and then you can work for me. I''ll take care of your food, and get clothing made for you. Work well, and you will be able to earn money. If I catch you doing something like this again, you can say goodbye to your hand. Uncle, how much does it cost? " This person warned the thief once, and then asked the person selling the savory crepes. The seller added extra fried dough sticks and eggs earlier, so he wasn''t sure of the price. Trantor''s Notes
  1. gavel
The gavel that is used by magistrates is a wooden block, not a mallet. Sorry, I''ve been busy! Book 2: Chapter 104 Book 2: Chapter 104 Although Magistrate Jia had some regrets for not being able to work on a big case, he was more willing to see someone change for the better. He said to the savory crepe seller, "Let me pay for it." "Oh, the Magistrate is here, how can I let my lord pay? This child will work for Little Hu''zi in the future. I won''t take the money. Even my cart was made by Little Hu''zi for free. My lord, do you want to try one?" The man selling the savory pancakes had a leg that was not very agile. He spoke as he walked out from behind the cart and bowed to the Magistrate. He didn''t mind giving the savory crepes away for free. He was happy to see that this child did not go down the wrong path. Earlier, the Magistrate Jia watched the thief eating joyfully. He smacked his lips, "Sure, give me one. Give the money." Hisst three words were addressed to the bailiff. He finally epted his circumstances. In the Administrative Office, everyone but him were on the same boat as the Zhang and Wang families. The Administrative Office did not have any money and he was only given items to use. If this was the case, mind as well make use of it Bailiff Tong immediately took out four coins from his body and put it in the bamboo tube next to the cart. "Second uncle, add three more eggs, drizzle both sides with oil, and brush some more chili sauce." "Okay, I wanted to give my lord a big one but I was afraid that he didn''t want it. I''ll add more, I''ll definitely add more. You brat, you saw what happened just now, but you didn''t help out." The savory crepe seller was greeting the Magistrate with a hand gesture, and now he went back to make the crepe. He added egg onto the crepe, and then tossed the egg shell into a bucket that was used to hold the eggshells and other items of the kind. Magistrate Jia looked at it and asked curiously, "Why are you still keeping the eggshell? Just throw it away." "Zhang family? The Zhang Manor from the Tu''qiao Vige?" Magistrate Jia thought of this ce when he heard the words Zhang family''. He feared and hated that ce. The second uncle turned the crepe over, continued to beat the eggs, and said, "My lord also knows about them? It is that ce. If the day is hot, then those things will be left out to dry. If people raise their own chickens, then they will keep some and then mix it with other things to feed their chickens. Most people will give it to the Zhang manor to be used as chicken feed." Magistrate Jia felt ufortable when he heard others talk about the Zhang Manor. Looking at the appearance of this savory crepe seller, he had a feeling that if he were to say bad things about the Zhang manor, the person would not sell the crepe to him. No wonder the Zhang manor was so bold that they even dared to restrict the Magistrate. Everyone was loyal to them. Since he couldn''t deal with them now, he could only bear with it. Magistrate Jia came up with an idea and asked, "Then, old uncle, do you know how many chickens Zhang manor has now?" "I don''t know. A lot. So many. This year, I caught 15 chicks from their family. One of them was a male, and the rest were female. By next spring, they will be able to beginying eggs." The second uncle thought about having eggs next year, he became even more happy. He added extra green onions. Then he pressed down the fried dough stick, rolled it up, wrapped it in paper and handed it over. "How much money did you pay for each one?" Magistrate Jia was thinking that if Zhang Manor deliberately asked for money, it would be considered a crime. "I didn''t pay any money. I traded eggshells for them. 30 eggshells can be exchanged for a chick. When I first brought them back, they were small and hairy." The second uncle didn''t know that the Magistrate was scheming against the Zhang manor, and said whatever was on his mind. Bailiff Tong, who was standing on the side, understood that the Magistrate was looking for some fault. He can keep searching for as long as he wants. The Zhang and Wang manors never made mistakes on these kinds of things. Magistrate Jia heard this answer and knew that he couldn''t cause trouble for the Zhang manor in this aspect. How would eggshell count as money? A chick is worth about two or three coins but are ten eggshells even worth a coin? Would anyone believe that? He took the savory crepe and ate it while walking. It indeed tasted quite good and it was nice and hot. He felt full after eating it, and he felt warm from the inside out. By the time Magistrate Jia had almost finished eating the savory crepe, the three of them had arrived at the olddy''s house. Half an hourter, Magistrate Jia and the bailiff returned to the Administrative Office. The bailiff carried the pig blood in one hand and carried pig intestines in his other hand. He spoke as he walked with the Magistrate, "Back then, people didn''t eat these things. People would feed these parts to their dogs or throw them into the pittrine. Later, people stopped throwing them away." "Why?" The Magistrate wondered. "The Zhang Manor sent people to teach us how to eat these things. In particr, this intestine can be made into sausages or flour sausages1, and then smoked with sawdust. It will taste great that way. When I go back, I will make meat sausage for my lord. Or it can be washed with water and stir-fried. Making it into a cold tter is pretty good too." Bailiff Tong shook the intestines in his hand and talked about it in detail. No matter what he said, Magistrate Jia didn''t want to eat it at all. He found that just looking at it was disgusting. "Benefits? There is. If the people in the county eat well, they will have better health, work more, make more money, and eat better. Then they will have more free money in their hands to buy things. People from other ces will bring goods here. There are also merchants whoe here. As long as they take the waterway, they will have to stop at the wharf. The merchants earned money by selling things. Apart from increasing the tax revenue that the Administrative Office can collect, they also have to eat. The Zhang manor has many restaurants, and there are also shops that have not been rented out. This is all money. With fewer renters, the price of the shops would be higher." What Bailiff Tong said was actually the answer he received when he asked the Magistrate Assistant back then. He knew in his heart that the Zhang Manor was doing good deeds for the county. Although their methods seemed simple, their effects were not small. Some people even specifically buy this from others and sell them in a little shop they opened. After people in the county learn that this kind of thing can be eaten, they will go out to eat it. The Magistrate Jia didn''t think about that. He only heard that the tax revenue would be higher and the shops at the wharf were worth more this is what he came here for. "How about let''s go to the Zhang manor tomorrow, if they encountered any troubles, it would be the perfect chance for me to help." Magistrate Jia''s heart came to life. "Yes, my lord. We will leave for the Zhang manor tomorrow. I think we can arrive there by night. The lord should not suffer too much when traveling anymore." The bailiff didn''t care where they went. There was nothing at the Zhang manor to be worried about. If he wanted to see how they grew vegetables, then he could have a look. If he wanted to see how they grew wood fungus and hatched the eggs, then that would be impossible. . * Wisps of smoke curled up, and the north wind whistled. The plum blossom tree stood alone in the snow, who is the most beautiful? Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan dressed themselves into a ball. Other than their eyes that were visible, every other body part was covered. They walked through the snow to view the plum blossom. The flowers hadn''t bloomed yet, so only the snow can be seen hanging off of the bent bony branches. "Originally, we promised to build houses for the residents this year, but the matter was dyed. We have to wait until next year. We should get people to check which houses are not sturdy and fix those first. Don''t let the roofs get crushed by the heavy snow." Zhang Xiao''bao looked at the tree in front of him, but spoke about the manor''s affairs. "Hmm, they need to be built. Spring begins tomorrow. Construction can begin after the spring plowing. It has been five days since the new magistrate arrived, why hasn''t he made a move yet? It seems like he ns toy low until an opportunityes. He can keep lying. He can lie for a year. Next year, he won''t have any chances to cause trouble. " Zhang Xiao''bao looked at the houses in the school area. Smoke rose up and was blown away by the wind. He thought for a while and said, "He arrived here recently, so he doesn''t know where to start yet. He also has to use the original staff members in the office. He doesn''t dare to rece them with his own people. He must be waiting for an opportunity. Right now, I''m thinking about whether we should chase him away now, or wait for a while. Give him a chance, and he will leave. It''s winter, what should we feed the kids? Children are physically weak, and they''re prone to falling ill. They have been drinking milk this whole time. We need to get more. We need to get the children to eat more so they can fight the cold weather. " "Butter. That would work. Tallow by itself works too." Wang Juan gave an idea that was impossible to realize. Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t dare to think of using tallow to make food. How many cows would have to be ughtered so that there will be enough to feed the children? After pondering for a while, he said, "Use pork and refined oil to make some buns for them. Apples can be stored for a long time. Before the wharf freezes, buy more apples and put them in the cer. Buy some from the nearby ces first. Starting tomorrow, add an egg to their dinner. Once they finish their meal, give them a fruit tter containing cucumber, pear and apple. Then fry some carrot sticks, and give each person two liang (~74 grams) a day as a snack. The medical conditions are so bad here, it''s hard to survive if one falls ill. " "Hmm, for these things, you can do whatever seems fit. Medical care is not easy. It needs the cooperation of other systems. Chinese medicine is really dependent on the practitioner. The person needs to be taught from an early age, and it also requires talent and intelligence. In addition, there needs to be enough medicinal materials and patients for the person to practice on. Only then it is possible to train a good doctor. The requirements are too high." Wang Juan knew that they weren''t able to obtain those kinds of medical equipment and medicines, but she still yearned for it. In particr, surgery. It would be hard to teach people anatomy here. Zhang Xiao''bao also thought, if there was a bigger hospital here, how much trouble would that save? Hmm, how much trouble would that cause? "It''s a problem with the system, but it''s also a problem with the changing dynasty. There is no opportunity for development. Traditional Chinese medicine originally had some form of a system, but after a revolution, it was broken down." Zhang Xiao''bao shook his head. "Believing in it or not does not matter. I just hope people can be cured when sick. For example, if you have a cold, drinking chai''hu soup2 can cure you, but taking pills can also cure you. You shouldn''t think about pitting the two against each other, you have to think about integrating the two. For example, eating too much ginseng will cause nosebleeds, and something that can be made into poison can also be used as medicine. Chinese medicine is a way of thinking, not a form. Even if you use equipment, you can also say that it is Chinese medicine. Let''s not talk about this topic anymore, it''s too heavy. Sprinkle salt or use charcoal to melt the snow? " "Are you talking about the water under Between The Water and Clouds? Use charcoal. Sprinkling salt will kill the fish. How much charcoal is needed to maintain this brand?" Wang Juan couldn''t estimate the cost at this moment. On the other hand, Zhang Xiao''bao thought of something else, "If a lot needs to be used, then so be it. Collect charcoal from within San''shui County only; this will stimte domestic demand. Let''s give the Magistrate a chance." Trantor''s Notes
  1. Flour sausage
This is made by filling the casing with partially cooked flour batter that is seasoned with soy sauce, spices and sometimes mixed in with minced meat, and then the sausage is boiled.
  1. Chai''hu Soup
This herbal soup is used to treat themon cold, and is made with Chinese Thororax root, crow-dipper, ginseng. Licorice root, skullcap root, ginger, and jujube. Book 2: Chapter 105 Book 2: Chapter 105 The wheels pressed on the snow, making a creaking sound. The horse pulling the carriage had to be reced by a donkey when noon came. The wind, which seemed toe out from all sides, carried the snowkes from the ground, swirling and sweeping past. Whenever they passed by a vige, they would be able to see a group of little children running frantically around. Their hands were red from the cold, but they were still packing the snowball in their hands firmly, and throwing it to the other side. A little child was hit in the face with a snowball. Crying, he used his sleeves to wipe his nose and continued providing more ammunition to others. Whenever it was too cold to bear, the children would ce their hands into their clothes to warm them up, or rub their hands together until heat was produced. Any child who identally fell down didn''t feel any pain. The clothes they wore were thick and the ground was covered with snow. They would roll around and then stand back up. "My lord, I think we will only arrive at that ce after dark at night. The road is not easy to travel through. The horse will be exhausted after walking for so long, and the donkey has slowed down." The bailiff saw that the carriage''s curtain was lifted up. He walked on the side and spoke. "Oh. I didn''t eat at noon, and we''re going to miss dinnertime." Magistrate Jia didn''t prepare much beforeing here. He only brought some water and tea to drink in the carriage. He didn''t expect that the journey would be this prolonged. When they were switching over to the donkey at noon, there was a small shop, but he found that the shop was too shabby, so he didn''t eat, and ordered his men to keep traveling. The bailiff hesitated for a moment, and then he went to another bailiff to grab a paper package. He reached into the carriage to hand over the package. He said, "My lord, if you are hungry, you can eat this." Magistrate Jia took the item out of his hand and opened it. He found that it was deep-fried dehydrated noodles. He didn''t know how to eat it, "What is this?" "This was specially prepared for us by the Zhang manor. When we go patrol, or if something happens, we would eat this while on the road. There''s also this thing." The bailiff handed a bamboo tube that was as thick as a finger and roughly two cun (6.6 cm) long over to Magistrate Jia. He didn''t need Magistrate Jia to ask him, and he said directly, "If my lord ns to soak the noodles in water, then pour this thing in. We usually don''t have water, so we just spread this thing on the noodles and eat it. The noodles have been pre-seasoned with other ingredients. There''s fat in here tallow. A cow from the Zhang manor fell to its death. Usually, most of the tallow is saved to make this. Right now it''s solid. Point the tube down, and hold it in your hands for a while. The fat wille down and then you can spread it on the noodles. It''s delicious. I wonder what''s in it. The fat is not greasy when eaten, and it can be eaten as a snack when it is solid." After hearing these words, the sentence that left the deepest impression on Magistrate Jia was that the Zhang manor prepared the food specially for the bailiffs. That was good, indeed very good. When the bailiffs were working outside and couldn''t eat, they had the food provided by the Zhang manor. They treated other people like this, but they definitely didn''t treat him like this. While thinking, Magistrate Jia looked at his tea cup and the jug, which had little water left. He couldn''t soak the noodles, but he also didn''t want to eat it just like this. He asked the bailiff, "It doesn''t seem that great for you to chew this dry when you''re outside." "My lord, not really, we arezy. In addition to this thing, the Zhang''s family also has a set that contains four bowls and a pack of lime powder. If we want to soak it, we would pour water into a bowl, and add the lime powder into another bowl. My lord, you want to soak it? I have a bamboo tube here that has some dried vegetables. Soaking it in water will rehydrate it." The bailiff spoke as he handed over another bamboo tube. This bamboo tube was a little bigger this time and there was also a bowl. Magistrate Jia took it and had a look. There was nothing else on the bowl and it was well cleaned. Only then did he put the noodles in. There was a pot of water cooking already. There were vegetables, meat, and oil, and they were able to eat warm noodles with that bowl. This meal costs at least six or seven cents. The meat was not pork, nor chicken, nor fish. Part of it wasmb, and a small part was beef. Sigh. This Zhang manor was really too difficult to deal with. The people in the county remember their good deeds and the bailiffs ate their food. Even though he is a neer, he lives in a house repaired by them, he used the items that they ced in his house, and he ate the ingredients prepared by them. If it were these factors alone, then it was not that terrifying. What was more terrifying was their method they were able to tolerate and yield. So many restaurants and shops were owned by them, but they readily gave away the technique behind growing vegetables in winter. As long as they encountered someone who was slightly stronger, they would present them with benefits. For example, the Emperor''s nephew, or a prince. As for those who were not sopetent, each one who approached them was doomed. The Mi Family lost so badly. Would it be possible that he would rather lose instead of doing what they say? When thinking about these things, the water had already boiled, and Magistrate Jia poured everything into the bowl of noodles, and then he poured in the water. He covered the lid, and said to the bailiffs outside, "Anyone want hot water? I''ll cook some." Magistrate Jia had put aside his arrogance. He offered to boil water for others, and no longer addressed himself as an official. He really didn''t want to offend the bailiffs now. The entire Administrate Office had more than 700 bailiffs. That was more than 700 households. They also had rtives and neighbors. The Zhang manor was able to give items away, so why can''t he put up an act? "My lord, there is no need to boil water. We have other things to eat. The instant noodles were originally intended to be sold, but it waster decided that it wasn''t working out, so the Zhang manor gave it to us..." "They weren''t able to sell it so they gave it to you?" Magistrate Jia was thrilled now. Giving it away because they weren''t able to sell it was different from directly giving it away. "Yes, it was not easy to sell. This instant noodle can be eaten at any time. There''s another item that I heard is made by pressing it with iron tes. It''s this. Inside is green onion, ground meat, and fat. It''s wrapped in oil paper. My lord, although this thing is small, one is enough to keep you filled for half a day. This was made specifically for us." While the bailiff spoke, he handed Magistrate Jia a paper package. Magistrate Jia opened it and looked at it. It looked like a dessert. He touched it and felt that it was much harder than normal desserts. He didn''t know what kind of food this was. "What''s this?" The bailiff handed another paper package to Magistrate Jia. Magistrate Jia felt dazed. He took a look and said to the bailiff, "What else is there?" "There are also powders used to make soup. There are pieces of minced fish, seasonings, and dried bone marrow powder." The bailiff took a bailiff''s backpack and handed it to the inside of the carriage. Book 2: Chapter 106 Book 2: Chapter 106 Chapter 106 By The Time The Carriage Arrived, A Day Has Passed Everything in sight was white, snowmen were lined up in a row. Broomsticks were used as arms, and leather caps were also worn. The red beans were turned into buttons, and the heart was happy. At the Zhang manor during the afternoon break, the children who ran out of the school picked up their own tools and started to build snowmen. One by one, big snowballs were rolled out. The smaller snowballs were ced on top, and after some more snow was added, they took on the appearance of snowmen. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan also joined in, giving advice from time to time while those children were responsible for doing things. Zhang Xiao''bao specially asked people to find some things in the grocery store, such as lower-quality leather hats, brooms, red soybeans and even ck charcoal blocks. Carrots were also brought out to be used as noses. At the beginning, Wang Juan didn''t understand why so many things were brought just so that the children could build snowmen. Branches could be used instead for the arms and mud balls can be used for the other parts. Why was money wasted? Zhang Xiao''bao said to her, "This is team cohesiveness. We must let the children have a sense of belonging to the manor from an early age and that everything here is the best and they are also the best. Have a look. Once those children saw these items, each one of them became more serious." Looking at the snowmen that were formed one by one, Wang Juan had to admit that as soon as these items were taken out, the children''s performance was different. They appeared to function more formally and more rigorously organized. "Xiao''man, take a look, this is you, and this is me, I''ll hold your hand until until springes." Liu''er took her little brother''s hand and stood in front of two snowmen the big one facing the one small and spoke to her brother, who was not quite capable of considering much yet. At this moment, he was wearing thick clothes on his body, a leather hat on his head, and a scarf around his neck. He held his sister''s hand while watching those people work busily, and heughed happily. Hearing what his sister said, the three-year-old turned his head and asked, "Sister, when springes, the snow will melt, then we will be gone." "Yeah, when the snow melts, we...we." Liu''er didn''t know what to say. It was as if she didn''t want spring to arrive. "You two will turn into water, then flow into the river together, and then be clouds. Arge one and a small one, flying in the sky." Wang Juan felt that the child''s mood was hard toprehend. When he looked at the snowman, he didn''t want spring toe. She spoke in a childish tone while standing to their side. Liu''er''s eyes lit up. "Yes, we will be clouds, and then turn into rain, and fall on the flowers and nts below. Xiao''man waters a flower, and your sister will water a flower. The two flowers will still be together. In winter, we will turn back into snowmen that will be a bitrger than this year''s. Sister will always be with you." "Together." Xiao''man was happy again. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan also experienced a new kind of sentiment. The change of seasons brought sadness and hope. At this moment, a horse was running over from a distance far away, and it headed directly to the master''s courtyard without going to the children''s y area. After a while, Housekeeper Zhang walked to this side and faced Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, who were making a snow slide. He said to them, "Young Master, Young Miss, the Magistrate ising. It is estimated that he will arrive after dark." "Oh, it seems that he still hasn''t given up. Let hime. It''s the perfect chance to see what he wants to do. Get people to keep a close eye on him and the people he encountered. It would be best to also know what was said in their conversations." Housekeeper Zhang knew that his Young Master didn''t care about this, so he nodded, uttered a response and turned to leave. Wang Juanined a little unhappily, "He just had toe today. It was not easy for us to bring the children out to y for a while and now my mood has turned bad. We have to engage in battles of wits everyday. If only we were actually children who didn''t understand anything." "Children want to grow up quickly, and adults want to go back to the past. We went back and should be content. The nostalgia in life is not about the pain of death, but the unwillingness to stop paying attention to the world. It is good to be alive. "Zhang Xiao''bao seemed to be used to fighting, and said firmly to Wang Juan. Wang Juan smiled. "I''m just making a passingment. If we want to live well, then we need to grab hold of more resources. Thepetition will never stop. The snowman will also face spring. Flowers blossom and wilt, clouds curl and disperse, the tide rises and falls. What shoulde wille. It is fine as long as we can go further down this road." "Yeah, this is life. Fortunately, with you here, things are easier for me. When the water in the swimming pool freezes, we will make icenterns. A little red glow in the clear crystal. Within the coldness is a warm heart." Zhang Xiaobao''s mood was also affected by seeing the children ying joyfully. Normally, he wouldn''t say something like this. In order to give the children more memories that were filled withughter, Zhang Xiao''bao specifically announced that there would be no ss today. Amidst the children''sughter and the watch of the snowmen''s ck eyes, night came quietly, and the moon casted a haze over the quiet vige. * The sky was dark. A fewnterns were hung up on the front of the carriage, and a few were carried by the bailiffs. Magistrate Jia''s team was getting closer and closer to Tu''qiao Vige. Magistrate Jia had a full meal some time ago. In his opinion, the taste was really good, especially the meat and green onion that were addedter. The taste of the soaked dehydrated meat was only a bit worse than normal meat. At this time, he felt hungry again, and wanted to eat another bowl, but the bailiff was reluctant to give it to him. Ordinary people couldn''t eat these things at all, so the bailiff tried to persuade him. Magistrate Jia swallowed and said, "We''re almost there? Okay, go faster." "Hurry up." Seeing that Magistrate Jia no longer asked for food to eat, he stopped worrying and yelled out. The team moved more quickly. In fact, if they really wanted to, they could arrive at that ce before dark. They wanted to give the Zhang manor more time to prepare so they stalled until now. The Magistrate was feeling ufortable in the carriage and they were also cold and tired. When the carriage arrived at the Ge Manor, apart from the asional dog barking, there was only the sound of the carriage wheel rolling on the snow. Magistrate Jia rolled up the carriage curtain to look outside. But in the darkness, he could only see bright light along the road. He asked the bailiff outside, "Why is there still light? Is it because there are people traveling?" "My lord, over there is the other side of the bridge. At the Zhang and Wang manors, antern is lit at every interval on the road. It is illuminated for the people." The bailiff next to him said. He was thinking in his heart that with such an arrangement, if someone came to cause trouble, the person would avoid the ces where thenterns can illuminate and would look for dark ces, but those dark ces are where the Seedling Protection Team were guarding. "I heard that there is a market here. Is it still open in this season?" Magistrate Jia thought for a while but didn''t figure out who would walk around in the manor at night, so he had to ask about other things. As soon as the bailiff talked about the Zhang manor ughtering pigs, an expression of excitement appeared on his face. The manor would then give them some pork. This year there will be hundreds of pigs ughtered. Magistrate Jia was ufortable when he saw the bailiff''s appearance under the light of thentern. If he were to raise two pigs and ughter them, the bailiff would definitely not be as happy. "Is it cheaper to buy things here? The Zhang manor is so smart, why don''t they sell it themselves?" The bailiff shook his head, "It''s not cheaper. The pork here is sold in parts. The knuckles are put together, the pig''s head is a part, and the ribs and meat are piled separately. Buying a pig like this will cost dozens of coins." "Oh? It''s more expensive? And people will foolishlye over here to buy here? " Magistrate Jia couldn''t make sense out of it. "Of course. You can buy all you need in one go. Going to other ces will waste extra traveling money. There is a special horse carriage ce in the county seat that has sent horse carriages here to wait. Once the merchants finish purchasing, they can directly rent the carriage to transport their goods. They get to save half of the traveling since they don''t have to send a carriage here themselves. Magistrate Jia felt happy once he heard that horse carriages from the San''shui County and horses to travel. At least this allowed the people to earn some money. If the situation was how the bailiff described it to be yesterday, then he would be able to collect more taxes. The bailiff continued, "Although they only need to pay the horse carriages for going forth, an extra amount of money can still be earned. On the journey back, the merchants will buy goods from other ces, and they can sell the goods at the market here. They can directly sell the goods to Er''gou. Then the Zhang Manor can sell the items after processing them." "So, in the end, the Zhang manor earns the money?" Magistrate Jia was unhappy when he thought about Zhang manor earning money. "Everyone earns money, my lord. We''re here. Do you want to cross the bridge first, or go straight to the Between The Water And Clouds Restaurant? Several buildings have been built at the Between The Water And Clouds, but construction is notplete yet. Only the original building is in operation." When the carriage arrived at the intersection, the bailiff asked. Magistrate Jia deliberately said the second half of the sentence. He wanted to eat until the Zhang family fell into poverty. The bailiff understood the magistrate''s little n, and said, "My lord does not have to worry about money. As always, you only just have to eat." "Hmm, the businessmen in the San''shui County are good." Magistrate Jia felt happy only at times like this. In the past few days, every time he went out to eat, he chose the signature dishes. The more expensive, the better. For each bite he took, he felt like was taking a mouthful of revenge on the Zhang family. When the carriage arrived outside the doors of Between The Water And Clouds, no snow was seen. Yellow sand covered the ground, giving people a dry and clean impression. Today, Magistrate Jia deliberately wore his official uniform just so that he could tell the Zhang manor''s people that he was here for them. He also knew that even if he didn''t wear his uniform, they would know that he came since he had so many of their spies around himself. "My lord, you are here, pleasee inside. We are waiting for you on the second floor." The waiter went out to wee him. When he saw that the new magistrate of San''shui County had arrived here, he greeted him swiftly. Book 2: Chapter 107 Book 2: Chapter 107 Chapter 107 The Talented Magistrate Critics Paintings And Calligraphy Magistrate Jia noticed that the waiter did not show the slightest expression of surprise on his face when he saw him. Magistrate Jia immediately knew that the news of his arrival had been leaked out from early on, but he had no intention of pursuing this matter. He followed the waiter inside, and when he got to the inner door, another waiter greeted him and led him upstairs. "All of you can go eat." Magistrate Jia entered a room on the second floor that had a view of the outside. He ordered the bailiffs who followed him. He nned to stay here himself. The bailiffs left obediently. Their meals had been prepared already, and they didn''t want to eat in a restrained manner in front of the Magistrate. The waiter immediately served four dishes. They were all cold tters two meat and two vegetarian dishes. The hot dishes were being cooked, and would be servedter. Before the waiter retreated back to the door, he was stopped by Magistrate Jia. "I came here today to ask a few questions. Stay here. Don''t tell lies, otherwise I''ll save a spot for you in the prison." "Understood. My lord, please ask. I will tell you everything I know." The waiter replied politely, showing a frightened look. Magistrate Jia liked seeing how this waiter acted. He smiled briefly and pointed at a te of garlic cucumbers on the table with his chopsticks and asked, "Do you know where this cucumberes from?" Magistrate Jia picked up the goblet and took a sip. He picked up a piece of cucumber that had a lot of minced garlic on it with his chopsticks, and tossed it into his mouth. He chewed it carefully, and nodded slightly, "Good. This garlic is strong but not spicy, and the cucumber is refreshing but not cold. How is it made? " "My lord, I don''t know how to make it. Master Ni is the one who takes care of this. Should I go help you ask? My lord, please have a taste of this eggnt. I know about this one. The eggnt is first steamed inside the wok, and after it has cooled down, it is tossed with sauce, green onion, and coriander. The skin of the eggnt has been peeled off, so it''s very tender when chewed in the mouth." The waiter shook his head this time and introduced a new dish to Magistrate Jia. Magistrate Jia asked him rhetorically. Even if the Magistrate learned how it was made, he wouldn''t make it himself. He nodded and said, "This is beef tendon, right? Beef is often avable here?" The waiter nodded, and then shook his head. He said, "It is beef tendon. Normally it can''t be eaten, but since it is my lord who hase, we took some out from before. Ever since the manors obtained that mountain, people would go there to let their cows graze there. However it is dangerous. The Zhang manor had said that they must be extra, extra careful." "Really?" "Of course it is true. If not, then my lord can throw me into jail, and not allow the jail guard to give me food." The waiter swore. Magistrate Jia looked at the waiter''s appearance, and felt happy. Staying in prison was perhaps better than living outside. Would the bailiffs at the Administrative Office even listen to the Magistrate? The waiter was not honest. He raised his head to look at the surroundingyout and happened to see a calligraphy painting hanging on the wall. The painting was a picture of plum trees in the snow. The painting was average, but had a little bit of character to it. There was a poem written on it, Winter plum trees are not arrogant in the snow; having joy in the bitterness of life. The heart, dedicated to being red for the autumn, adding color to snow`.'' Magistrate Jia saw that the painting was signed by Zhang Zhong, and he knew that he was the owner of Zhang manor so he began to nitpick. The waiter stared nkly, and said after a while, "My lord has a good eye indeed. Normally, people would not notice. My lord, what does four consecutive t tones mean? I don''t quite understand. Later, I will talk to Housekeeper Zhang to ask our master to change the poem. What does my lord think of the painting?" "Hmm, you should slowly learn this in the future. You wouldn''t understand it even if I exined. As for the painting. The plum flowers in the painting have blossomed a bit too early. Why are there only pink colors and no white? Whitepliments the snow. A failure." Magistrate Jia spoke reservedly. "Yes, yes, what the lord said is correct. There should be white. Even if the flowers are pink, it would be white when snow falls on it. My lord, please have a look at this." The waiter went along with the Magistrate''s words and ttered him. He then pointed at another poem on another wall. The words were written through learning the Wang font. Magistrate Jia turned his head to look, and saw that it was also a painting that had a poem on the side,"''Multiple plum branches in the corner of the wall; invading the cold to blossom alone. After shaking, realizing that it is not snow; hidden fragranceing forth. '' He shook his head and said, "No good. Why do these characters look so weak? Oh, it''s not elegant, absolutely not. Oh, this was also written by Zhang Zhong. The strokes were changed too quickly. It needs to be fixed. The plum blossoms in the painting are not that good either. There should be some snow in the corner of the wall, not just on the wall only. Waiter, tell me, how can the fragrance of the plum blossoms in the corner be detected in the distance? When the wind blows, the scent will be blocked by the wall. A failure. It cannot be made into a poem at all." "My lord, this was not written by my master. There are still a few smaller characters below. Take a closer look. Below the characters Zhang Zhong'' are the characters daughter-inw Wang Juan'', right?" The waiter pointed there and said. "Oh~! It turned out to be a little girl. No wonder that when the poem was written, it was not taken into consideration that the wall would block the wind." Magistrate Jia was now more confident about thements he just made. Before the waiter had a chance to speak, Magistrate Jia looked at another painting that was on the side and began tough loudly. "What kind of painting is this? The plum blossoms look like a big tree. The branches and leaves are lush. Interesting, interesting. This poem, All of the fallen fragrance solitarily announces its beauty; upying all of the grace, growing towards the garden. The diagonal shadows, the clear shallow water; hidden fragrance floating in the moonlight at dusk. The frost bird wants to steal a nce first, and butterflies would be mesmerized if they knew of the blossoms. Fortunately, apanied by a slight humming; no need for hardwood ppers and golden goblets.1'' Not good." "Look, it says that other flowers have withered, and the plum blossoms have bloomed. If it upies all of the grace, then why is it not nted in the center of the garden? Keep looking. The day is this cold, howe the shallow water did not freeze? Since it''s dusk, it should be a scene where the sun and the moon appear together. When the sun and moon is present, how can there be frost? Thest part is even worse. There''s no point mentioning it. Oh, let me have a look. This is the son of Zhang Zhong? That''s Xiao''bao, right? Sure enough, he is a little boy, he doesn''t understand anything." "My lord is correct. I don''t understand. This broken poem is hung here just to make people happy. My lord, I will go bring you food." The waiter continued to praise the Magistrate. Regardless of what the Magistrate said, the waiter always imed that the Magistrate was correct. He heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway and he knew that the dishes had been delivered, so he hurried to the door. After receiving the tray, which had four hot dishes on it, he brought it to the front of Magistrate Jia. He ced them down one by one, then returned the tray. He filled the wine goblet with wine, and waited to be asked questions. Magistrate Jia picked up a piece of roasted venison, swallowed it with wine, and nodded, "The dishes are cooked very well, but the interior design is a bit poor, especially the three paintings and the three poems on the paintings. It should be set up like this. Oh wait, this is The Between The Water And Clouds. Never mind, never mind." He wanted to get someone to remove the paintings, but he suddenly remembered what ce ths was. The waiter continued to agree, "My lord is right. It should be taken down. My lord, why don''t you leave behind your calligraphy for others to view?" "Sure. Hurry up and grab a brush, ink, paper and inkstone." Magistrate Jia, who was ecstatic because of the waiter''s praises, agreed without even thinking about it. The waiter ran out in a hurry, and came back after a while. He pulled another small table over for writing on and spread out the paper. Then, he began to grind the inkstick. When he was done, Magistrate Jia picked up the brush and dipped it into the ink. He pondered and said, "I will only write a poem that also talks about plum blossoms." After speaking, he started to write. It seemed like he was in the peak state of art creation. After he finished writing the poem, he took out a small seal from his sleeve and pressed it on the ink pad on the side. He pressed the seal down and then asked the waiter, "What do you think?" "Good. My lord''s calligraphy is really extraordinary. There seems to be a plum-blossom-like vigoring from your written characters." The waiter made a surprised expression. His eyes were widened and his hands and feet trembled with excitement. "It is very well written. It''s a good poem. Through this poem, I am able to see the blooming of plum blossoms and countless wanderers who have stopped to admire the scenery. My lord is really amazing. With only one poem, people can..." "How is it blossoming? It is obviously budding, and there are not so many wanderers. There are only two people sitting and drinking." Magistrate Jia was a little dissatisfied with what the waiter said. The expression on his face sank, and he interrupted the waiter. The waiter hurriedly moved closer and nodded vigorously. He said, "I made a mistake just now, please forgive me, my lord. I understand now. The branch is covered with fallen snow, but the plum blossoms have not bloomed. Each of the buds are growing, and there are two hero-like people eatingrge bites of meat and drinkingrge bowls of wine. The wind blew by, and hua hua the snow on the branches fell down, and the two people went wah wah ." "What fallen snow on branches? There is no snow, and there is no strong wind. A man and a woman are sitting opposite each other. Do you understand or not?" Magistrate Jia was angry and asked while staring at the waiter. The waiter lowered his head and replied back with a quiet voice, "My lord, I don''t know how to read. I have no idea what you wrote. How about you read it out for me? In the future, even if I forget about other words, I will have this poem memorized." "So it turns out that you can''t read. Fine, listen to me read it to you. This poem is the winter has arrived but it has yet to snow; the budding plumblossoms are unaware. A man and woman humming to each other; wanting to see the flowing water but the river is frozen. Toasting wine with regret; the ice will only melt when springes. At the time, attracting each other again; thete plum blossom perhaps may bloom." Magistrate Jia had to read the poem out by himself. "Good poem. My lord is able to write better than ordinary people. Let me tell you, a lot of people recite poems in this restaurant, but I normally don''t understand them. Today, hearing my lord recite this poem, I immediately understood. My lord, I don''t know what to say. I will immediately find someone to frame the calligraphy." The waiter''s body trembled even more intensely. He stepped forward to pick up the paper, but was stopped by the Magistrate Jia, "There''s no rush. It is fine to wait until I leave. There are still things I want to ask you about." Magistrate Jia happily sat back down at the table and drank all the wine in the goblet in one gulp. Trantor''s Notes 1. This is a poem written by the Northern Song poet, Lin Bu. Book 2: Chapter 108 Book 2: Chapter 108 The waiter filled the wine goblet again. He looked for which food Magistrate Jia wanted to eat, and helped push the food forward. After Magistrate Jia drank three goblets of wine in a row and ate a few mouthfuls of food, he took a look at the characters he wrote. He then turned to ask the waiter, "Have there been any outsiders causing trouble here recently? Since I need to protect the county, I must not let bad people cause trouble in the Tu''qiao Vige." Magistrate Jia actually wanted to know if anyone was causing trouble for the Zhang and Wang families. If there was, then he could ask to see who were the people behind them. If they were powerful, he could team up with them. The waiter nodded and said, "My lord is really amazing. You knew that someone came here to cause trouble. Yes indeed. In the past few days, there have been at least four troublemakers." "Hmm? Someone actually dared toe? Tell me, what kind of people are they?" Magistrate Jia spoke angrily with a stern face. "I will tell you now. The first was the day before yesterday. I was on the second floor with nothing to do, so I thought of wandering around on the first floor, but guess what? There were three people sitting by the window, quarreling with the waiter. The waiter did not argue back. It was just those three people speaking. Guess what they said?" The waiter looked nervous, as if he had encountered a very difficult task. Magistrate Jia listened carefully, and then asked without thinking, "What did they say?" "Those guys were very fierce. They were asking why weren''t they allowed to eat the food, why weren''t they allowed to eat the rice, and why weren''t they allowed to take away other people''s leftovers? In the end, we had no choice but to give the three of them some leftover steam buns. They left afterwards. At that time, I was frightened to death. They" "I see. So three beggars came, and they left after they were given steam buns? Then there is no need to talk about them. Talk about the second time then." The waiter nodded. "The next time? Then that would be the noon before yesterday. While I was waiting on the second floor, a few people came up. Their attire was decent. The first person directly gave me six coins. I was thrilled and I introduced a few signature dishes to them. But when I served the dishes, guess what? You definitely won''t be able to guess. Man, those few people took a look at the dishes and then took a look at me. Then they took a look at me and then back at the dishes. This made me wonder if I was myself or if the dishes were me. I didn''t know if those dishes were dishes, or " "Talk about the important part." Magistrate Jia frowned. "Okay, the most important thing is that they thought that I was harming them and that I wanted to feed them worms. Man, their eyes looked like they wanted to eat people. It was like they wanted to eat me. But I''m not food. I''m myself, and the dish is.Hmm, my lord, don''t be angered. I will keep speaking. I''m too used to speaking like this. What happened? My lord, you must have never imagined that this dish is innkeeper worm stir fried with chives. Innkeeper worm is a worm. It grew in the ocean. When the Zhang Manor sent people to help fight the locust gue, they collected some from there. The live ones were raised and the dead ones were dried. When eaten, they just need to be ced into warm water. This thing is delicious. The manor''s master said that it''s good for the body. Those people didn''t know about this. They ended up making me eat the entire te of innkeeper worms. The taste was great. Normally, I wouldn''t be able to eat this. How about we serve you this dishter? " The waiter spoke enthusiastically. Fortunately, he finished talking and Magistrate Jia''s expression turned back to normal. "What happenedter?" Magistrate Jia mainly thought about whether the few people got into conflicts with the restaurant, to what extent, and what their background was like. "Later, they said that they had mistakenly med me, and then they gave me another six coins, so in total they gave me 12 coins and they paid for the meal. My lord, do you really not want to try to eat that innkeeper worm? Although it looks kind of scary, once you eat it, you would want to eat it again next time. A te only costs 10 taels of silver." The waiter gesticted as he persuaded Magistrate Jia to eat. Magistrate Jia felt ufortable when he heard about it. It was worms. Who would eat that kind of thing? He waved his hand dismissively, "No need, I''ll save your restaurant some money. Talk about thest two times." The waiter showed a look of regret. He rearranged the dishes and said, "The third time was yesterday. Yesterday afternoon, when it was almost evening, there was someone eating on the first floor. That person was from the market; he did not have much money. He only ordered some dried tofu, and a bowl of wine. When he finished eating, he said his stomach hurts. He ran to thetrine in the back and began to empty his bowels. He went so many times. He insisted that our tofu was bad and wanted to sue us. But our dried tofu has always been the best so it''s impossible for it to have problems." "What happened next? He died?" Magistrate Jia asked excitedly. "No, there is a resident doctor in our restaurant. How could he die? The doctor came right away and diagnosed his illness. The doctor said that this was unrted to our dried tofu. It was because he ate something else earlier. Later when we asked him, we asked him what he ate. That man, he didn''t want to live anymore. He bought some small shrimps at the market. In order to save money, he skewered them with twigs and ate them after roasting them. They were not cooked thoroughly and he also drank a lot of cold water. The doctor gave him medicine, and our restaurant paid for the medicine too. Good thing he went to eat at our restaurant. Otherwise, if he went home directly, he would probably die from diarrhea on his way home. I followed the doctor to take a look at what he excreted. It was so stinky, a nasty fishy smell. I almost fell into it. My lord, let me tell you what that excreted thing looked like. If you look at it from a distance... " "Stop talking. The fourth one." Magistrate Jia dry heaved. He tried hard to keep himself from thinking about it. The waiter was obedient. Since he was asked to not talk about it, he did not talk about it. He cleared his voice and continued, "The fourth one happened this morning. Two people came to have a meal on the first floor. After the meal, they said that the dishes were not prepared well, and that the food was cooked at a temperature that was too high." "The food was not stir fried. For breakfast, there was soy milk, and silken tofu, and we also gave out the restaurant''s signature snack, rice crust, for free. It''s the crunchy part that remains at the bottom of the pot of cooked rice the rice was cooked with soup stock. They said that the cooking temperature was too high. If we knew about this beforehand, then we wouldn''t have given it to them. My lord, do you think they are troublemakers? In the end, we didn''t charge them for the meal. The two people happily finished their food, and did not leave behind any leftovers. They saved four coins." The waiter spoke with a look of displeasure, as if he looked down on those two people a bit. "That''s all? Nothing else?" Magistrate Jia gave up on thest incident. How could he expect people who would cause trouble over four coins to aplish anything? "Nothing else. My lord, would you like to try that rice crust? You can eat it as a snack, and it''s crunchy." The waiter continued to advertise the food. Magistrate Jia was not in the mood to eat. He asked questions for this long for nothing. He shook his head and said, "No, you can leave now. After I finish eating, I will find a yard in the back to rest." "Okay, my lord, please eat. I will frame the poem you wrote." The waiter didn''t forget about the calligraphy. He walked over to roll it up, and left after saying a few words. Magistrate Jia sat there, eating a few mouthfuls of food and drinking some wine. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like something was wrong. The waiter was a bit too talkative. This would be normal at other ces, but how could the waiter not know that he and the manor master were standing on opposite sides? After the waiter heard the magistrate asked if there were troublemakers, there was no way the waiter would speak so freely. He must have lied. He hated them even more in his heart. Even a waiter had the guts to deceive him. Magistrate Jia hastened his eating pace and after a short while, he put down his chopsticks. He got up and left. When he arrived at the first floor, the bailiffs had finished eating a while ago. It seemed like they also ordered wine. He knew without being told that they didn''t have to spend a single coin. The Zhang manor would pay for the entire meal. "My lord, are you finished? The yard is ready." Bailiff Tong leaned in and spoke with a low voice. "Hmm, let''s go." Magistrate Jia snorted, and was led by the bailiffs to the yard in the back. Someone had hung upnterns here from early on and it looked really good. The snow in the yard was swept out and clean. "My lord, pleasee inside. There is someone inside who will assist you." The bailiff did not n to go in at this time. Magistrate Jia nodded. Just when he raised his leg to step in, a greeting was hearding from the side. "Isn''t this the Magistrate? My lord, I didn''t expect you to be here." Confused, Magistrate Jia turned his head to look, but a bailiff stood in between them with a vignt look on his face. "Do you know this person?" Magistrate Jia looked at the person, but he didn''t recognize him. He turned around to ask the bailiff next to him, but the bailiffs also shook their head, implying that they didn''t know either. "My lord may not know me, but I know you. When my lord took office, many people went to wee you. I was among one of them. I''m not from the San''shui County; I''m from the Han Manor. I have some important matters to discuss with my lord." Magistrate Jia was happy when he heard that. Disharmony. It was good that they had disharmony, very good. Make peace? He will definitely try to make peace. At this moment, he took at a nce at the bailiff beside him, and said, "All of you can go to rest. I will have a quick discussion with this person. Hurry up and leave already." "My lord, then you have to be more careful. If anything happens, then it would be troubling." Bailiff Tong said with concern. "Hmm, be careful. First search his body. And two of you can stay behind and stand guard outside." Magistrate Jia wanted to have a good talk with this person, and quickly urged them. Book 2: Chapter 109 Book 2: Chapter 109 Chapter 109 Two Items, Thousands Strings Of Coins Magistrate Jia was feeling impatient. He asked the bailiff to search the person''s body. He didn''t want to dy a single moment. Together, they entered the courtyard and found the study room. The two bailiffs stood guard at the door and the Magistrate sat a mountain distance away from the person. He asked, "Who is the Han manor?" "My lord, the Han manor is the manor that belongs to the Cheng''yi official1, Han Feng. My master knows that it is difficult for my lord to make any moves in the San''shui County, so I was sent here to have a discussion with my lord. If my lord needs to make use of our manor in any way, please do not hesitate. Also, the people of the Yuan family will advance and retreat with the Han family. If my lord encounters anything, my lord can send someone to find me. I have made a long-term rental for a courtyard here just so that I can wait for my lord. My name is Han Wang''zhu. As long as someone brings a letter with your seal on it, I will deliver it to my master." The person talked about his reasons and introduced himself again. His voice was very quiet, so that the two bailiffs at the door would not hear his words. "Okay, splendid." Han Wang''zhu finally felt happy. With the two manors helping him in the shadows, he believed that he would be able to knock over the Zhang and Wang families. By then, who else would dare move the money in the Administrative Office? If he was able to knock over the two families, he could investigate them too. That way, he would be able to obtain their money and method for growing wood fungus and hatching chicks. With these two things, it would be difficult to not be rich. There was also the wharf at the Little Luo''shui, which was a ce where buckets of gold could be earned everyday. Han Wan''zhu waited for Magistrate Jia to stopughing, and he took out something from his sleeves and gave it to Magistrate Jia. He said, "My lord, we know that you will have a hard time here, so my master ordered me to give you this item. At a ce not far from your Administrative Office, there is a ce that sells porcin called Forever Blue. You can take this item to that ce, and you will get five thousand strings of coins in return." Magistrate Jia listened to the person speak while he looked at the item in front of himself. He rubbed his hands together excitedly. This was the first external source of fortune that he received ever since he arrived at the San''shui County. When he thought of this, he was boundlessly angry. There were so many merchants in the county, yet none of them gave him money, and none of them bothered to set up a weing banquet for him. All they did was take care of his daily expenditures. How was that any different from raising livestock? The Han family was better. Just when he was about to say something, Han Wang''zhu took out another item from his sleeves, and he put it next to the other item. He said, "My lord, the Yuan family told me to bring this item. Beside the Forever Blue Porcin store, there is a pawn shop named Wu''feng. You can take this there, and you will receive eight thousand strings of coins in return." "Okay, I will take good care of the two families'' businesses. If there are other businessesing here, once the location is chosen, I will also help out." Magistrate Jia tried his best to keep his hands from shaking. He picked up the two items in front of him. He looked at the doorway, and carefully carried them in his arms. These two things were worth 13,000 strings of coins. If he only relied only on his tiny sry, he would never be able to save this much money in his entire life. Damned Zhang manor. They only left that much money to be used as my sry. It is necessary for me to seek revenge. Yes, I must find an opportunity. What kind of opportunity? When Magistrate Jia thought about this, he suddenly remembered that there were also the Han and Yuan families, so he asked, "I wonder if your two families have any good ways to...to make the Zhang manor take a further step?" Han Wang''zhu smiled and nodded. "I understand what my lord intends. There is, but there is no need to be in a hurry right now. You should use this money to find someone to work for you. You can''t always use others, can you? If I guess correctly, the news that you and I had a discussion today will travel to the ears of certain people, and those people should not be underestimated." "Right, I need to look for my own people. Sigh~! Now, whatever I do will be passed on to other people''s ears. It doesn''t matter. It doesn''t matter if they know. Once you are done making arrangements, I will help you." Magistrate Jia felt a little sad when he remembered that his every move was under the supervision of others, and his hatred grew stronger. Han Wang''zhu stood up, "If this is the case, then I will go back first. I live in the sixth courtyard. If my lord needs something, you can send someone to me. You must send someone you trust." "Okay, I''ll take note of that. Take your time." Magistrate Jia got up to see him off. He waited outside the door, and looked at the two standing here and he snorted coldly. He waited until the person left before he turned around to say to the two bailiffs,"There is nothing else for you two to do, you all can find a ce to rest." The two bailiffs didn''t say that they will stay. They told Majesty Jia to be more careful and then they both left. Now, Magistrate Jia was the only one left in the study. He took out the items from his robe and looked at them again. These two little things were worth 13,000 strings of coins. Looking at it, Magistrate Jia felt that something was wrong again. Are the two families really spending this much money to deal with the Zhang and Wang manors? They must have an ulterior motive. Yes, there was also the chick hatching method and the wood fungus growing method. I''m going to grow the fungus and the remaining two methods can be given to them. Yes, I should do it this way. I need to be wary of them when that timees. I wonder what kind of n they have to knock down the two Zhang and Wang manors? There are also the people in the Administrative Office. I need to look for a few obedient ones. There are so many bailiffs; I doubt that they were all bought out. It would be worth it even if I had to use 2000 strings of coins. Once the Zhang and Wang''s families copse, I will have as much money as I want. While Magistrate Jia was thinking about this, he drifted to sleep. A slight snoring sound traveled out. For the first time in the past few days, he had a good night''s sleep. For the first time, he did not dream of being driven out of the San''shui County by someone from the Zhang manor and leaving the ce in a ruggedy state. * Just like what Han Wang''zhu said, the news that Magistrate Jia met with someone from the Han family and exchanged a few words spread to the Zhang manor. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were sleeping so Housekeeper Zhang waited for the two of them to wake up to study before he came to report to them. "It seems like Han Yong''yao himself doesn''t want to deal with us. The people in his family also want to take our good things. And there''s also that Yuan family. They aren''t even in the San''shui County, yet they still want toe here to cause trouble. The geography and manpower is not favorable for them, and I don''t think they would be able to find the right timing." Wang Juan was grinding the ink stick, and she spoke after hearing about the incident. "Yeah, and they even gave 13,000 strings of coins to Magistrate Jia. That''s a lot of money. In that case, then let''s keep the money. We will organize a traveling event tomorrow morning. He wants money? Dream on. Once he gains a bit, he will want more. We need to make some arrangements for the bailiffs so that he has the opportunity to fight with us. Humph, did he not take a look at whose territory this is? He didn''t even think about checking that study room. If we weren''t worried about causing trouble for the restaurant, we could have just taken those two items from him. Sleep, let him sleep. Let him get a good night''s sleep. " Zhang Xiao''bao spread out the paper while muttering there. He was used to fighting, but he didn''t want to spend more energy on other things before his father took the imperial examination. What made him feel relieved was that he gave Magistrate Jia some excuses. Wang Juan ced the inkstone between herself and Zhang Xiao''bao. She grabbed a copybook, and started to copy the characters in it. At the same time, she said, "Should we get Magistrate Jia to leave, or should we continue to restrict him and let him do nothing." ?" "Let''s not make him leave yet. We should wait until the Han and Yuan families finish making their move. Once he bes scared of us, then we will make him leave. If he keeps staying here, the San''shui County''s rate of development will slow down. A lot of the projects that rely on the support of the government can''t beunched. So annoying." After Zhang Xiao''bao finished speaking, he took a few deep breaths to calm his mind, and picked up a brush to practice calligraphy. He didn''t think about other things for the time being, and devoted himself to writing. * The next day, the sky was much clearer than the previous two days, and the clouds could even be seen swaying leisurely. The sound of reading aloud could be hearding from the school. All the snow in the Zhang manor was pushed into the fields, letting it slowly melt.. The water in the small artificialke where the Between The Water And Clouds was located had increased, and it hasn''t frozen yet. The people of Ge manor are also clearing the snow. They only needed to clear the road and they didn''t need to clear the snow in the fields. This way, when springes and the snow melts, they wouldn''t have to worry that the soil will be dry. Magistrate Jia got up early in the morning and a servant helped him freshen up. He ate breakfast and when he was about to leave, there was a sudden sound of firecrackersing from the smallke. Magistrate Jia opened the window curiously and looked out. A cold wind blew in first, making him shiver. He exhaled and after he got used to the temperature a little bit, he looked at the smallke again. He saw a few people in the small pavilion in the center. The firecrackers were still sounding. The corridor connecting the pavilions was not fully constructed yet and there was a lot of snow umted on the pavilion. There was light reflecting from a spot, which was probably frozen over, next to the pavilion. This was odd since there was no ice in other ces. Why was there ice there? "Waiter,e in and tell me, what is going on over there?" Magistrate Jia did not understand, so he called for the waiter. As soon as he finished speaking, the waiter immediately came inside. He looked down and said to Magistrate Jia, "My lord, the people there are fishing. They say that they want to fish alone in the frigid river''2. The daughters and sons of the other families are there too. They have no choice. They are scared that they will fall ill from the cold, but Young Master Li is there, so they have to apany him." "Good, good line. Fishing alone in the frigid river''. It does seem like it''s an interesting experience to fish there. Young Master Li? Which Young Master Li?" Magistrate Jia appreciated this line andplimented it. He then suddenly asked about that Young Master Li. "Ah? It''s him, oh, okay. I want to go down there to fish too. How do I get there?" Magistrate Jia now knew who he was. This was a good opportunity, so how could he not go. At the same time, he also thought about how he was ready to leave after eating. Why didn''t he think of visiting the Li manor? The waiter spoke in a troubled tone, "My lord, it''s cold outside." Trantor''s Notes
  1. Cheng''yi Official (cheng ying)
This is a government official with a proper sixth ranking.
  1. Fishing alone in the frigid river.
This is a line from the poem "River Snow" ) written by the Tang dynasty poet, Liu Zong''yuan . Book 2: Chapter 110 Book 2: Chapter 110 Chapter 110 The Little Gentle Boat In The Water Capsized Magistrate Jia originally thought that as soon as he finished speaking, the waiter would arrange this immediately. He didn''t expect that the waiter would reply with that kind of response. With the side of his face facing the waiter, Magistrate Jia asked, "Do others not find it cold?" "My lord, my Young Master and Young Miss were forced to go. My master and madam are also worried. What if they fall into the water? My lord, you are different. If something happens to you, what will the people in the county do?" The waiter averted his eyes and leaned back slightly while he spoke. Magistrate Jia saw this action immediately. He thought in his mind, So they don''t want to let me see the Emperor''s nephew, humph! The more you don''t want me to go, the more I want to go. What doe the Zhang manor even surmount to? You don''t want me to meet him, so I shouldn''t go?'' "My lord, aren''t you in a hurry to return to the Administrative Office?" The waiter asked at an appropriate time. This made Magistrate Jia more set on his decision. Staring at the waiter, he said, "Do you still dare to control what I do? I now order you to allow me to go to the pavilion as soon as possible, otherwise I will... I will kill you on the spot." "Yes, yes, I will go now. My lord, to get there, we need to take the boat. When others went there, they rode their own boat. My lord, is it okay for you to ride the Zhang family''s boat?" The waiter was so scared that he almost cried and he replied back with a quiet voice. "Okay. No. I will go there to find my own boat. When I came here, I saw that there were some people fishing. I will borrow a boat from those people." Magistrate Jia wanted to agree, but he was afraid that the Zhang family did something to the boat, so he changed his mind. He nned to get there himself. When he got up in the morning and went to this area to eat, there were people fishing in the river. He went out to have a look, and they were still spreadings there. Once he borrowed a boat from here, he could go directly into theke. He walked to the shore and shouted to the fisherman, "Fisherman,e here, I have something that I need you to do." Several of the bailiffs beside him also hollered. The fishermen there didn''t seem to want toe over. Hesitating, he moved closer bit by bit. Magistrate Jia was still wearing his official robe; he thought that by doing this, everyone in the San''shui County would fear him. Well, except for the Zhang and Wang families. The fisherman came to the shore and looked at Magistrate Jia. He asked, "Who are you? Why are you looking for me?" "Tell him who I am." Magistrate Jia whispered to the bailiff next to him. The bailiff immediately stepped forward and shouted, "This is our county''s magistrate, the official that governs you." "Why would the county''s magistrate govern me? I''m not from the San''shui County. There are a lot of fishes here and once I catch them, I can exchange them for other items at the market." The fisherman didn''t care about them at all. He seemed like a stubborn person. Usually, other people would be afraid when they meet an official. "I don''t care where you are from. Lend the punt1 to my lord. Here are five coins. We will return the punt to you once we''re done with it. Hurry up and get off." The bailiff on the side rushed over with one of his hands on the handle of his sword. He dragged the person off and shoved five coins into the person''s hand. Then he got onto the punt. The man seemed to be very angry. He red at Magistrate Jia and his men. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, but the others didn''t care about him. The bailiff on the punt said to Magistrate Jia, "My lord, how about you let me bring you there? I know how to move a punt." While speaking, the bailiff had already picked up the bamboo pole, which was thick as an arm. Once Magistrate Jia got on the punt, he was ready to leave, but he suddenly stopped. This was the bailiff who stood guard outside the door yesterday and was red at by Magistrate Jia. Right now, he doesn''t trust anyone since he was carrying those two items, which were worth 13,000 strings of coins, with him. "No need. I will get there myself. I''ll show all of you how great I am. Back then, I was quite good at this." Magistrate Jia took the pole into his hand, and jumped onto the punt. He smiled at the people on the shore, and pushed away. The punt actually moved. Judging by how stable the punt was, he was indeed quite good at this. Once he pushed the punt a certain distance away, the fisherman also left. The fisherman went to the horse stable next to Between The Water And Clouds and hopped onto a horse. He turned his head back to look in the direction of the Zhang manor. With red eyes, he touched the strap across his body and he turned his head back swiftly. Then he whipped the horse''s rear twice. The man and the horse gradually moved away. At the manor, two children, one older than the other, were standing there. It was uncertain if they could see the leaving horse. The younger one raised his head and asked, "Brother, when will father be back?" "Minimally one year, maximally two years. Starting today, mother and grandfather will work in the inner courtyard. Let''s study hard and wait until fatheres back, he will see our achievements." The older brother touched his younger brother''s head. Holding his younger brother''s hand, they turned around and went back to school together. The younger brother obediently followed, "Brother, have we been registered?" "Yes. We''re the Zhang Mansion''s people now. It''s a life-long contract, and we will also be paid while studying." The older brother nodded. Magistrate Jia didn''t know that just now, a father had parted with his sons. Using the pole, he pushed the punt towards the pavilion. In his mind, he thought about what to sayter. Although the Emperor''s nephew was the son of the Emperor''s brother, his words had some weight to it. At the very least, his father was the governor of the state. He could not speak poorly. He had to first greet him, but he couldn''t go too near him. He had to stand on the side. As long as the Emperor''s nephew was able to catch a fish, he had to praise him. His voice couldn''t be too loud either. If there were no firecrackers earlier, it would have been better. He wondered if the fishes were scared away by the noise or not. While thinking of how to act, Magistrate Jia had to work harder to move the punt. He was now in the middle of the smallke and would be able to reach the pavilion in a short while. There were a few punts docked there. From here, he was able to see that there were two children holding each other''s hands, and they were apanying another older child from the side. Magistrate Jia felt a bit anxious when he saw this situation. He was afraid that the Emperor''s nephew liked the two children. He used force to push the punt, and then he retracted the pole. He pushed vigorously on the other side too. As soon as he made the push, Magistrate Jia felt that the direction of the punt was a bit wrong, and it seemed to be crooked. The first thought he had was that he had hit a rock in the water or a wooden stake that was nailed down. Just when he wanted to use his pole to fix his direction, the punt suddenly capsized and pushed him down from above. Magistrate Jia wanted to swim, but unfortunately, at this time, he wasn''t wearing the swimsuit2 that he wore when he was younger, his body was also not that strong, he was wearing that beautiful official robe and the punt was on top of him. His chest felt tight and he couldn''t open his eyes. Everything was chaotic and the cold water was hitting his eyes, making his eyes feel sore and painful. Right before Magistrate Jia''s field of vision turned ck and fainted, he saw a blurry figure approaching him in the water. "Oh no, someone has fallen into the water,e and save them." At the moment the punt capsized, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan shouted out loudly at the same time. A lot of people appeared on the shore, and many others jumped into the water. Li Xun was invited over to go fishing this morning and it was a given that he was surrounded by a few guards. Just earlier, he had seen someone dressed in an official uniforming over and felt a little irritated. He didn''t want to interact with this official. Why would a prince meet with an official for no reason? This was also why he was willing to interact with Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, but he was unwilling to meet Father Zhang and Father Wang. However, he had to save the person, so he said to the people beside him, "Go save him. If he''s incapable of moving a punt, he shouldn''t have tried. Judging by his robe, he should be a seventh rank official. Where is he from" "Humph! It''s the Jia Shan, Jia Yi''heng that everyone went out to greet? The higher ups also heard about it. An official that is so well received by the publices to meet me, won''t that just get me into trouble? What a killjoy." Li Xun was so angry. If his father knew about this, it would be inevitable that his father would lecture him. But what did this have to do with him? He felt that Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were interesting, so he wanted toe over and y with them. Usually, no one would treat him and y with him like Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan did. Zhang Xiao''bao smiled secretly in his heart, and said, "Perhaps he is here to see the manors. He''s the Magistrate. There''s nothing wrong with taking a look at thend that is under his jurisdiction. Your manor is also in the San''shui County." "I don''t want him to have a look. It''s over. In a few days, my father will send me a letter to scold me. He might even make me go back. It''s so boring at the prince mansion. Li Xun said worriedly. He wished he could just make Magistrate Jia disappear. Zhang Xiao''bao persuaded, "The New Year ising soon. You would have to go home regardless. Once the letteres and you spend a couple of days preparing, it would be just before the New Year." Li Xun didn''tin anymore at this time. He stared at the water. It didn''t take long for Magistrate Jia to be pulled out of the water. His head was pointed down to help remove the water and after a while, someone on the boat shouted, "Young Master, he''s still alive. He will wake once he gets warm." With a calm face, Li Xun looked at the man who was saved. He nodded slightly and said to Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, "The person my men saved has to be brought to my ce to be taken care of. I''lle back on another day." "Okay, let''se back on another day. I will go back with Juan Juan then." Zhang Xiao''bao consented, and then he jumped onto the boat that he and Wang Juan rode here. He got ther person to row back, and the other people also left. When they were near the shore, a head appeared between the boat and the shore. Two items were thrown onto the boat and the person sank back into the water. Zhang Xiao''bao quickly put away the items. He looked left and right, and felt relieved when he confirmed that no one was watching him. Zhang Xiao''bao was the one who ordered the person to hide in the water. This person was the best swimmer on the manor. He tied himself to arge rock at the bottom with a rope to prevent himself from floating up. After flipping over the punt, he grabbed the two items from Magistrate Jia and hid. He then dragged the rock at the bottom and walked a distance away so that no one would discover him. When Zhang Xiao''bao''s boat arrived at the designated area, he handed the items over and sank back down. He resurfaced at a different area where a carriage was parked nearby. A doctor, sweetened ginger tea, a small charcoal furnace and nket were all prepared. He needed to rest for a few days. Trantor''s Notes
  1. Punt
A punt is a special type of boat that is propelled forward by pushing against the riverke bed with a long pole.
  1. Swimsuit
In ancient times, people made swimsuits out of fish skin or shark skin. Book 2: Chapter 111 Book 2: Chapter 111 Chapter 111 Shifting Responsibility As soon as they got to the shore, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan hurried home and took the items out to have a look at them one was made of wood that had a distinct pattern, and the other was made of jade. Both items had something that was blood-red inside and both were missing a half. "Good thing Li Xun brought the person away with him, otherwise once we saved him, we would not have the chance to take the two items. The patterns don''t match up with each other. Let''s send someone to go trade them in for money. The sooner the better. Once they get the money, bring it to Little Luo''shui, and then let people send it directly to the capital by ship. We can''t leave it in our hands." Wang Juan inspected the two items while she spoke to Zhang Xiao''bao. Zhang Xiao''bao thought for a while, "There are still two families on the manor who have not been registered. They were recruited during the autumn harvest. Just like the previous fisherman, he should go far away ande back after a while. His family can be directly sent to the inner courtyard." "Sure. Get him to go to the county seat and find some part timers to help carry things. Get Song Jinggong to arrange people to help switch him out half way through the voyage. When they reach the first dock, get off the boat. Separate the money and travel bynd. At the second dock, each person should board different boats, and then switch again and travel bynd separately. This way, those transporters will not know where they went and how much items they have. Along the way, they must keep changing the way they dress." Wang Juan nned the procedure for avoiding being tailed by others. Once those people leave San''shui County, it would be hard to investigate. * There is water everywhere, but I can still breathe. The surroundings feel warm, and I don''t feel cold at all. What''s in front of me? He has horns on his head and he is wearing silk and satin on his body. He walked over with a smile. Huh? Water Dragon King, I''m looking at the Water Dragon King. Oh, he''s telling me that I need to follow him. What is this ce? The pce? What are inside the boxes over there? Ah, it turns out to be gold and silver jewelry. Oh, let me take it home. This is wonderful, there''s so much money. If I give it to my superiors, I can be promoted to a higher position. Then I can defeat the Zhang Manor and the Wang Manor. Then I can be governor of the prefecture and the Little Luo''shuo will also be mine. It''s so heavy. It''s so hard to carry each of the boxes back. Who is it, who is grabbing me. Don''t take my money, don''t take my money. "Don''t take my money." Magistrate Jia, who was lying on a bed, suddenly opened his eyes and shouted. "You''re awake? The Young Prince has ordered me that once you wake up, I should ask if you''re experiencing any diforts. What do you want to eat?" The person on the side of Magistrate Jia''s bed was fixing the nket and then he noticed that Magistrate Jia had woken up. He asked with a light tone. Only now did Magistrate Jia realize that he was lying down. He looked around, and then made eye contact with the speaker. He asked, "Where am I?" "The Li Manor. You fell into the water, and the Young Prince sent someone to rescue you. I asked you, are you feeling unwell anywhere, and what do you want to eat?" The servant was a little dissatisfied with Magistrate Jia''s foolish happy look, and repeated what he just asked again. Magistrate Jia recalled what happened during thest few moments before he passed out, and he finally understood what happened. He nodded to the person next to him. He moved his legs and feet under the nket, and said: "I''m okay, I feel alright. I just feel a bit sore and hungry. Is there any porridge? Give me a bowl." Magistrate Jia had a respectful attitude when he spoke as this was the Young Prince''s person. After the person assented and left, Magistrate Jia suddenly remembered something important. He touched his body and found that his clothes had been changed. He lifted his nket and checked carefully. From the inside to the outside, there was not a single article of clothing that he wore originally. When he was eager to find his own belongings, the door was pushed open. The person from before came in with a tray and he put it on the small table next to the bed. There was a big bowl of porridge, two small pickled dishes, and nothing else. Magistrate Jia wasn''t in the mood to eat at this time. Looking at the person who brought the food, he courageously asked, "May I ask where my clothes are? And the items inside." "It was washed. Are you talking about the small seal inside? There is also the jade pendant that was hanging on your waist. We put them away for you. If you want them now, we will bring it over to you. Who would want to take those worthless items?" After he replied, the servant turned around and left again. While Magistrate Jia was anxiously waiting, the servant came back after a while and he put the two items in front of Magistrate Jia. Magistrate Jia looked at the two items that he didn''t care about losing or not. "Where are the other items? The half piece of wood and half piece of jade. I have been carrying them on my body the entire time." "No, just these two. The Young Prince won''t take your items. The Young Prince was on the side when your clothing was being changed. No one else will dare take your belongings. Perhaps when you were being rescued, the items fell. If you want them, then ask people to fish it out of theke." The expression on the servant''s face was foul. They saved him yet he was still asking them for items? How could it be possible that someone took it from him? If he drowns to death, would those items still be that precious? It was good enough to be still alive. Magistrate Jia naturally understood what he meant, but that was 13,000 strings of coins. He believed that no one would keep those two things. They didn''t know the purpose, so the items aren''t worth much to them. Furthermore, the Young Prince was there on the side. Could it really be that the items fell into the water? How would the items be fished out? Unless the water in theke was drained, and people dug through the dirt bit by bit. No, this was not possible. The Zhang and Wang manors would not agree to draining theke. That''s right, I can go find Han Wang''zhu. There is nothing to be afraid of. The money is not lost; they are left in those two ces. A piece of wood and a piece of jade only costs about a hundred or so strings of coins anyway. Thinking of this, Magistrate Jia smiled at the servant and said, "I was momentarily too impatient. Sorry, sorry. I wonder what time it is now?" "It''s three quarters after the Shen hour (3:45 PM). Hurry up and eat. I heard that when they were trying to get the water out of you, you puked out everything in your stomach. You spat and vomited. You''re lucky that you encountered our Young Prince. If not, who would save you?" The servant pointed to the porridge and pickled dishes as he spoke. "Yes, yes, my thanks goes to the Young Prince. I will eat now, I will eat now." Magistrate Jia didn''t dare to say anything. He was indeed hungry, so he ate the porridge with the pickled vegetables and finished both off. He finally feltfortable. Vomiting things up made his entire body ache. However, he felt aggrieved in his heart. He thought about how he wouldn''t have rode the punt if the Young Prince wasn''t over there. If he didn''t go over there, the punt would not have capsized and he would not have lost those items. The Zhang manor''s people would definitely not save him, or they would save him at ater time, and then they could say that they couldn''t save him in time. What could be done then? The Imperial Court wouldn''t say anything since no one harmed him. Wait, howe the punt capsized in the middle of theke? Even if there was a wooden stake, at most, I would be stuck there. I didn''t randomly move around at that time. There must have been something wrong with the punt. That fisherman must have deliberately tried to harm me. Yes, that must be the case. Once he saw that the bailiff was going to drag him onto the shore, he messed with the punt, deliberately causing me to almost drown to death. Magistrate Jia found a reason to exin why the punt capsized. Even if he didn''t believe it, he did indeed fall into the water and someone should take responsibility. Otherwise, what would it be surmount to if he died in front of the Young Prince? There was no choice but to wrong the fisherman. Thinking about this, Magistrate Jia felt better. He was about to go back to find Han Wang''zhu to talk about the lost items, but he discovered that his entire body was sore and weak, and couldn''t exert any force. He could only sigh and lie down again, and waited to leave tomorrow morning. "Since you''re done eating, tell your subordinates. They are still waiting outside the courtyard. Not everyone can enter the Young Prince''s house." The servant was unwilling to be angry with someone who almost died from drowning and he gave the Magistrate a brief reminder. "Okay, please help me call one in." Only now did Magistrate Jia remember about the bailiffs. There was no way that they would leave him behind and return to the Administrative Office. After a while, Bailiff Tong came in and he cried when he saw Magistrate Jia, "My lord, you finally woke up. If you were unable to wake up, what would we do? My lord, you can''t be so rash next time. There were two brothers who swam over to save you. They were almost unable to get out of the water. The water was freezing cold." "Alright, alright. Stop crying. I''m perfectly fine right now, aren''t I? Did the fisherman who lent his punt to me get caught yet? He was the one who messed with the punt." Magistrate Jia didn''t know if Bailiff Tong really cared about himself or was worried that he might get into trouble too, so Magistrate Jia calmed him down and then asked about the fisherman. "How could it possibly be that he didn''t pull some trick? If he didn''t do anything, then why did my punt capsize? Would it be possible that I intentionally flipped the punt in front of the Young Prince? It must be that that person did something, but all of you did not notice." Magistrate Jia insisted. "Yes, yes, what my lord said is correct. That man did something to the punt. My lord, do you remember what he looks like? I will find someone to draw him and then we will try to arrest him." Bailiff Tong went along with Magistrate Jia''s words. The man had already left anyway, so where would they go to find him? Magistrate Jia pondered for a while, and then shook his head helplessly, "I can''t remember. I didn''t pay attention to him at the time. He seemed to be wearing hemp clothes, his trouser legs were rolled up, and he was also wearing a hat on his head. After drowning in the water, my mind became cloudy. Did none of you have a clear look?" Magistrate Jia tried hard to recall but found that he could only think of the style some fishermen would usually dress. It was not realistic to go around catching fishermen and furthermore, this was outside of the San''shui County, so he could only pin his hopes on the bailiffs. Of course the bailiff would not say anything. Bailiff Tong shook his head and said, "I didn''t have a clear look. I''ll ask the other brotherster. I am now certain that it was that fisherman who messed with the punt." "Hmm, yes. The rest of you should find a ce to stay tonight. We will leave tomorrow morning." This was what Magistrate Jia wanted to hear. As long as the responsibility was shifted onto someone, everything was fine. He gave out some orders and made a tired look. Bailiff Tong nodded, "My lord, then you rest early. We wille over early tomorrow morning. I will leave now." Book 2: Chapter 112 Book 2: Chapter 112 Chapter 112 Asking The Brother Who Is Pitiful Fallen sparse light snow spun in the north wind; the fast horse and slow sword, hitting against the face. Yesterday a boat moved with the water; today, sitting or lying, it was hard to search for money. When he got up in the morning, Magistrate Jia rushed to the Between The Water And Clouds, and went to find Han Wang''zhu himself. Before he could speak, the person said, "How are you feeling? I heard that you fell into the water yesterday and was rescued by the Young Prince. How fortunate, how fortunate." "I''m alright. I had an entire night''s rest but my head is still a little muddled. I choked on water yesterday. Today, I came because I have to have something to say." Magistrate Jiaughed and he nned to talk about the lost items, but he was unsure how to begin. Extending a hand to ask for money felt differentpared to being given money. Han Wang''zhu immediately answered, "If my lord has something to say, then go ahead and speak. Could it be that my lord is feeling unwell so you are looking for some medicinal herbs?" "No, no. When I fell into the water yesterday, the two items I was carrying on my body fell off. The items should have fallen into the water. Those two items are the items you gave to me the day before yesterday. Uhh, it might be hard to find it, so I''m informing you, lest the money gets taken away by someone else." Magistrate Jia was embarrassed to directly ask Han Wang''zhu to give him another item to trade in for money, so he used this excuse. Han Wang''zhu smiled and said, "My lord, what you said is very true. I will let someone go over there to deliver the message. My lord, please stay here for one more day. I will go back to get another item first. Sorry to trouble my lord." "No, not a problem at all. I can take the chance to taste the wine and food here. Go quickly then, and I''ll leave too." Magistrate Jia was relieved now; he always had a hard time confronting others. He got up and left.posted on Han Wang''zhu didn''t dare to dy. When he came here, it was exined to him that the Zhang and Wang manors were not that simple. If anything happened, even the slightest matter, he had to pay close attention to it, otherwise, they could be taken advantage of without even realizing what happened. Yesterday the Magistrate fell into the water, and he came here today saying that he had lost the two items. Did he really lose it or did he pretend to lose it? Did the items fall into the water, or did someone take it? Even if the person who took it didn''t know what the items were used for, he still had to take precautions. Thus, Han Wang''zhu found the person who he came with and got him to quickly ride a horse to notify the shops. He told the person to leave quickly and return soon since the Magistrate was waiting. Outside, the light snow was blown by the wind. When it hit the face, it felt like being shed by a knife. That person brought three horses with him. By the time he arrived there, the snow and wind had left several cuts on his face. Along the journey, two horses were left behind at some farmers'' homes. But once the messenger got there, the big news almost made him faint on the spot. At noon yesterday, the money had already been taken away by someone and that person walked towards the wharf, but it was unknown where he went afterwards. The messenger drank a sip of hot soup. He found something to cover his face, and then took three new horses to go back. When Han Wang''zhu heard this, he was also befuddled. His household''s 5,000 strings of coins and the Yuan family''s 8,000 strings of coins was not a small amount of money, and it was taken away by someone else just like that. It wasn''t taken away by Magistrate Jia too, or at least that was what he imed. He said that he lost it when he fell into the water. Did he really lose it or did he send someone to go back to the county the night before to take the money? This was the only reasonable exnation since others wouldn''t know where to get the money. Could it be that Magistrate Jia felt that the money was too less, so he wanted more? If that was the case, then he was a bit too greedy. Was it even a good idea to cooperate with a person like this? Han Wang''zhu held the two items that were assembled together in his hand, and after thinking for a while, he asked someone to go back and tell the master about this matter. Then he got up to go find Magistrate Jia, who perhaps knew something. Magistrate Jia was sitting in a room on the second floor of the Between The Water And Clouds. At this time, it was already almost night. He was waiting. He was waiting for Han Wang''zhu to bring him a new item so that he could im the money. After waiting for a day, the more he waited, the more anxious he became. Food was ced on the table, but he didn''t have the appetite to eat. He just took a sip of wine once in a while and he was a bit tipsy already, yet he still didn''t see Han Wang''zhu arrive. Just when he nned to find someone to chat with and subtly ask for the time, Han Wang''zhu finally came. As soon as Han Wang''zhu entered the room, he saw Magistrate Jia''s slightly drunk appearance and his suspicions about him reduced by a bit. He seemed like he was anxious about iming the money. If he already redeemed the items once, he wouldn''t appear this anxious. "Hey~! You''re here? What did you find out?" Magistrate Jia heard the door open, and he looked over and saw that it was Han Wang''zhu. He asked with drooping eyelids. "My lord, look at this." Han Wang''zhu put the pieces of wood and jade on the table. Magistrate Jia was still confused, but when he saw the thing, he immediately became happy. He touched it with his hands, separating the assembled objects. He picked up the two pieces that once belonged to him and spoke with a smile, "Your master is truly a trustworthy person. He sent what belonged to me back. I don''t need the other two halves. I''ll keep it as a backup. All of you are really amazing. I fell into the water, and you also... No, that''s not right. These two halves. Why are they here? Could it be...?" Magistrate Jia finally came to his senses as he spoke. He looked at the other two halves on the table, and an idea suddenly appeared in his mind. Someone took the two halves from him and went there to withdraw the money. "My lord has guessed correctly. These four pieces were taken from the Forever Blue Porcin Shop and Wu''feng Pawnshop in the county. They appeared there at noon yesterday." Han Wang''zhu looked at Magistrate Jia as he spoke. Magistrate Jia was stunned. He shouted abruptly, "Impossible, it''s impossible. The items were on me before I fell into the water. I looked at them when I woke up yesterday morning. How did they arrive at the county seat within half a day? Are you suspecting that I sent someone to collect the money, and then I continued to ask you for more? I only have bailiffs by my side and no one else. Do you think it is possible that the bailiffs will do this for me? I would be courting death if I let the bailiffs know that I''m taking money from the Han and Yuan families. It''s definitely not me. " "My lord, don''t worry. What you said is not wrong. My lord does not have anyone on your side who you could use. You would not give this item to anyone. I suspect that when we were discussing the night before, the bailiffs who were standing guard outside the door heard what we said. Perhaps normal people would not be able to hear our words, but my lord''s bailiffs are not ordinary people. How do we know if there was someone with good hearing?"posted on When Han Wang''zhu heard this, he thought that it made sense. Furthermore, the people he brought with him yesterday were watching them in secrecy, and they didn''t see any bailiffs leave. The only people that were seen leaving were the people at the Zhang manor''s restaurant. It was not possible that the Magistrate was so close with the Zhang family that he would tell them about this matter and also give the items out to them. The only possibility was that the bailiffs outside the door heard the conversation, so when the Magistrate fell into the water, someone took the two items and rushed to the county seat to im the money. Han Wang''zhu told Magistrate Jia what he was thinking about, and Magistrate Jia shook his head, "Yesterday, the one who rescued me was the Young Prince''s men. If the Young Prince had the intention, then he could directly ask me for it and I would not dare say anything. There is no issue with giving it directly to the Young Prince. Then it must be that someone else who was a good swimmer saw the two objects fall off of me and into the water, and dived into the water to fish the items out. In addition, the bailiffs overheard us, so the Zhang manor sent someone to the county seat to take the money. If I had known this, I would not have tried to go to the pavilion. Why bother. We will know the answer if we ask who went into the water yesterday. " "My lord, more than 100 people jumped in yesterday. In the end, only the Young Prince''s men managed to pull you out. Is it possible to even ask each one? Do you think the Zhang family will let us?" Han Wang''zhu shook his head and talked about yesterday''s situation. Seeing the dazed look on Magistrate Jia''s face, he continued to speak, "My lord, you wanting to go to the pavilion yesterday was not as simple as it seemed. Everyone knows that loud noises should not be made when people are fishing, but how long did the firecracker soundsst yesterday? The room where you ate in happened to be facing the pavilion. Do you think this was a coincidence?" Magistrate Jia listened and thought about it. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was not simple. Yesterday, he was supposed to leave, but he suddenly heard the sound of firecrackers. When he thought about the waiter''s response, it seemed like the waiter was trying to get him to look over there. There was only one fishing boat on the river. Why did it happen to stop at that ce? Were there any fish there? That''s right. That person was casting a spinning, but the water was moving so fast, so why didn''t he use a fixed? The fish were all at the bottom because of the cold weather, so didn''t he use a dra? When Magistrate Jia was younger, he came from a fisherman''s family. Who would foolishly cast a to fish in that ce? This was nned, it must have been nned. "Zhang Zhong, you have gone too far. I will fight you. I..." Magistrate Jia finally found out what was wrong. He stood up and rushed outside, shouting loudly. Han Wang''zhu hurriedly put his arms around him, and then he freed up a hand to cover Magistrate Jia''s mouth. He couldn''t let him shout like that. People would onlyugh at him. Both of them were seventh rank officials, so what can be done? Shouting out like that will only make Magistrate Jia appear weaker. "My lord, don''t create amotion. Do you want the Zhang family tough at you? My lord, there''s nothing to be afraid of even if the money is gone. My lord, sit down first." Han Wang''zhu persuaded him. At this time, the waiter outside the door came in and asked, "What''s the matter, my lord?" "Everything is fine, you can leave. Don''te in unless you are called for. My lord just wants to find someone to have a drinkingpetition with him. He drank too much." What else could Han Wang''zhu say? He asked the waiter to leave and tried to persuade the Magistrate in a low voice. "My lord, if you act like this, they will be happier. Once my lord calms down, we will deal with them together. Money is a small matter, don''t worry about it." Magistrate Jia pursed his lips like a child. He sat on the chair, raised his head and drank another goblet of wine. He muttered, "They have bullied me too much. When I took office, they didn''t leave me a single coin. I didn''t dare to touch the Chang''ping warehouse; there is a lot of food there, but it cannot be exchanged for much money. If I take a bit, it''s not enough to do anything, but if I take a lot, it would be troublesome. The Magistrate Assistant, the Recorder, the clerks, and those bailiffs none of them are my people. When I stroll around, I would be followed. When I say that a person should be imprisoned, the bailiffs would all object. I don''t dare to judge any cases. When my mother wanted to eat some blood tofu, I had to help them ughter pigs. "Wimpy. Then let''s...sigh, the Zhang manor is difficult to deal with." Han Wang''zhu felt quite sympathetic towards the Magistrate after hearing what the drunken Magistrate Jia said. Book 2: Chapter 113 Book 2: Chapter 113 1 The sky was not cloudy; the two mountains leaned against each other. Wild birds chirped in the forest; the sound of the flute; the small vige named Qin; the wind blew exhaustively. On the 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month, there was another day until the Little New Year. Twenty bailiffs escorted three horse carriages and protected the magistrate to a vige in the farthest reaches of the San''shui County the Qin Vige. This was also the ce where a lot of people from the Imperial Court were tricked into visiting. Magistrate Jia got out of the carriage and looked back distressingly at the two carriages transporting the goods. All of the items inside were bought by him. There were 200 catties of in oil, 20 piculs of white flour, and 10 piculs of rice. ording to the rules left by the magistrate of the San''shui County, New Year gifts have to be delivered to the poor in various ces. Qin Vige was the farthest from the county seat, and it was not close to any other ces. Certain items had to be brought out of the vige in small batches to be traded with other people. This ce could be described as the poorest ce, and this was the first stop that was made. Later, they will get closer and closer, up until they finish delivering to the people at the county seat. By then, it would probably be the thirtieth. The only difference from before was that the gifts that Magistrate Cheng gave were provided by the Zhang and Wang families. To be precise, the gifts were taken from Zhang Xiao''bao''s and Wang Juan''s warehouse. Magistrate Jia had intentions of swindling money, so of course he had to provide the gifts himself. The oil, white flour, and rice arrived first, and there were two more carriages behind them that wouldeter. Those carriages were loaded with fabric, meat and vegetables. Magistrate Jia purchased all of the items from the Zhang manor. The price was 20% higher than the normal price. The reason was very simple. It was almost New Year, so wouldn''t the price go up? In order to deliver gifts to everyone in the county who should receive the gifts, a total of 6,000 strings of coins was used. 90% of that amount was the profit earned by Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. 30% was given to the residents and the remaining amount was kept by the two of them. Compared with the amount of money earned at the wharf, it was not much. However it was especially meaningful for the residents. Although they were only given 30% of the profit, it was 20% higher than before. In the past, they would sell the things they raised in their own homes, and buyers would also try to lower the price. Ever since the master took charge of selling the items, the residents didn''t have to worry about anything. The master had ways to help them keep the prices fixed. "Six thousand strings of coins, gone just like this." Magistrate Jia looked at those items. The pain was akin to having parts of his heart ripped out. He muttered to himself, and followed the bailiffs forward. Fortunately, there were many mountains, and the wind blowing from other ces was blocked by the mountains, so it was not so unbearable. It was noon at this time, but the sun did note out in the morning. It was unknown who had a leisurely spirit and was ying the di''zi flute. Music resounded throughout. Usually, Magistrate Jia enjoyed listening to the sound of flutes, like the Xiao flute, which produces deep and rhythmic music, but today the sound was harsh on the ears. "Old man Tuo, tell the child to stop ying the flute. Hurry up and help carry the items. The Magistrate has brought gifts for the vige." Bailiff Tong, who had been following the Magistrate, shouted loudly to the other side. His voice echoed in the mountains. Once the di''zi flute stopped, ten or so people rushed over from ahead and some were leading donkeys. On these kinds of roads, there were no rides that were better than donkeys. "Two days ago, I heard a bailiff say that my lord will personallye over here to deliver the gifts. At first, I didn''t believe it, but today we came here to try waiting for my lord. I can''t believe that my lord did actuallye. On behalf of the people of this vige, I thank my lord." The Viger Chief, Old Man Tuo, bowed when he appeared in front of Magistrate Jia. He spoke as he body shook. Magistrate Jia felt like blood was dripping from his heart, but he still had to make a caring expression on his face. He stepped forward and supported the Old Man Tuo''s hand, "Old Uncle, I haveete. Hurry up and get people to carry the items. Later, fabric, meat and vegetables will arrive. In addition to spinach, there is also cucumber. I hope that everyone can enjoy the New Year." Speaking of green vegetables made Magistrate Jia want to cry. If it weren''t for these green vegetables, would he have spent this much money? Additionally, what was considered to be poor in the San''shui County was dependent on the severity of this year''s crop failure. So, practically everyone was poor. Apart from those who had their own manor and were too prideful to ask for gifts, everyone else did not bother with being courteous. He was the magistrate afterall. When he said that he would give gifts, the people thought that this was the Imperial Court''s benevolence. If it was someone else who was giving out the items, perhaps the people would be more hesitant to ept the gifts. Were the people actually poor? Before the weather had turned cold, they sold liang''pi. Tthey never stopped selling savory crepes. When the wharf at the Little Luo''shui was being constructed, workers were recruited, and now people worked there as porters. There were also more than 700 bailiffs. Apart from families who had two sons or a pair of father and son that both worked as bailiffs, almost every family had one person working as a bailiff. At the very least, more than 600 families didn''t have to worry about being poor. I spent 6,000 strings of coins just like this. I have taken office for a month already, but I have not earned any extra money. Nearly half of the money I earned from elsewhere was used. Magistrate Jia watched the vigers happily ce the items onto their donkeys. He didn''t know whether he was feeling hate or helplessness anymore. However, before the money in his hands turned warm, it was almost New Year. This year, the Zhang family didn''t give anything. They wanted to not pay a single coin. Magistrate Jia didn''t have the courage to do that. The people were ustomed to receiving gifts from the Imperial Court during the New Years. The amount didn''t matter. As long as the people received something, they felt happy and that the Imperial Court still cared about them. As a result, the Magistrate and the Magistrate Assistant drew up a list with names, addresses, and how many items to send. Then, they made the list into a public notice to notify the people. Some people were really grateful and then even knelt down and kowtowed outside of the Administrative Office. Magistrate Jia had no choice. He sent someone to ask which merchant in the San''shui County was willing to pay the money. Some were tempted, but because of the Zhang and Wang families'' power, no one dared to agree. After pushing the responsibility back and forth, time was running out, so the magistrate had to pay for it himself. He thought about buying some from the streets, but the quantity was too small. "There are still 7,000 strings of coins left. There shouldn''t be any other expenses, right? They are too cruel. From then until now, they have taken 19,000 strings of coins from me." Magistrate Jia looked at the cheerful expressions of the vigers, and walked to the side by himself to think about the thoughts on his mind. While thinking, he spoke aloud. "My lord, you said you want to give out 19,000 strings of coins to the people?" The bailiff, who had followed behind him like a ghost, heard the Magistrate''s words and asked. "Nothing, I didn''t say anything. Go help them out. Do you n to loiter around me or something?" Magistrate Jia was startled. If he didn''t respond in time, the bailiff could have spread these words around and put up a notice. Where would he find all of this money from? The people were almost done loading the items over there. There were too many items so they would have to make two trips. Once the Vige Chief ordered people to lead the donkeys away, he went up to Magistrate Jia and said, "My lord, you are such a good official. With these items, we will not have to worry about the new year. My lord, pleasee into the vige for a drink of water. Please get on the donkey." "Oh, then I have kept my lord here for too long. My lord is busy with other affairs. I will leave first." The old man was very easy going. Since the Magistrate didn''t want to go, he did not insist. His legs trembled as he walked and he still had to go back and forth. Seeing that most of the vigers had left, Magistrate Jia breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the road. He thought about what the bailiff had said about the distance ayer of skin would be lost for every trip to that vige. "My lord, should we make use of this opportunity to go and see what the conditions are like in the neighboring areas?" Bailiff Tong suggested to Magistrate Jia again. What Magistrate Jia found to be the most annoying right now were the bailiffs. He didn''t have a good excuse to decline, so he could only bear with it, "Okay, let''s head back a bit. If we encounter people, we will have a look at the third house." "The third house? Since my lord wants to go, we shall go." Bailiff Tong agreed. He helped Magistrate Jia get into the carriage and at the same time, he winked at a bailiff next to him, who then immediately got on his horse and left. Now, there were only seventeen bailiffs left in the team. They walked in the other direction to the side. After walking out for an hour, they saw a small vige. There was no manor here, but there were more than 40 households living here. The surrounding area was justnd. There were some small piles of dirt with some hemp nts grown in it. Although it was snowing, the nts were notpletely covered. Since Magistrate Jia came from a fishermen family, he knew what this was. It was likely that by the time springes, the hemp would be almostpletely soaked by the snow, and then the hemp can be ced into the river to absorb even more water and then it can be used to make ropes. Hemp ropes that were made like this are more sturdy than ropes made from fresh hemp soaked in water. People liked to weave fishings using this kind of hemp rope. When Magistrate Jia and others arrived at the first house at the head of the vige, the barking of a dog was heard in the yard, and it stopped when the owner called it back to it''s doghouse. Magistrate Jia naturally didn''t want to be bitten by a dog, so he actually went to the third house in this vige. In the courtyard surrounded by locust trees and thorns, a woman was using her hands to protect a one year old child as the child learned to walk. When the child tried to lift his leg up and put it down, he ended up falling forward. "Hehehehe." Magistrate Jia couldn''t helpughing when he saw the foolish appearance of the child. He remembered the memory of his child learning to walk. "What are youughing at, my lord?", asked a bailiff next to him. "Nothing. I just think the little child is interesting. This child seems to be stronger than other children." Magistrate Jia put away his smile and said to the bailiff. "My lord, this child may be stronger than the children in other ces, but they are much worse than the two little masters of the Zhang and Wang manors. Those two..." "Go in and ask them how things are going at home?" Magistrate Jia interrupted the bailiff directly. He hated those two manors the most, and he felt ufortable whenever he heard others mention them. The bailiff immediately said, "My lord, there is no need to ask in this area. This child is the son of the bailiff Song Yang. My lord can go inside. Song Yang''s parents should be there. His family is a little poor, so the Zhang manor sent his family gifts a few times. Lesser was given to his family this time. My lord, how about let''s go to a different house?" Trantor''s Notes
  1. Little New Year
The Little New Year is also known as Festival of The Kitchen God, and falls roughly a week before Chinese New Year. The Kitchen God is the supposed to be the god that looks over and protects the house. Read more here: China.org: Little New Year Book 2: Chapter 114 Book 2: Chapter 114 Chapter 114 A Joy In The Heart When Magistrate Jia was about to enter the yard, the woman inside had already spotted the group of people. She raised her head to take a look and took the child back into her arms. She said to Magistrate Jia, "It turns out that the magistrate hase. I will go ask my inws toe out." As the woman spoke, she didn''t even look at the other bailiffs. She went in with the child in her arms. Immediately, an old man and an olddy came out. The two of them looked very happy. They hurried to the gate of the courtyard and opened the door. Looking at Magistrate Jia, the old man said, "My lord, I didn''t expect you toe, pleasee inside." "Uncle Song, today, we''re..." "Oh, all of you are here too. There''s not enough space in the house for everyone toe in. Find a spot yourself." The old man didn''t wait for Bailiff Tong to finish his sentence. He turned his head to the side and threw a sentence out. His smile returned when he turned to face Magistrate Jia again. "We have embarrassed ourselves in front of my lord. Our house is small, and we don''t have anything to treat my lord with. My son, Yang''er, is ignorant, so my lord must look after him." Magistrate Jia surveyed the yard carefully. The ground was covered with snow, and only the road under his feet was covered with sand. Looking at the house again, he wondered how long the paper had been glued onto the windows1 for; the paper was yellowed and ckened. Many of the tiles on the roof of the house were shattered. When he entered the house, only two bricks were used as a door threshold, and the remaining floor was just dirt. In this house, there were only three roomstwo big and one small. The bigger rooms were for sleeping and the small one was used as a kitchen. A puff of smoke came out of the kitchen, and following that was the slight coughing sound of children. "My lord, sit here." After entering a room, Song Yang''s father wiped the wooden edge of the heated brick bed with his sleeve, and said embarrassedly to Magistrate Jia. In normal times, Magistrate Jia would never sit down. Today, he suddenly had an idea in his mind. He immediately walked over and sat down. He touched the mat on the bed with his hand and it was still warm, not so cold the furnace under the bed must have been lit. He had learned what a heated brick bed was before. Under the mat and top bricyer, the inside was not thatplicated. It was just mud, or bricks that have beenid ording to a specific order. This kind of heated brick bed can be seen in any house in the San''shui County. But the furnishings in this room and the clothes worn by a family of four were not so good. Didn''t the Zhang family take care of the bailiff''s family? Why is his house like this? Why did his family treat the other bailiffs like that? Magistrate Jia noticed this, and after sitting down, he asked Song Yang''s father, "Brother Song, it seems that your family is a little tight on money. Is it the same for other bailiffs'' families?" "Sigh~! To be honest, only ten or so bailiff''s families are like this. My son is ignorant and often offends people." Father Song said with a sigh. "Oh, that''s not right, Song...I know about Song Yang. He''s honest and works hard, yet his house is like this. Brother Song, things cannot go on like this. I have some silver taels, take it and use it. Let Song Yang work full heartedly." Magistrate Jia finally found an opportunity. He took out a few pieces of silver and a string with approximately forty coins on it from the pouch in his sleeve. He grabbed Father Song''s hand and stuffed the money into his hand. It was not like he was only allowed to eat at specifically designated areas whenever he wanted to eat. He always kept around twenty taels of silver on himself; he didn''t mind the weight. This time, he took out twelve or thirteen taels out. Father Song held the silver money in his hand, and returned it back to the Magistrate with slightly trembling hands, "My lord, you mustn''t do this. How could I take this money? My lord, take it back quickly, at home..." "It''s fine. Brother Song, you have a good son. This small amount of money is nothing. How is it that the other bailiffs can take other people''s money, but I can''t give anything away?" Of course Magistrate Jia wouldn''t take the money back. His eyes widened in displeasure. "My lord, you are such a good official. Don''t worry, my lord. Once my boyes back, I will tell him to obey my lord''s words in the future and never ck off." Father Song spoke excitedly, his face flushed red. Seeing that Song Yang''s father had collected the money, the magistrate was relieved. He looked at the house and said with a smile, "Brother Song, when I came out today, I didn''t bring too much money with me. I will find a way tomorrow to make sure that Brother Song''s family can live more well." After saying this, the Magistrate bid him farewell. He was afraid that the bailiffs outside would be anxious and it would be bad if they rushed in and saw what happened. Father Song quickly got up to see him off. Once Magistrate Jia came out, he noticed that the bailiffs who followed him didn''t even enter the yard, but just stood outside. Magistrate Jia felt a little more at ease. "My lord, should we let someone move the items to the next house? My lord can take the chance to go over there too." Bailiff Tong made ns for Magistrate Jia again at this time. "Okay, let''s go to the next one." Magistrate Jia didn''t look angry this time, and agreed very naturally. With a n in mind now, he doesn''t mind spending a few more days traveling around the county. Since he had spent the money, he might as well make a name for himself. After the whole day passed, Magistrate Jia dragged his tired body back to the Administrative Office. As soon as he entered the Administrative Office, his face sank, and he said to the two bailiffs who were standing guard here, "Where is Song Yang? Call him over for me. Hmph! How dare he do such a thing." One of the two confused bailiffs left, and the other leaned over to Magistrate Jia and asked, "My lord, what''s wrong with Song Yang? Did he do something wrong? I can guarantee that Brother Song usually does the best work. My house is not too far from his. His house is like mine we don''t have a lot and life is a bit difficult." Magistrate Jia was overjoyed. He felt like he had just found another person who he could win over. When he was about to speak, he suddenly remembered something, and said with a sullen face, "It has nothing to do with the rest of you. I have a reason to look for him. This is too unreasonable, hmph." After tossing out these words, Magistrate Jia walked towards the study. After feeling scared for a short period of time, he felt that everyone around him, except Song Yang, might be the Zhang Manor''s spy. When the timees, I need to ask Song Yang which other people I can win over. Judging by his situation at home, he was unlike the others and wasn''t taken care of by the Zhang Manor. He had a child in his family, so ording to precedents, the Zhang Manor should have given him some benefits. It didn''t take long for Song Yang to walk in from the outside. It seemed that he ran the entire way back. There was a lot of sweat on his forehead, and the hair next to his ears was wet. "My lord, are you looking for me?" Song Yang asked after trying to catch his breath, He tried his best to calm his breathing. "Yes, you''re back? Sit down and drink some water first." Magistrate Jia put a smile on his face and he spoke to Song Yang with an extremely friendly tone. He poured a bowl of water for Song Yang and motioned for him to drink. Magistrate Jia waved his hand and said, "Actually, there is nothing much. But if there really is something, then it really isn''t a trivial matter. Let me ask you, your life is like that at your home, why didn''t you tell me about this matter? Are you afraid that I would harm you?" "My lord, you went to my house? Ah, my lord, there is nothing in my house. There wasn''t even tea for you to drink when you were there. Are you...?" Song Yang appeared to be very embarrassed as he spoke awkwardly. "There was water. in boiled water is also good. I am content with being able to drink such good water from your home. Song Yang, this matter is because of you. Why don''t you tell me about your family''s affairs? If I knew about this, how could I let your family live that poorly? Come,e, here is some money, you take it first. I have left some for your father earlier. When I got back here, I thought, the New Year ising and that small amount of money is simply not enough to do anything." While talking, Magistrate Jia pulled out the drawer on his desk. There were two ingots of silver in it. Magistrate Jia took out the silver without thinking, and put it on the table and pushed it to Song. in front of the sun. Song Yang looked at the silver nkly, and said with a little worry, "My lord, I know what it''s like at my home, but how could I let my lord worry about my family? My lord, I didn''t expect that you would leave money for my family. We absolutely cannot keep this money. Perhaps when it is almost the 30th, I''ll have some items that I could bring home." "Are you expecting that the Zhang Manor would give it to you? Look at the other bailiff, and then look at yourself. It is obvious that the Zhang Manor clearly doesn''t like your family. It would have been fine if I didn''t know about this, but since I have seen it, I can''t ignore it. Take it. I order you to keep it. As long as you do your job well in the Administrative Office, I will definitely not mistreat you." Seeing Song Yang''s appearance, Magistrate Jia was very satisfied with the effect of using money on him. He spoke with a loud voice and forced the money into Song Yang''s arms. Song Yang covered the ce where the silver was ced with his hand, and spoke emotionally, "My lord, you are so kind to me. If you need anything in the future, I am willing to put in all of my effort. This is great now, I don''t have to worry that I won''t have anything for the New Year. My lord, there are a few others that are like me." "Really? There are other families that are not doing well? Did the Zhang Manor not give you guys anything?" Magistrate Jia deliberately asked with a surprised look. "They do, but just a little bit. Others are given a picul of food, but when ites to our turn, we get less than a dou2. We are all bailiffs, so why do they get more? My family had a child recently. If it weren''t for the fact that I don''t know how to do other work, I really don''t want to continue to work as a bailiff." A sad expression appeared on Song Yang''s face, and as he spoke, he lowered his head, and it seemed that he was indeed dissatisfied. This was what Magistrate Jia wanted. He smiled, then stood up and patted Song Yang on the shoulder, and said, "Song Yang, I am very optimistic about you. You will definitely be better than others in the future. Oh, there are other people whose families'' conditions are the same as yours? In that case, let''s go. Follow me to the warehouse in the back. You said there are several people. I will give each person thirty taels, and you can be given another ten taels. This year''s harvest is a bit poor. I have decided. I want to let this group of people who work but are not valued by other to spend a good New Year. How much is needed?" "Let me think about it. One, two...My lord, there are not too many people. Together, there are only 33 people. Compared with the other 600 plus people, it is really not that much." Song Yang heard Magistrate Jia''s words. He began to count on the spot, and finally gave a number. There were thirty-three people. Magistrate Jia didn''t think there were this many people. Thirty-three people, and if he counted Song Yang, that would be thirty-four people. It was nothing more than a thousand or so strings of coins. As long as he could get them to obey him, so what if he had to spend some money? This was better than having other people''s spies around himself all the time. Song Yang was so excited that he didn''t know which leg to move first. He kept saying, "Thank you my lord, thank you my lord." When he got to the ce in the back where he put the money in, Magistrate Jia was a little troubled. There was so much money; it was impossible for Song Yang to move all of it out and distribute it to others by himself. One, was too heavy, and two, the Magistrate wanted to hand the money out by himself, so he said to Song Yang, "Go and find those thirty-three people. Remember, when you approach them, don''t tell them what''s going on. And watch them carefully. If anyone has a good rtionship with the Zhang family, you don''t need to bring them over. Do you understand?" Song Yang showed his clever side at this time, and spoke to Magistrate Jia. He tried to reassure the Magistrate but he was also worried. The Magistrate was even happier now. Song Yang didn''t know where his money came from, which meant that Song Yang was not trusted by the Zhang family. As for whether this person was reliable or not, he would have to test him. Thinking of this, Magistrate Jia said to Song Yang, "You don''t need to worry about the money. You just need to bring those people over. Don''t worry, after this year is over, I will promote you. Hmph, those people want to deceive but I can''t tolerate having a single grain of sand in my eyes." "Yes, I understand. My lord. Thank you for your trust. I''ll go and find the people. My lord, please wait a moment." Song Yang said excitedly. He turned around and ran out of the yard. Looking at Song Yang''s leaving figure, Magistrate Jia was not so relieved, and felt that he had to test them a few more times. Otherwise, if any of these people were spies nted by the Zhang manor, then too much would be implicated. Thinking of this, Magistrate Jia took out the silver and money that should be used. In order to prevent other bailiffs from finding out, this time, he did not take the fabric and silk, but chose some pieces of silver and copper coins, which were easy to carry and would not be seen by others. After a while, Song Yang was the first one toe back. He entered the ce by himself and said to Magistrate Jia, "My lord, I didn''t find all of the people. I only found twenty people. Should I let theme in first? Or do you want me to help you carry things out?" "There''s no need to carry it out. Tell all of them toe in. I''m not suspicious of the people that work for me." Magistrate Jia has shown generosity this time. He did understand how to buy people''s loyalty, but he didn''t have the opportunity before. Now he has found a breakthrough, so how could he be willing to give up for no reason? Song Yang stared at Magistrate Jia for a while, nodded earnestly. He turned around and ran out. When he came back again, there were 20 bailiffs behind him who all looked very honest and simple. Magistrate Jia was even more concerned. It seemed that the Zhang Manor favored those who were sly, and were not so good to honest people like them. In particr, Bailiff Tong was originally a thug. Only people like them were used by the Zhang Manor. "My lord." Under Song Yang''s lead, these twenty people simultaneously greeted the magistrate. Their voices were loud and powerful. "Okay, okay, all of you are good. I did not make the wrong judgement." Magistrate Jia was happy when he heard the organized voices. These were real bailiffs, not that group of random thugs. "Come over and let me take a good look at all of you. It''s a pity that you are such capable people but you have been ostracized from the other bailiffs. Don''t worry. As long as I am here, you will not worry about your family''s affairs. Come,e forward one by one, and I will give you your New Year''s money." Magistrate Jia took a good look at these twenty-one people, and the more he looked, the more he felt that this was a feasible n. He said a few words and ced the money out in front of himself. He beckoned them toe over. "My lord, are you really giving us money? My lord, how will we repay you for doing this?" One of the bailiffs might have been a little too excited. After seeing the money on the ground and hearing Magistrate Jia''s words, he actually cried. This was the result that Magistrate Jia just wanted to see so he was equally excited in his heart. He deliberately put on a calm look on his face, and said solemnly, "All of you are this Administrative Office''s bailiffs, so how could I not care about you? How will a bailiff, who is constantly worrying about whether his family is doing well of not, do his work well I am the magistrate of the San''shui County. Letting the people under my governance live a good life is what I should do. Why would I need to be repaid? As long as all of you do your work seriously in the future, then that is the best payment for me." "My lord, only now did I know that my lord is a good official. In the past, I heard others say that my lord came here to do bad things, and I really believed it. My lord, I am sorry. My lord, don''t worry, I will never believe what other people say. If anyone dares say anything, I will teach him a lesson." The other bailiffs also cried at this time. For some reason, not only were their eyes red, but their faces were also red, and they looked like they were in a lot of pain. . Magistrate Jia was happy, and when he heard the bailiff''s words, he quickly said, "No, I won''t care about what other people say, and you shouldn''t argue with others about this matter. Eventually, they will understand my intentions. Do you have this memorized?" He was afraid. He was afraid that if those people really said something, the twenty-one people in front of him would go over to defend him and tell them about the money he gave them. Then it would be very likely that these twenty-one people would have to leave the Administrative Office and he would always have people following him. With a person taking lead, the other bailiffs also pledged. "Yes, it should be like this. Come here one by one, and I will give you money." Magistrate Jia was relieved for the time being. He picked up some copper coins and silver pieces, and handed them one by one ording to the ce where the bailiff stood. Each person''s hands shook as they epted the money. Some wanted to say a few words, but they couldn''t say it, and they looked like they would cry the moment they start speaking. . After he finished distributing the money and watching them put it away, Magistrate Jia felt like a big stone had been lifted off his chest. He felt like he should test them and said, "Tomorrow, I will go to Lin''he Vige in the county to take a look, and send some rice flour and other things over there. Go there tomorrow to patrol the area first. Remember, if you encounter other bailiffs, don''t say the wrong thing. I always felt that it would be difficult for Bailiff Tong, who was once a gangster, to aplish great achievements, Song Yang, you also have an important task to do tomorrow. Don''t go on duty. No matter what other arrangements others make, you must go to the Little Luo''shui Wharf to see if there are any boats stopping by, and record down all of the freights for me. " "I will follow my lord''s orders." Song Yang performed the best among these bailiffs. Hearing Magistrate Jia''s orders, he immediately agreed. The other bailiff also responded. This time, they were not as orerdly as before, so Magistrate Jia knew that they did not practice this in advance. "That''s all. All of you can leave now. Remember to go home quickly, and let your family buy some things for the New Year with the money." Magistrate Jia waved his hand and told the bailiffs to leave. Once the bailiff left, Magistrate Jia paced back and forth in the yard by himself, asionally recalling those bailiffs'' expressions. He thought about which ones were pretending and which ones were real. In the end, he found that all of the bailiffs had red eyes. Some even gritted their teeth when talking about the Zhang Manor. After walking back and forth for half an hour, Magistrate Jia did not find any problem with the bailiffs, but he was still worried. He returned to the backyard and found his wife and said, "Tomorrow, bring two of our servants with you to the Little Luo''shui. Go over there to see what kind of ships dock there and what kind of goods are on board, and about how much. Remember, you need to change your clothes, change your hairstyle, and paint your face." "My husband, is there something wrong? If there is danger, then let''s not keep this official title and leave here early. I has been worried that this is not a ce we can control." Magistrate Jia''s wife heard his arrangement and her first thought was that there was trouble, perhaps even life-threatening. "What do women know? Where is the danger? No one can control your husband, me. Once I find an opportunity, I wil let them see how powerful I am. Remember, don''t make a mistake." This was thest thing Magistrate Jia wanted to hear, especially now that he thinks that he has avable manpower, so why would he leave? Wouldn''t he be aughingstock for those who fought with him for this position at the beginning? "What my husband said is correct. My husband is the most capable. I will go arrange this right now. My husband, you should rest earlier." Magistrate Jia''s wife immediately knew what to say, and exined it ording to what he wanted to hear. She turned around and left quietly. Magistrate Jia was happy because of what he encountered today and his listening wife. He said to his wife, who hadn''t gone far yet, "Tonight, I''ll go to your ce to sleep." Trantor''s Notes
  1. Paper glued onto windows
Paper or silk is used to fill windows and doors to allow some light in but block out the wind.
  1. Dou
Unit to measure weight. During the Tang Dynasty, one dou is six catties or 1/10th of a picul. Book 2: Chapter 115 Book 2: Chapter 115 Chapter 115 Chatting In the Snow Another snowfall. The children''s games did not disappear due to the changing seasons. The children, who had nothing to worry about, were always able to find something to make them happy. At least the children of the Zhang and Wang Manors were like this. When they opened the door for the first time in the morning and saw that the snow was high enough to cover their knees, what the children wanted to do was carefully raise their leg and put it down, leaving their own footprints on the white snow. The residents who had nothing to do in the winter were busy clearing the snow. Streams of smoke rose above the manor, showing the other manors the superiority of the Zhang and Wang manors. Breakfast was not a meal that everyone could have. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan also got up early. They didn''t have to go to school. They ate a few meat buns and drank a bowl of goat milk. Afterwards, they took Shi''liu and the others out to find fun things to y with. Shi''liu no longer worked on making liang''pi; she handed this job over to someone else. They were nning to pass this technique to the shops in the Capital cityter in spring. The nting of wood fungus and white fungus had also stopped because Shi''liu had no idea how to control the temperature during winter. Ying''tao had also stopped hatching poultry. During this season, chicks and ducklings would freeze to death, and there was not enough room to raise them indoors. Xiao''hong also handed her feeding job to others. Er''niu and Hu''zi happened to have nothing to do at home so they went along too. The seven of them headed straight for the field. There were more straws piled up in the fields than elsewhere. During autumn, a lot of straws were collected from other ces. Some were used for burning, and some of them are going to be directly incorporated into the soil during spring. This year, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan nned to adjust the nting process again. This method would save a lot of effort. The straw itself contains the nutrients needed by the rice seedlings. The two of them didn''t know what the actual effect would be like. They decided to try this on a section of the field first. For this section, before water is added, the soil would first be tilled. Once the soil is evened out, water can be added. The remaining steps would be the same asst year. When the timees, the one with the best results would be adopted. Wang Juan also set aside half an mu ofnd separately. She and Zhang Xiao''bao nned to take close care of it and inspect it frequently, and apply some methods that they can think of on it. It would be their experiment field. As for whether it would be sessful or not, it is to be verified. Following forefathers'' theories, the two people wanted to find a male nt in the field that was unable to reproduce, and then from those, choose a more plump nt for crossbreeding. Wang Juan recalled this while wading in the snow, and she turned to ask Zhang Xiao''bao, "Do you think the hybrid rice would be sessful? Why do I feel like our theory is a bit imperfect? If we fail, then wouldn''t that mean we worked for a year in vain? " "So what if we worked for a year in vain? People can work for so many years in vain. You have to believe in yourself. Do you know what male sterile rice looks like? I think all the rice looks the same. It''s a bit difficult." Zhang Xiao''bao had confidence and determination, but he didn''t know how to distinguish the two. This was the hardest part. Wang Juan shook her head like a rattle. She had never learnt this before. She had asionally nced at other people''s theories before, but she was never interested. She took a guess and said, "Does sterile mean that other rice nts will grow, but it won''t grow? " "A lot won''t grow, but which one is the male and which one is the female? It''s not like an animal where you can tell at a nce. If that really does not work, then test each one. We have a lot of people; we can mobilize the power of the masses. Get them to bring over any that doesn''t grow and then we can teach them ording to our advanced theories. The power of the masses is great. Let''s take Shi''liu as an example. Didn''t she say she wanted to continue cultivating mushrooms when the weather turns warm? Pine mushrooms1 too. As long as she keeps trying, she might be able to figure out how to grow other mushrooms too. The type that grows on sawdust. It''s very cheap a bit over one yuan per pound. " Zhang Xiao''bao was nning to spread his confidence to others, but Wang Juan knew that he was shifting responsibility. She wondered how many people would be driven mad by this kind of n. "I think you are gloating about others misfortune. Shi''liu is the meritorious one. That wood fungus can be used as a key public rtions tool. Magistrate Jia ate it and he thought it was good. He has a catty of wood fungus and I heard that he sent over half of it to the Capital. I wonder who it is for." "Yeah, that did happen. Let him give it away. Tomorrow, give him another catty and let him keep giving it out. After he gives it out a few times, we will cut off his supply of fungus. Let''s see if the person who has now developed the habit of eating fungus will take the initiative to ask him for more. Since he doesn''t have any anymore, we can take over. We are not afraid of their greed, but we are afraid that there is no way to send it to them." Zhang Xiao''bao put a lot of effort into this matter. He wanted to build a hugework of rtionships, and work together with Wang Juan to create a strong family. Wang Juan nodded. She looked at the five people who were following them, and said to Zhang Xiao''bao, "That Magistrate Jia is too greedy. We taught him a lesson twice already, yet he still doesn''t know how to restrain himself. Didn''t the one who came here to deliver the messagest night say that the bailiffs we set up have been bribed by him, just like how we imagined?" "This is called perseverance. It would be great if he knew how to farm, then we could hand over the task of growing hybrid rice to him. Speaking of nting wood fungus, I suddenly thought of something. How do you think ginseng is grown? We can nt around 100 mu of it. If that fails, we can eat it like it''s a radish." Zhang Xiao''bao was running through thoughts. Wang Juan didn''t even dare to think about nting ginseng, "Don''t try to attempt that. We don''t even know what the seeds of ginseng look like. Right, it''s cold now, so it''s suitable to go to an apothecary to buy some ginseng and then use it to make chicken soup for the weaker people to drink. Buy a few more deers, and then cut the antlers in the spring. I want the antler blood. What else can be used in the wine? Help me think about it, I don''t want to lose my rtives to minor illnesses before I grow old. " After kicking the snow in front of him, Zhang Xiao''bao also pondered. Before, he only thought about providing his family with proper nutrition, but now it seems that he has to give them some traditional Chinese medicine to warm their body. In particr, for rheumatism and cold weather. They didn''t sleep on heated beds when it was cold back then. After being exhausted from work, they would just lie down and sleep. Once they turned old, their legs and feet were no longer as good. I have to think of a way to relieve their aches. "Unfortunately, we don''t have a good recipe. In the past, the Orphanage Grandfather also made some wine with Chinese medicines for drinking or external use. There were many kinds of medicines. I don''t remember them. It seems that there are some mulberry roots, leaves, and branches. This is the simplest type. I''m not sure about the effect though. We can spend money to collect recipes from people. Let''s go to your house at noon today and eat there." "Okay, what should we eat?" Wang Juan also wanted to go home and have a look. She was here with Zhang Xiao''bao everyday. Normally, she would only see her family when they came over to visit. asionally when she and Zhang Xiao''bao went out to y, they would drop by her home and then leave. When Wang Juan asked, Zhang Xiao''bao stopped walking. He looked up at the sky, pondered for a while and said to the people following them, "Hu''zi, go to other viges to see if anyone is willing to sell a ck dog and buy one and ughter it. We''re going to Juan''juan''s house at noon to eat dog meat." Hu''zi left to carry out the instructions he was given. Then Zhang Xiao''bao instructed Ying''tao, "Take out some of the dried vegetables that we have specially dried in the autumn. I want the kind that was dried in the shade. Then soak some soybeans and prepare the coriander and everything else." Ying''tao also left, and then Zhang Xiao''bao made arrangements for Shi''liu. "The thirteen mixed spices I made there are some packages with the word "heavy" on it. Grab two of those packages. Remember to get some dried tangerine peels. Go to Juan''juan''s house first and get someone to cook our spicy soybean sauce. Add extra spring onions, and remember not to add soy sauce." "Young Master, I''ll go right now." Shi''liu knew the Young Master''s ability in this area. Thinking that there was something good to eat at noon, she shouted happily and ran off. "Steady, don''t fall." Wang Juan looked at Shi''liu''s lively appearance and shouted from behind. Seeing that Shi''liu did not hear her at all, Wang Juan shook her head, "Sigh~! She doesn''t follow the rules at all." Xiao''hong pursed her lips and smiled beside them. She liked to follow the Young Master and the Young Miss the most. They were not like other people who would beat their servants with a whip when they made tiny mistakes. Xiao''hong and the other servants only needed to obey the rules when they were in front of outsiders. On normal asions, they could do whatever they wanted. Wang Juan had never really eaten dog meat before. She heard people say that it is not good for females to eat dog meat. When she tried it for the first time, she found the taste to be too gamey. She tapped Zhang Xiao''bao and asked, "Does dog meat taste gamey?" Zhang Xiao''bao thought of an item that was specially paired with dog meat hotpot. Generally, if you eat dog meat hotpot in the northern region, you must ask for it before entering a restaurant. "It could be found if you go out to sea. We can get people to ask if any sailors went to Guangzhou before and ask if they brought anything back. What if someone went before, and they brought back chili peppers? What item are you talking about? Why is chili pepper needed?" Wang Juan heard Zhang Xiao''bao talking about chili pepper and began to crave for it. She didn''t care for it back then, in fact, she didn''t even really want to eat it. However, now she wanted to eat it but there was none to eat. Lacking an ingredient meant that a lot of delicious tastes were unattainable. Furthermore, eating chili pepper can help people cope with the humidity. Zhang Xiao''bao gesticted with his arms, "Spicy fish. Notably in restaurants run by North Koreans. When people eat dog meat, they would ask if there is any spicy fish. If the restaurant had it, then they would eat there. If the restaurant doesn''t have it, they won''t eat there since it''s not an authentic Korean dog meat restaurant. I know how to make that sauce. The green onions in it are the best tasting. If you eat that sauce with spicy fermented cabbage, that taste is indescribable. With one ingredient missing, I can''t do anything apart from feeling anxious." "I''m also craving what you just described. Let''s go y over there, and build a house." Wang Juan was drooling at what Zhang Xiao''bao talked about. Even though they just finished eating, she still wanted to eat. "Yeah. Once the children are on their break at noon, we could y with them." Zhang Xiao''bao forced himself to not think about eating. He pulled Wang Juan with him to run forward. With a thud, two human-shaped outlines appeared on the snow. Trantor''s Notes
  1. Pine mushroom
This refers to the Tricholoma matsutake mushroom,monly called matsutake. I used the literal trantion instead of themonly used romanji name. Book 2: Chapter 116 Book 2: Chapter 116 Chapter 116 Childhood Never Stays "Er''niu, put that bundle of straw here. Put it on the snow." Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao directed Er''niu and Xiao''hong to do things. The job was to move the straw. Originally, the two of them also wanted to help, but the frightened Er''niu and Xiao''hong disagreed. What if the straw piles fell over? There were four people: two of them moved their mouths, and two of them worked hard. While working, residents who were clearing the snow saw them and ten or so people rushed over. The people first respectfully said to Zhang Xiao''bao, "Young Master, what are you trying to do? Let us help you." "Okay. We''re making something that children will like ying with. Move the straw down. Follow our instructions." Zhang Xiao''bao said, pointing to the straw stacks. With the participation of these people, the pace of the project Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan designed was elerated. After two hours, a whole two mu ofnd was covered with ayer of straw, and on top of that were pairs of straw bales propped against each to form a triangr space with the ground. These triangr spaces are lined up like abyrinth. There are countless forks, and bundles of straw were deliberately ced beside some paths to create houses. On the side of other paths, there was a small space formed by four bales of straw. The adults now understood that the Young Master and Young Miss wanted to crawl through the area. They did this when they were young too, but it was not so big and was only a few meters long. "Good. Once the children are done with ss, they cane here to y." Zhang Xiao''bao pped both hands together and said happily. Standing next to him, Wang Juan also admired this masterpiece and she thanked the residents. First she crawled through an entrance and she sat on the straws inside. She said to Zhang Xiao''bao across the ''wall'': "Xiao''bao, can we add some more fun things? Let''s think, what do we like?" Zhang Xiao''bao knew that Wang Juan meant to ask what they liked doing when they were younger. He stood there thinking for a while, "Go to the grocery store and grab some of the gadgets that we collected and put them in various passages, and let them find them. If they find them, they can keep them. Today is Little New Year, let them be happy." "Okay, we should also get some food and wrap it in oiled paper. It is enough to just put a little bit in each package. Also, let Er''niu get some more straw balester, and then bring over the small shovels that we made." Wang Juan added in. At this time, Hu''zi, who went to find a dog, also came back. Zhang Xiao''bao exined how to prepare each part of the meat. Then, he also crawled through the straw and gauged the size of the space. He found that children would be able to crawl through the space, and finally felt satisfied. "Xiao''bao, it''s almost New Year. Would the Han family and the Yuan family make a move before this? Last time, the one named Han Wang''zhu didn''t even tell the Magistrate what method they nned to use on us. If we could find out about it earlier, we could be more prepared. What should we do if they make a move in these few days?" Looking outside, Wang Juan picked at the straw and asked Zhang Xiao''bao. "Do they dare to? If they make a move in the days before and after the New Year, I will make them regret being born into this world. If they don''t let me have a good New Year, I will make their days unliveable." Zhang Xiao''bao found that the most annoying thing was people causing trouble during the New Year. Those who are looking for trouble at this time are the most immoral, and they don''t want others to enjoy peace and quiet at the end of the year. "Just give him a catty of fungus. Didn''t someone give him money? Apart from giving him money, he won''t appreciate us no matter what gifts we give him. He even asked people to look at the wharf today. The water there is already frozen, right? After the New Year, let''s get people to start shaving the ice." Zhang Xiao''bao was still very clear about this kind of human nature, otherwise he would not be able to scheme against him and make him fall into the water. "It''s frozen. It''s been frozen from early on; much earlier than here. It''s not that cold this year, but it''s a bit windy. Did you forget that the ice at the wharf has been cleared a few times already? It''s good enough that we have persisted for this long. We should stop. Clearing the ice has led to several boats breaking. It snowedst night, so probably no boats wille today, since they would fear being trapped by the ice and unable to go back." Wang Juan spoke on the side. They just had to wait for two more days and they would be able to use the ice from the pool to make icenterns. The same could be done using the ice in the pond. "Hmm, I forgot. It''s a trivial thing, so I didn''t think about it. For the past few days, I''ve been thinking about how to plot against others. They could live their days well, yet they chose to cause troubles for us. These people." Zhang Xiao''bao sighed. Wang Juan suddenlyughed, "Now you find them troubling? When you conned others, why didn''t you think that others nned to live a good life? Comrade Zhang Xiao''bao, double standards are not allowed. Who''s fault is it that our life is too good, and others want their lives to be better, so they could only take from us. If we want a stable life, then it''s simple. We just need to hand over all of our methods, sell the wharf, and they won''t cause us any trouble. You''ve been thinking about this for so many days, have you figured out how to plot against them? We can''t always defend ourselves passively, we have to take the initiative to attack. " "Didn''t you say you won''t let me con others? You''re supporting me this time?" "I won''t let you deliberately con themon people, but they don''t count. You can''t con good people, but it''s fine to con bad people. They''re knocking on our door already. If we don''t show them our true power, then it''s a waste of your abilities." Wang Juan directlybeled them as bad people. Zhang Xiao''bao looked at Wang Juan''s angry face and heughed. Heid down on the grass, and said, "I came up with a few ns a long time ago. Some of them cannot be used though; the ns are too lethal, which is against the rules of the heavens. Originally, I nned to prepare an event for them during the New Years. But then I thought about it again. We should be more benevolent. Grievances should not be resolved during the New Year." "Hmm, that''s right. They are not on the same level as you at all. This is the power of knowledge umtion. Then let''s just watch them. If they don''t do anything, then let''s wait until after the New Year. We have great things to do. We shouldn''t care about them right now. Petty people are not true gentlemen, and it''s unmanly to be unbenevolent." Wang Juan was most at ease with Zhang Xiao''bao in this regard. Zhang Xiao''bao''s head was filled with all kinds of bad ideas. Not only was he a bad person, he was also a professional bad person. Only until they encounter some high-ranking officials from the Imperial Court, may they have real opponents. The two chatted back and forth, changing positions from time to time. Otherwise, if they stayed in one ce for a long time, the straw would be warm and the snow below would melt away. Time passed without them realizing it, and the children finally got off school. Today was Little New Year, and there was no ss in the afternoon. The children originally wanted to go home directly, but they were greeted by Xiao''hong and told to go to the field. The children''s minds were simple; they could be happy for the entire day with a little fun. When they came to the field, they saw the houses made of straw and the passages. They rushed over with loud hors. From the side, Xiao''hong shouted, "Don''t rush, I still have something else to say. The Young Master and Young Miss are also inside. Be careful, don''t hurt them. The master has prepared a lot of small things for you today; there''s also food. They''re all ced there. Go find it yourself. Whoever finds it gets to keep it. and these little shovels and baskets are also for you to y with." As soon as the children heard that there were that many other good items, they shouted even louder. They ran over to get some small shovels and the like, and then got inside. There were four entrances. When looking at it from the outside, it was hard to tell how to navigate the passages. After getting in, it was dark inside, and only a slight bit of light could enter from the outside, making it more difficult for children to judge the direction. This kind of mystery was also well liked by children. While crawling inside, they encountered a fork in the path. They could only see other people who were crawling from other ces, and they wouldugh or scare others when they met. Some children hid on purpose, just so that others can''t find them. There were fun items and food in there, making them feel that they can spend the night here, or even live in there forever. Two or three little girls gathered together. Holding those small buckets and other things, they found a ''small house'' next to them, and yed in the house. Normally, when they yed, they didn''t have such "professional" tools, let alone really edible food. Now that they had ingredients, they were able to eat it after they were done with "cooking". "It''s good. Let''s keep this ce for a while. Wait until spring plowinges before we demolish it. In fact, not only children, but adults are also willing to y this hide-and-seek like game. It''s actually the mysterious intrigue of an unknown ce, otherwise not many people would go on adventures. This year, I must dig out various tunnels below. It can be used as cers, and can also go from one ce to another without being seen by outsiders. We can perhaps connect the manor to the Between The Water And Clouds? " Seeing the children ying happily, Wang Juan also became interested. She hid at a fork in the passage and frightened the two other children. Sheughed, and talked to Zhang Xiao''bao. Zhang Xiao''bao recalled ying hide-and-seek with many of his brothers and sisters when the day began to turn a bit dark. He smiled and said, "Who knows how deep we would have to dig? The amount of work that needs to be done is not little. When those emperors died, the mausoleums that were build should be quite deep. We can ask others how these were dug, and then we will learn from them. Wang Juan nodded, and headed forward, humming a tune. Zhang Xiao''baoposed the lyrics "On the snow by the pond, the child is hollering winter..." Wang Juan crawled faster and seemed like she wanted to get away from Zhang Xiao''bao. Book 2: Chapter 117 Book 2: Chapter 117 The children on the manor didn''t need to be supervised by adults. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan yed with them for a while, and then they got ready to return home to eat. With the tools and the straw that Er''niu had brought over, these children found a new joy. They dug a hole in the snow outside andid the straw down to connect the area to those passages. After watching them y, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan crawled out. They looked at each other and smiled. They walked towards Wang Juan''s house while Xiao''hong and others followed behind. The children would naturally go home when they were tired of ying. "In summer, let''s build corridors and small canals here. That way, the children will have more fun ces to y. Having a ce to y in is a very fortunate thing." Zhang Xiao''bao looked at the children with a smile, which had never ceased, and he spoke with emotion. "Yeah, it''s the same for adults, otherwise why would people go traveling? There are also some private clubhouses. In fact, each of us wants to have a ce to ya space of our own that we can set up ording to our own ideas. That''s why small houses were set up next to the passages." Wang Juan was still excited. She felt that she had returned to her childhood days during that time. She looked at her little hand and said to Zhang Xiao''bao with a smile. Zhang Xiao''bao nodded, "Indeed, let''s go back and make a few more passages in our yard, and connect them together. We''ll y hide-and-seek with Shi''liu and the others." "No, don''t make it over there. It should be done outside. Once the corridor is built, build some small houses for the children to y in. We can also put some semi-finished small crafts in those houses plus some tools and they canplete it themselves. This can cultivate their interests. We can''t just make them study, otherwise they will all be nerds." Wang Juan thought of a better idea, and she began to describe what their future should be like. Make more dried tofu. I like eating roasted dried tofu wrapped with green onions and other vegetables or eating it directly with sauce. The children can cook by themselves. Just skewer the things with bamboo skewers and roast them. It''s fine as long as we make sure they don''t burn the food. In fact, there is no need to worry about this. Children who are a bit older are able to help out in the family. " Wang Juan was already hungry, and she didn''t eat anything while ying earlier. Hearing Zhang Xiao''bao talk about food, she swallowed and urged him, "Don''t talk anymore, let''s go, I''m even more hungry." * A pot that waspletely different from a Dong Lai Shun hotpot1 was ced on a rack, and the charcoal was burning below it. The fire was not so strong, and it was slowly warming the pot. The meat in the pot was cooked already and the broth was boiling. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan and Wang Juan''s family were sitting around the table. There were no other dishes except for this hot pot, mainly because it would affect the taste of the meat. Wang Juan''s family was very happy today. Looking at the two children, they helped the children pick up food from time to time. In particr, ever since Wang Juan''s grandfather heard that this meal was specially prepared for him, the corner of his mouth was always raised and he looked like a child. Sometimes he would dip the meat in the sauce and sometimes he would dip it in the salt and pepper. asionally, he would look at his grandson and granddaughter. This matter has been decided; once the two children grow up, they willplete their marriage. Then, he would eventually have great grandchildren. No one will be able to stop them since the two little kids'' rtionship was really good. "Grandpa, you should eat more green onions. This green onion was boiled in a broth that Xiao''bao used many different ingredients to make. It is not spicy at all, and it is good for the body." Wang Juan took a piece of green onion and ced it onto her grandpa''s te. This green onion had been cooked in a broth for a while, so it was soft and not so spicy. Eating it would wake up the mind and was good for the body. "Grandpa can live to be more than 100 years old. In the next few days, Xiao''bao and I have ns to prepare medicinal wine for Grandpa. You should drink a small cup of the wine in the morning and at night." Feeling the warmth of a home, Wang Juan chose nice words to say. She had decided she would first distill the wine, and if there was no other choice, she would simmer it. If that did not work, she could brew her own alcohol. Originally, she thought that alcohol was useless, so she never made it. Naturally, Zhang Xiao''bao also pretended to be a child and spoke words that made people happy. He didn''t forget to pick food for Wang Juan to eat. He ate less meat, drank a lot of soup, and ate a big pancake. Wang Juan''s family have watched the two children stick close to each other ever since they were little, and they also took care of each other. This made her family feel happier. They took more than two hours to finish the meal. Wang Juan''s grandfather even ate a bowl more than usual. The taste of rice soaked in meat soup was absolutely amazing. Under this kind of atmosphere, they finished eating lunch. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan also ate too much, and hand in hand, they walked outside to help digest their food. "These two children are so lovable, my husband. We will have peace of mind in the future. With these two children, we don''t need to think of ways to make money." Mother Wang watched Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan go out, and said to Father Wang beside her. Father Wang also had to admit the fact that the two children didn''t need others to worry about them. He replied, "Yes, now they have more money than us. Hehe, if I had this ability when I was young, then my father and mother would not have these ailments from working too hard." Seeing that his son wasining a little about himself, Wang Juan''s grandfather said from the side, "It was tiring, but which family is not like this? You have grown up, and then you had Juan''juan. It is all worth it. When you were little, your mother and I were worried that you were unable to grow up. Every single time you were slightly sick, we would be frightened to the point where we wouldn''t know what to do. This is all in the past though, all in the past. I need to live a few more years and wait for Juan''juan and Xiao''bao show me their filial piety." "Father, whose house is Juan''juan and Xiao''bao spending their New Year at?" Father Wang was perplexed when he thought of this. He couldn''t separate the two children. Last year''s New Year, they came here to eat first, and then went back in the evening. "Let''s see what Juan''juan and Xiao''bao have to say. They can be wherever they want, our houses are close to each other; just a few steps away. It''s not hard to see them." Wang Juan''s grandfather didn''t know what to do, so he could only let Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan decide. Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao''bao were also talking about this matter outside. They didn''t know how to celebrate the New Year. They both wanted to be with their families, and they had to stay upte on that night and there were a bunch of other affairs. Zhang Xiao''bao was talking about the New Year, when he suddenly thought of Magistrate Jia. During the New Year, there will always be firecrackers. Who wouldn''t want their house to be more lively? Furthermore, firecrackers were advertised to have the effect of warding off evil spirits. Wang Juan also thought of Magistrate Jia, and believed that Magistrate Jia''s household would also set off firecrackers. She said with a smile, "Let''s send more firecrackers to his house, so that he will remember us as soon as he sets them off, okay? The first batch of firecrackers has already been delivered to the county seat, and the second batch is on its way." * In the Administrative Office, Magistrate Jia sat in the study and listened to Song Yang talk. His eyes narrowed slightly, and it was hard to tell whether he was happy or something else. "My lord, there are no more ships over there today. They didn''t continue to break the ice, so I didn''t record anything down." Song Yang respectfully stood in front of Magistrate Jia. Magistrate Jia nodded. He went out this morning to give people items. In order to see the newly recruited bailiffs, he came back before noon. First, he wanted to see how Song Yang was and whether Song Yang had lied to him. However it turned out that there were no boats today, so he wasn''t able to infer anything. He still had to go over there in the afternoon though since there were twenty bailiffs there. He needed to check them one by one. "Is there anything else? Are the porters still there?" Magistrate Jia asked after thinking for a while. "My lord, the porters have already gone home for the New Year. I heard that the firecrackers are selling very well today. They were made by the Zhang family. They should be giving some to the Administrative Office too. My lord, this amount of money is not little. It''s not being sold in only our San''shui county. I heard that merchants from other ces have made deals with them already. Arge part of the firecrackers they transported here first have been taken away by boat. In the past two days, more may be transported bynd. As long as they are delivered to the ce before the night of the 30th, it will be fine. My lord, all of that is money. " Magistrate Jia was angry to begin with, but when he heard that the Zhang family were making more money, he finally couldn''t bear it any longer. He stood up and said, "Follow me to Tu''qiao Vige tomorrow to deliver New Year''s gifts to other people." Trantor''s Notes
  1. Dong Lai Shun hotpot
Dong Lai Shun is a famous restaurant in China that has over a hundred years of history. This is probably the type of pot that was being referenced to: Book 2: Chapter 118 Book 2: Chapter 118 Counting, counting, counting theing fortune, Going out of the west gate and looking to the east the winter''s snow, the bridge in the east, and the crowded market in the east. There were many people and the ce was noisy. The cheery New Year has arrived. People woke up just before dawn, which was not too early. Sellers carried their goods on their shoulders; selling New Year paintings, selling garlic nts, and selling rice cakes. The wind was tight, and the snow was still floating, floating, floating. Floating to the head and floating to the feet. Floating into the forest beautiful pines and conifers. In the distance, horses were neighing. Horses neighing, horses neighing, horses... so many horses havee. Who are these people? It was almost New Year, who ising here with a group? Zhang Xiao''bao was performing Counting Coming Fortune'' for Wang Juan when a lot of horses and two carriages were approaching. Zhang Xiao''bao stopped and stood there nkly watching. Wang Juan was also stunned. After a while, Wang Juan patted the snow off her head and stomped her feet. She said to Zhang Xiao''bao, "Maybe he didn''t prepare food for the New Year at his home and there isn''t much time left so he''s going to the Between the Water And Clouds to eat. But the Between the Water And Clouds is closed during New Year. Xiao''bao, do you think what I said is correct?" "I think it sounds about right. If not, then perhaps he doesn''t have a ce to stay at home and they came here to rent a few rooms at the market. Later, when totalling the cost, tell Xu''si and Er''gou to give them a discount. It''s not easy for them toe here from so far away." Zhang Xiao''bao also made guesses. Today was the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month. At the Between The Water And Clouds, there were only a dozen or so wanderers who lived far away. They couldn''t return home so they found a ce to live in the courtyard at the back of the restaurant. There was no one else there. The market was lively right now, but perhaps after two more days, no one woulde anymore. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan stood on the side of the bridge. They were wearing clothes so thick that they couldn''t stick their arms close to their bodies. Their arms were raised like they were penguins. They wore a round furry hat on their head. If its white color was changed to another color, then looking from a distance, people would believe the two were mushrooms two penguins with a mushroom cap. Shi''liu, Ying''tao, Xiao''hong, Er''niu and Hu''zi were standing beside them. Just when they wanted to hear more after listening to Zhang Xiao''bao talk about something amusing, people came over. Shi''liu quickly squatted down and hugged the two mushrooms. She said to Er Niu, who was beside them, "Go have a look." Er''niu and Hu''zi each took a child into their arms and ran. Shi''liu and the two others covered them. The people over there also saw the situation here. An old man looked at them andughed. He said, "The two most fun little children are the little masters of the Zhang and Wang families." Since it was still snowing, they could only see two small children, each being carried by a running person. By now, the two children could no longer be seen. They were blocked by the people who were holding them. A person got off a carriage and frowned while saying, "My lord, their family is so ignorant; they let the two children go outside just like that. Not to mention that there are no carriages, they should have sent more people to protect the children. If something goes wrong, it''s not enough for them to die a hundred times." Hearing this voice, it was obvious the speaker was a woman. She should be quite old; her clothes were neat and apart from a mink scarf around her neck, her outfit was not so fancy. The old manughed and said to this person, "What can go wrong? I heard that the two little children are smart, sensible and obedient. They have never cried since they turned one year old. They are not like other children who do not know things and keep causing trouble for the servants who are supervising them." "My lord, if the people on our side are bad people and we rush over to kidnap the two children, what''s the use of being sensible?" The woman seemed to disagree with the old man''s words. At this time, there was no need for the old man to speak. A guard next to him said aloud, "Aunt Wang, we would not be able to approach them. Look at the roof of the houses in the market. The houses have a tiny room on top of the roof. Inside that room is a person with a hunting bow that is pointed in our direction. Take another look at the people at the market. Do you see that quite a few people have left the crowd and have walked to the side of the road?" The woman listened to the guard and looked over there and it was just like how the guard described. Feeling puzzled, she asked, "So what?" "Aunt Wang, if we rushed over to the children just now, they would stop us. From the moment when the two children were picked up and they turned around to run, the people in the market moved. They are all residents from their manors. The two families'' residents are different from ordinary residents. They will fight to the death to protect their master." The guard exined again. "It''s enough to try to fight to the death? Even if they run back into the main yard, they could still be kidnapped. With so many of you, you still wouldn''t be able to approach them?" The woman continued. "Haha." The old man smiled and said, "If that''s the case, it doesn''t matter whether the childrene out to y or not. Let''s go, let''s go to The Between The Water And Clouds. I''m not feeling well these days. It''s New Year soon. You''re the most ignorant one." "Xiao''zao, look at those residents. They are all wearing the same clothes? Why did they think of making the same clothes for themselves? They look quite organized when dressed like that. With one nce, you can tell which one is a resident and which one is an outsider." One of the two maids whispered to the other, and pointed to the other side with her hand. The one called Xiao''zao also took a look and said curiously, "Really, it''s the same. Even the little baby is wearing it. I can''t see what it is made of? It shouldn''t be hemp, or it won''t be that color." The old man was not far away, and when he heard the two maids talking, he put away his stern demeanor and said to the two maids, "This is why Guard Pi said it would not be easy to approach them." Guard Pi immediately followed up, "What our lord said is correct. The masters of the Zhang and Wang families specially made clothes for their residents. Although it is not expensive, it is not that cheap. This year, they also made clothes for working and clothes for daily wear. When the children go to school, they would change into another set of clothing that is more loosely fitting. They even built houses for the residents, and on holidays, they would give them rice, flour and meat. They also helped their residents raise livestock and poultry, and helped them sell the farm animals. The residents'' life is not that differentpared to some small wealthy families. If someone tries to attack their little masters, how could the residents not fight to their death?" "Ah? They''re that nice to their residents? Then, are they even nicer to the servants in the house? Da''zao, how different do you think the servants are treatedpared to the servants of our household?" Xiao''zao opened her mouth in surprise. Da''zao didn''t dare to ask the old man, so she could only ask Guard Pi next to her, "Brother Pi, tell us about the affairs of their house. Do they normally get rewarded with a few coins?" "This...I don''t know either." Guard Pi shook his head and looked at the other person next to him. This man was not a guard; he was dressed like a student. Seeing the guard looking over, he said, "I know a little about this, and it took me a lot of days to find out. The servants in their house are divided into several different grades. The servants are simr to the servants in other houses. All servants sign life-long contracts. They are usually paid monthly, depending on the star ranking. I didn''t find out how much was given maximally, but I hear that they are given at least one hundred coins a month. There are also a few special ones that I know of, such as those two people who just left with their two little masters. One of them is named Ying''tao; she''s responsible for hatching the chicken eggs. Normally, if she ever needs to leave the house to do errands, people would follow her. That hairpin in her hair is worth at least seventy strings of coins. The other one is named Shi''liu. She has two bracelets on her hands; together, the two bracelets are worth at least three hundred taels. There is another man who has left and has note back yet his name is Song Jing''gong. He is also a schr. I can''t tell what his family background is like. At the Little Luo''shui, he is known to be a man of his words. If he wants to eat a meal, countless merchants will take the initiative to pay for his meal. If he wants to travel around, countless talented people will follow him around. " "So much money, Da''zao. We can''tpare ourselves to others. Bracelets worth three hundred taels, a hairpin worth seventy strings of coins. If we can work in the Zhang and Wang families'' house, then with what we know, we..." "Huh?" Before Xiao''zao finished speaking, Aunt Wang turned her head back and red at her. "Aunt Wang, I''m talking nonsense." Only then did Xiao''zao realize that she said something that shouldn''t be said. "Humph! You don''t respect the rules. The Zhang and Wang families also don''t respect the rules. How could servants have hairpins and bracelets? Thinking about this all day, can you still do things? Can she still do work while wearing bracelets worth three hundred taels? Raise her nothing?" Aunt Wang started to nitpick at problems. She didn''t know that Shi''liu didn''t need to do too much work and that she only needed to take good care of the wood fungus and white fungus. Compared with the goods in the warehouse, the two bracelets were nothing. The two maids didn''t dare to speak anymore. They looked at the side across the Little Bridge with envious eyes, then quickly turned back and walked with their heads lowered. Xiao''zao looked at her bare wrists as she walked, and looked up a hairpin that was worth five strings of coins on Dazao''s head. She used to be envious of Da''zao because of that hairpin. Now she pouted her lips even more. As soon as they walked into The Between The Water And Clouds, Guard Pi moved closer to the old man, "My lord, are you really going to celebrate the New Year here? What about your family...?" "I sent people to go pick up my family already. My health is getting worse and worse. Spending New Years there, I have to wee others and send people off. After being busy, there would be nothing else to do, so I might as welle here to have a leisurely time. After the New Year, I n to retire and return home." The old man sighed, tried to straighten his waist, and said helplessly. Guard Pi naturally knew that the old man''s body was truly in bad condition. Looking at The Between The Water and Clouds, he thought that the scenery here was better, and the food was not that different from any big restaurant in the capital, and there was a special yard in the back, which also felt nice. However, he suddenly thought of something, and asked again, "My lord, it''s New Year, and others have gone home, so who will cook for my lord? Is it possible that our family''s servants can use the restaurant''s kitchen?" Book 2: Chapter 119 Book 2: Chapter 119 When the old man heard the guard''s words, he stopped moving for a brief moment and then he continued walking again. He didn''t say anything. Once the group entered a room on the second floor, the old man said to the waiter, "During the Chinese New Year, are all of you returning home?" The waiter thought that someone wasing to order food, but after he heard what the person wanted to ask about, he replied, "My lord, we will be returning home. I am a servant from the inner courtyard of the Zhang manor. By then, there will be a lot of firecrackers in the courtyard and I will be rewarded with money." The waiter knew this old man. Last time, Housekeeper Zhang also referred to him as "my lord" so the waiter did the same. This waiter was the most clever waiter on the entire second floor. This time he answered honestly and did not insert words like man'' into his speech when he opened his mouth. "How much is the reward? How about we give you double the pay to keep all of you working at the Between The Water and Clouds?" Aunt Wang asked arrogantly. She only thought about how herself and the others were here to celebrate the New Year, but she didn''t expect that other people''s New Year celebration was not just about money. Perhaps she was wondering why she couldn''t return home for the New Year and thought that others would be the same as herself. The waiter showed an embarrassed expression. Seeing everyone staring at him, he forced out a reply, "My lord and other guests, this is not a matter of money. I also have a family, and I also want to have a New Year''s Eve dinner with my family. I also have to..." "We''re asking you, how much money." Xiao''zao asked. She didn''t actually want to prevent people from going home for the New Year; she just wanted to ask how much money this person, who''s from the inner courtyard, would earn working here.posted on The servant lowered his head and made some calctions. He raised his head back up and said in a low voice, "I''m actually not supposed to tell you, but since my lord has asked, then I will tell you. It''s not much. I get fifty coins monthly, and after working for the past few days, the total will be a few hundred coins." Xiao''zao and Da''zao nced at each other after hearing the number. Both showed a relieved expression. The money was not much. The two of them earn more than 80 coins a month, and they are rewarded with money too, so by the end of the year, they were able to save up two to three strings of coins. Just when the two of them felt relieved, the waiter continued, "This is the monthly sry. The reward can be a little more than the sry. The work I do is somewhat favored by my master, so it is around 120 strings of coins and there are also other gifts like fabric, meat and others." "How much? How much money does the Between The Water and Clouds earn in a year? You''re given 120 strings of coins? What are you thinking?" Aunt Wang was no longer as calm as before, and she suddenly stood up. The waiter smiled bitterly and replied honestly, "I don''t know how much money the Between The Water and Clouds earns, but this is indeed the amount of reward I get. Sometimes it is even more than that. Yesterday, Housekeeper Zhang just told me that next summer, I can be the shopkeeper of another location." The waiter understood in his heart that he was given this much money because he did a good job handling the people who wanted to cheat the manor. He said that it was 120 strings of coins, but in fact it was much more. When his master rewarded them, it was plentiful and was nevercking. He reported an amount of money to them, but the amount was definitely not that little. Da''zao and Xiao''zao stared at the waiter with a pair of eyes that contained many meanings. They were trying to see if this waiter looked different from ordinary people. One hundred and twenty, and other gifts. What did the waiter do? Was his job not just serving food and saying a few words? Why was he given so much? Why? At this time, Housekeeper Zhang, who had received the letter, hurried over. He heard that it was some lord who had been here previously, so he didn''t dare to neglect. When he entered the room, he saw the waiter''s honest appearance and everyone else had their eyes on the waiter. "My lord, you''re here? I didn''t expect to see you before the New Year. I''ll give you an early New Year''s greeting then." Housekeeper Zhang didn''t know what was going on, so he spoke up first. At the same time, he looked at the waiter. He felt that it was unlikely that the waiter had offended them since he was the best waiter in the restaurant. "Don''t be in a hurry to give me New Year''s greetings. We will be able to meet again when that dayes. This waiter here, his words seem to be untrue." The old man smiled and looked at Housekeeper Zhang as he spoke. Housekeeper Zhang was stunned for a moment. In his mind, he thought, of course his words are untrue, that waiter speaks humannguage when he talks to humans, and speaks ghostnguage when he speaks to ghosts. If the waiters are honest, then the Between The Water And Clouds would be doomed. However, he could not say this. He red at the waiter and shouted at him, "Zhang Liang, how dare you deceive our lord? Your 120 strings of coin reward for this year is gone." "Yes, Housekeeper Zhang, I admit punishment." The waiter was also smart and knew why Housekeeper Zhang said that. He held back hisugh, replied respectfully, and looked sad. "So it turns out to be like that. My lord, although Zhang Liang appears to be quite clever, he is the most honest kind of person. He will answer whatever you ask him. He even offended a lot of people because of this. The second floor is quiet and there are fewer people. We arranged for him to work on the second floor so that he won''t offend many people.." Housekeeper Zhang immediately replied back and then said to the waiter, "Why haven''t you thank the lord for speaking up for you? When noones, go home and visit your mom first. Yesterday, the master household sent someone to make a medicinal recipe for her. Your mother has arthritis in her legs. Go to Warehouse No. 5 to retrieve the items, and let your mom soak in it. Also get a ginseng and a chicken, cut two pieces, bring it back and let Chef Ni cook it for your family to eat. You keep offending people; you should think about your family. " "Thank you Housekeeper Zhang, thank Young ...I will do a good job in the future.." The waiter naturally knew who these items were supposed to be given to. Warehouse No. 5 belonged to their Young Master and the Young Miss. With the medicine, his mother will feel better. Just now, the old man and the others were surprised when they heard that the waiter''s yearly reward money was 120 strings of coins, and this time, they were surprised again. What does the waiter do? Just now, Housekeeper Zhang was condemning him, but in a blink of an eye, he was giving him medicine, ginseng, and even chicken. The lowest quality ginseng costs more than ten strings of coins. It seemed like he intended to give the waiter an entire ginseng. He wanted the waiter to cut the ginseng into slices and eat it slowly. Aunt Wang pinched her leg with her hand and grinned in pain. Now she was certain that this was not a dream. She looked at Housekeeper Zhang and asked, "You are the housekeeper of the Zhang manor? You can casually give your subordinates things? You don''t need to ask your master first? You don''t need to ask your madam? Are you doing this behind their backs?" Housekeeper Zhang didn''t know who this was. He wondered how the Zhang family''s affairs had anything to do with others. Why are you trying to manage me? After thinking about this, he asked, "My lord, this is ...?" "Oh, this, this person is someone who came here with me. We n to spend the New Year here. We''re not going back. Just now we were discussing with the waiter to get everyone to stay here to do work. Do you think that is okay?" The old man red at Aunt Wang and then replied to Housekeeper Zhang. "Why were you able to make decisions just earlier when you gave the waiter ginseng?" Aunt Wang asked with a quiet voice. However, her voice could still be heard by the people around her. She didn''t dare to raise her head because she was afraid of the old man. Housekeeper Jia was also curious about these people. This old man probably gave them a little help in the Capital. A few days ago, two officials from the Capital came over to ask for his master''s calligraphy . The Emperor''s Nephew hasn''t used his power yet and Magistrate Cheng didn''t have a firm footing yet, so it was impossible for them to get two sixth-rank officials toe over. Thus, Housekeeper Zhang decided he could tell him. "My lord, previously, I was not allowed to manage these kinds of things. Later, when the family became more rich, there were more matters to be busy with. Our Madam manages the household, and the Young. Our master and old master feared that our Madam would be overworked, so they gave me some power to manage Warehouse No. 5. For items that do not exceed 20 strings of coins, I can make the decision. Each time, it would be recorded down into the ount and the ount will be checked once a month. As long as there are no mistakes, then it is fine. The ginseng was bought for 13 strings of coins it was traded for using pork. The chicken was raised ourselves, so it only costs a few dozen coins. The medicine was instructed by the master. The total adds up to less than 14 strings of coins, so I am able to make the decision myself. Zhang Liang''s mother had arthritis in her legs because of working for our master when she was younger. Zhang Liang is the youngest child in his family, and he has two older brothers. His oldest brother broke his leg when working for our Master and he''s now doing some carpentry work in the master''s house. My lord, how could our master not take care of a person like this? Our master would usually say that without us, then no Zhang family today. My decision to do this did not break the rules." After Housekeeper Zhang said all of this, everyone was silent. Zhang Liang lowered his head, his eyes were red. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, and said to Housekeeper Zhang, "Housekeeper Zhang, I will definitely work hard in the future. I will not embarrass our master. Even if I die, I will also protect our master''s safety." When the servant was being grateful towards his master for being kind to servants, Aunt Wang muttered, "What if something went wrong?" "Shut your mouth. Even if something went wrong with the Zhang family, what does it have to do with you? Back then you...sigh~! Look at us now. The Zhang family has money and people. Last time, when this old man came here, this waiter was there to serve him, and he didn''t leak any words and did things responsibly. The people from the Seedling Protection Team are not bad too. The abilities of a master who teaches their servant to act like this must be average. If even a servant is like this, then how will the housekeeper be any different? If something goes wrong, the Zhang family will take care of it. Could it be that you see this ce as your home? As a housekeeper, you''re taking advantage of your family''s status so that you can manage other family''s affairs? " The old man was angry at this time, and he taught Aunt Wang a lesson. Aunt Wang did not dare to say anything, and almost knelt down in fright. Da''zao and Xiao''zao stuck out their tongues on the side, with a mocking scared expression. Their lord was angry now. Usually he didn''t put up a stern demeanor when he went out, but now things are bad. The future days will be difficult. Housekeeper Zhang was a little puzzled. It seemed that something was going on between the Zhang family and the old woman who was talking. Could it be...? Housekeeper Zhang suddenly remembered something, but he was not sure. It seemed that he had to go back and tell his master and madam. He also had to tell his Young Master and Young Miss. These people are not going after my Young Master and Young Miss, right? Book 2: Chapter 120 Book 2: Chapter 120 Housekeeper Zhang said a couple more words, then he left Zhang Liang behind to continue serving the guests and he hurried home. He also made a mental note of the appearance of the woman who always wanted to boss him around. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were ying checkers with Madam Zhang-Wang. The three of them each had their own color on the wood-carved checkerboard, and they were ying to their heart''s content. A few days following Madam Zhang-Wang''s first exposure to this kind of checker game, her ying skills were not much different from Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. In the current game, she had a slight upper hand. Zhang Xiao''bao sat there cross-legged with one hand on hisp, ready to pick up checker pieces at any time. He rested his chin on the other hand, frowning while calcting carefully. Wang Juan muttered about taking steps. Madam Zhang- Wang moved her checker pieces with ease, and asionally, she would nce at her son and daughter-inw''s adorable appearance.posted on When Housekeeper Zhang arrived, Madam Zhang-Wang had five more moves until she was finished. If Wang Juan does not preemptively move the piece that is supposed to be moved in the sixth step, Zhang Xiao''bao could use her piece to help him finish the game within five moves. That way, Wang Juan would lose. Wang Juan looked at Zhang Xiao''bao''s nervous appearance andughed. She reached out to grab that checker piece and immediately, Zhang Xiao''bao said, "You should know how to sacrifice yourself and protect your teammates." "I do know how to, but you''re not my teammate. Right now, there are three forces. It is fine if I stay in the middle. You can take your eight steps slowly, hah." Wang Juan still picked up the checker piece. "Madam, you are here? And Young Master and Young Miss too? In addition to the lord I metst time, I met another person who looked to be in her fifties. She has a small scar below her left eye, and when she talks, her right eye blinks twice every time. Her hair is twisted up and secured in ce with a wooden hairpin. The hairdo is the Feng Chao Tian1 style. She always touches her left index finger with her right hand. Her nose" "No need to continue on. I know already. They came here this early? I thought they wouldn''te until after my husband had passed the entrance examination. Housekeeper Zhang, get people to serve them well. Don''t let my husband know; that will disturb his studying. Do you understand?" Madam Zhang-Wang didn''t wait for Housekeeper Zhang to finish, as she already knew who that person was. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She regained her calm before instructing Housekeeper Zhang to not tell Father Zhang. Housekeeper Zhang replied immediately, "I understand, Madam. I won''t let the master know, but paper can''t keep the fire contained. Madam, there is one more thing, that lord said that he wanted to celebrate the New Year here, and he wanted the workers at the Between The Water And Clouds Restaurant to stay there to keep working. They can''t go home on the 30th. I didn''t dare to make any promises."posted on "Oh, this matter. Not all of the workers at Between The Water And Clouds are from our Zhang and Wang families; there are also people from the Ge family too. How many people are there?" Madam Zhang-Wang thought about this and realized that it was not easy to handle. She already knew who those people were, but she couldn''t go over there immediately. It was better to dy the meeting until the imperial examination was over. "Mother, there are still a few days before the New Year. There''s no rush; think about it slowly. Even if there are no people from the Ge family, there will be enough people from the Zhang Wang families. However, it''s not good to not let them go home for the New Year. We have to think carefully." Zhang Xiao''bao spoke at this time. He didn''t ask his mother who those people were and how they were rted to the family. He saw that his mother was conflicted in this matter, so he didn''t want to bring it up. Wang Juan also nodded, and at the same time reached out to stop Zhang Xiao''bao''s hand that wanted to mess up the checkerboard. "Madam, why don''t we just do as the Young Master said and wait a few more days. Oh, there are fifty-five people in total. I don''t know if anyone else wille." Housekeeper Zhang originally wanted to talk to the Young Master, but now he saved the trouble of making an extra trip. Madam Zhang-Wang nodded, "Then do as he said. Housekeeper Zhang has worked hard." Housekeeper Zhang humbly said, and left to make the arrangements. Madam Zhang-Wang stared at the chessboard for a few seconds, and was about to make a move when Zhang Xiao''bao suddenly said, "Mother, Juan''juan and I are tired, so we won''t y anymore. Mother, you should also go rest." Madam Zhang-Wang nced at her son. She patted her son''s head, and said, "Okay, Xiao''bao and Juan''juan should go rest. I will also take a nap. I have such a good son and a good daughter-inw, so I don''t need to worry so much and do much." "Yeah, you don''t need to worry. Our family has money,nd, and official titles. When father passes the examination, let''s see who will dare to look down on our family. Mother, Juan''juan and I will take our leave." Zhang Xiao''bao casually said a few words and then he dragged Wang Juan out of the door and towards their yard. "Xiao''bao is so smart." Looking at her son and future daughter-inw, Madam Zhang-Wang breathed a sigh of relief. Her worries disappeared when her son said thatst sentence. *posted on "Xiao''bao, are those people a rtive of your family? Your mother doesn''t want to see them. Did they bully your family before?" Wang Juan asked as she followed Zhang Xiao''bao down the path. "Who knows? It doesn''t matter who they are. The important thing is that this ce belongs to the Zhang and Wang manors. No matter whoes, they have to act ording to our rules." Zhang Xiao''bao said disdainfully. No matter who came, the Zhang manor was still the Zhang manor. Even if the Emperor came here himself, he wouldn''t be able to seize it. Seeing that Zhang Xiao''bao was not worried about the affairs that involved themselves, Wang Juan was not anxious too. She kicked a pebble on the path that was next to her, and asked, "Then have you decided who should stay at the Between The Water And Clouds to serve them? Didn''t two sixth-rank officialse to ask for your father''s thingsst time? It should be the old man''s doing." "I haven''t decided yet. There''s no rush, there are still so many days left. Sometimes inspirationes, and then I will know what to do. Don''t always make me think about it by myself. You can also help me think about it too." When Zhang Xiao''bao was talking, he also thought about how to handle this matter. That old man was quitepetent. He was so old, yet he still came here for the New Year. It would be bad if they don''t take good care of him. How should he arrange this task? Who wouldn''t want to be home during the New Year? "I know. Xiao''bao, how about this, let''s let the workers at the Between The Water And Clouds take turns. For example, on the night of the 30thst year, we went to my house to eat first, like and then we went home. The workers can do the same. On the 30th, those that have given their New Year greetings can work, and those that haven''t can go home." Wang Juan gave an idea, and she thought it was a good idea. This was only an issue here since during her time, no one cared about the New Year. There were always people in her work ce who were willing to stay. Zhang Xiao''bao thought about it and was about to nod, but then stopped, "No, there should be a better way. Let''s go back and think slowly. I like to think about things while eating, and I wille up with an idea as I eat." * While Zhang Xiao''bao was thinking about how to have a good New Year celebration this year, Magistrate Jia was thinking about how to make the Zhang Manor have a bad New Year. He heard about the firecrackers yesterday and calcted the possible money he could earn. He wasn''t able to contain his anger. RIght after he woke up in the morning, he asked some bailiffs that he bribed to and the other bailiffs to load a carriage with the items bought from the Zhang manor and they headed to the Tu''qiao Vige. By afternoon, there was still a long way to go until they reached the Tu''qiao Vige. A burst of firecrackers was heard. Magistrate Jia lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked over in the direction of the noise. He saw that in a small vige up ahead, there was an adult with a small child letting firecrackers off. The sound of the firecrackersted for a long time. It was wrapped several times around the tree, and it barely touched the ground.posted on The crackling sound made his ears ring. The carriage traveled another several dozen meters but themotion still had not stopped. "Bailiff Tong, tell me, how many times did the firecrackers explode just now?" Magistrate Jia waited for the sound of the firecrackers to end, and he pressed his ears with his hands and gagged. Then, he shouted out. He didn''t call out to Song Yang. He felt that he should hide his actions and use the people he bribed only in critical moments. If he acts too close to those people on a normal basis, it will be easy to raise people''s suspicions. The bailiff came to the carriage and spoke respectfully to the person in the carriage, "My lord, I think it was 20,000 times2. It is cheap. The more you buy, the cheaper it will be. The ones at the Administrative Office explode 300,000 times. Some of them will explode in the sky. If my lord wants to, my lord can light the firecrackers yourself." "Ah, it''s cheap? But setting them off like that still wastes money. Can a few buckets of rice be exchanged for a firecracker?" Magistrate Jia''s felt slightly better now. He tried to figure out how many items firecrackers could be exchanged for. "What my lord said is correct. A lot of rice can be exchanged. But that manor has the extra money and they are willing to buy firecrackers to set them off. It''s not like we can prohibit them from setting it off, can we? If we don''t let them set off these ones, they will still have to set off other firecrackers when the timees. 1,000 explosions is 22 coins, 10,000 explosions is 190 coins. 20,000 explosions is around 350 to 360 coins." Bailiff Tong continued talking, and estimated the price of the firecrackers. After hearing this, Magistrate Jia felt even more ufortable. He silently calcted. Ordinary people should buy at least one 100-explosion firecracker during the New Year, right? That is three coins. How many households are there in the county? There are more than 9,000 households registered at the Administrative Office. How much money can the Zhang Manor make? What about the ones who bought more? There are also those restaurants. Now they are used to setting off firecrackers. When they open after the new year, they will have to set off a lot too. ording to this estimation, they can earn thousands of strings of coins from firecrackers alone. This is a pessimistic estimation too. Outsiders would alsoe here to buy firecrackers. The Zhang Manor''s firecrackers are constantly being shipped out. How are the firecrackers made? Taking it apart, it should be sulfur and charcoal, and the other ingredient should be saltpeter, but the problem is that when I found someone to replicate it, there was no sound at all. This recipe seems to be the most crucial. There must be something else in it. No, I cannot let the Zhang Manor continue to make money. I need toe up with a n quickly. Next year, people from other ces will know about this thing and they wille here and buy it. Wouldn''t they make more money then? Ah, the money. "Bailiff Tong, get them to travel faster. This is too slow. How will there be time to deliver things to people when we arrive there?" Worried, Magistrate Jia urged. The speed of the team quickened hastened, and Bailiff Tong also followed by the side and tried to persuade Magistrate Jia who was in the carriage, "Don''t worry, my lord. Didn''t you say you are staying here for the night? You can deliver the gifts tomorrow during the day."
  1. Feng Chao Tian
Lit trans, phoenix facing the sky. This is the closest example that I could find, 2. Exploding an ''x'' number of times The number of explosion times refers to the number of firecracker tubes bundled together. The more numerous the tubes, the longer the firecracker will go off. Book 2: Chapter 121 Book 2: Chapter 121 The team went straight to a vige next to Tu''qiao Vige. This was where Magistrate Jia wanted to deliver the gifts. Some of the gifts were also supposed to be delivered to the Li Manor too, where there were also a few households living in poor conditions. Magistrate Jia resisted the urge to go find Han Wang''zhu directly. Together with the bailiffs, he started to deliver the items to the poor people in the vige. Seeing the people kneeling and kowtowing while bursting into tears after they received the items, Magistrate Jia felt a little better, even though he had bought those items at a high price from the Zhang manor. Once they finished giving the gifts to this vige''s vigers, Magistrate Jia did not n to immediately go to the vige next to the Li manor to deliver goods. He ordered the bailiffs to go straight to the Between The Water And Clouds. He did not go upstairs to eat, and instead, together with four bailiffs, he went to the area Han Wang''zhu lived in. Of these four bailiffs, two of them were bought by Magistrate Jia, and Magistrate Jia intended to confront the other twoter in the future. As soon as Magistrate Jia entered the yard, Han Wang''zhu greeted him as if he had known ahead of time. Magistrate Jia arranged for the two bailiffs that he had not bribed yet to stay at the entrance, and he led the other two to the outside of the house, letting the two guard there. This time, Magistrate Jia and Han Wang''zhu were extra careful. They didn''t even n to talk aloud. After exchanging a few words of greetings, Han Wang''zhu took out a brush, and the two of them wrote on the paper while covering each other. "Magistrate Jia, why are you here today?" Han Wang''zhu wrote on the paper. "The Zhang manor has made money again by selling firecrackers. However, I don''t know how the firecrackers are made. When I got people to replicate them, they failed." Magistrate Jia also wrote. Han Wang''zhu nodded. He thought about it, and wrote on the paper, "What does my lord wish? You don''t want them to continue selling firecrackers?" "No, we should think of another method. Don''t you already have an idea? Say it, and I will do it." Magistrate Jia was not stupid. He knew that he can''t stop people from selling things, mainly because the bailiffs won''t listen to him. He couldn''t transfer troops from other ces. Unless the Zhang family manor hasmitted a serious matter, he won''t dare to go to the people supporting him from behind for help. Han Wang''zhu hesitated when he saw what Magistrate Jia wrote, and after a while he wrote, "It''s too early. It''s better to not do it during the New Year, so as not to cause trouble." Magistrate Jia felt aggrieved again. He didn''t know how to make a choice. Should he make a move or wait for a bit? Magistrate Jia wiped his sweat covered forehead. He gritted his teeth and wrote on the paper, "We can''t wait any longer. Longer nights are filled with more dreams. Come up with a n and then I will execute it myself." "My lord, do you want to reconsider this again?" Han Wang''zhu persuaded again. "No need." Magistrate Jia insisted. "Alright, someone will hand over the details to my lord tomorrow. Don''t let anyone else see it." After learning that Magistrate Jia wanted to make a move during the New Year, Han Wang''zhu had no other choice. This n required Magistrate Jia''s help so he had to make this kind of arrangement. Magistrate Jia didn''t continue to write this time. He nodded earnestly. Perhaps because the final moment wasing, he felt a little scared. However, he was primarily excited because he finally had the opportunity to suppress the Zhang and Wang families. Even if he couldn''t defeat the two manors with one blow, he at least could gain more benefits for himself. Everything now depended on what the two Han and Yuan manors nned to do. Magistrate Jia took a deep breath. He picked up the paper that they wrote on and lit it on fire with a fire striker. After watching these pieces of paper turn to ashes, he smothered it with his feet and he felt relieved. He was really scared. If this news spreaded to the Zhang manor again, he could not imagine what they would do to him. With this n in his mind, Magistrate Jia knew that he could not turn back. He chatted with Han Wang''zhu for a bit, got up and left the house. When he saw the two bailiffs standing at the door, he said to them, "Don''t tell anyone about what Brother Han and I talked about." The two bailiffs looked nkly at Magistrate Jia, and nodded under his gaze. Magistrate Jia said this on purpose. Any useful information was written down with a brush, and it was fine if others heard the conversation they had aloud. He nned to get the bailiffs to form a habit from now on. "My lord, walk slowly." When Han Wang''zhu sent Magistrate Jia to the gate of the courtyard, he said goodbye. After Magistrate Jia''s figure disappeared in the distance, Han Wang''zhu did not dare to dy at all. He found the horse in the yard, jumped onto it and rode the horse to the Han manor. Magistrate Jia left the yard. He couldn''t tell what his mood was. He always wanted to go over to the Little Bridge to have a look at that side, but he felt a bit guilty. He kept walking, and unknowingly came to Between The Water And Clouds. He didn''t go up to the second floor. Instead, he casually found a ce on the first floor next to the window. He opened the window and stared at the snow that was still falling outside. "Magistrate, what would you like to eat?" Magistrate Jia didn''t say anything, and the bailiff did not say anything, but the waiter had to speak. He asked in a low voice. "Whatever. You can serve anything. This falling snow is nice. It should snow more and more heavily." It seemed like Magistrate Jia was a little crazy. The waiter was stunned for a moment, and immediately said "Okay, my lord, I''ll go prepare it for you." "My lord, it''s been snowing the whole time. Could it be that you can tell that the day will turn sunny?" Feeling puzzled, Bailiff Tong asked. Magistrate Jia made a mysterious expression and waved his hand dismissively while saying, "No, it would snow more heavily. Regardless of whether it is snowy or sunny, the days in the San''shui County will change." Magistrate Jia believed that the Han and Yuan manors would definitely help him a lot. Those two manors were not worse than the Zhang and Wang manors. In fact, they were even more powerful. At least, they became wealthy much earlier than the Zhang and Wang families. The Zhang and Wang families have not risen to the top for a long time, so they couldn''tpare to those two families at all. After Magistrate Jia finished speaking, he noticed that the bailiff next to him didn''t make a sound, so he said again, "Wouldn''t it be better if the day changes?" "It is good if my lord says it it. With the heavy snow, there will be enough water for the winter wheat, and we don''t have to worry if it doesn''t rain. The wheat will grow first." Bailiff Tong replied on the side. Magistrate Jia stopped talking at this time, and looked back and forth at the bailiffs who had not been bought by him yet. In particr, he looked at Bailiff Tong for a longer time. Every single time Bailiff Tong looked back at Magistrate Jia with a puzzled expression, Magistrate Jia wouldugh. The food was served, and the wine was warm, but Magistrate Jia still didn''t speak and he didn''t eat. It wasn''t until these bailiffs looked at him with confusion did Magistrate Jia pick up his chopsticks and pick the food. He said to the bailiffs, "Eat. This food and drink doesn''t cost money. I need to thank the Zhang manor. All of you should be more grateful to them too, don''t you agree, Bailiff Tong?" "What my lord has said is correct. In fact, we bailiffs should be grateful to my lord. After my lord took office, you did noty off us and allowed us to keep earning our sries. Because of this, my family is able to live a good life. My lord, a toast to you." Bailiff Tong knew that Magistrate Jia went to see the Han family today. Seeing Magistrate Jia''s act like this, he knew that they havee up with a n to scheme against the manor. Right now the Magistrate was happy, so Bailiff Tong had to go along with his words. As for how things would end were there anyone who were able to beat the Zhang manor? They had a mastermind keeping a watch on them. Magistrate Jia looked at the bailiff''s slightly nervous expression, and he felt more and more confident that he would seed this time. He picked up the wine and said, "In the future, San''shui County will be better than it is now, and the people will no longer have to starve and freeze. The houses of those people that we saw today had leaking roofs. Bailiff Tong,ter, go find some people to repair them." Bailiff Tong also noticed that today. It was true that some people''s houses have not been repaired well. However, it was not leaking. It''s just that when people cook in the house, there is no chimney for smoke to escape from, so the smoke just seeps through the roof and the y had cracks. After finishing speaking, Bailiff Tong was about to call two people over, when he suddenly thought of something. He specifically ordered the people who were "bribed" by Magistrate Jia. Including himself, they formed a group of four. Just as he was about to leave, Magistrate Jia suddenly said, "Bailiff Tong, I think there are other bailiffs that can do a better job. How about you choose someone else." When Magistrate Jia spoke, he pointed his finger at a few people he had not bribed before. He secretly thought to himself in his mind, it seems that the people I have bribed were really being ostracized.As soon as there was work to do, they would have to work, and the Zhang family gave them very less. It was a given that Bailiff Tong would not refute. He called the people Magistrate Jia pointed and left. Magistrate Jia smiled. He took arge piece of meat, and chewed it vigorously in his mouth. * The news of Magistrate Jia visiting Han Wang''zhu was quickly spread to Zhang Xiao''bao. Listening to what the messenger said, the two of them were surprised that they exchanged messages through writing. Not knowing the specific content, Zhang Xiao''bao nodded and said, "Okay. Surely enough, they couldn''t wait any longer. They want to cause trouble for us during the New Year. If that is the case, then I will cooperate with them. Everyone in the manor has to strengthen their defenses. Hmm, also, send someone to the outside of the Han and Yuan manors to keep an eye on them. That''s it for now. Let''s wait for them to make a move." "Xiao''bao, why don''t you teach Magistrate Jia a lesson before the have a chance to make a move? It''s better to take the initiative." Wang Juan listened on the side. She felt that this Magistrate Jia didn''t know how to behave like a decent human. He just had to pick this timing. Zhang Xiao''bao shook his head slightly, "It we want to create trouble for him right now, then it has to be something really big and could immediately drive him away. But if that is done, the people of San''shui County will also have a bad New Year. We should wait a bit. Everyone is having a hard time. It''s New Year, we should all be more happy and lively." After Zhang Xiao''bao said that, he suddenly added on happily, "I know how to let the waiters have a good year." Book 2: Chapter 122 Book 2: Chapter 122 In winter, everywhere was white with snow; the wind came swiftly; the cold was not a mood; whoever said helplessness, flowers will naturally bloom. Zhang Manor''s plum blossoms had begun to bloom a few days ago. However, not as many bloomed today. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan got up early in the morning, wrapped themselves up in thick clothing, and ran to the bushes beside the plum blossoms. In order to be able to smell the fragrance of the flowers, the two of them paid extra attention to their noses and covered their noses as tightly as possible. When they got there, they took off the satin cloth in front of their faces and inhaled strongly. "Xiao''bao, do you smell it?" Wang Juan asked Zhang Xiao''bao with a look of intoxication on her face. Zhang Xiao''bao was also working hard to inhale through his nose, and after a while, he said, "Do you want to hear the truth or the lie?" "Let''s hear the lie first." Wang Juan was still intoxicated. Zhang Xiao''bao warmed his nose which had turned red due to inhaling in the cold air just now, "It''s so fragrant, it makes people feel that this smell could not be described in anynguage, I smell a strong persevering aura, and the smell has be an unforgettable memory in my life. I can smell the fragrance from ancient times, I can smell..." "It''s time to tell the truth." Wang Juan interrupted Zhang Xiao''bao''s lyricism. "The truth is, the ce where we are both standing is upstream of the wind. Snowkes that mixed in with the wind brush across our backs, allowing the white-pink plum blossoms gracefully sway, bringing the breath of spring, taking away the flowers'' pollen, taking away..." "There are two more days until the New Year. Today is the 28th of the twelfth lunar month. Could it be that Magistrate Jia ns to make a move? They won''t pick the 30th, right?" Wang Juan covered her nose, which could no longer detect any scents, and a muffled voice was heard. Zhang Xiao''bao had it worse than Wang Juan. He had blown his nose three times already and his eyes were now red. He wasn''t sure if it was because he was allergic to the pollen or if it was because of the cold. He turned his head and avoided the direction of the wind, and said, "Whatever. I doubt that they dare to send people over to fight and kill. Let''s go see how much more needs to be done for the New Year preparations." * On a t area between the Wang manor and the Little Bridge and next to the market, many residents were working busily. Pieces of wooden boards were erected and interlocked to form rows of simple houses. These simple houses had at least two doors, and some even had four doors. The houses stood next to each other. In the rooms, there were tables and chairs, and people were making pots that were used for eating hotpot. There was a ce a few dozen steps away that was used to store charcoal. Charcoal was the most abundant item at the Zhang Manor. A lot has been collected from across the county, causing the price of charcoal in the county to rise by at least three folds. Although this seemed like it was an inconvenience for the people in the county, in fact, many people who were able to work could now earn some money. They would cut the trees, burn the wood, and then sell them as charcoal to the Zhang Manor. To be precise, to Zhang Xiao''bao. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan had discussed this matter at the beginning. Doing so gave Magistrate Jia an excuse to attack them since the prices have risen, but Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan didn''t care about this. They increased the price when they bought the charcoal and they also asked the bailiffs to go to the houses to collect the charcoal, which allowed them to save expenses for middlemen. It was mainly because the two of them felt that doing so would reduce the number of trees by a lot. Later, there would not be so much vegetation here. In the ces where trees were cut down, no one would rent trees, and they don''t intend to rent trees. Then, these areas would be considered newly openednd and be exempted from tax. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan didn''t know which house to go to for the New Year celebration. No matter which house they went to, the other house would seem too deserted. Thus, Zhang Xiao''bao decided that this year, everyone would spend it together, and the residents could eat their own food or share with others. In addition to these, Zhang Xiao''bao took out a lot of meat from his warehouse. He nned to get the meat cut into slices, and invite the residents to eat hot pot. With so many people gathered together, it would definitely be very lively. The waiters at the Between The Water And Clouds could also take turns toe over here. "Okay, these houses plus the house at the market should be enough. We can celebrate the New Year together now." When Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan came here, a person in charge of the construction site shouted loudly to the surrounding residents. The residents put down their working tools and looked at the surrounding houses with happy smiles on their faces. Previously, everyone spent the fifteenth day of the first lunar month together. At that time, although the manor was not as rich as it was now, there were lit torches and various snacks everywhere. This year, they didn''t expect that the master family would do the same for the New Year. On the night of the 30th, they would give New Year''s greetings to the head of the master family. Compared to the past, this year''s celebration will be more lively. "Is this good? It''s not far from the Between The Water And Clouds. We can even have the food prepared at the restaurant and then have it delivered over here. When setting the firecrackers off, ce the firecrackers on both sides of the bridge. The only regret is that they don''t know how to make fireworks. They could only use gunpowder, and the explosions all look the same. Magnesium powder and others of that kind should be ced." Zhang Xiao''bao looked at everyone''s beaming expressions, and felt happy too. They were onerge family. It was not only the adults who were happy, but also the children were also having a crazy and fun time. Wang Juan was also imagining what the New Year celebration would look like. It would be much more lively than before. Back then, they all celebrated in their own homes. When they set off firecrackers, they had to go bring their own firecrackers to a designated ce outside. Not so many people would gather together to have a meal. The people who came to their homes for New Year''s greetings brought valuable gifts and said hypocritical words. How could thatpare to the current situation? The smiles of the residents were not fake. Thinking of this, Wang Juan exhaled with relief, and said, "Yes, it''s really good. We don''t have to worry about serving that lord from the imperial court. I''m just wondering, have you heard of any official who does not celebrate the New Year at home, but instead runs off to someone else''s restaurant?" "No, I''ve never heard of that before. Maybe it''s not written in the book? Passing history down from generation to generation, there are always some deviations. For example, some things that have appeared in our ce have long been lost in records. Apart from the people who have experienced certain events first handedly, who would know the story behind it?" When Zhang Xiao''bao thought of this matter, he felt a little emotional. Finding the truth was the most difficult thing. "Who cares about him? It''s good enough for us to have a lively atmosphere here anyway. Other people''s affairs should be worried by other people. I wonder what Magistrate Jia is doing now. Apart from a catty of fungus and 300,000 tube firecrackers, we didn''t give him anything else." Wang Juan didn''t care about those things anymore. All she has to do now is to enjoy and maintain this kind of life with Zhang Xiao''bao. She suddenly thought of Magistrate Jia. Ever since Magistrate Jia arrived at the San''shui County, he seemed to have not had a single day offort. He was restrained in all aspects. Zhang Xiao''bao also felt amused when he thought of how the magistrate wanted toe here to earn big money, and he said, "In addition to the money in his family, he should have about 7,000 taels of silver left on his hand. It''s New Year, so he should be sending some money to the people who''re supporting him, right? Let him lose money. Originally, I nned that after he does his job well and helps the San''shui County develop, and the San''shui County has be prosperous, and he has umted enough political achievements, then when he gets promoted, we can give him a sum of money. I''m not against corrupt butpetent officials that can serve the people. Magistrate Cheng is greedy, but he is only greedy for insignificant money, and he has never forced any additional taxes on the people, nor did he tell the bailiffs to ask wealthier households to give them money. The most important thing is that he knows how to act sensibly in response to current circumstances. After we connected with him, he always tried to protect us, and together we helped themoners be more wealthy. " "Yes, yes. Magistrate Cheng is indeed good. He knows how to put himself in the right position. Once we gave him money, he did not ept other people''s money. Even though he brought away 30,000 taels of silver with him when he left the county, no one called him a corrupt official. Magistrate Jia is different. Even before taking office, he had his mind set on earning money. Not only did he not consider what he should do for the people, he didn''te to ask him what he could do. He was immediately hostile, and came here with the intention of bringing us down. If we don''t take care of a person like this, would that be reasonable? " Wang Juan made an indignant expression. She put herself in the position of being the superior one, so she felt that the new magistrate must first maintain a harmonious rtionship with the Zhang and Wang families and should take the initiative to surrender. She felt that with Zhang Xiao''bao around, she was doing the right thing. Zhang Xiao''bao also agreed with Wang Juan''s idea. Everyone has their own position. Instead of trying to suppress others, why not think about finding people to cooperate with? Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan have shown enough sincerity to him. They renovated his house, gave him gifts and all kinds of hints. Even with all of these things done, Jia still did not change his original intention, and only thought about money. Furthermore, he wanted to obtain money ording to his own method. If he learned from the Magistrate, would there be anything that he cannot obtain? There was no shortage of money and a lot of things, and he helped to get his political achievements, and he was sent to the capital to be an official in one breath. "Sigh~! Once we push away Magistrate Jia, I hope we can find another person in the county to take office. It can''t always be someone transferred from outside. Those kinds of people are hard to use." Zhang Xiao''bao poked his face with his finger and said quietly there. "Then have you thought of a way to push him out?" Wang Juan really didn''t know how to drive the magistrate away. Not to mention that when the magistrate came, he was weed by so many people. "Give him an imperfect political achievement, and he will leave." Zhang Xiao''bao squinted his eyes at Wang Juan and said. Book 2: Chapter 123 Book 2: Chapter 123 Chapter 123 No One Can Be Trusted After several days of light snow, the snow finally stopped falling on the afternoon of the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month. The gray clouds in the sky dissipated, revealing dazzling but sunlight that was not so warm. Magistrate Jia finally sent out all the things that could be given. He asked a few of his bribed bailiffs to help send the gifts to remote areas because he really was not in the mood to do this himself. Those bailiffs who delivered the items didn''t say that the items were given by the Magistrate. Instead, they told the receivers that the items were from the Zhang manor. This was not entirely wrong since the items dide from the Zhang manor. Consequently, the people thought that the Zhang family were the ones who gave the gifts to them. The restless Magistrate Jia put on his normal clothing and carried a package in his hands. It was unknown what was inside. He shouted to the bailiffs, "Someone,e. Follow me to some ce." Today, Song Yang brought two bribed bailiffs with him to wait here. The matters had already been arranged. On Magistrate Jia''s return trip from Tu''qiao Vige, someone sent a letter to him. Apart from himself, none of the other bailiffs knew what was written in the letter. Today was the day for him to start his n, but to be precise, it was tomorrow. He had to go to a ce today. People who were recruited to help him were waiting at the junction of Hua''yuan County and San''shui County. Yesterday, at the Administrative Office, he did something secretly, and he didn''t even tell his family about it. "My lord, where do you n to go?" Song Yang asked respectfully when the apanying carriage was ready. Magistrate Jia didn''t tell Song Yang where he nned to go. He looked left and right and asked Song Yang, "Have you finished making the arrangements?" "Don''t worry, my lord, the arrangements have already been made, and the brothers are all waiting there, but which of the several roads will my lord take?" Song Yang replied. Magistrate Jia smiled inexplicably, "You''ll know then, let''s go." After he finished speaking, Magistrate Jia got into the carriage, and was escorted by three bailiffs and Song Yang. They traveled on a small path and headed in the direction of the Tu''qiao vige. The carriage was not going fast. A donkey was used to pull the carriage so that they could travel a greater distance. Now, there was no need to worry about the scenario where the horse would freeze to death before reaching the destination. After traveling for two hours, Magistrate Jia lifted the curtain of the carriage and instructed a bailiff outside, "You go back immediately and stay guard outside the Administrative Office. If anyone asks about me, tell them that I went to visit the people." The bailiff agreed and turned to leave. The carriage drove forward again, and after another hour passed, Magistrate Jia instructed another bailiff, "Go back now and gather all the bailiffs. Not only the twenty of you, but also the bailiffs from the other locations. Let someone use a fast horse to report to the bailiffs at the Tu''qiao Vige. By the time everyone arrives, it will be almost midnight. Go to the Little Luo''shui Wharf and surround the area for me. Something happened there and I will wait for you there. Later, the days in this San''shui County day will be different." Just as the bailiff was about to leave, Song Yang persuaded him by the side, "My lord, then only my lord and I are left here. My lord should go back first and find more people." "Hmm? Song Yang, you have to believe that the San''shui County is safe and no one will hurt me. Go on." Magistrate Jia looked at Song Yang in the carriage. His "hmm" seemed to have another meaning to it. He waved his hand dismissively and asked the bailiff to leave. This time he got out of the carriage, looked at the puzzled Song Yang and asked with a smile, "Song Yang, tell me, can I trust you?" "My lord, what do you mean? I am loyal to my lord. As long as my lord gives me amand, I would dare to barge through mountains of daggers and seas of fire." Song Yang had a firm look on his face, and patted his chest to assure. The smile on Magistrate Jia''s face grew even brighter. He took out a letter from his robe, handed it to Song Yang, and said, "If that''s the case, take this letter to Tu''qiao Vige. Hand this letter to the person at the Han''s family courtyard in the Between The Clouds And Water. Then follow his arrangements. Be quick. Whether or not I can have a footing in the San''shui County depends entirely on this." Song Yang took the letter, looked around, and then looked at Magistrate Jia, and said, "My lord, this won''t work. If I leave, then what about you?" "I will drive the carriage back by myself. Don''t worry. I deliberately brought these items, look." Magistrate Jia took out a bamboo hat and loose hemp clothes from hisrge package. The items looked a bit shabby. "I''ll put on these clothes, and drive the carriage slowly back. You have to hurry over there. Unfortunately, there are no horses for you. You can look yourself for where there are horses around. Find them and use them. It''s better than walking there by foot. Once you finish this task, I will definitely not treat you poorly. Go quickly." As he spoke, Magistrate Jia put on the straw hat and wore the clothes over top of his own. He sat in the spot to drive the carriage, and traveled forward. He did not forget to look back at Song Yang. Song Yang stood there for a while, and shouted to the carriage that didn''t travel in the direction to return back, "Don''t worry, my lord. I will deliver the letter as quickly as possible. My lord, take care." After saying this, Song Yang looked around and chose a path without a paved road and waded through the snow. Then he took out a robe made with fine linen, untied his hair and changed his hairstyle. After doing all this, Magistrate Jia lifted the curtain of the carriage, and looked at the direction Song Yang left in. He poked his head out, looked back, pushed the carriage door open and closed it. He opened and closed the door a few times. He repeated this five times, and the cold wind kept pouring into the car. Magistrate Jia stopped and waited. After a while, four figures appeared on the hillside. Three stood there and looked around and one of them quickly ran over to the carriage door, opened the carriage door, and got in. "My lord, hurry down and leave this to me." The man got into the carriage and said to Magistrate Jia. At the same time, he took the hat and clothes from Magistrate Jia and put them on quickly. His stature was simr to that of Magistrate Jia. Magistrate Jia nodded without speaking. He got out of the carriage directly, nced around, and trotted up the small dirt slope. He joined the three guards, and went down the slope on the other side. The person in the carriage came out and sat in the spot to drive the carriage. He traveled forward, and the wheels of the carriage left deep marks in the snow. After traveling a few dozen feet, the donkey that pulled the carriage felt that the carriage seemed to be lighter and walked faster. A gust of wind swept through, and there were two messy traces on the snow that looked like it was deliberately made by others. Magistrate Jia went down from the slope and immediately got into another carriage. There were three identical carriages parked here. Without getting close, even the horses pulling the carriages could not be seen clearly. One of the carriages was driven to the Administrative Office, the other carriage turned around and went up the slope to follow the carriage that Magistrate Jia was previously in. The carriage that Magistrate Jia was in currently waited for a while and took another path. The driver seemed to be in a hurry. He kept whipping the whip, urging the three horses pulling the carriage to run fast. * Song Yang, who had left, walked to a farmhouse. Seeing that there were no animals that could be ridden, he had to run to another ce. He ran to the side of a house. After Song Yang looked around and saw that no one was there, he took out the letter in it, opened it and looked at it carefully. In the letter, he only saw, "The waterway is blocked. The peopleing here should go around Xin''ping County. I have already sent the county''s bailiffs to Little Luo''shui. We will start in two days. Come quickly." '' Song Yang was shocked when he saw these words. Judging from the situation, Magistrate Jia was going to find someone from outside to deal with Little Luo''shui. After thinking about it, Song Yang couldn''t make up his mind. He knew that there was a small manor in front of him with around 70 people and there were also horses. Holding onto the letter, Song Yang ran towards the manor desperately. * "My lord, have you finished the task at the Administrative Office? You know, without that thing, we will have one less thing that we can rely on when we execute our n tomorrow." When the carriage that Magistrate Jia was in had traveled roughly a kilometer, a person who had been waiting for a long time got into the carriage and spoke to Magistrate Jia. Magistrate Jia knew that this was the person sent by the Yuan family, and nodded, "Don''t worry, I did itst night. I let my kid carry that on him, so nothing will go wrong. This time, I want to see what could the Zhang manor say about this?" "That''s good, my lord. Will all of the bailiffs actually gather at Little Luo''shui? Will they then be mobilized together?" The man rxed a little after hearing Magistrate Jia''s words, and he asked about the bailiffs again. "My lord is amazing. My master only asked my lord to help move the bailiffs away, but we didn''t expect my lord woulde up with such an unpredictable strategy. After my lord seeds this time, we will be one family." This person ttered him on the side. Magistrate Jia was really relieved at this moment. He opened the package and took out his official uniform and official seal. After putting it on, he said to the man, "How are things going on your side?" "My lord, it''s pretty much done. It''s just that the residents of the Zhang and Wang families are building houses over there. I don''t know why?" The man couldn''t help frowning as he spoke. Book 2: Chapter 124 Book 2: Chapter 124 Magistrate Jia''s carriage rushed the entire way, and in the afternoon, he finally arrived at the junction between San''shui County and Hua''yuan County, where many people were already waiting there. Magistrate Jia got out of the carriage and got into another carriage. There was already someone in the carriage, and when that person saw Magistrate Jia, he immediately said, "Magistrate Jia, the journey must have been exhausting;e back with me to rest. We will set out tomorrow morning and everything will be fine once we get there." Magistrate Jia replied, "Official Han is courteous. By joining forces with you and the Yuan family this time, the Zhang manor will not be able to rise up again. Everything depends on Official Han." "No problem. It''s just that when the timees, there are certain things that we need to discuss properly. In particr, about hatching chicken eggs, growing fungus, and the techniques to grow good grains. I ask that my lord take the big picture into consideration first." Official Han didn''t act overly courteous anymore. He rified the situation first, so as to prevent mistakes from arisingter on. Magistrate Jia naturally understood that regardless of which of these three things he manages to obtain, he will make a fortune. Especially if he obtained the method for growing fungus. When he thought of this, he immediately felt angered. Since they were able to grow it, why did they give him only one catty each time? Because of this, he had to think about which superior to bribe first, and which one to bribeter. The growing method was not easy to obtain. If the three families know about it and grow more fungus, someone will have to sell it in other ces farther away. Furthermore, the rtionship between the three families was not so stable. Thinking of this, Magistrate Jia said, "Don''t worry, Official Han, I just want to vent my anger. Later, we will slowly discuss how to divide it. However, for the wharf at Little Luo''shui, I want to be the head. After all, it is in San''shui County, and it is next to the Administrative Office." "Okay, we will see if the Zhang manor has anything else, maybe there is something more valuable, hahahaha." Official Han was also thinking about his own n, and heughed. * He wandered outside the county town, going wherever his horse walked to. His horse walked straight ahead, and he asionally touched his chest with his hand with a slight smile. Seeing that there was no one around, he took out something from his robe. He looked at it carefully, and muttered, "I''ve finally aplished a task. Perhaps I can get a random official title, Zhang manor, you have gone too far with your trickery. This time, we will let you know how powerful we are. Giddy-up!" As he shouted, the horse that was walking slowly just now started to run, and he was riding on it with a high-spirited look. After running for three hours, the horse couldn''t stand it anymore. It was wading through the snow this entire time, and it was not a particrly good horse. At this time, white puffs of breath were fuming out of its nose and mouth, and its running pace was now slow. Seeing the state of the horse, Jia Wei''ran had no choice but to get off his horse. He led the horse forward, scolding as he walked, "There is nothing good about the Zhang family, why is the Administrative Office''s horse like this after running such a short distance? I wanted to go horse riding, and yet they gave me such an inferior horse? After I teach all of you a lesson, I will make you feed the horses every day. Humph! You wait for it. I''ll denounce you with three different crimes and no one will be able to save you. Even the Emperor''s nephew will not dare not speak out, humph humph~! " Jia Wei''ran kept scolding the Zhang manor while thinking about how to get those people to submit. He led the horse through the snow and looked ahead from time to time, hoping to find a ce to rest. His body could not endure traveling so far. By the time he arrives there, he would either die from exhaustion or from the cold. After walking forward for another hour, just when Jia Wei''ran wanted to get back on his horse, he suddenly noticed that up ahead, there were a few stalls set out on the sides of the road. "Why are there stalls in a ce like this?" Jia Wei''ran asked suspiciously, and he immediately hastened his pace. The aroma that apanied the wind let him know that at least there was someone cooking food. He could drink some hot soup to warm up his body. It was only until he got up close did he realize that these stalls did not sell goods. It was an area for people to rest in. Stalls were set up to keep out the wind. It was hard to tell where these people came from judging by their clothing. There were all kinds of random items, a few carriages and a dozen or so horses. After a quick count, there were twenty-two people in total eating and drinking there. The aroma kept drifting into his nose, making him drool. Judging by the items and their clothes, they should be merchants. The San''shui County was now rich, and many people sold goods here. It was evident that these people were from other ces. He was unsure why these people woulde here during the New Year. Could it be that they don''t have a home to return to? Jia Wei''ran thought about it, and felt that there was no danger. He wanted to eat again, and he took a fancy to other people''s horses, so he walked over with his own horse. "Are you merchants?" Jia Wei''ran saw that the people there raised their heads to look up at him, so he spoke up first. "Yes. You have walked here alone with such an inferior horse. Have you encountered any troubles?" A person who was sitting in the center of a group of people replied back to Jia Wei''ran. Jia Wei''ran shook his head, "No, I don''t know how to choose horses, so I randomly chose one and rode it out. Once the horse was tired, I could only lead it. I''m hungry and tired. I wonder if you can sell me some of these things. I''ll give you extra money." Seeing him do this, those people suddenlyughed, and the person who had spoken earlier said to him, "Young Master, why would you need to pay for this small amount of food? Have a seat and start eating. Here, have a taste of this meat. It is nice and fatty." A person next to him fished out fatty slices with a little lean meat from the pot, and ced it into another bowl. He poured a spoonful of soup in, drizzled half a spoon of garlic sauce, sprinkled some coriander and chopped green onion, and passed the bowl along with a pair of chopsticks to Jia Wei''ran. Jia Wei''ran didn''t like eating fatty meat. His family was not like themoners who rarely had the chance to see oil and would be willing to eat fatty foods.However, seeing that these people were so enthusiastic, it was hard to decline. He endured his stomach''s difort and epted the food that was handed to him. He smelled it first, and realized that the smell was actually really good. He wondered how the soup was made. He carefully picked up this big piece of fatty meat, which weighed about a catty, and took a bite. Jia Wei''ran''s eyes lit up and he nodded, "It''s delicious, fatty but not greasy. It''s so fragrant. And this soup. Taking a sip warms up my entire body. I can''t help but to drink a few more sips." "That''s a given. We''re very tired from working outside. We wouldn''t be able to function if we don''t eat fatty food. It''s gross to eat too much greasy food, so we have toe up with ways to make the fatty meat delicious. Since you like to eat it, then eat more. Come on, sit here." Hearing Jia Wei''ran praise the delicious meat, the man became more and more happy. He patted a cushion beside him, and invited Jia Wei''ran. Jia Wei''ran noticed that the spot was the least windy. He stopped acting courteous. He thought to himself that it was not a big deal as he can give them more money. He walked over there, but just after taking two steps, he stumbled and fell backwards. Before he fell, the two people on both sides grabbed him from the front and back. "Young master, be careful. Food is prepared here so there is a lot of stuffying around. If you are not careful, you might trip over something." One of the two people who grabbed Jia Wei''ran patted Jia Wei''ran''s wrinkled clothing as he spoke Only then did Jia Wei''ran realize that there was a stick at his feet that he didn''t see earlier. He had to be more careful. If he fell, he would be in pain for quite a while and he would dirty his clothing. Since food was prepared in this area, the cooking fire had melted the snow. After moving his waist, he felt that there was nothing wrong. Jia Wei''ran said with a smile, "Thanks to this big brother, otherwise, I wouldn''t be able to wear my clothes out anymore." The person who spoke earlier pulled Jia Wei''ran to sit next to him. He handed over a bowl of rice, and two types of pickled veggies. At the same time, a person next to him filled a bowl of soup and brought it to Jia Wei''ran. Eating the fried rice with pickles and soup was amazing. Jia Wei''ran picked up his chopsticks and poked around at the innermost part, and said as he ate, "It''s delicious, it''s really delicious. It seems that you really know how to enjoy yourself. If all merchants can be like you, what kind of hardship do you even have to face?" "Your words are not so correct. It''s like this here, but if you go somewhere further, for example, thend of Ba''shu, no matter how well you eat, it is useless. The roads there are not easy to travel. If you think this food is delicious, then when you leaveter, you can ce some in a bamboo tube and put it in your robe. Not only can it warm your body, you can also take a bite when you want to eat." A person next to him told Jia Wei''ran the difficulties of being a merchant, and at the same time he took out a bamboo tube and filled it with the meat and soup. "Okay, I''ll take these. I still have to travel a far distance. I''ll give you the money before I leave." When Jia Wei''ran heard the man telling him to ce the tube into his robe, he briefly touched his chest with his hand and was assured that the item was still there. Seeing that these people were so nice, he wanted to give them money. "What did you say? Why would we want money? It is fate that allows us to eat together, so do not mention money again." The man said a little unhappily. Jia Wei''ran pointed to his horse, and then pointed to their horses, and said, "It''s not the money for food. I want to buy a horse from you and you can keep my horse. I must pay you for the horse. Please agree to this request." "Buy a horse? This... Actually, we don''t have many horses, ah." The man hesitated this time, as if he didn''t want to sell it. The person next to Jia Wei''ran said, "Fifth brother, this Young Master is having a hard time. Just sell one to him. What if he dies from the cold because he doesn''t have a horse? Wouldn''t that mean we treated him to a meal for nothing?" The fifth brother thought about it for a while, then nodded to Jia Wei''ran, "Alright, I''ll exchange my horse with you, but you have to give me an additional five strings of coins." Book 2: Chapter 125 Book 2: Chapter 125 The caravan left, and Jia Wei''ran also got a new horse. He didn''t carry that many heavy copper coins with him, so he had to use some silver bits to pay for it. This horse was much better than the previous one and was not slow. After warming up, Jia Wei''ran began to scold the Zhang manor again, and fantasized about what his future would be like. * At the Zhang Manor, the houses were built, and everyone began to prepare food for the evening on the 30th. All of the residents reported to the person in charge of recording what they were able to bring from their homes. Originally, Zhang Xiao''bao nned to get every household to just bring a small dish to eat at the table. Unexpectedly, the residents did not agree with this arrangement. It was not like they did not have money. Their ie this year was several fold greater than before. With the skills of the Zhang and Wang families, things will be even better in the future. It was not just this. In addition to a higher ie, they also spent less. For the sake of unity, their clothing was given to them by the master family and they were given several different outfits to wear throughout the year. During the most tiring days, the master family were also the ones who provided them food, and additionally, their children were able to eat three meals at school. Under the circumstances of moneying in and no money being expended, they had more spare money. Thus, they nned to bring more things over. They couldn''t always depend on the master family to feed them. Everyone reported every single item they could bring. When the timees, others will decide how much each family should bring and what to bring. Everyone should bring items that were around the same price. The Zhang and Wang families also bought around twentymbs from outside, and the two cows that could no longer work. Everything was ready and they just needed to ughter them for the New Year meal. In addition to this, they also prepared new chopsticks and bowls, which was paid for by Zhang Xiao''bao. Who''s to me that he was the richest? The vegetables were also ready. When the timees, they just need to go to the vegetable garden in the back, select the vegetables and harvest them. There are also various seasonings and sauces, and some nourishing medicinal materials, which were also set aside for use. Thest item was dough and different kinds of meat fillings. Zhang Xiao''bao was going to make two kinds of dumplings ones stuffed with pork and green onions, and the other stuffed with shrimp and pork. There were prawns they traded for, and some fresh shrimp from the river that could be used. The shrimp and eggs can be wrapped with onion chives, and the river shrimp can be paired with garlic chives. The meat had to be minced first, so that they could be wrapped into dumplings when the timees. Several women were tasked with this. There was a charcoal fire next to them, and the meat was ced on the chopping board. These people minced it up like it was apetition. The little kids knew that they would be spending New Year''s Eve together this year. They happily ran and jumped, chasing each other, andughter could be heard from time to time. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were also on the side, watching the adults fry things there. Some of these items were sweet dough that were filled with various fillings. The residents were working there and chatting about the affairs of the manor. Some of the older people sat next on the side and told the children that they brought over about how the New Year was like in the past. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan also liked to listen, so they joined the group and squatted there. "I was still young when I first arrived at the Zhang manor. At that time, the Old Master was the head of the household. The days back then cannot bepared to now. During that time, who would dare to eat like this during New Year''s Eve? If we ate a New Year''s Eve dinner like this, then after the New Year begins, we wouldn''t have to live anymore. We would just wait to starve to death." The old man squinted his eyes, recalling the past and telling the little kids. However, there was no sign of sadness on his face. "Grandpa Wan''nian, do you mean that the Old Master was ipetent back then?" A little boy who was simple minded asked after hearing this. "Don''t talk nonsense." Grandfather Wan''nian softly smacked the kid''s forehead. He nced at Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, and saw that the two little masters were not dissatisfied at all, so he was relieved. Otherwise, the Old Master would be sad if he heard about this. Then he continued, "If there was no Old Master, how would we have our current master? This is the Old Master''s capability. At that time, we were not like you. You could go to school every day to study, while it was good enough for us if we did not starve to death. Every time when the yield after the harvest was low, the Old Master would collect less. With 100 households in the fiefdom, no one in our manor starved to death. Look at you now, you are living in happiness. You have books to read, and the manor provides you with three meals a day. You need to study well and then work hard for the manor once you grow older. Where was I? Food. What we ate was just random stuff. How would it evenpare to now? Nowadays, we can eat meat every few days and there is rice if we want rice, and flour if we want flour. There is also new clothing to wear. By next year, we can eat meat in every meal." When the old man said this, he felt tired from sitting for a long time. He rubbed his waist and was ready to go back. The little kids were listening happily. Seeing that Grandpa Wan''nian wanted to leave, two clever munchkins immediately went behind Grandpa Wan''nian and began massaging his back. One of them said, "Grandpa Wan''nian, don''t leave, we''ll massage your back." Massaging his back was not effective at all, but the old man still nodded with a smile, "Okay, I''ll continue talking. Let''s talk about food. Have you seen those cows andmbs? On the 30th, you need to save your stomach, otherwise you won''t be able to eat it. There are also dumplings and pig trotters I wouldn''t even dare to think about these foods back then. If any of you don''t believe me, you can go to other manors or ordinary people''s homes to see if they have any of these things to eat. It would be nice to make dumplings using white flour and other types of flour during the New Year. How would they dare put in meat like this? There''s only a bit of scallions, and the rest is all meat and shrimp. " "I know about this, Grandpa Wan''nian. When other residents and other ordinary people encounter the residents from our two manors, they are full of envy. The way they speak is also different from before. I know what kind of dumplings were eaten during the past New Years. They were vegetable dumplings with a tiny bit of meat in it." A slightly older child replied, and at the same time he recalled what he ate in the school. There was milk, eggs, pancakes, and meat. Even the vegetable buns had quite a bit of oil in it. When chewed, oil will seep out of the mouth and drip down. Thinking of this, the child set his eyes on Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan who were also happy, and said, "Young Master and Young Miss, don''t worry. We will protect you when we grow up. Can you treat us like how the present master does?" "Okay, okay. Things will be even better than it is now. By then, my family will have more money, and yours will be the same." Zhang Xiao''bao agreed. Wang Juanughed on the side. All of these things belonged to Zhang Xiao''bao. The children in the manor were so cute; they dared to ask anything. Grandfather Wan''nian also looked at the little masters of the Zhang and Wang family with joy. He didn''t know that all of these were the work of the two little masters, but he knew that the old days were not so good. Ever since the Zhang and Wang families'' little masters were born and turned one year old, the conditions at the manor suddenly changed. People were no longer worried about whether or not they could eat tomorrow, and they were not afraid of not having clothes to cover their bodies. Their life was getting better and better. These were the blessings brought by the two little mastersit must be so. "Also, look at our houses now. It will be reced by new ones next year. Then..." Grandpa Wan''nian continued to talk, and the children listened. They were sheltered by the surrounding houses and there was a charcoal fire so it didn''t feel cold at all outside. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan watched Grandpa Wan''nian rub his waist from time to time. They looked at each other, and mouthed some words to each other. "Xiao''bao, do you think that Grandpa Wan''nian has a herniated disc or lumbar strain? How about we find a way to help relieve it. This way, the people in the manor could feel morefortable." Wang Juan didn''t want these family-like residents to be too ufortable, and asked Zhang Xiao''bao. "How would I know? It seems that his lumbar muscle should be strained. I don''t know which kind it is. I have never had this before. We should get a ce with steam, get him to soak in traditional herbal medicine, and then massage him with alcohol. I know two techniques. I was injured before, and when I went to get a massage, I chatted with them and learned how to. Sometimes I would massage myself." Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t know how to diagnose illnesses, so he could only rely on the tidbits he heard from others and the knowledge he learned. However, he could not help massage the old man, since he still had a lot of things to do. Wang Juan also knew about Zhang Xiao''bao''s situation and said, "You can teach others, and our family''s doctor can do acupuncture. In the future, we can train some people to specialize in the treatment of various diseases, such as massaging, cupping therapy, gua''sha treatment, etc. Let''s convert the two Zhang and Wang manors into aprehensive ce. By then, if something happens, someone will be able to stand up immediately. After the new year, write a project proposal. I will give the children military training every day. When they are older, we will have people that we can use. Don''t tell me you don''t know how to write proposals. " "I do know. ording to your words, I am an international conman. How could I con people if I don''t know how to write project proposals? I''m thinking that children should not be the only ones who study. Adults should study too. When the adults are not busy, get them to join. If everyone is literate, they will be able to read more books and understand the meaning in it. It is also a kind of umtion of experience. After learning to write, then when they have a good experience, they could write it down. Why use oral transmission, which is easily lost, to pass on experience and skills?" Zhang Xiao''bao continued down this train of thought. He knew that during his time, knowing words might not be a big deal since everyone was literate. However, at this ce, not everyone has the opportunity. For example, for some families, even having food to eat is a problem. How would they have money to buy brushes, ink, paper, inkstone, etc? It is impossible to learn something without a coin. Who would pay the teacher? Wang Juan also understood the importance of knowledge lies in inheritance. Many good folk recipes are passed down by word of mouth because the people do not know how to read or write. In the end, no one will remember them. "Okay, I agree. Anyway, they don''t need to pay. They just need to join in to study, and when they gradually trust the master more, I will teach them physics and chemistry. I don''t need you. I know that you don''t know. Just help me find all kinds of experimental supplies." "Yeah, I really don''t know. I didn''t undergo traditional education. Now I know that that kind of education is really not ordinary. Twelve years ofpulsory education is more powerful than nine years. This allows the society as a whole to develop." Zhang Xiao''bao had to admit that education improved the quality of the nation. Book 2: Chapter 127 Book 2: Chapter 127 Chapter 127 A Few Affairs In The Hazy Night The night was hazy, and thenterns reflected in the water. Illuminating crimson spots on the pavilion, the starry sky in winter. At Between The Water and Clouds, looking down from the window on the second floor, there was no ice in the artificialke. The family of the old man who came here a few days ago have arrived too. At first, they thought it was strange. Later, during the day, they saw someone use a charcoal brazier to heat up the surface of theke, and for areas that were slightly frozen, the ice would be picked up by someone. At this time, a fewnterns were hung on boats and ced in theke to illuminate the surrounding,plimenting the lonely pavilion in the middle of theke, and contrasting with the starry sky in winter. The scenery looked hazy and dreamy. A little girl of 16 or 17 years old, with double buns on her head, had her small hands on the window pane as she tiptoed her feet and looked down. She blinked herrge brilliant eyes that were brimming with curiosity. "Grandpa, look, look, there arenterns below, it''s so beautiful." The little girl freed up a hand and pointed her arm straight down. She turned her head and said excitedly to the old man. The old man already knew about the scenery below, but he still stood up, walked behind the little girl and looked at the ce where his granddaughter pointed. He touched his granddaughter''s head, and said, "I see it, I see it, I think it''s good, let''s look at this more often in the future." "Father, are you really going to retire?" After hearing the old man speak, a man who was sitting beside the table asked. "Kang''er, it''s not that I want to retire. This body is not as good as the days go by. Continuing to stay in that position will harm the country and people. It''s better to find a ce with a good view and enjoy the scenery during leisure time." When the old man spoke, he sounded a little helpless. Seeing his granddaughter looking up at him with a puzzled face, he said to his granddaughter: "I didn''t know which ce to go to before, but now I know. It''s this ce here at the Between The Water And Clouds. Looking at the scenery, and then tasting the delicious food. You can watch the ce all day in the future. I don''t think they would charge me too much money. The little girl of the Wang family, don''t you think so?" Hisst few words were directed to Aunt Wang, who was beside him. Aunt Wang didn''t say anything, but Da''zao and Xiao''zao, who were serving next to them, nodded together. Xiao''zao was quick to speak, "My lord is correct. In the future, my lord does not have to pay a single coin. Would the Zhang family dare not obey?" "Hehe, little girl, you must not let the Zhang family hear you speak like this, or you will be driven away. Today''s Zhang family is different from the past. Tomorrow, I''ll let you see those kids. That way, after the New Year passes, you will have stories to tell when you return." The old man did not think that the head of the Zhang family would still be as afraid of things as before. Judging by what the Zhang family had done in the past two years, if it was not the head of the family who was capable, then there must have been an expert behind him instructing him. Aunt Wang didn''t think the Zhang family was anything special, and spoke from the side, "My lord, even if the Zhang family is stronger than before, and has a seventh-rank official, they are still nothing in the eyes of other people. When he goes to the Capital next year, won''t he still have to stay with the Wang family? Otherwise, who will help him hold the poetry and wine party?" The old man looked at the manager sent by the Wang family this time, which was Aunt Wang. A look of disappointment appeared in his eyes. He shook his head and said, "If you still think so, don''t go to see the children tomorrow. Look at how the Zhang and Wang manors managed their affairs. Is this achievable by ordinary people?" Aunt Wang didn''t dare to contradict the old man, so she could only mumble in a low voice, "It''s just a manor. How is it possible that they have great skills? Just a mere 100 residents, and they want to reach the sky?" Hearing the voice, the old man didn''t want to say more. He turned his head and said to his son, "Kang''er, you can also go and see tomorrow. You just got here today, so you still don''t know what the Zhang and Wang manors are like. Learn from your cousin. Go hide at Little Luo''shui, and learn about the pier." "Father, I understand, if the Zhang and Wang manors are different from other ces, the people behind them must not be ordinary." The man immediately stood up and said respectfully. Seeing that his son was so sensible, the old man finally showed a satisfied smile and sat down again. He looked at the hot pot that was still gurgling on the table. He picked up a roll of mutton slice with chopsticks, nched it inside the pot, and then he dipped it in a sauce. He ced it in his mouth and after he finished eating it, he said, "This way of eating is really different from other ces. The mutton melts in your mouth, and the meat carries other aromas. You can''t taste the gaminess of the mutton too. I don''t think it will take too many days for this method of eating to be widespread." "What my lord said is correct. Concubine I have lost a few teeth; I originally thought it was not easy to eat this meat, but I didn''t expect that after putting it in my mouth and chewing it a few times, I was able to swallow it already. The chefs at Between The Water And Clouds are also not average." The olddy at the table also nched a slice and she praised it. The old man''s son immediately nched two more slices and ced them on the olddy''s te, saying, "Mother, eat as much as you want. This meat is fatty but not greasy, lean but not dry. You should try it." As he spoke, he gave the olddy another piece of braised pork to the olddy. It was bright red in color, but there was no taste of brown sugar when eaten. White sugar was used to give it a red caramel color. Fiveyered pork belly meat with threeyers of fat was chosen specifically. When the pork was nched, hawthorn juice was deliberately added in. The olddy looked at her son, then at her granddaughter, and then at the exuberant atmosphere of the room. Sheughed happily, and said to the old man, "Master, I heard that there is tension between the new magistrate of San''shui County and the two Zhang and Wang families. How about you try to persuade them? If the magistrate resorts to using some methods, it will not be good for the Zhang and Wang families." The olddy was a little worried about the Zhang and Wang families at this time. After all, a magistrate was still somewhatpetent. When she was talking, she looked at the person who was in charge of the Wang family. The meaning was self-evident. Aunt Wang also knew why the olddy was looking at her, but she pretended not to know. On the other hand, Xiao''zao and Da''zao became anxious after hearing her words. They looked at each other but they didn''t dare to say anything impulsively. The old man pondered for a while, and said, "Don''t worry, it''s New Year''s Eve. Who would be so insensible that they would cause trouble for others during this time? After the new year, after Zhang Zhong takes the prefecture exam, he would have the title of a Ju''ren. This ce is close to the Capital, so he can participate in the Spring exam this year. In a few months, as long as nothing happens to the Zhang and Wang families, then with the help of the people in the capital, the manors will have nothing to worry about if he is able to show hispetency. " "Father is right. This ce is close to the Capital. Once he has the xiang''gong title that permits him to take the exam, he can immediately rush to the Capital, unlike those who live far away and would probably not arrive at the capital until a year after they obtain the xiang''gong title. If something happens on the way, then it would be even more troublesome. However the ranking of his xiang''gong title can''t be too low. Dad, how about you help hime up with a way?" Kang''er also agreed with him. He nned to help the Zhang family so that if his father really wants to live hereter, the Zhang family will take good care of him. The old man smiled and said, "Kang''er, they don''t need my help for this kind of task. If you look at the paintings and calligraphy hanging on the wall, you will realize how much effort the Zhang family has exerted. Before the exam, Zhang Zhong''s name will be known by everyone. The technique for growing vegetables in winter has been handed in. In the future, the people living in cold weather can eat more in winter. The Zhang family does not want any official rewards, so it must be that they''re doing this to gain a good reputation. " Kang''er now knew that the manor had made ns beforehand. Since Zhang Zhong''s calligraphy and paintings were hung at the Between The Water and Clouds Restaurant, I imagine that it would be no different at the Little Luo''shui. By promoting him this obviously, even if Zhang Zhong was not that talented, he is still better than those schrs who are unable to get help from others even if they beg. "Humph! I doubt that Zhang Zhong can get first ce in the prefecture exam. There''s a first ce for each prefecture. How many prefectures are there, and how many first ces from recent years will arrive at the capital together? Do they think that the Spring exam is that ordinary?" That Aunt Wang muttered something again. She seemed to despise Zhang Zhong, who was also Zhang Xiao''bao''s father. No matter what happened, she would always make a sarcasticment. However, it seemed like she had no intention of not eating the dishes on the table. She ate as she nitpicked. Da''zao and Xiao''zao couldn''t intercede, so the two of them could only speak in a low voice. "Da''zao, you will be able to see the little son tomorrow. What do you think the little son looks like? Will he be silly like Zhang Zhong? Will you be too scared to speak in front of an audience like that?" Xiao''zao thought carefully about Zhang Zhong''s appearance, and tried to ce the images of Zhang Xiao''bao and Zhang Zhong on top of each other, and she asked Da''zao, who was next to herself. Da''zao didn''t seem to be as imaginative as Xiao''zao, so she couldn''t guess what Zhang Xiao''bao looked like. She shook her head and said, "How would I know. The Young Miss of the Wang family should be very fun? I heard that the two met when they first opened their eyes. They insisted on sticking together, and would cry if they were separated. They have been living at the Zhang house this entire time. If I had such a person since I was a child it would be great. We could y together, grow up together, and if someone bullied me, he would help me out. I would wash clothing and cook for him, and then...then.... " As she spoke on, Da''zao couldn''t continue. Her voice became lower and lower, and her neck turned red. When Xiao''zao heard Da''zao''s words, she was also stunned. She looked at the night scenery outside. After a while, she reacted and smiled at Da''zao, "Da''zao, did you want to grow up with Er''kui from our household? I know what you''re thinking about." "What nonsense are you saying? I''m talking about the Young Miss of the Wang family.Er''kui is so stupid, I don''t like him. What does he have to do with me? I never thought about him. You don''t know this, butst month, he went out to do things with the people in the house, but when he returned, he wanted to catch fish. The river was already frozen, and he fell down. Don''t you think he''s dumb? And in October, he... " Da''zao denied what Xiao''zao said, saying that she didn''t care about that person, but she began to talk about that person as if she was counting the treasures she owned. Xiao''zao was stunned listening to her. * A lot of things always happened at night. In Zhang Xiao''bao''s yard, Wang Juan rested her chin on her hand and Zhang Xiao''bao had his eyes open wide while he repeatedly tapped his face with his finger. Neither of them want to sleep today. As time passed, the servants in the yard hurriedly came to the door, and said to the Shi''liu and Ying''tao who were guarding there, "Go and tell the Young Master and Young Miss that Young Master Li is here." Book 2: Chapter 128 Book 2: Chapter 128 When Zhang Xiao''bao was thinking about how to finish off Magistrate Jia in one go, Shi''liu came over and told him that Li Xun was here. "Why is he here? Is he not celebrating New Year''s Eve?" Zhang Xiao''bao was puzzled. Why didn''t the emperor''s nephew stay at home during the New Year? What will his family do after he has run over here? Did he sneak out? This time, Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t dare to handle the situation as casually as before. If the emperor''s nephew sneaked out and went here, his own manor would be in trouble. He pulled Wang Juan along with him to greet Li Xun. By the time they arrived at their courtyard, they saw Li Xun with his hands behind his back as he watched the stars. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were now certain that he did indeede here. "Young Master Li, why have youe here? You didn''t stay at home, and instead you came here. Do you intend to cause trouble for our family?" Zhang Xiao''bao moved closer to see if Li Xun was beaten or disciplined. Wang Juan also knew that the matter was important, and nodded, waiting for Li Xun to give a reasonable exnation. Li Xun smiled and looked at Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, and said, "Good, good ce. When I came here, I saw many houses along the way. People can easily enter from one house to another. There are door frames, but there are no doors. This is interesting. I saw that there were a lot of tables there. Are you nning to gather a lot of people to eat together?" Li Xun did not answer Zhang Xiao''bao''s question, butmented on the ce used for the New Year celebration. "Yeah. It''s more lively to celebrate the New Year with the residents. How did youe here? You''re not going home?" Zhang Xiao''bao talked about the purpose of the ce over there, and asked again. Under the illumination of lights in the courtyard, Li Xun looked around at the yard and said, "I''m returning. I''m returning back to the prefecture. My father is going back to the capital for the New Year, and he said he would take me with him, but I don''t want to go back. The people over there are not fun, so I told my father that I want to mingle with the civilians. I didn''t expect that my father would agree. Thus, I came here to have fun with you." "My family is also an official. Did no onee with you? You came here alone?" Zhang Xiao''bao looked behind Li Xun. Apart from the guard in his yard who was responsible for protection, he saw no one else. "When we arrived at the gate, I told them to go to the Between The Water And Clouds. Perhaps a few are standing guard there; let them guard. I''m Li Wang''xun, you don''t need to open the main door to greet me. I can just push open a side door ande in. It''s not like you would hurt me, would you?" Li Xun was quite courageous, so he dared toe in by himself. Zhang Xiao''bao shook his head, "How would I dare to harm you? You don''t sleep at night? What are you doing here? Go rest at the Between The Water and Clouds. Wouldn''t it be better toe here tomorrow morning?" "The night is long and I can''t fall asleep. I want to talk to you guys. Li Cheng is here too. I wonder what he has learned all these days. Sigh~! He didn''t evene talk to me. Judging by the amount of time it took you two to arrive here and the clothing you two are wearing, you haven''t slept yet?" Li Xun found a good reason. He looked at Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan again, and said with a smile. Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t speak right away; he was thinking about something. Wang Juan tugged on him and he snapped out of it. His gaze towards Li Xun was different from before. He made way and said, "Yeah, we haven''t slept yet. There''s something fun, and we''re thinking about how to y it." Li Xun followed them in. Hearing Zhang Xiao''bao saying there was something fun, he became interested and asked quickly, "What is so fun? Tell me about it." "No rush, you''ll find out tomorrow. How many people did you bring this time? Maybe our family can use them." Zhang Xiao''bao asked expectantly. Originally, he wanted to say ''I can use them'', but he felt that this might expose himself. Li Xun stretched out two fingers, "Not many. This time I came here spontaneously and only brought 200 people. What does your family want to do? Do you want to build more houses? That''s good, I will do the same at my manor next year. It''s toote to start this year. How about this, on the 30th, I will also tell my residents toe over to your ce. Everyone can gather together. Get someone to discuss with your family and see if they will agree." Li Xun finally found something fun, and he talked excitedly there. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were both surprised and happy. Wang Juan mouthed her words to Zhang Xiao''bao, "Great, now we have another 200 people." "Hmm, it''s good. The matter is not just about 200 people, there are other things." Zhang Xiao''bao replied, and then he said to Li Xun, "Of course. They will definitely agree. Xiao''hong, go to my mother''s ce and see if my mother has slept yet. If she''s asleep already, go to the study room to find my father and tell him that Young Master Li brought people to celebrate the New Year with us." "Okay, young master, I''ll go right now." Xiaohong agreed and ran off. As soon as she ran outside the yard, she met the people sent by Zhang''s father and Zhang Wang''s to inquire. It was impossible for them to not ask about Li Xun''s arrival. After listening to Xiao''hong finish talking about the matter, Madam. Zhang-Wang thought for a moment and then said, "Husband, let''s not go over there. Let Xiao''bao and Juan''juan apany him to talk. Xiao''hong, go over there after a while and say that the Zhang manor is will prepare everything that is needed." Li Xun and Zhang Xiao''bao chatted for a while, and Xiao''hong came back to ry the message. "How could I, the Emperor''s nephew, let you prepare everything? Tomorrow, I will tell my residents toe over so that they can build the houses. I will pay however much is needed." Zhang Xiao''bao wasn''t thinking about this and was thinking of something else. He said to Li Xun, "Alright, then call all your residents over tomorrow. I have a lot of wooden boards, so it can be constructed quickly. There are also other materials that need to be prepared. How about this, tomorrow, during the day, let''s watch from the side to see where they are not doing well, and you can also help point it out. This time, the Between The Water and Clouds will not close on the 30th so we can go back and forth. An official is there to celebrate the New Year and will not be returning home. Juan''juan and I do not know which family to go to, so this is our only choice. " "Okay, let''s do that. Those people who are going back to the capital can suffer. This is not allowed, and that is not allowed so annoying. I have foresight, don''t I? Hahahaha~!" Li Xun said andughed. Zhang Xiao''bao alsoughed, and Wang Juan added, "Also, there are many objects made of straw in the fields. There was a light snow but the objects were not crushed. Later, we can crawl around in it and y. We can tell the children in the manor toe along and y hide and seek inside." "What is it like? What is it like? It was dark when I came, so I didn''t see it. There is a fun ce like that here?" This time when Li Xun returned home, he was indeed disciplined, so he ran out for some fresh air. Hearing that there was something fun to y with, he was even more excited. "There is. Young Master Li should rest early, otherwise you won''t be able to get up tomorrow." Zhang Xiao''bao persuaded Li Xun to go to sleep when he saw that the conversation was almost over. Of course he couldn''t go to the Between The Water And Clouds this time so the best guest room in the yard was tidied up for Li Xun to stay at. Li Xun also didn''t want to chat anymore, so he agreed and was sent to the guest room by Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. Heid there thinking about tomorrow''s fun events. After sending off Li Xun, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan returned to their room. Theyid down on the heated brick bed together, looked at each other andughed. "It''s even better now. Originally, I thought it would require a bit of effort to push Magistrate Jia over, but now we don''t need it. I was thinking of pulling that old man in. If he doesn''t die this time, then I will die. Let Li Xun change into the same clothes as the children in manor. We should change too." Zhang Xiao''bao finally let out a sigh of relief at this time. He was not afraid of Magistrate Jiaing, but he was worried that he would not be able to deal with the people all at once. Now he doesn''t have to worry about this matter anymore. Wang Juan was lying there and said, "This is what it''s meant by a good man will receive good karma''. Did he really think that if Song Yang was driven away, we would not know his whereabouts? We were the ones who manufactured that carriage and we were also the ones who renovated the house he lives in. We spent so much effort. If we let him get away, then that is a waste of our money." Zhang Xiao''baoid down for a while, turned over, and sat next to the desk again. Thinking about things there, Wang Juan sat up and asked, "What else are you doing? Let''s not study today. Let''s go to bed earlier so that we can deal with tomorrow''s affairs." "I''m thinking. I''m thinking about it again. The details determine sess and failure. I have to make arrangements. This time, I won''t just get rid of Magistrate Jia, but I will also make sure the Han family and Yuan family won''t be able to get away. So many people with honorary official titles. Sigh~! Historical reasons." Zhang Xiao''bao started to tap his face with his hand again. He wanted to prepare a sure-fire solution, and at the same time, he had to have a backup n to solve the problem at once and leave no trouble for the future. Seeing Zhang Xiao''bao''s appearance, Wang Juan knew that he was about to make a ruthless attack. She pulled the quilt over, covering half of her body, and said, "Then think about it first. Tell me when you''re done, and I''ll discuss it with you. I''m going to lie down for a bit. Remember to call me." It took an hour before Zhang Xiao''bao thought through the matter clearly. He got under the covers, and started muttering with Wang Juan. * On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, early in the morning, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan had just woken up and finished grooming. Before they had the chance to eat, Li Xun came over. He also didn''t eat yet, so they ate together. After eating in a hurry, he called Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan to go out, and outside the yard, two guards he brought were still standing there. "Quick, call Li Cheng for me. Let him go to the manor to find someone who cane here to work." Li Xun ordered a guard. He then urged Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan to go to the fields because he wanted to see the passages and small huts from straw. Because of the snow, the straw here was covered with ayer of snow. Only bundies could be seen in the field and the straw was undiscoverable. The three people arrived at an opening. Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan pushed away the straw that was blocking the opening and a hole appeared in front of them. Zhang Xiao''bao crawled in first. He felt the air inside,and found that there was no problem. He shouted outside. "Come in and take a look first. Let''s go over there to see people build housester." Li Xun was waiting for Zhang Xiao''bao to say this. When he heard his words, he got in immediately. Inside felt really different from the outside and was very interesting. He shouted to Zhang Xiao''bao, whose shadow cannot even be seen inside, "Do you have enough wood in your house? I still have some in my manor." "Enough. I''ve prepared a lot for growing vegetables. Okay, let''s go out ande backter." Zhang Xiao''bao got out from another opening. * Book 2: Chapter 129 Book 2: Chapter 129 Chapter 129 Six Hundred Bailiffs Arriving This Morning When Li Xun, Zhang Xiao''bao, and Wang Juan arrived at the ce where the wooden houses were built, many people were already busy working. Zhang Xiao''bao said that he wanted Li Xun to give pointers, but in fact, Li Xun didn''t understand anything and could only watch others work. After a while, the people from the Li manor rushed over. Practically everyone in the manor came- men, women, children and elders. Everyone who could work came to help immediately, and those who cannot work watched on the sidelines. Because Li Xun treated his own manor like how the Zhang and Wang families treated their own manors, every single resident had bright healthy faces and wore uniforms. Compared to the residents of the Zhang and Wang manors, there were no differences. A lot of people have met each other before at the market. Now that they were working together, they were able to talk amongst each other. Children were more exclusive of others and always had a hostile look in their eyes. With more people, the working rate was faster. The houses were erected one by one, and the children were running back and forth in the built houses. At one moment, they would poke their head out of one door, and then the next moment, they would show their face at another door. asionally, there was some friction between the children of the Zhang and Wang families and the children of the Li family. Li Xun was still a little dissatisfied with the work speed. There were still some things that were not prepared yet. At noon tomorrow, a meal will be eaten here and then they would leisurely wait for the night toe. At this speed, it seemed a bit unrealistic. Just when he was about to ask his 200 guards to go help, a group of cavalrymen came over from the small bridge. Seeing this extraordinary arrangement, the 200 guards became nervous and waited until they could see clearly. The people on the horses were all wearing bailiff clothes. "What''s this for? Why have the bailiff alle here?" Li Xun knew that the bailiffs in San''shui County were a little different from those in other ces. They were recruited using money, and there were a lot of them. Anywhere in the whole San''shui County, no matter how far away, there would at least be a bailiff patrolling past the area every two hours. This ensured that nothing would happen in the county. No one dared to do bad things in San''shui County, but why did they alle here today? Are they going to celebrate the New Year together? When Zhang Xiao''bao saw these bailiffsing, he felt even more relieved. He said to Li Xun, "Last night, didn''t I tell you that there will be something interesting happening? You will get to see it today. There are 600 bailiffs here, and the rest are still patrolling in the county. There are firecrackers, so there''s a higher risk for fire idents. We have to guard against that." While they were talking, Housekeeper Zhang, who was also waiting here, greeted them. Chen Dong and Song Yang were the leaders of the bailiffs, and Recorder Zhao and Magistrate Assistant Zhang also followed the group here. "Housekeeper Zhang, everything is proceeding smoothly." Chen Dong said immediately while making a fist and palm salute. "Good. Thank you everyone. After this incident, the Zhang and Wang families will definitely thank everyone." Housekeeper Zhang was no longer worried. With so many bailiffs, he was not afraid that others woulde and cause trouble. Song Yang dismounted his horse. His face seemed a little unwell, and there was frostbite on his face. He said to Housekeeper Zhang, "Housekeeper Zhang, don''t be polite. We all know that our families can live well because we received help from the Zhang and Wang families. This is not a big deal. Anyone who wants to touch the Zhang and Wang families would be obstructing our path." "Someone,e. Bring the badger oil1. Bailiff Song got frostbite on his face during the pursuit." Housekeeper Zhang said to the person following him. This person immediately ced a very small jar in Housekeeper Zhang''s hands. Housekeeper Zhang took it, stuffed it into Song Yang''s hand, and said, "Song Yang, don''t worry, as long as the Zhang family has a bite to eat in the future, they won''t let you go hungry. Apply this oil." Song Yang nodded and didn''t say anything even though he knew that this small jar of badger oil would cost more than ten strings of coins. Li Xun watched Housekeeper Zhang arrange people to enter the built houses to warm up and eat. "Xiao''bao, tell me the truth, is there something wrong?" Li Xun asked Zhang Xiao''bao, who was standing beside him. Zhang Xiao''bao didn''t want to keep things a secret anymore, "It''s a small matter. Do you know the new Magistrate Jia? He always wants to take my family''s things, including those money-making recipes. His goal foring to to the San''shui County is to earn a fortune. My father has already tried to warn him once, and he has given him a lot of benefits. There is no money at the Administrative Office because we''re afraid that he will take it away. But when he saw that he was running out of money, he set his eyes on my family, the wharf at Little Luo''shui, and thend owned by my family. The bailiffs in the county are protecting my family, so he couldn''t do anything to us. Were you aware of this? " "Yes. The bailiffs act like they are raised by your family. If your family hadn''t done so many things for the people of San''shui County and offered gifts to the higher ups, my father would really have to think about what to do about your family. Your family is really mystical. You bought a rugged mountain and turned it into a wharf, and you farmednd and sold seeds. You can make money using just anything. How will there not be people who are jealous? What, the Magistrate Jia''s first n failed, so he came up with another n? He ns to take action on your family? " Li Xun''s face turned slightly red when he heard Zhang Xiao''bao say that someone was preying on his family. At the beginning, Li Xun had the same thoughts too, but after interacting more with them, he discovered that the Zhang and Wang families did not have any evil ambitions and knew how to conduct themselves. They also made the San''shui County that was once not so good be a lot more prosperous. When dealing with other people who came to cause trouble, they always took a step back, and then counterattacked when there was no other choice. Of course, these counter attacks were a bit strong. Everything is calm if they don''t move, but once they move, it will be like a thunderbolt. They beat the offenders again and again, and it is precisely because of this, his father told him not to carelessly touch this manor. He told Li Xun to find a way to win them over and try to find the person who is giving instructions in the back. Li Cheng was sent out, and everyday, he yed games with the person who might be the mastermind. He became more smart and clever, but unfortunately, he only learned about arithmetic and some ordinary little things. This was not right. What should be learned should be the ability to think and n ahead, to strategize from remote locations, and toe up with fool proof ns. Because of this, he never stoppeding into contact with them, especially the two children, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, who were smart. It must be that the mastermind did not give his all when dealing with Li Cheng, and instead taught Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan his skills. Because of this, his father permitted the two Zhang and Wang manors to do these things and hoped that Li Xun would have more contact with the people of the Zhang manor, and eventually learn something useful from the mastermind. Who was the easiest to reach out to? Of course, it was Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. No matter how the wilderness survival event ended up, it really made him more determined and allowed him to understand a lot of things. In his father''s opinion, this was a way for the mastermind to use Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan''s mouths to teach Li Xun. It was also for this reason that he was allowed to return to the Tu''qiao Vige during the New Year. While Li Xun was lost in his own thoughts, Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan were mouthing words to each other. "A big tree attracts the wind, Xiao''bao." Wang Juan sighed. "Small trees will not attract the wind, but there will always be people who will step on it. Unless you are not a part of this society, as long as you are still there, you must interact with people and it''s impossible to avoid conflicts. Are normalmoners really that stable?" Zhang Xiao''bao''s thoughts were more thorough. If they develop further, people will scheme against them, but if they don''t develop and remain quiet, people from a different level will be schemed. He would rather use arge amount of his effort to go in circles with those people instead of swallowing his voice along with othermoners. At least now he didn''t have to worry about themoners now. Wang Juan also understands this truth. Not just here, but even at the beginning, nothing happened to some murderers. Especially if the murder victims were ordinarymoners. In some people''s eyes, life can be measured by money. "That''s right, then we have to get along well with the Emperor''s nephew and his father in the future. We can send some money. That Li Long''ji won''t object, right?" "No, absolutely not. He is looking at how many troops these brothers and their families have, and what officials theye in contact with. As for money, he would like to let his brothers embezzle more. As long as they don''t get too involved with politics, nothing will happen." Zhang Xiao''bao has a good grasp of this aspect, and ordinary people would think the same too When the two were talking, Li Xun finished thinking and said to Zhang Xiao''bao, "Tell me what Jia Shan is going to do this time, and I will help you. I was scolded by my fatherst time. Why didn''t he drown to death." "He wants the people from another prefecture to arrest us. We were granted four thousand mu ofnd and my family and the Wang family upied four thousand mu ofnd. However, with the mountains, it''s six thousand mu. We didn''t upy the remaining two thousand mu. Magistrate Jia secretly rewrote a copy of the documents we sent, and changed the size of thend. He let his son take the document with him, and went to the border of San''shui County and Hua''yuan County. He went there himself too, and he sent away all the bailiffs who followed him. Fortunately, the carriage we made for him has a secretpartment at the bottom. There are two people hidden there, andter Song Yang went back after he found a horse. Under the guidance of the two people, he chased after them, and only then did he find out that Magistrate Jia was in contact with the people of Han Manor and Yuan Manor. There may be a lot of peopleing this time. He deliberately wrote a fake letter, and before leaving, he asked the bailiff to gather at Little Luo''shui. No matter which one, the bailiffs will be all sent away. At my manor, there is no one else apart from the residents. Last night, Bailiff Song came over to tell us, and then went back overnight. Now all 600 people from the bailiff have arrived here. My father is afraid that they will rush over and arrest us and the Wang family." Zhang Xiao''bao told Li Xun the whole story. At the beginning, Li Xun didn''t think much of it, thinking that Magistrate Jia used a small trick, but when Zhang Xiao''bao said that Magistrate Jia had colluded with people from other prefectures and counties to arrest people, his face changed immediately. "How dare they. How is this arresting you? They are obviously bullying me and my father. Great, great. No wonder you asked me how many men I brought. Don''t worry. Even I, a prince, don''t bring a single person with me, what can he do? Does he want to rebel now? Xiao''bao, I''ll help your family. Who''s fault is it that he wants to embezzle money. Let''s see if he can keep his life." Li Xun said with a sullen face.
  1. Badger oil
Badger oil is made from the fat of Chinese ferret-badgers. Book 2: Chapter 130 Book 2: Chapter 130 Chapter 130 Little Red g Shaking in the Wind Zhang Xiao''bao was waiting for these words. Seeing that Li Xun was very angry, heforted him, "You don''t have to be angry, Young Master Li. It''s not worthwhile to be angry at this kind of person. The Magistrate is a little greedy, but he thinks for the people. My family is willing to give some money. The people of San''shui County are better and more prosperous. The wharf can make more money, and my family will also have more money. If we spend part of the money to improve the lives of the people, then the ce will be more and more prosperous. This is called a virtuous circle. But he, Jia Shan, didn''t think like this at all. My father was nning to see how he was going to be. If he was good and also good to the people, then we give him some money, and find a way to get him some political achievements and help him get promoted. You can''t even guess what he did. Before he took office, he went to the wharf to calcte how much money could be made there in a year. The magistrate assistant saw through his n. He took office the next day. So many people went to greet him, waiting for him to treat the people well, but he ended up thinking about the Ping''cang Warehouse, and then asking the Han Family and Yuan Family for money the next moment. Hmm, he asked for money twice. 13,000 strings of coins each time. Isn''t it New Year''s Eve? Magistrate Cheng gave gifts to the people during the New Year. He is still waiting for the reward from above. Afterall, he was weed by thousands of civilians, so he wouldn''t dare to not give them gifts. He bought some stuff from my family and spent some money. But now he is unsatisfied. He was just given money and now he had lost some, so he can''t resist targeting my family. My father knew about this already but he thought that Magistrate Jia would at least wait a few days after the New Year before taking action. Who would have thought that on the 30th, he wants toe here and make a move. Sigh, this is really hard to deal with. " Zhang Xiao''bao understated the matters rting to his family making money, and exaggerated the actions of Magistrate Jia. If an adult said these words, Li Xun might think twice about it, but since the words came out of Zhang Xiao''bao''s mouth, it wouldn''t be fake. Li Xun was persuaded by Zhang Xiao''bao. However, not only did he not calm down, he became even more angry. He clenched his fists and said, "That damned Jia Shan. He is too greedy. This time, some of the magistrates were appointed by my uncle. How dare he do this?" "Maybe he won''te here today. What if this was intentional? However, we better take precautions." Zhang Xiao''bao spoke up for Jia Shan this time. The more he spoke like this, the more angry Li Xun became. "If he doesn''te, I''ll go find him and ask him what he has done for the San''shui County, and where did the moneye from. 26,000 strings of coins. That''s more money than I have. I was thinking of starting a business with someone to make money, yet he asked for money directly. Don''t try to persuade me anymore. The matter has been decided." The more Li Xun thought about it, the more frustrated he felt. Seeing that Zhang Xiao''bao was about to speak, he waved his hand to signal Zhang Xiao''bao to not speak. Zhang Xiao''bao naturally felt relieved because there was now less work for him. "Let''s not talk about him anymore. Let''s see what else is missing there. Oh, do you have to use chopsticks made of silver to eat? I hear that you can use it to test if there is any poison." Zhang Xiao''bao talked about other things. "What silver? It''s bamboo. Let''s work together to earn money. Your family is counting on me to help them when they encounter troubles, so would your family possibly harm me? Well, unless your family is tired of living. Give me a cucumber to eat now. The cucumber nts at my manor didn''t fruit yet." After being interrupted by Zhang Xiao''bao, Li Xun finally stopped thinking about that matter, but kept it in his mind. * At the junction of San''shui County and Hua''yuan County, Magistrate Wen, Magistrate Jia, Official Han and Official Yuan stood there with three hundred people behind them. Some wore bailiff clothes and others wore other clothes. Everyone had clubs and knives in their hands. The four people were still waiting. They were waiting for Jia Wei''ran, the son of Magistrate Jia, to arrive. He set out yesterday but for some reason, he still has not arrived yet. "Master Jia, is there something wrong? It''s better not to wait for him, or you won''t be able to get to the ce before noon." Official Han said anxiously. He was afraid that the bailiffs in San''shui County would notice something. If they encounter the bailiffs when they arrive at the Zhang Manor, then they would be unable to take action. "Things should be okay. Perhaps he found a ce to sleep yesterday and overslept. Let''s wait a bit longer." Magistrate Jia was more anxious than anyone else right now. It was his son after all. If something really happened, what should he do? When the other three people heard him say this, they couldn''t leave. They could only wait patiently. When it seemed that some people couldn''t wait any longer, Jia Wei''ran finally arrived on horseback, but his face didn''t look so good. He didn''t wait for anyone to ask him and said, "Father, when I wasing over yesterday, the horse wasn''t doing well. The horse they gave me cannot run long distances at all. Later, I encountered a caravan. I ate some food, and bought a horse. I don''t know which food was bad. I had to stop from time to time along the way, and then I found someone''s house to rest at. Even now I still feel weak." "You, you even got sick from eating food. Let''s put that aside for now. Did you bring the item?" Magistrate Jia saw his sone. Although he was a little sick, as long as nothing major happened, it was alright. He was now worried about the item his son carried on his body. "I brought it, dad. Here it is." Seeing that his father didn''t scold him, Jia Wei''ran took out an envelope from his robe and nned to hand it over. Magistrate Jia gave him a meaningful look, "Keep it with you, don''t lose it. You have worked so hard to bring it over. You will be credited." "Okay." Jia Wei''ran suddenly remembered. He has to be the one who takes out this item when the timees and then convicts the Zhang and Wang families. This way, he would be given some credit. As soon as everyone arrived, therge group of horsemen traveled towards the Zhang Manor. Along the way, the three hundred people who followed were all excited. They had already discussed it in private. When they arrived there, they nned to take anything that seemed good. The Magistrate would not care about those small items anyway. If they do happen to encounter an item of high value, then it would be their gain. The magistrate and others were also looking forward to it. The speed of the team couldn''t help but to speed up by a lot. After this time, they could enjoy the fortunes. After walking for a while, everyone felt tired. Only until now did they look at the ce. Jia Wei''ran had already inquired about this ce. He looked up into the sky and said, "After walking for another hour, we should be there before noon. Good things are waiting for all of you." After saying this, the dozens of people who were not bailiffs and wanted to rest decided not to rest. The sooner they arrive at the ce, the sooner they can get the items. Under this encouragement, the team''s speed became even faster. * At the Zhang Manor, the bailiffs already sent out some people to guard the ce. The remaining ones hid themselves. The ce where they hid in were those haystacks. The bailiffs were strong. Originally when they were gangsters, they had to fight, and after bing bailiffs, they had to exercise. In a short while, the little haystacks were ready. Half of the bailiffs and the one hundred people brought by Li Xun hid among the haystacks. The rest were easy to handle. They erected wooden boards next to each other and they hid behind the boards. Since houses were also being built here, no one would be suspicious of this. Everything was ready. They just needed to see if anyone woulde over there. If they don''te today, then they will wait until tomorrow. Li Xun decided to wait until the fifteenth. He had the time and patience. It was not like he was the one that had to hide. He can y with Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan, and build their rtionship. At four quarters after the Yi hour (10 AM), before anyone else came, the old man who was at Between The Water and Clouds brought some people over first. From Between The Water and Clouds, they crossed the small bridge. Seeing the houses under construction, the old man walked in front and looked as he walked. When he arrived at the ce, he suddenly noticed Li Xun. He was stunned for a moment. He didn''t know why the Emperor''s nephew didn''t go back for the New Year. When Li Xun ran over here, he also saw the old man. He quickly took a few steps forward and greeted him, "Why is the minister here? You''re not celebrating the New Year in the Capital?" "Isn''t the young prince here too? Did you sneak out? The prince will punish you." The old man looked at Li Xun''s appearance and thought that the child had sneaked away by himself. . "My father knows that I''m here. Sir, you don''t really n to celebrate the New Year here, right?" Li Xun was confident, so he wasn''t afraid of being disciplined by his father. The old man nodded slightly and said, "Yes, I''m going to spend the New Year here this year, I don''t want to go back to the Capital. There are too many people and my body cannot hold up anymore. The water here doesn''t freeze in winter, the food isparable to the big restaurants in the Capital and the scenery is good. I can rest here. Why did you think ofing here? Also, what are you doing here now?" "Oh, then you have to pay more attention to your body. Grandpa still counts on you. I have a manor here. It''s New Year''s Eve, and I will have fun with the people. It just so happens that the Zhang family and the Wang family also n to build a few houses here. When the 31stes, we will stay upte together, and eat and drink together. It''s more lively this way. Are you going to stay at Between The Water and Clouds? Why don''t youe here? I heard from the Zhang family that it is precisely because you are here that they chose this ce specifically so that it would be convenient for the waiters to go back and forth to pay greetings to their family during the New Year. If this was not the case, there is enough space at the main house. " Li Xun exined to the old man. Looking at the construction situation here, the old man felt very satisfied. This family was really good at doing things. Not only did they allow him to be served by others during the New Year at the Between The Water and Clouds, but they also let the waiters who were serving the old man know that their master family did not forget about them. Looking back at the Between The Water and Clouds, the old man thought for a while and said, "I''m still going to stay at the Between The Water and Clouds. There are too many people in my family; it''s going to be a disturbance if I have theme here. When firecrackers are set on the 30th, we wille over and watch." "That''s fine. Don''t rush to leave yet. Your guards should also hide behind the wooden boards. There''s something interesting." Li Xun happened to see a cautious bailiff run over while vigorously waving a small red g in his hand. Li Xun knew that the people they were waiting for wereing, so he hurriedly asked the minister to hide his own men. The old man didn''t know what was going on, but he still had a childlike innocence and asked the guards to hide. He assumed that no one would hurt him here. The guards were shocked when they went behind the boards. There were many people. There were hundreds of bailiffs and the young prince''s guards. It was safe now. Book 2: Chapter 131 Book 2: Chapter 131 Chapter 131 Hurry Up And Find Someone To Save Your Life After waiting for the old man to hide, Li Xun thought of Zhang Xiao''bao''s idea, and immediately followed Zhang Xiao''bao, Wang Juan, and the three children from the manor to y in the passages made of straw stacks. They popped their heads out from time to time as they yed hide and seek with others. Magistrate Jia and the others could now see the Zhang Manor. At this time, they were no longer able to maintain their original calmness and they started running. They were going to catch the Zhang family first, but when they reached the Zhang family''s main courtyard they found that no one was there and the door was open. "Oh no, they may have run away. Hurry up and chase after them." The first thing that came to Magistrate Wen''s mind was this. He hollered to the people and they ran towards the Little Bridge. They came from the other direction, and they happened to pass the Zhang Manor first. These people did not dy and continued to chase down the path. When they reached the main courtyard of the Wang family, they found that it was the same there too. Now they were uncertain about the situation so they could only continue chasing. Once they ran a certain distance, they saw several people building houses in the distance. There were also little children ying in the field. Now, they finally felt relieved. "It looks like they are doing something? Assign fifty people to catch those little children. Maybe the little masters of the Zhang and Wang families are there. The remainder, charge ahead with me." Magistrate Wen had a horse. He shouted, and slowly urged the horse. The other men gathered around Magistrate Wen and they charged over. The old man, who didn''t know what was going on just earlier, understood now. The people who were rushing over were wearing the clothes of bailiffs, and the other two were wearing the clothes of county magistrates. His first thought was that these people were going to rebel, and Li Xun found out ahead of time so he deliberately set up an ambush. Seeing this situation, he had no choice but to step back. Next to him were the guards and the bailiffs who were hiding behind wooden boards. The people on Magistrate Jia''s side were not clear about the situation. They just wanted to catch people quickly. The first to arrive were the 50 people who were supposed to catch the children. The 50 people rushed over and kicked the children with their feet when they saw them or tossed them into a pile with their hands. As soon as they started taking action, crossbow arrows flew out from the other surrounding haystacks. This was not the bailiffs'' doing; the bailiffs were not equipped with such a thing. They were all Li Xun''s guards. Originally, they didn''t intend to use the crossbows, but they prepared them anyway. However, those people began attacking after they came over, so of course they couldn''t act polite. The 50 people were not prepared at all. Thirty people were shot on the spot and the rest were frightened for a while. Looking at the hundreds of people around them, they did not dare to move. Li Xun''s guards rushed over immediately. They first beat them, and then tied them up. As soon as the shouting sounded here, the Magistrate and others felt that something was wrong. They turned their heads and saw that there were three or four hundred people gathered there. Their chest became tense at the same time. In particr, seeing people holding crossbows made them feel even more afraid. "Oh no, retreat." Seeing this situation, Magistrate Wen''s first thought was to run. He yelled out as he pulled onto the reins. At this time, those wooden boards all fell over at the same time. The people behind the boards saw that the people in the field were using crossbows already so they were worried about the Young Prince. They did not hold back anymore. They shot directly with their crossbows, and pulled out their sword-knives. The bailiffs were stunned. At the beginning, they agreed to just scare the people, so howe they were actually fighting now. The bailiffs didn''t know what to do for a while. The old man saw the guards he brought with him look over. He pointed his hand over there, "Charge. If anyone resists, kill." Magistrate Wen was shot off the horse on the spot. The crossbow arrow did not hit his vital point. Heid on the ground and shouted loudly, "Don''t attack. We''re on the same side. I am the magistrate of the Hua''yuan County." The bailiffs and the others he brought were also stunned. They have never seen this kind of battle before. First, there was shooting crossbows, and then people charged over. Just by looking at the clothes those people were wearing, they knew things were grim. The sword-knives they used and the look in their eyes and their movements were the same as those in the battlefield. These kinds of people were not people they could fight against. At the beginning, someone threw away their weapons and ran around uncoordinatedly. The bailiffs and guards on the other side of the field also surrounded them, blocking off the back road and the side roads. In the front was a group of Li Xun''s guards, and on the other side were the remaining 300 bailiffs. Anyone who was equipped with a weapon or wanted to escape was cut down immediately. Li Xun''s guards, who came over from the field, had already put arrows on their crossbows again. They were ready to shoot another round of arrows. "Stop. The people of Hua''yuan County, drop your weapons." Magistrate Wen now had the desire to die. He found that those who threw their weapons away were not killed, so he shouted loudly. The people he brought over heard his voice. They threw their weapons, and stood there with a look of horror on their faces. Magistrate Jia was slightly better off. Surprisingly, he was not shot by the arrows. He looked at the people around him. His eyes were dull. It was not known what he was thinking about. He came back to his senses only after he was pushed down and tied up. He shouted loudly, "Zhang Yong''cheng. How could you use such evil tactics? You raised your own private army, and attacked officials of the court. Wait for your family to be executed." As soon as he finished shouting this sentence, someone kicked his head. Magistrate Jia thought that these people were raised by Zhang Yong''cheng. He was full of fear and hatred. He turned his head to see who was kicking, and happened to see an old man walking over. He was suddenly stunned and asked tentatively, "You, are you Lord Minister?" "Yes. You are Jia Shan. I saw you when the Emperor personally appointed the magistrates. You tried to murder Li Xun, and now you are caught. What else can you say?" The old man asked with a sullen face. "Murder Li Xun? Who is Li Xun? Li Xun? Ah, the Young Prince. My lord, I am wronged. I didn''t do that." Magistrate Jia now knew where the guards around here came from; they were the Young Prince Li Xun''s guards. He cried injustice while thinking, why did hee here and not go home for the New Year? "Hmph, wronged? Who left the mark on my body?" Li Xun also came over at this time, followed by Zhang Xiao''bao and Wang Juan. He pointed to the ten centimeter shoe mark on his body and questioned. Magistrate Jia looked at the shoe print on Li Xun''s body, and was stunned, and said stupidly, "The shoe print is too small. I didn''t kick you." "Hmph, you dare to argue? The person who kicked me is one of your people. He has small feet." Li Xun couldn''t helpughing as he spoke to the magistrate. The shoe print was left by Zhang Xiao''bao. Just now, he discussed with Li Xun and decided to use this n. It didn''t matter if the foot was big or small. He was kicked regardless. He was kicked when those people were kicking the children. Magistrate Jia immediately understood that the Young Prince wanted him and his family dead. How did he offend him? Could it be that he didn''t send money to the Young Prince after taking money from the Han and Yuan families? No, I can''t die. "Lord Lord Minister. Save me. I didn''t know that the Young Prince was here. I''m here to arrest the criminals to arrest the Zhang family. You need to help me speak up." Magistrate Jia cried and begged the old man. The old man looked at the footprint on Li Xun''s body and listened to Magistrate Jia''s words. He now understood; Magistrate Jia wanted to take down the Zhang manor in one go. He decided to help the Zhang family. Just when he intended to make his crime more serious, Housekeeper Zhang stepped forward and pointed at the Magistrate and said, "You are talking nonsense. Why don''t you use San''shui County''s bailiffs to arrest people? Where did these peoplee from? You are the magistrate of the San''shui County. Could it be that you use people from other ces to arrest the officials of San''shui County?" "Lord Minister, I have evidence. Let me show the evidence and you will know." Magistrate Jia was afraid that others would not ask for evidence and directly kill him instead. No one would speak for him at that time then. He heard the housekeeper''s words and scolded Housekeeper Zhang for being stupid in his mind while shouting out his words. "This..." The Minister didn''t know what to do. At the same time, he resented Housekeeper Zhang a little bit. Why did he step forward? "My lord, since he said he has evidence, let him present it." Housekeeper Zhang was not in a hurry at all. "Alright.Take it out." The minister had no choice but to say this after hearing Housekeeper Zhang speak. "Quick, quick, my son, take out what you brought with you and let them see." Magistrate Jia hurriedly urged his son. Jia Wei''ran was shot with an arrow in the leg, and it was in pain. When he heard what his father said, he didn''t dare to neglect, and immediately took the letter out of his robe. He took out a few pieces of paper and said, "They were only awarded four thousand mu ofnd. My lord, look at it. They have encircled six thousand mu." Jia Wei''ran said and handed it forward. The minister took it over and looked at it. He suddenly snorted, and threw back the paper that he scrunched into a ball, "Open your eyes and see how much has been circled. It''s obviously four thousand mu. You are not a person from the Administrative Office, but you possess an item from the Administrative Office. What crime is this?" Without waiting for Jia Wei''ran to pick it up, Magistrate Jia used an undiscovered strength to crawl over from someone else''s feet, picked up the paper and unfolded it. After the first nce, he heard a buzzing sound in his head, his eyes darkened, and he almost fainted. That was the original document he reced at the Administrative Office. Why did it appear here? That''s not right. My son obviously took the fake document that I made. Li Xun stepped forward at this time, "Jia Shan, what else do you have to say? Framing your colleagues, privately leading soldiers from another Prefecture to intend to kill people. When you were discovered, you wanted to kill me, the Young Prince, to silence me. Come, take him away. These people too. Send them to the capital. I will also write a letter to my uncle. I can''t believe I was almost killed and seriously injured within the borders of the Great Tang. This is unreasonable. Perhaps, one day when some magistrate is happy, he would invite foreign troops to attack the capital. Jia Shan, what other evidence do you have?" "Young Prince, forgive me, I don''t dare, I don''t dare anymore. Not anymore. Yes, yes, I framed my colleague. I plead guilty. Young Prince, show mercy. I''m only greedy for the Zhang Manor''s money. I didn''t think of killing the Young Prince. I have confessed." Magistrate Jia knew that if his punishment was based on the two crimes he mentioned, then it would be nothing more than dismissing him from office or killing him. If it was ording to what Li Xun said, then not a single person from his family could escape. "Really?" Li Xun asked. "Really." Magistrate Jia replied. "Someone,e. Write it down, and let him seal it with his thumbprint. Lord Jia, go find someone to vouch for you. I don''t really want to kill people during the New Year. Maybe you can save your life." Li Xun didn''t dare to say that someone was going to kill him. His Uncle would definitely tell him to return, and he didn''t want to go back. Furthermore, killing an entire family is really cruel. As for who he ws going to look for, it didn''t matter. Regardless, he would not be able to be an official anymore. It would be good enough if he could keep his life. The San''shui County is stable now. The Transmigrators Cultivation - Chapter 20 The Transmigrator''s Cultivation - Chapter 20 The man in front of him wearing purple clothes and holding a long sword in his hand was Xu Zifeng, who was in the Foundation-Building Stage. The woman in beautiful clothes with a tender and beautiful face beside him, was exactly Meng Wanqin. Now the two have joined hands and were fighting against a middle-aged man in the ce from which a column of light erupted. A few meters behind the three people, there were many young men and women standing densely. All of them were puzzled and were staring with their eyes wide open. Their magic weapons were held in their hands, or were was hanging on the body. It was so dark and there was no light, so they could not use them. Hundreds of them were motionless, and they all didn''t know what they were doing. There was no response, spiritual light also seemed to be hided from view, and it waspletely without the least bit of great waves. This cave was quiterge, and there was still some space for those cultivators. Xu Ziqing was standing on the edge, not in the middle of the fire of war. He looked at those cultivators carefully, feeling rather strange in his heart. When he looked at the three seniors who were fighting intoxicatedly, he also found something wrong. He thought about how a few days ago, he saw the family patriarch Xu Zhengtian and Tian Cheng fighting in the sky from his home. With such a huge momentum, even in the Baicaoyuan, he was shocked and terrified. Now the three high-level Foundation-Building experts are fighting, but why is it far less than that time? Xu Ziqing actually felt that this battle was not as good as the fights of the Qi-Refining cultivators that he had seen onmon days! Strange, it''s really too strange. Xu Ziqing''s cultivation was frail and weak. He couldn''t figure out why was that, so he stopped thinking about it. He looked around again trying to find the trace of the Old Man He. He remembered that before the illusion array was triggered, he and Old Man He were still standing next to each other. Howe he didn''t see him now? Fortunately, after a short while, he found the whereabouts of the Old Man He. It turned out that the Old Man He was sitting cross-legged on the ground. The smoking pipe had long sincee back to the size before it was used, andnded beside him. The Old Man He also looked confused, his eyes seemed to be closed, and he looked dazed. Xu Ziqing felt that something was wrong, so he quickly trotted over and pushed him with his hands. "Steward He, Steward He!" he called out in a hurry, "Quickly wake up!" Xu Ziqing remembered the behavior of those cultivators just now and what he saw before he woke up. He suddenly had a guess in his heart. Maybe everyone without exception got caught in the illusion array, so they are all bewildered and are standing motionless. Thinking that Old Man He''s state of mind might have been absorbed in the illusion array, Xu Ziqing used his spiritual power to chant notplicated spell, the "Heart Clearing Mantra", and directed it on Old Man He''s face. Although the level of this magic form is low, but it is also an incantation as its name suggests. It has the ability to clear the mind and ward off evil spirits. At this time, with Xu Ziqing''s cultivation, he could only use this spell. But fortunately, it was useful. After Heart Clearing Mantra was directed at Old Man He''s face, he shuddered and opened his eyes. At this moment, there was fear and panic on his face. When he saw Xu Ziqing''s worried face, he seemed to remember something and returned to normal. Old Man He was much more knowledgeable than Xu Ziqing. He only looked around to know the situation at this time. His eyes were veryplicated. He nced at Xu Ziqing and said, "Boy, you are very determined and your aspirations are firm, not bad." Xu Ziqing was blushing with shame: "This junior just acted before thinking." In fact, since this illusion array can trap so many people, how can it be easily broken? The reason why Xu Ziqing was able to free himself was only because he had died once, and he knew the feeling of being between life and death. Contrary to what one might have expected, he really profited from the situation. He suffered from a grave disease in his previous life. No matter how he consoled himself, he didn''t know how much resentment he had umted in his heart. After being reborn he shouldn''t care. Only in the illusion realm did he realize that this had turned into a heart demon, that usually was submerged in the depths of his heart. If he cultivates for a long time, and his skills will be more profound, then the heart demon will be in chaos, and it will be difficult to defeat it. Fortunately, he learned the location of the heart demon after this incident. He broke free, and suddenly his mind was much clearer than before. Since this day he will continue to cultivate and he will not be disturbed by this resentment ! Old Man He didn''t talk to him too much. Now that the situation was urgent, he understood it better than Xu Ziqing. Recalling the moment just before, he asked quickly, "Boy, how did you wake me up?" Xu Ziqing replied: "This junior used a Heart Clearing mantra..." The old man nodded slightly: "This Old Man will chant it for someone else. If you can still use a few magic techniques, then you go too." He paused at this point, "But you must first wake up the people from the Xu Family. Do you understand?" Xu Ziqing was stunned for a moment, and then responded, "Yes, this junior understands." This cave was very strange, and naturally the more people wake up, the better. But as a people from different families they cannot be of one mind and work together. Since they are members of the Xu family, they must think about the n first. Although Xu Ziqing felt a little uneasy, in the end he knew that there was a difference between close and distant, so he acted ording to what he was told. So the two of them started working together, and they both chanted the Heart-Clearing Mantra in the direction the faces of the confused cultivators. This spell was really useful, anyone who received it would wake up in an instant. But after waking up, those cultivators one after another also understood clearly the situation at this moment. They were all either ashamed or angry, but they all went to rescue others. The three Foundation-Building cultivators were still fighting like wildfire and they seemed to be ignorant of the situation. Seeing that the Xu Family was about to be woken up, Old Man He thought about it for a while, and then shed to the front of the three people confused fighting and used the Heart-Clearing Mantra at Xu Zifeng! No matter how much one don''t want to deal with it, in such a treacherous situation, one can''t let the three high-ranking people get angry! Xu Zifeng''s cultivation is profound, and for some unknown reason, he immediately started fighting with the other two. Now it was enough to give him a little bit of assistance, and he immediately woke up. Almost in the next instant, Xu Zifeng swung his long sword and left the fighting group with an ugly expression on his face. It''s just that he didn''t have time to get angry at this time. It turned out that when he was awake, countless multi-colored lights lustering like gems and bright like stars in the sky suddenly floated down from the top of the cave. It could be said that nothing more beautiful than that could be imagined. However, in this beautiful scenery, there was murderous intent hidden. The cultivator who was still in a daze was stained with a little bit of this glistering light. In a split second, the skin and flesh turned ck, and the blood and flesh were corroded! The rest of the people were shocked when they saw this, but they could still move,so they all turned to avoid it. Even if it was this way, there were still people who were identally infected. Immediately there was wailing, miserable howling and jolts of panic all over the ce. Many cultivators hurriedly used the magic weapons. The brilliance of the magic weapons circted and released the protective aura, which was able to separate them from the glistening light. Xu Ziqing was also horrified and he had no magic weapon. What should be done? Seeing that the situation was bad, the Old Man He had already used his smoking pipe. Immediately, a sh of light filled his body, protecting him from top to bottom. He was quite careful, and stretched out his hand to pull Xu Ziqing over. The two of them were shrouded in the aura of the smoke together, so they did not suffer the same misfortune as those cultivators. Xu Ziqing didn''t recognize this glistering light, and seeing Old Man He''s grave expression again, he couldn''t help but ask, "Steward He, I dare to ask what is this thing?" The Old Man He shook his head: "I don''t know either, but I think Young Master Zifeng knows." The two looked at Xu Zifeng. After Xu Zifeng backed away, glistering light floated down. He seemed to recognize the thing immediately, and at once the Qi of his two swords burst out. After two "swoosh", Meng Wanqin and Tian Tao also woke up, and they also turned pale with fright. The three of them made their moves together. One had a dazzling sword light all over his body, the other used a red silk and stretched it in the arms, and another one had a piece of jade hanging over his head. In an instant, within five meters of where they were, there was no more spiritual light falling. Xu Zifeng still looked good. When Meng Wanqin and Tian Tao saw that their outstanding n members were enveloped by spiritual light, they both shouted sharply, jumped out together, and woke up the n''s younger generation one by one. At this moment, the three of them no longer had the mind topete for treasures. They only wanted to protect more juniors from the ns! The Xu family members were not slow to respond. Most of them had already woken up long before the glistering light fell. Although a few people reacted slowly and were injured at first, they all used magic weapons at this time, and it was all right. At this moment, they were going to "rescue by waking up " the members of two families who were not supported by experts in the Foundation Establishment Stage. Unlike the other families, they were acting in a hurry! Xu Zifeng didn''t help, instead, he looked up and searched the inside of the cave carefully. He saw that the glistering light didn''t show soon after and most of the other nsmen from four families were also awakened. But there were also changes in the cave! The top of the cavern were originally ash-gray mountain rocks, which was normal. But at this moment, a few openings were suddenly splitted open, and a little of stone surface were lifted. Xu Ziqing''s eyes narrowed, and he immediately looked over! Everyone was attracted by the irregrly changing roof of the cave, and they all looked at it with their good eyesight. The surface of the rocks did not disappoint everyone. It was not only gradually peeling off more, but it also broken and turned into countless little pieces the size of copper coins. In the blink of an eye, the t part of the top of the cave seemed to turn into a dense stone scales, and the color was so dark that it was horrifying! With the eyesight of the cultivators, how can they not see that this stone scales were clearly not formed by the cracking rocks surface but a gray butterflies covering the whole top of the cave! At this time, a well-informed person called out: "This is a Seven-Colors Illusion Butterfly!" Xu Zifeng and other two Foundation Building cultivators knew about this thing long ago. But no matter what everyone was talking about, they only guarded the outstanding disciples of the n, each using their own methods to release sword energy and use magic spells on those gray butterflies! Xu Ziqing saw that those who knew the truth were panic-stricken across their whole faces, so he asked in surprise: "Steward He, what is this Seven-Colors Illusion Butterfly?" The Old Man He had a very ugly face: "It''s a Demonic Beast that can control illusions, it''s extremely tricky." Xu Ziqing understood those, and he no longer talked. He just watched Steward He release another strange hook-shaped magic weapon, and attacking the countless butterflies at the roof of the cave! Everyone worked hard to kill butterflies. Among them, Xu Zifeng was especially hardworking and killed the most of them. He is extremely talented, and he has suffered so much over the years to achieve this achievement. But now it is like this, he has never suffered such a big loss. As soon as he entered the cave before, he saw that the depths of the cave were filled withyers uponyers of shining treasures, which were very dazzling. The two who came in with himpeted and fought together, and he naturally also had to undertake a task. It''s just that Xu Zifeng never imagined that this cavern is not a cave dwelling with treasures at all. But contrary to expectations air of Seven-Colors Illusion Butterflies! As early as when they discovered this cave, they had already fallen into an illusion realm of the Seven-Colors Illusion Butterflies aimed against then. The so-called mountain protection array was originally an opening to the illusion realm. When they entered the cave, they went deeper, into the nextyer of illusion technique of the Seven-Colors Ilusion Butterflies, which caused them to fall into the urn. Because Xu Zifeng and the three had the highest cultivation level, the illusion of the Seven-Colors Illusion Butterflies was mainly aimed at them. Therefore, what only the three of them saw was the wishes and desires in their hearts, the unattainable treasures. On the contrary, all the disciples who had not yet reached the Foundation Establishment Stage saw the scene from inside of their hearts that they dared not to face. As a result they were bewildered and confused. However, there are also those with firm will like Xu Ziqing, who can break free from the illusion. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!