Great Tang Idyll

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."

His last three words were addressed to the bailiff. He finally accepted 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 Village?" Magistrate Jia thought of this place when he heard the words ‘Zhang family'. He feared and hated that place.

The second uncle turned the crepe over, continued to beat the eggs, and said, "My lord also knows about them? It is that place. 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 uncomfortable 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 begin laying 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 old lady's house.

Half an hour later, 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 pit latrine. Later, people stopped throwing them away."

"Why?" The Magistrate wondered.

"The Zhang Manor sent people to teach us how to eat these things. In particular, 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 platter 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 places will bring goods here.

There are also merchants who come 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 delayed. 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 plans to lay low until an opportunity comes. 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 replace 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 slaughtered 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 cellar.

Buy some from the nearby places first. Starting tomorrow, add an egg to their dinner. Once they finish their meal, give them a fruit platter 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 particular, 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 formula. 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 stimulate domestic demand. Let's give the Magistrate a chance."

Translator's Notes

1. Flour sausage 面肠

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.

2. Chai'hu Soup 小柴胡汤

This herbal soup is used to treat the common cold, and is made with Chinese Thororax root, crow-dipper, ginseng. Licorice root, skullcap root, ginger, and jujube.