Great Tang Idyll

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 blade that was slightly longer, and the curvature of the blade 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 reason laid 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 and compass for Li Cheng to mull over later. Wang Juan kept herself busy by drawing other things.

"Is that a... combined 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 two large 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 accomplishable 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 the large natural reservoirs? The freshwater crabs, shrimps and fish we bought from elsewhere are still in the ponds. If they grow any larger, 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 place and buy the land. 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 flavors 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 umbrella 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 placed in front of them. The meat specially made for the people of the inner courtyard was cut into thin slices, arranged on a wooden plate and then placed on the table. A small plate of garlic sauce was placed beside the plate.

The cucumber that was stored away until now was crushed flat 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 flavours 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 single compliment 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 blanch thin slices in boiling water, and then wash off the oil and scum. Then, place 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 place. Look at how well the rice plants 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 villains. Their acting skills are not as good as Song Jing'gong. It is obvious that they have written the words I'm a villain' 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 his large belly bulging out, and asked the boy from earlier.

"Boss, everyone is busy right now, perhaps they will come 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 clang. 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 also commented.

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 splashed onto the ground to form a black 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 you come 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 place. 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 the land that had not been harvested yet, and offered a very high purchase price.

Translator'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.

2. 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.

3. The term that is used in the text is (lit. trans. Walk dog), which is more close to the word lackey' but to keep it tied into the next paragraph, I kept the translation as dog'.

Dogs can only see people from down low' means to belittle others.

4. dou

This is a Chinese unit of measurement and is equivalent to about 10 liter.