Tang Shen and Yao San went to Blacksmith Wang’s shop together.

The sound of hammering could be heard coming from the shop. Blacksmith Wang was bare-chested and holding a sledgehammer in one hand, currently in the middle of hammering. Seeing Tang Shen and Yao San, he said: “Little Tang Lang and Yao San, why do you have time to come to see me today?”

Tang Shen: “Uncle Wang, there is an object that I would like you to see if you can make it.”

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

“Let me take a look.”

Tang Shen handed over the sketch of the “essential oil distiller” he drew.

That’s right, after making the crude ancient version of soap, the second business Tang Shen wanted to do was essential oils.

Blacksmith Wang had been making iron all his life and had seen many drawings of weapons and ornaments. Naturally, he was not someone Yao San could compare to. Tang Shen drew a simple version of the distiller using a modern perspective drawing. Blacksmith Wang was a little confused at first. But after studying it for a while, he pointed to two lines on the drawing and said, “What is this?”

“This is called a condensation tube. Uncle Wang, I told you before, I want to make a big jar and put a sieve plate at the bottom to separate the water and plants. The whole jar is practically sealed, and the gas inside should come out of these two tubes. I plan to put cold water in the compartments around the tubes.”

Blacksmith Wang thought for a while: “Little Tang Lang, this thing can be made, but it will take some effort.”

Tang Shen originally did not hold much hope, but his eyes lit up when he heard this: “How long will it take?”

“Half a month. If you want faster, you’ll have to pay for processing. I’ll be truthful with you. I still have a few things to make, and I promised others first. If I rush the work, you’ll have to pay five strings more, and I can give it to you in three days.”

“Okay!”

Blacksmith Wang kept his promise, and three days later, he delivered a black and heavy iron lump to Tang Shen’s house.

Normally, the still must ensure gas tightness, but the conditions were limited, and Tang Shen couldn’t care so much. He asked Aunt Yao and Tang Huang to pick some chrysanthemums, roses and osmanthus outside the city early, pick off all the petals and put them in pots. These two large pots of flower petals filled the yard with a fragrant aroma.

With the still, Tang Shen began to make essential oils.

Essential oils sound very high-end, but they were actually very easy to make. In the modern world, so long as you buy a distiller in the market, you could make essential oils at home. Tang Shen looked at his big black iron lump and thought: Although you are a bit crude, you are also a distiller, so give me some face.

Whether he could make essential oils successfully depended on whether this crude version of the distiller could work.

Among the three types of petals, Tang Shen picked out the sweet osmanthus which had the strongest fragrance, grabbed a large handful and put it into the center of the still. The distiller was divided into three parts. The bottom was a tank specially filled with water. A sieve plate was placed on the water surface with flower petals placed on it.

Tang Shen placed the still on the stove to heat it. After the water in the stove was heated, the water vapor mixed with the fragrance of flowers, and the hot steam surged upward. But the still was sealed, with only two small pipes opened.

These were two crooked small iron pipes. If they were straightened, each would be at least two meters long.

Blacksmith Wang was also curious about what Tang Shen wanted to do by making such a strange thing, so he stayed and watched in the yard. He said to Yao San and the others: “I have never seen such a weird object. What is Little Tang Lang thinking to make these pipes twist around the iron jar? After twisting them several times, the two pipes were also soaked in the water.”

Yao San was also curious: “We never understand what the little boss does. That’s the business of scholars.”

Blacksmith Wang was confused: “The things in this jar have not come into contact with the water, so what use could it have?”

Tang Shen: “It will be of great use, just wait and see.”

Steam flowed through the two pipes. Tang Shen kept adding water to the large compartment next to the pipes. The gas passed through the condensation pipe and reached the outlet. Tang Shen quickly held a cup up to it. He held his breath, looking expectantly at what came out of the pipe. However, after waiting for a long time, the water in the still was almost boiled dry, yet only half a cup of essential oil flowed out.

As soon as the dark yellow essential oil flowed out, it emitted a peculiar aroma.

In this season, among the flowers that could be found, osmanthus was considered to be the most fragrant. Tang Huang sniffed the scent and said in surprise: “Brother, this was what you wanted to make? It smells so good!”

Tang Shen was not very satisfied.

There were so many osmanthus flowers added, but only a little essential oil came out in the end.

Essential oils were aromatic substances extracted from the roots, stems, leaves and fruits of plants. They could be said to be the most basic of spices. In the modern world, no factory would be luxurious enough to extract essential oils only from petals and stamens. This was too wasteful. But because the still was too simple, Tang Shen had no choice but to luxuriously use only flower petals, however he didn’t expect that only this bit of essential oil would be extracted in the end.

If the cost was so high, it would be very difficult to mass-produce essential oils.

Blacksmith Wang suddenly said: “I understand, Little Tang Lang, you are quenching!”

Tang Shen was stunned: “Uncle Wang, what did you say, quenching?”

“Do you want to pour the steamed aroma down with molten iron? Hey, I can’t explain clearly, but it’s a bit similar to the quenching we do when forging. Don’t you have to use cold water again and again when forging to pour over the hot red iron, and then continue to heat and strike the iron? Then you can’t do it like this. Just pouring cold water on it is useless. You have to improve this thing. You can’t keep letting the hot air roll down, it’s too fast, you have to let the hot air stop for a while, pour some cold water on it and quench slowly!”

Tang Shen thought for a while and quickly drew a sketch in his mind. “You’re right!”

Blacksmith Wang took the iron lump back, adjusted it for another three or four days, and then brought it back.

This time Tang Shen got nearly a full cup of essential oil.

“This portion is enough!”

Tang Shen made a pot of soap, poured the essential oil into it, stirred it evenly, and waited for it to cool.

After everything was done, Tang Shen pressed the soap mixed with essential oil into a hard block. This was scented soap.

The next day, Tang Shen and Yao San went to Tang Manor with two pieces of ordinary soap and two pieces of scented soap.

On the way to Tang Manor, Yao San said in confusion: “Little boss, you have been making this soap for half a month. I thought you are going to sell it. Why isn’t it being sold yet?”

Tang Shen smiled and said, “Brother Yao, it’s been two months since we came to Gusu City. Have you calculated how much you’ve earned?”

Yao San hurriedly said: “Don’t talk nonsense, little boss, that’s your and Ah Huang’s money, it has nothing to do with me.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not saying that you are greedy for money. I can trust Brother Yao’s character. But Ah Huang is still young. You have been making the pancakes these days and it’s thanks to you and Aunt Yao watching on the side, otherwise on my own I could not have taken care of a nine-year-old girl.”

Yao San breathed a sigh of relief and then said: “We made a lot of money.”

“Is it enough to buy a shop on Suijin Street?”

“Of course not, that’s too far off!”

“Is it enough to buy a workshop in Gusu City and make more soaps and essential oils?”

“That isn’t possible either.”

Gusu City was not comparable to Zhao Family Village. In Zhao Family Village, one tael of silver was enough for a family of three to live comfortably for a year. But in Gusu City, one tael of silver was of no use at all. It could only feed one person at most.

After Tang Shen came to Gusu City, he sold multi-grain pancakes very well, but he could only be said to be well-off, far from wealthy.

“If we can’t buy a workshop, we can only make the soap and essential oils at home. Even if you don’t make pancakes every morning, Brother Yao, you, me, Ah Huang, and Aunt Yao, the four of us combined, can only make up to fifty bars of soap a day, and one or two bottles of essential oil. But that’s not the problem. The problem is, where are we going to sell these things?”

Yao San was stumped.

Tang Shen: “Soap is not pancakes. Pancakes are gone after you eat them every day. They are cheap and anyone can afford them. Soap can be used for a long time after you buy it, not to mention essential oils. You also know how high the production cost of those things are. You can’t just put it on a stall and someone will buy it. If we really try to do this, we will only end up starving to death in less than half a year.”

Yao San felt ashamed and said, “I’m just a house guard. I don’t understand the twists and turns here. Don’t laugh at me, little boss.”

Tang Shen didn’t mean to laugh at him. He stopped and said, “We’re here.”

This was Yao San’s first visit to Tang Manor.

Perhaps Madam Tang had disciplined her servants before, so this time the housekeeper of the Tang Manor did not neglect them after leading Tang Shen in. He led Tang Shen to the side hall and ordered a maid to serve a pot of hot tea and two plates of snacks. After waiting for a while, Madam Tang arrived.

Tang Shen thought he would see Tang juren, but he didn’t expect that it was Madam Tang instead. His mind whirles and he decided this was actually better. He stood up and said: “Eldest Aunt, I haven’t seen you for many days, and this nephew is here to bother you again. This is my house guard, Brother Yao San. Brother Yao, this is my eldest aunt, Madam Tang.”

“Hello, Madam.” Yao San cupped his hands in greeting.

Madam Tang said: “Please have a seat, you two.” As soon as she entered the room, Madam Tang saw the two small boxes that Tang Shen was carrying. She glanced at the two boxes calmly, then moved her eyes away and said to Tang Shen: “The last time we met, it was at Suijin Street. Now that I think about it, it seems to have been a month ago, and you seem to have lost weight again.”

Tang Shen said: “Yes, that was before the Double Ninth Festival.”

Madam Tang thought that Tang Shen came to give gifts because he wanted to study in the Tang family’s private school. She took the initiative to give Tang Shen a ladder: “Your two brothers were talking about you a few days ago. They really want to see you, but they are afraid of being rude and making you unhappy.”

In his previous life, rather than the humanities, Tang Shen was a pure sciences guy, and he was not naturally good at dealing with people. However, he spent three years as a graduate student and three years as a doctoral student. No matter how much you didn’t understand how to socialize, you still end up honing it in the university environment. He might not be considered tactful and sophisticated, but he still understood what Madam Tang meant.

Tang Shen smiled and said, “I also want to see my two brothers.”

Madam Tang was about to bring up letting Tang Shen study when she heard Tang Shen say: “Eldest Aunt, I’m here to bother you today because when this nephew first came to Gusu City, the two boxes of things that Eldest Aunt sent saved me. I have always kept this kindness in mind. I happened to have made something at home, so I wanted to bring it to Eldest Aunt to have a look.”

“Oh, did you make something at home?”

Tang Shen said: “Yes, I made it myself.”

Madam Tang: “You know how to cook?”

When Madam Tang asked this, she did not mean to be disdainful.

There was a sentence in the first chapter of “Mencius” “King Hui of Liang: Part One”: A gentleman stays clear of the kitchen. A thousand years later, this sentence was misinterpreted by later generations as “a gentleman with high moral character would not enter the kitchen, let alone cook.” In fact, the original text of this sentence was “When it comes to animals, if the gentleman has seen them while alive, he cannot stand to watch them die. If he hears their screams, he cannot stand to eat their meat. Therefore he stays away from the kitchen.”

In other words, a gentleman didn’t go into the kitchen, not because he thought cooking was a menial and lowly thing, but because he was kind-hearted.

The ancients did not derive so much meaning from this sentence. On the contrary, they did not attach much importance to the so-called “a gentleman stays far away from the kitchen”.

What was more, everyone needed to eat. Even the sage Confucius once said, “For three months he did not know the taste of meat”, so he said “I never imagined that music could reach such heights as this.” Thus, how could Mencius say that a gentleman could not go into the kitchen?

Of course, Tang Shen explained: “It’s not food.”

Madam Tang asked: “What is it?”

“Eldest Aunt will know it at a glance.”

The two chatted for a while, and Tang Shen asked Yao San to give a box to Madam Tang. The two left Tang Manor and went to Liang Manor.

That’s right, Tang Shen brought two boxes today, with a piece of regular soap and a piece of scented soap in each box to give to Madam Tang and Liang daru respectively.

After Tang Shen left, Madam Tang asked the housekeeper to bring the box over.

This box was not a valuable item, but the workmanship was very novel and very detailed. When she thought about it, she knew that even if it was a box, Tang Shen had also carefully selected it.

“This nephew of mine may be young and looks handsome and simple, but he is not a simple person.”

The housekeeper said, “Madam, what is in this box?”

Madam Tang opened the lid of the box and saw a light yellow thing placed on the first layer of the box. It was smooth and a little greasy to the touch. She opened the second layer and saw an identical yellow object. It also felt a little greasy, but it had a sweet scent of osmanthus.

There was something Tang Shen didn’t know. There was an osmanthus tree planted in front of Madam Tang’s old residence back in her natal family home. Smelling this familiar scent, Madam Tang’s mood became very good, as if she had returned to her childhood home.

These two things were very peculiar. Madam Tang found a letter written by Tang Shen in the box.

Madam Tang smiled and said: “This handwriting is average, and does not appear as smart as my nephew is. He won’t be able to get ahead in the county examination with this handwriting.” How could she know that Tang Shen had never written with a calligraphy brush in his previous life? He owed his current writing skills to the original owner, who had been writing with a brush for two years.

After opening the letter, Madam Tang read it. The further she read, the brighter her eyes became.

“Haitang, go to the kitchen and get a bowl of oil and a basin of water.”

The maid nodded in agreement and quickly got a bowl of rapeseed oil and a basin of water. Madam Tang said, “Take a handful of this oil and try it.” After saying that, she felt something was wrong, “Forget it, I’ll do it myself.” After saying that, Madam Tang did it herself, and her hands were covered with oil. Then she rubbed the yellow soap and put her hands in the basin to wash her hands.

Madam Tang was surprised: “The effect is so good?”

Then, she tried the second piece of “soap.”

“A curious thing, this is truly a curious thing indeed!”

The housekeeper asked curiously: “Madam, what is this?”

Madam Tang said: “You should try it too and use these two things to wash the rapeseed oil.”

The housekeeper responded and after washing his hands, he repeatedly exclaimed: “What is this? It’s much better than the soap we use!”

Madam Tang said: “My nephew wrote in the letter that the first piece with a peculiar smell is called soap, and the second piece with the smell of osmanthus is called scented soap.” As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Tang’s nose twitched, and her eyes lit up. She put the letter written by Tang Shen in front of her nose and smelled it.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

When Madam Tang read the letter at first, she didn’t notice the scent on the paper. When it was a distance away, she only felt a faint fragrance. But when she got closer, it was no longer simply not faint. The strong scent of osmanthus surged into her nose with every inhale.

Madam Tang was stunned for a moment. She read the letter carefully for a long time, and suddenly asked in surprise: “Could it be that this fragrance could be put on any object at will?”

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“After entering the room and looking up, raise the wine cup and drink to the chrysanthemums outside the window. Did I invite you to come and admire the chrysanthemums?”

Tang Shen asked back: “Didn’t you, sir?”

Liang Song looked at Tang Shen steadily, and after a moment, he smiled and said: “Yes. Yu Zhi, Bring over ‘East Window Chrysanthemum’.”

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In the distance, the young man in green robes who had gone to Zhao Family Village with Liang daru nodded respectfully and went to the study to get the scroll. He stood in front of the withered lotus pond, and slowly opened the scroll.

On a brocade-white rice paper about five feet long, a cluster of ink-colored pale chrysanthemums bloomed quietly. The ink was elegant and smooth, and very light ink traces could be seen on each chrysanthemum, as light as flowing water blowing willow buds, the color like bluestone with fine moss. A large area of the scroll was left blank, except for a bunch of chrysanthemums under the window, and only a short poem in the upper left corner.

The chrysanthemum never bloom with the flower crowd, 

It stands alone by the scattered fence enjoying itself.

It would rather die on its stem holding its own fragrance,

But it would never fall and succumb to the northern wind.

The font was in calligraphy, and the writing was very thin and light, but Tang Shen unconsciously became fascinated by it. This handwriting style had a graceful character, and even though it was written in elegant calligraphy, the writing could not conceal the extraordinary strength of the person who wrote it.

Tang Shen looked at the signature of the painting.

There were two inscriptions with a cinnabar red seal on the painting. The first read “Master of Insignificant Talent”, and the second one read “Wang Zifeng”.

Tang Shen took a few more glances at the name “Wang ZiFeng”.

Tang Sheng had just lived in the ancient times for half a year. He spent most of his time in Zhao Family Village and had no chance to come into contact with calligraphy and painting, let alone calligraphy and painting by famous masters. But when he was studying for a Ph.D. in his previous life, his Ph.D. supervisor was a fan of calligraphy and painting. He himself was a professor of science and engineering, but he liked to collect literati calligraphy and paintings, which led Tang Shen to have some dabbling in this area.

Normally, the seals of literati were engraved with their own art name. For example, Li Bai was “Resident of Azure Lotus” and Su Shi was “Resident of East Slope”. Those who only have their own names attached to them were either young or a junior generation and have not received an at name. Or it could be that they had an outstanding literary reputation and are known to the world.

Could it be that he, a layman, made a mistake?

Tang Shen thought about it for a while, but did not express his doubts. He said: “Sir, I am stupid, I just made a boast earlier. I don’t know how to appreciate paintings.”

Liang Song smiled and said, “You are honest.”

Tang Shen was born into a poor family and was very young. It would be too false if he said he knew how to appreciate paintings.

Tang Shen changed the topic: “But I think this painting is very beautiful, this poem is also well written, and the calligraphy is also well written.”

Liang Song: “The painting is beautiful, and the calligraphy is also beautiful? You praise it simply. Tell me, which one is better, the painting or the calligraphy?”

Tang Shen was stunned. It turned out that this painting and this calligraphy were not created by the same person?

Tang Shen remained calm on the surface, but he was pondering about it in his heart. It was not like he really didn’t know how to appreciate paintings. He had fooled his supervisor several times in his previous life after all. But Tang Shen from Zhao Family Village shouldn’t understand this, but this painting was obviously made by a friend of Liang daru.

After a while, Tang Shen said in a sincere tone: “They are all very good. They are all things that I can’t draw or write.”

He’ll just belittle himself, alright?

Liang Song laughed and said: “This poem was written by Zi Feng. He was smart and talented since he was a child. Everyone knows that he is good at calligraphy and painting. It is indeed difficult for you to catch up with him. But this painting is different. It was painted by that old man Yu. His painting skills are very bad and he has not improved at all in the past years. Now there is still a chance for you to catch up to him.”

Tang Shen nodded and then shook his head again and again: “Sir, you are making fun of me.”

After this little interlude, the atmosphere in the pavilion became more pleasant.

The two had some food and wine. Tang Shen behaved generously, neither humble nor overbearing, neither flattering nor timid, which made Liang daru look with praise. When another pot of tea was served, Liang Song placed the tea cup on the table and made a clinking sound. He smiled and said, “Three months ago, you once asked me why scholars study.”

When Tang Shen heard this, he knew they had come to the point of this visit, and he immediately put down his chopsticks.

“Yes, I’m not talented, and I once dared to ask.”

Liang Song said: “You said back then that scholars read to be educated and reasonable. Is that right?”

“Yes.”

“What you said is quite right. Reading is a moral thing, in order to understand things and argue right from wrong. I didn’t give you an answer that day. Today after meeting with you again, Tang Shen, let me ask you, is your answer still the same?”

Tang Shen hesitated for a moment. He was a little unclear about what Liang daru wanted to say. He said, “Yes.”

Liang Song smiled slightly and sighed: “Be concerned, worried for the country and forget one’s own family.” (TN: from Zuo Zhuan, an ancient Chinese narrative history that is traditionally regarded as a commentary on the ancient Chinese chronicle Spring and Autumn Annals)

Tang Shen raised his head and said subconsciously: “Huh?”

Liang daru looked at the handsome boy in front of him. There was praise in his deep eyes, but there was also a trace of regret that was hard to find.

“This is the answer I give you.”

Until leaving Liang Manor, Tang Shen still didn’t understand the meaning of Liang daru‘s words, and he didn’t even know what it meant.

Tang Shen originally wanted to return the invitation to the steward of the Liang Manor. After visiting as a guest, the invitation must be returned to the owner. However, the steward said: “Tang Gongzi, please keep this invitation.”

Tang Shen was surprised and said: “Why?”

“This is daren‘s order.”

…Liang daru’s order?

Tang Shen felt confused for the first time, and he went home filled with doubts.

Back home, the four members of the Tang family began to admire chrysanthemums and have a banquet. Their family was small, only four people, but they have done all the customs of the Double Ninth Festival. There were no mountains in Gusu City, but there was a small hillside outside the city, and further away was the Tianping Mountain, Xishan Mountain and Dongshan Mountain.

Tang Shen simplified the customs of the Double Ninth Festival and only went to the small hillside to insert a branch of dogwood.

At night, Tang Huang happily moved a pot of chrysanthemums to the yard, and the four of them admired the chrysanthemums and ate.

Tang Shen said with a smile: “You little girl, you are young but you are very formalistic.”

Tang Huang: “What is formalistic?”

Tang Shen: “You won’t understand even if I tell you.”

Tang Huang: “What don’t I understand? I understand, but it’s not a good word anyway.”

Tang Shen laughed.

Soon, four or five days passed, and Tang Shen would take out the invitation given by Liang daru from time to time to study it.

He understood on the Double Ninth Festival that the reason why Liang daru left this invitation to him must be because there was something else in the invitation.

Tang Shen initially guessed that Liang daru had invited him to a meal on the Double Ninth Festival, because the invitation stated that Liang daru had invited him to admire the chrysanthemums. The reason why he guessed it was noon and not evening was because Liang daru, as the governor of Gusu Prefecture, had to attend the Double Ninth Festival Banquet of Gusu Prefecture in the evening to entertain several aristocratic families and wealthy scholars and officials in Gusu Prefecture, so he did not have time.

It turned out that he was right, but…

“What else is there that I haven’t discovered?”

In addition, Tang Shen also read through all the Four Books and Five Classics. It was a pity that the words of Liang daru that said to him at the end “be concerned, worried for the country and forget one’s own family” could not be found at all in the Four Books and Five Classics. Tang Shen had no choice but to give up and look at other books when he had the chance.

The business of the pancake stall was getting better and better, so Tang Huang secretly hid the money in her own little treasury. The weather was getting colder and autumn had arrived. It was very comfortable to eat a hot multigrain pancake in the morning, and more and more people were buying the flat pancakes.

Tang Shen originally wanted to make only two hundred per day, but Yao San and Aunt Yao refused no matter what.

Yao San: “Little boss, please rest. You go and study. I’ll get up early and make as many pancakes as I can every day.”

At this point, it didn’t make much sense to insist on hunger marketing. Tang Shen’s multigrain pancakes were already famous in Suijin Street, and many people come here every day. Yao San saw that Tang Shen often read the Four Books and Five Classics, and thought that he wanted to start studying again, so he took over the task of making pancakes.

Tang Shen didn’t stop him. He hadn’t gone to study yet, but he did have other things to do.

“Brother Yao, go buy some quicklime and dough starter.”

Dough starter was a commonly used food leavening agent and had similar ingredients to baking soda in later generations. They didn’t need a dough starter to make multigrain pancakes, but they often needed to make steamed buns. Yao San thought Tang Shen wanted to sell steamed buns: “Little boss, are we going to sell steamed buns too?”

Tang Shen knew as soon as he said this that Yao San had misunderstood, but he couldn’t explain it, so he just said: “You go and buy it first.”

Soon, Yao San came back with two bags of things.

The Tang family had two large iron pots. The large iron pots in ancient times were the same as those used in rural areas in later generations. Unless they were in restaurants, most of the iron pots were integrated with the stove and could not be moved. The Tang family only had two iron pots, both of which Aunt Yao used for cooking.

Tang Shen looked at the two iron pots and said, “Brother Yao, go buy another iron pot.”

When Yao San came back from buying a new iron pot, Tang Shen poured quicklime into the pot and added some water.

As soon as the water hit the quicklime, it made a sizzling sound and boiled instantly.

Tang Huang and Aunt Yao were attracted over by the sound. Tang Huang was surprised and said, “Brother, what are you doing?”

Tang Shen didn’t even raise his head: “Making something good.”

The reaction between quicklime and water was rapid and violent, and soon a turbid, milky white solution appeared in the pot. Tang Shen immediately put the dough starter in. While stirring with an iron rod, he quietly observed the reaction in the pot.

Yao San and others didn’t understand why, but Tang Shen’s behavior would be understood in later generations. Even a high school student would know what he was doing.

Yes, he was making sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic soda.

After the hot quicklime reacted with the dough starter, a layer of white solid gradually settled to the bottom of the iron pot, and a layer of colorless liquid emerged on the surface. Tang Shen waited patiently. After the reaction in the pot almost stopped, he carefully grabbed the sides of the iron pot and poured the liquid into a porcelain jar.

Due to limited conditions, Tang Shen could not obtain higher purity sodium hydroxide, so he had to make do.

Then he took a pot of rapeseed oil from the kitchen. He poured the rapeseed oil into the cleaned pot, making sure it covered the entire bottom of the pot, about one finger high, and then placed the iron pot on the charcoal stove where it was ignited and began heating. The oil heated up quickly. Before the oil heated up, Tang Shen picked up the porcelain jar again and carefully poured the contents of the porcelain jar into the center of the pot of oil.

Yao San: “What is the little boss doing?”

How could Aunt Yao know, and Tang Huang didn’t understand at all either. The three of them felt that Tang Shen was possessed by an evil spirit. They didn’t know what was put into the pot or jar, and soon a strange liquid was poured out. But because they had great trust in Tang Shen, the three of them did not disturb him, but watched carefully from the sidelines.

Tang Shen poured half of it, put the porcelain jar on the ground, and said, “Don’t touch this jar.”

Yao San nodded: “We definitely won’t touch it.”

Then, Tang Shen began to slowly stir the rapeseed oil and sodium hydroxide in the pot. He heated the iron pot and kept stirring. After about a quarter of an hour, he stopped moving and waited quietly.

While waiting, Tang Shen said to Yao San: “Brother Yao, if I want to make a tin can, do you think anyone in Gusu Manor could make it?”

Yao San said: “What kind of tin can does the little boss want to make? Please give me the drawing and I’ll ask Blacksmith Wang on the street.”

“Wait a bit.”

Tang Shen went back to the room to get a pen and paper. While thinking about it, he drew a picture.

Yao San took the drawing and took a look.

This thing was really weird. It looked like a jar, but the jar was hollow and had some strange lines on it. Yao San looked at it for a long time and said: “Little boss, what kind of object is this? I can’t understand it.”

Tang Shen: “Ah, yes, you can’t understand this kind of perspective drawing, and maybe Blacksmith Wang can’t understand it either. Forget it, I’ll go see him with you after we finish the work.”

“Okay.”

Tang Huang didn’t understand at all what delicious food her brother was making. She said: “Tang Shen, what are you making? Is it delicious? You put a dough starter and oil in it, but I can’t smell any scent. Is it better than multigrain pancakes?”

When Tang Shen heard this, he said, “Delicious? It’s not edible.”

“What, you can’t eat it? How can you put something that is inedible into a pot and cook it?”

“It’s not edible, but it allows you to buy lots and lots of multigrain pancakes!”

At this time, the contents in the pot gradually solidified. The dark yellow rapeseed oil turned into a layer of solid. Tang Shen’s eyes lit up and he shoveled out the top layer of solid.

Tang Shen packed these yellow solids in a jar. He called Yao San: “Brother Yao, put your hand in rapeseed oil and try it.”

Yao San: “Huh?”

“Just give it a try.”

Yao San put his hand in and took it out inexplicably, and his hands were covered with oil.

Tang Shen fished out a yellow solid from the jar: “Use this to wash your hands.”

Yao San doubtfully washed his hands with the yellow solid. He thought since it was made from rapeseed oil, it would definitely become oilier the more he washed it. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be clean after just a few washes, and there was no oil on his hands at all.

Yao San: “Ai, what is this? It’s better than that soap!” (TN: the kind used by ancients which are made of pig pancreas and plant ash)

Tang Shen smiled and said: “What is this? Good stuff, soap!”

Tang Huang and the mother and son of the Yao family curiously put their hands in rapeseed oil and washed their hands with soap. Only Tang Shen walked out of the kitchen and sighed as he looked at the sky.

“I didn’t expect that I, Tang Shen, would also be unable to escape the tropes of time travelers in the end!”

Tang Shen made the soap that all time travelers had in their arsenal today.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

But he smiled again. He also wanted to make things that were not common among time travelers as well!

“Okay, Brother Yao, stop washing. Let’s go out first and lock up the kitchen. We’ve agreed that no one is allowed to enter the kitchen before I come back, nor allowed to touch anything in the kitchen, especially the porcelain jar.” Tang Shen said, “Brother Yao, you and I will go to Blacksmith Wang’s place now.”

“Okay!”

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As the Double Ninth Festival approached, the weather suddenly got hot again.

The maid held a yellow paper umbrella painted with lotus leaves and supported Madam Tang out of the carriage, and the two of them entered a jewelry shop together. This jewelry shop was the ancestral property of the Tang family and was located at the east entrance of Suijin Street. After crossing the Cufang Bridge and walking more than ten meters to the west, there was a Shenyuan Lane, the name of which was taken from the poem “Deep, deep the courtyard where he is, so deep/It’s veiled by smoke like willows heap on heap/By curtain on curtain and screen on screen.” Just after entering the lane, there was this jewelry shop. (TN: Ouyang Xiu poem “Butterflies in Love with Flowers” about a wife who waits in vain for her philandering husband’s return while trapped within her home)

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

There were seven or eight jewelry shops in Shenyuan Lane, and women and girls dressed in silk could be seen walking through the lane.

Madam Tang was not here to buy jewelry. As the Double Ninth Festival approached, she came to the shop to check the account books. After reading for two hours the summer accounts and finishing calculations with several managers. It was still early noon.

The two of them went out together, the maid holding an umbrella: “Madam, let’s go back.”

Madam Tang nodded, and when she left the door, she looked at the crowded Suijin Street. The Double Ninth Festival was approaching, and many young girls on the street have chrysanthemums in their hair. Madam Tang suddenly wanted to go shopping and said, “I haven’t been to Suijin Street for a long time. Let’s take a look around.”

The maid nodded in agreement.

The folk customs of the Song Dynasty were open-minded, and women’s clothes were not as colorful and fancy as those of the previous dynasty, but they were still elegant and attractive. There were many girls walking in a hurry on Suijin Street. Madam Tang looked around for a while near the east entrance of Cufang Bridge, and saw a place in the distance where it was so crowded that she couldn’t see clearly.

“What’s that.”

The maid looked and said: “It seems to be a stall selling breakfast. It’s almost noon now, so they should be closing the stall.”

Madam Tang said: “There are quite a lot of people in that place. I have never seen so many people over there before.”

The maid stepped forward and took a closer look. When she saw clearly, she was stunned and came back to report: “Madam, I saw the young master.”

Madam Tang was surprised and said: “Young Master? Which Young Master?”

Maid: “It’s Young Master Tang Shen from Zhao Family Village, and the young lady is also over there.”

“They are having breakfast there?”

The maid hesitated for a moment: “They… they seem to have opened a breakfast shop!”

“Here comes the next one!” A loud and powerful shout rang out from the crowd, followed by a strong aroma of sweet sauce.

Behind the wooden cart, a tall, thin and handsome boy waved a large spoon, scooped out a spoonful of thick batter, spread it evenly on the flat iron pot, and scooped the excess batter back into the bucket with a flick of his wrist. A large iron spoon spread the multigrain batter into a huge round and flat shape, while the charcoal fire was baking it below. Soon, small round bubbles appeared. When touched by the large iron spoon, they cracked open, and the scent of fresh grain flowed out.

After spreading a spoonful of sweet bean sauce and sprinkling it with a layer of pickled vegetables, salted shepherd’s purse, coriander, and chives. Tang Shen opened a small clay pot and scooped out a small spoonful of meat sauce. Aunt Yao cooked this the night before, adding soy sauce, chili oil and sesame oil. The pancakes made a sizzling grilling sound, and then the meat sauce was poured on top, and the aroma of meat and sauce immediately intertwined.

Tang Shen was quick with his hands and feet. He used a small spatula to cut all sides and rolled it into a long strip in a few strokes to make a flat pancake.

Yao San said loudly: “Here comes the next one!”

Tang Shen handed the pancake over and said with a smile: “Be careful, it’s hot.”

“Thank you, little boss Tang.”

Tang Shen only utilized queue marketing for two days. After the multigrain pancakes became famous at the breakfast stall on Suijin Street, he stopped hiring people to queue up. But he persisted in the matter of hunger marketing. It was just that from selling only one hundred a day it became two hundred a day.

Every morning, Yao San and Aunt Yao come to sell flat pancakes in a cart. Yao San had learned the art of making flat pancakes from Tang Shen, and he made the first hundred pancakes every morning. After Tang Shen and Tang Huang woke up, he would then come to Sujin Street to do the next hundred.

Two hundred was the limit of what they could do at present, and they couldn’t make more.

After two hundred pancakes were sold, Tang Shen rubbed his wrists, and Yao San and Aunt Yao began to close the stall. A figure stood in front of him. Tang Shen didn’t even look up. He put away his things and said, “The stall has been closed. Please come early tomorrow.”

There were so many people who came to eat multigrain pancakes every day, and two hundred pancakes were far from enough. Tang Shen thought these were diners who didn’t manage to queue up.

After a while, the other said: “Excuse me… is this Tang Shen from Zhao Family Village?”

Tang Shen immediately raised his head. He saw a woman in a brocade embroidered skirt looking at him carefully. She wore a green jade bracelet on her wrist, and her earrings were also fine imperial green, practically dressed in wealth. Tang Shen didn’t realize who this was at first. Only when he saw the maid next to the woman, did he pause: “Madam Tang?”

Madam Tang smiled and said, “I am your eldest aunt, just call me aunt.”

Tang Shen said: “Aunt, did you come to Suijin Street for business today?”

Since delivering two boxes of things that time, the two families have never interacted with each other again. Tang Shen did not guess the purpose of Madam Tang’s gift, so he did not act rashly and did not go to the Tang Manor to discuss the separation of the families. Madam Tang never appeared again either.

Tang Shen didn’t think she was specifically looking for him when she appeared here today. If she really wanted to find them, she could’ve just gone directly to their home, there was no need to meet on this street.

Madam Tang looked at Tang Shen’s thin body and frowned slightly.

Tang Shen was thirteen this year and still a child. Madam Tang had never seen Tang Shen before, but Tang Shen was too thin compared to Tang juren’s son from a concubine of the same age, and seemed like he could fall over from the wind.

If Tang Shen knew what she was thinking, he would probably have to defend himself: after he came here, he improved the situation for himself and his sister, and the family had extra money now, so he never treated himself badly since. Especially when they arrived in Gusu City, the brother and sister enjoyed their fill of quite a lot of tasty food. After Tang Shen transmigrated to the ancient times and even in the remote place of Zhao Family Village, his taste buds were practically bland all the time. When he finally came to Gusu City, of course he would treat himself better.

Who would have thought that others would gain weight by eating too much, but he was the opposite, growing vertically, getting taller and taller, and suddenly jumping into a growth spurt.

Aunt Yao also said: “Little boss is really tall, your growth spurt has arrived so early.”

For ancient people who were generally malnourished, development at the age of seventeen or eighteen was normal, and it might even be too early. Tang Shen started growing at the age of thirteen so naturally wasn’t it too early?

As he got taller, the flesh on his body couldn’t keep up with his growth, so of course he looked thinner.

Madam Tang: “Do you come to Suijin Street to run a breakfast stall every day?”

It was the first time that Tang Huang saw such an elder. She hid behind Tang Shen curiously and looked at Madam Tang quietly. Madam Tang was not a beauty, but she had a decent appearance and gentle and generous manners. It was obvious that she was a lady from a literati family. Tang Huang said: “Yes, we make pancakes every day. Brother Yao and Aunt Yao come first. My brother and I will come over to help when we wake up.”

Madam Tang saw the scene of people queuing up just now: “Business is pretty good.” She didn’t say anything more, turned to look at Tang Shen, and said with a smile: “I remember the last time I saw you was nine years ago, when you were just this tall.” Madam Tang gestured with her hand to show the height, “Now you are a young man. Have you studied?”

Tang Shen’s voice was calm: “When my dad was still alive, I studied in a private school in the village.”

“The Tang family has its own private school. Your two brothers study there, as well as some of your cousins and children nearby. If you are willing, you can study with your two brothers. They are used to being bored there. They heard two days ago that a younger brother has moved to Gusu City from Zhao Family Village, and since then they’ve been clamoring to study with you. If you come to study, the three of you can get to know each other.”

The maid lowered her eyes and thought to herself: The two young masters don’t even know who Tang Shen was.

Tang Shen smiled and said: “Thank you for your kindness, Aunt. I will go to the Tang Manor to find you when the time comes.”

Madam Tang smiled and nodded: “Okay, I’ll wait for you at home.”

Madam Tang and the maid left, and Tang Shen looked at them thoughtfully.

Tang Huang breathed a sigh of relief: “The eldest aunt is so kind and soft-spoken. I thought she looked down on us and didn’t want to pay attention to us, just like Tang juren. Brother, the eldest aunt said she wanted you to go to the private family school. Will you go?” The little girl opened her eyes wide and looked at Tang Shen expectantly. “If you go, you can get to know Tang juren‘s two sons. They also want you to go.”

“Want me to go?” Tang Shen almost laughed out loud.

Tang Huang: “?”

“That’s just what your eldest aunt said to save us face. Alright, I have my own thoughts about studying. Let’s go home.” 

As soon as the four of them returned home, they saw a man waiting at the door.

Tang Shen saw the other and hurried over.

The steward of Liang Manor bowed and saluted, and handed over an invitation: “Tang Gongzi, daren has returned from Jinling. This is the invitation. He invites you to visit when the time comes.” After that, he left very soon.

Tang Shen opened the card and took a look.

Another piece of gilded brocade paper, with four lines of poem written in calligraphy on it. Tang Shen read it out loud: “The sky is clear, the sun and the moon are fixed, and the fragrance of fruit is blowing from the wind. After entering the room and looking up, raise the wine cup and drink to the chrysanthemums outside the window.” It was actually a poem riddle?

Tang Shen frowned and thought carefully.

Lost in thought, it was already noon.

Aunt Yao brought the food out of the kitchen, and the four of them sat in the courtyard to eat. Tang Shen held the invitation in his left hand and chopsticks in his right hand. He was about to pick up something when he looked at the words on the invitation and silently put down his chopsticks. He repeated this two or three times, and then Tang Huang said, “Brother, what are you looking at? Eat first.”

Tang Shen looked up at her, and his eyes landed on a small yellow flower in Tang Huang’s hair.

After looking at it for a long time, the little girl’s cheeks turned red with embarrassment and she picked off the chrysanthemum beside her ears: “Don’t stare. I saw everyone wearing flowers in their hair, so I picked one as well. Ah, you’re still staring, brother is a meanie!” Everyone had a love for beauty. Tang Huang thought that Tang Shen was making fun of her for being so narcissistic, and she became angry from embarrassment.

Tang Shen suddenly said: “Chrysanthemum? Brother Yao, is it almost the Double Ninth Festival?”

Yao San: “Yes, the Double Ninth Festival will be in three days. Don’t you know, little boss?”

Tang Shen had never made sense of the ancient calendar. After coming to Gusu City, he was busy making money and didn’t notice the date.

He smiled and said: “Looking forward to the Double Ninth festival/To gather again and admire the chrysanthemums.” (TN: Meng Haoran’s poem “Passing Through a Friend’s Farmhouse”)

Three days later, the Double Ninth Festival, noon.

The steward of the Liang Manor opened the door and welcomed Tang Shen into the Liang Manor. He smiled and said, “Tang Gongzi, daren was just wondering when you were coming. Unexpectedly you came now.”

After walking through two corner dates and passing through a ventilation corridor, in the corner pavilion next to the lotus pond, Liang daru sat with his back to Tang Shen, pouring himself a pot of tea, and looking at the graceful and moving scenery of the entire lotus pond. Tang Shen walked over and took a look, and saw that the lotus flowers in the pond had long since withered away, leaving only some dead branches and leaves, but Liang daru still looked at them, sipping tea and admiring the flowers.

Tang Shen bowed and said, “Sir, I’m here to see you.”

He said “sir” instead of “daren“. He treated this visit directly as a visit from a junior to an elder, a scholar to a great scholar in the world, rather than a commoner visiting an official.

Liang daru smiled slightly, raised his head and looked at Tang Shen. The deep and gentle eyes stayed on Tang Shen for a moment, and finally landed on the top of his head.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Liang Song said: “I haven’t seen you for a few months, but you have grown a lot taller. Have a seat.”

Tang Shen sat down respectfully.

Tang Shen said: “Sir, are you admiring the flowers?”

Liang Song: “Oh? But, there’s no flower in this yard.”

“Sir said, after entering the room and looking up, raise the wine cup and drink to the chrysanthemums outside the window. Isn’t it the Double Ninth Festival, where you invite me to come and admire the chrysanthemums?”

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The guard looked at the name card given by Tang Shen and respectfully welcomed the brother and sister through the door.

Tang Shen and Tang Huang waited in the hall for a while, before a tall, thin and slender old man wearing a gray cloth tunic walked inside. He first looked at Tang Shen and then at Tang Huang. Then he stepped forward, returned the name card to Tang Shen, and said: “This young gongzi, don’t know what your surname is? I am the steward of the Liang Manor. It is really unlucky today, daren went to Jinling, and I am afraid it will be eight days to ten days before coming back.” (TN: gongzi = respectful term for a young man, usually from a wealthy or noble family. daren = respectful term for an official, equivalent to ‘lord’ and ‘his excellency’)

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Liang daru went to Jinling?

Tang Shen didn’t expect that of the two people he planned to visit today, one didn’t want to see him, and the other couldn’t see him at all. He said: “My surname is Tang, and I met Liang daren once in Zhao Family Village, Wu County.”

The steward said: “Daren did go to Zhao Family Village two months ago. Tang Gongzi, are you looking for daren for something urgent?”

Tang Shen shook his head: “No, I just moved to Gusu City. I remember that daren once said that I can find him in the future, so I came here to pay a visit.”

Steward: “If there is no emergency, I will send someone to inform gongzi after daren comes back from Jinling. Can gongzi leave your address?”

Tang Shen told the steward his address, and the steward saw him out personally and returned the name card to him.

On the way home, Tang Huang whispered: “Brother, you actually know such a powerful person. Is Liang daren the governor of Gusu Prefecture? There are guards guarding the door.”

“You know quite a lot.”

“Of course, I don’t know who the magistrate of Wu County is, but who in our Gusu Prefecture doesn’t know Liang daru.”

Tang Shen wanted to say very much: Your brother I didn’t know about him two months ago. By the way, I don’t know who the county magistrate is either.

Tang Huang continued: “When Liang daru took over as the governor of Gusu, dad was very happy and told us it several times. Who among the scholars in the world does not admire the four great darus, but dad seems to have said that Liang daru was relegated to Gusu? Brother, what does relegation mean?”

Tang Shen frowned. He didn’t know anything about these official affairs. The original owner didn’t pay attention to these things, so his memory in this regard was also very vague. Besides, Tang xiucai was just an ordinary poor scholar. He didn’t know much, so he couldn’t say much about it either.

Tang Shen said: “How do you remember all these things? Dad also said this? I can’t even remember it.”

Tang Huang made a serious face: “Because dad said that even if Liang daru was relegated, he could still live a life of wealth and comfort like a god. He was quite envious of it. Brother, I also want to live a life like a god.”

Tang Shen: “…”

What’s going on with this father and daughter!

Back home, Tang Shen smelled something burning as soon as he entered the door. He quickly walked into the kitchen and saw Aunt Yao cooking something. The big iron pot was pitch black, and the smell of burnt food filled the entire courtyard. Aunt Yao coughed twice. Yao San happened to come home at this as well and hurriedly poured out all the pot of black paste.

Yao San: “Mom, what are you doing? It’s burnt.”

Aunt Yao’s cooking skills were pretty good. Ever since mother and son came to the Tang family, Aunt Yao had always done the cooking. This was the first time she had burned something.

Aunt Yao said: “When I came back and saw that you all hadn’t come back yet, I remembered what the little boss said about using flour to make sauce. So, I just wanted to try it with some flour we still had at home. I didn’t expect it to turn out like this. ”

Yao San was also very surprised: “Little boss, I have never heard that flour can be used to make sauce.”

Tang Shen didn’t expect that Aunt Yao’s first time burning food was from making sweet bean sauce!

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “Aunt Yao, why are you in such a hurry and not wait for me to come back. Let me try it, and you can watch from the side first. I have only seen others make this sweet bean sauce, and I have never made it myself. I may need to try several times.”

“Okay!”

Aunt Yao cleaned up the kitchen and heated up a few steamed buns. After the family was full, they all came to the kitchen and watched Tang Shen making sweet bean sauce.

Tang Shen put on a coarse hemp tunic and rolled up his sleeves. He looked at the big dark iron pot, took a deep breath, looked away, and began to mix the flour paste.

Compared with other seasonings, white fine flour was quite expensive in this era. As he was experimenting at first, Tang Shen was not sure that he could actually make sweet bean sauce, so he only scooped out three spoonfuls of flour. He put the flour into the bowl, added water and stirred well, then added a little soy sauce and four tablespoons of sugar.

He then stirred everything evenly, heated the pan with a small amount of rapeseed oil, and poured a bowl of batter into it.

Not long after the pot was filled, Tang Shen could no longer turn the pot. The batter was burnt black and mushy, and the familiar smell of burnt batter soon filled the entire kitchen.

The four of them coughed and left the kitchen. Tang Huang said: “Brother, what you did is not even as good as Aunt Yao, you burnt it faster than her!”

Tang Shen said with annoyance, “Shut up!”

Tang Shen washed the pot and tried again. Tang Shen failed twice more.

Tang Shen seldom cooked in his previous life, but when he was a graduate student, his roommate was a “master chef” who loved to cook. Sweet bean sauce, peanut butter, green onion rolls, steamed buns and fried dough sticks were just some of the regulars. The night before, when someone said “I really want pizza”, the next morning his roommate would bring a plate of pizza out of the kitchen——all handmade, no takeout.

Tang Shen watched his roommate make sweet bean sauce, but it was a bit difficult to make it himself.

Looking at the batter in the bowl, Tang Shen’s eyes stopped on the dark brown rapeseed oil. Suddenly, he had an idea and poured the batter into the pan again. The three of them all thought that Tang Shen was going to burn it again this time. Unexpectedly, he began stirring the batter while holding an oil bottle and pouring oil down the edge of the pot.

The sizzling sound of oil popping sounded in the kitchen, the batter was being stir-fried into a sauce-brown color, and a strange aroma wafted out.

Inhaling the scent, Tang Huang licked her lips: “Brother, what does this smell like? It smells so good.”

But Aunt Yao said: “Little boss, don’t put so much oil. You asked me to try the street food today and I found that people in Gusu City have very bland tastes and don’t like oily food. If you put so much oil in, they can’t eat it.”

Tang Shen tasted the sauce and added a few spoonfuls of sugar. The sweet and soy aroma filled the small kitchen, and both Tang Huang and Yao San craned their necks, wanting to have a taste. Tang Shen put the sauce into a bowl, and the little girl rushed over eagerly.

“Let me try it!”

Tang Huang dipped some of it with his chopsticks. The brown sauce was thick and sticky and stuck to the tip of his chopsticks. The little girl licked it clean. “It’s so sweet and fragrant! It’s much better than the fragrant sauce that the village head’s family often makes.” As she said this, the little girl wanted to take another bite.

Tang Shen asked Yao San and Aunt Yao to taste it as well.

Yao San: “It’s delicious!”

Aunt Yao frowned and said: “It tastes good, but little boss, I can’t really get used to it. You put too much oil in it, it’s a bit greasy. Most people in Gusu City eat light food. Although they also like sweetness, they don’t like such heavy sweetness.”

Tang Shen said: “Aunt Yao, you said people in Gusu City don’t like too much oil?”

“That’s right, I ate at several stalls today, and they all put very little oil.”

Tang Shen: “Maybe it’s not that they don’t like eating oily food, but it’s because they haven’t found food that is ‘oily without being greasy’.”

“Ah?”

Tang Shen: “Have you noticed that the more oily something is, the more delicious it is?”

This question immediately stunned Aunt Yao. She pondered: “The deep-fried meatballs are indeed delicious, but you can’t eat them too much or it will be too greasy.”

Tang Huang raised his hand: “I like to eat fried dough sticks the most. Yesterday, Aunt Yao took me to eat at the breakfast stall in Gusu City. Gusu people also like to eat fried dough sticks.”

Tang Shen nodded: “Yes, people like to eat high-calorie foods. The higher the calories, the more delicious it is.”

“What does high calorie mean?”

Tang Shen: “It’s easier for you to gain weight.”

Tang Huang was shocked: “Then I can’t eat more fried dough sticks!”

Aunt Yao said in confusion: “I don’t understand what the little boss said, but do people in Gusu City really like to eat this food?”

Tang Shen smiled slightly: “Aunt Yao, you don’t like to eat it because you are older and your tastes are mild. Why don’t we open a stall in a few days and try it directly?”

At the same time, Tang Shen did not know that when he left Liang Manor, a figure following him quickly ran back to Tang juren‘s manor.

“You mean, the person Tang Shen went to visit is probably Liang daren?”

The maid nodded and said, “I watched carefully. Liang daren just left Gusu City this morning. Laoye mentioned this matter. That Tang Shen took out his name card and was welcomed into Liang Manor by the guards. Within a moment, the steward of Liang Manor personally sent him out. I thought this was not a simple matter, so I came back to report to the madam and did not give them the twenty taels of silver.”

Madam Tang was preparing and getting ready to rest. After hearing this, she put down her comb and started thinking.

This maid was her dowry maid. She had been with her since she was very young. She was young, but she was very good at her tasks, so she was sent to do this. What the maid said was most likely true. The person the Tang siblings went to visit was Liang daren.

“Madam?”

Madam Tang said: “Go to the treasury and get another ten taels of silver. Go to Linglong Embroidery Villa, pick out some clothes suitable for boys and girls, and give them to them. Then buy some household necessities, pens, ink, paper, inkstones, and some books. There is no need to give the money, just items. You don’t have to choose something too expensive, but it must be good quality and complete.”

The maid nodded: “Yes. Madam, just send some things? Do you want me to bring a word as well?”

“No need. They are relatives. We cannot be too close just because they may know Liang daren. Our family needn’t be so ingratiating.”

“Okay.” After saying that, the maid turned around and made to leave.

Madam Tang said: “Wait. Remember, they are still the young master and young lady of the Tang family no matter what.”

The maid thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

On this side, Yao San was still making thin pancakes when suddenly someone knocked on the door.

Tang Huang: “I’ll get it.”

When she opened the door, she saw a young woman in her twenties. Tang Huang was confused. Before she could speak, she heard the woman bow her head and say, “Young Lady.”

“Ah, I’m not a lady. Brother, someone is at the door, but I don’t know them. Could this be a mistake?”

Tang Shen came over and the maid said again: “Young Master.”

Tang Shen was confused for a moment, and subconsciously thought that the other had recognized the wrong person.

The maid said: “I am Madam Tang’s personal maid. You left in a hurry, and laoye couldn’t entertain you because he had something to do. Madam also didn’t know about it until you left. Madam specially sent me to send you some summer clothes and autumn clothes, as well as some books, paper and inkstones. She was afraid you didn’t prepare many things, having just arrived in Gusu City.” As she said that, several moving men carried two boxes into the yard.

Tang Shen looked at the boxes quietly and said, “Much thanks to Madam Tang’s kindness, but we have already bought everything we need. I’m afraid we have to trouble this sister to take it back.”

“Young Master, this is impossible. If I can’t complete my errand, I will be scolded by Madam.”

Tang Shen wanted to refuse, but the maid was very stubborn.

Finally, the maid left. Tang Shen looked at the two boxes in the yard and smiled helplessly.

Tang Huang and Aunt Yao opened the boxes and saw that it was really just some daily necessities, including clothes, pens, ink, paper and inkstones. There were no valuables, and the clothes were only prepared for Tang Shen and Tang Huang to wear. They were not silk and satin, but the style was generous and attractive. It was obvious that they had been carefully selected.

Aunt Yao said: “Little boss, your relatives are really nice. They didn’t just spend money on these things. They are all prepared with sincerity.”

Tang Shen said, “It’s only been a day and they already know where we live.”

Tang Huang: “Huh?”

Tang Shen checked the contents of the box, thought about it again, and said, “But Madam Tang doesn’t seem to have any ill intentions.”

They could only take one step at a time. 

In the next few days, Tang Shen thought a lot, and even thought about whether Madam Tang guessed that they wanted to separate their families, so she went out of her way to smooth the relationship in advance. But he rejected this idea.

Tang xiucai was the son of a concubine. According to the laws of this dynasty, the money he would get after the separation of the family was not much. Tang juren’s family would not deliberately plot against two children for this small amount of money. Moreover, what Tang Shen really wanted was to separate the two families, not dividing the money.

“Did they know that I went to visit Liang daru and wanted to get close to me?”

But after waiting for a few days, Tang juren, Madam Tang, and not even the maid appeared again.

Tang Shen: “Could it be that I think too much?”

Putting this matter behind him, his attention moved to Yao San who came home that afternoon with the stall certificate approved by the market.

Yao San: “Now we can finally open business.”

Yao San had built a breakfast cart these days. It was not as fancy as the breakfast carts of later generations. It was just a small push wooden cart. They bought a stove and coal, made a bucket of grain batter, and waited to set up a stall the day after tomorrow.

Ah Huang and the Yao mother and son were very excited, but Tang Shen thought a lot. He went out to visit Suijin Street again in the afternoon. In the evening he found Yao San: “Brother Yao, tomorrow you go out to the outside of the city and hire dozens of people, preferably men and women, old and young. Only hire them for an hour, and you can negotiate the price.”

“This is easy to do. There are many people in Gusu City and there are many idle people looking for work. But little boss, why are you hiring these people?”

“Are our flat pancakes delicious?”

Yao San swallowed his saliva and recalled the taste: “It’s delicious! Little boss, I really didn’t expect that the flat pancakes would be so delicious after being smeared with sweet bean sauce. But what relation is there between the two?”

Tang Shen said: “We don’t have much money and can’t wait to be discovered naturally. I have to make money quickly. It’s no use knowing that it tastes good. We must let more people know that it tastes good.”

“What does that have to do with hiring people?”

Tang Shen looked calm. He didn’t even take a breath when he spoke, and said very confidently: “Hire people, to be our customers!”

In the early morning of this day, many breakfast stall owners on Suijin Street noticed a new face coming.

The person pushing the cart was a middle-aged strong man, the person collecting the money was an old woman, and the person making the breakfast was actually a boy of thirteen or fourteen years old!

At first, there was no one in front of this stall. However, at some point, seven or eight people suddenly appeared. Without looking at the other stalls, they walked straight to the young man’s stall and formed a long queue.

“I heard the flat pancakes at this stall are delicious.”

“Right, I ate one last night and thought about it all night.”

Other stall owners: “…”

You are talking nonsense! This stall was obviously just erected this morning, which took less than an hour in total!

However, passers-by didn’t know that this stall just opened today.

Seeing so many people lining up and hearing people say how delicious the food was, many pedestrians stopped and joined the queue.

One person asked: “Brother, what are these multigrain pancakes? I have never heard of them in Gusu City before.”

Without waiting for anyone to reply, a middle-aged man in front of the queue said very enthusiastically: “Multigrain pancakes are very tasty. I bought one for my wife two days ago, and she thought about it for two days. But this boss only makes 100 pancakes a day. Once it’s done, there won’t be anymore sold. I couldn’t buy one until today.”

“What? Just make a hundred?”

“That’s right! Brother, I have already bought one. You can wait in line slowly, don’t be anxious.”

“Okay, thank you, brother. I will definitely buy one to try.”

Tang Shen finished making another multi-grain pancake, and Yao San’s loud voice traveled through half of Suijin Street: “Next one!”

Aunt Yao counted the money until her hands were sore, and Tang Huang looked on, dumbfounded.

“Aunt… Aunt Yao, please pinch me. Didn’t we just open the stall today, and it has only been two hours? Why are so many people queuing up to buy our multigrain pancakes? Am I dreaming…”

Tang Shen was immersed in making pancakes. After hearing this, he laughed disdainfully and thought to himself: Is this enough to be called “a lot of people”?

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

He used both hunger marketing and queuing marketing, such methods were successful a thousand years in the future. So wasn’t attracting more than a dozen customers easy as pie?

Other stall owners on the side: “…”

How shameless!!!

AN: Hired customer: This multigrain pancake is delicious, I eat it every day!

Tang Shen: I get customers based on ability.

Stall owners: How shameless!!!!

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Before visiting relatives, Tang Shen had already asked Yao San to find out the situation of Tang juren‘s family.

The Tang family was a big family in Gusu City. Tang juren married a lady from another scholarly family in Gusu City more than 20 years ago, who was now the current Madam Tang. The couple had a harmonious relationship and had a son and a daughter. Tang juren also took in a concubine, and his second son by the concubine was as old as Tang Shen.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Tang juren‘s mother passed away two years ago. It was said that at that time they sent people to the Zhao Family Village to invite Tang xiucai to come back and keep vigil, but Tang xiucai did not respond. From then on, the Tang family never set foot in the Zhao Family Village again, and the two families completely lost contact.

Tang Huang was both curious and nervous about visiting relatives. When approaching and seeing the lofty front doors, the little girl said: “Brother, why don’t we go back.”

Tang Shen: “We already bought the gifts, how can we go back now? Just come in with me.”

Tang Huang gritted her teeth: “You can go alone. Besides, we can live a good life on our own, so why do we have to go find them?”

“You are also a member of the Tang family. There isn’t any hatred in the first place. As the saying goes, one would rather be a family than an enemy. Do you understand?”

Tang Huang followed her brother aggrievedly to the front doors of the Tang family.

Tang Shen stepped forward and knocked on the door. There was a sound of footsteps inside, and soon a small door opened from the side. A servant who looked like a doorkeeper came out of the small door and looked at the siblings: “Is there something you need, little brother? This is Tang juren‘s family house in Gusu. Do you have a name card?”

Tang juren was a scholar, and the Tang family was a literati family. Most outsiders who wanted to visit would send their name card one day in advance to inform the owner. Or just give their name card directly like Liang daru did and hand it over when visiting.

Tang Shen smiled and said: “There is no name card. My surname is Tang and my name is Tang Shen. This is my sister, her name is Tang Huang. We are from the Zhao Family Village. Please let your master know.”

As soon as Tang Shen finished speaking, the doorkeeper’s expression changed.

Today, before coming to visit relatives, Tang Shen and Tang Huang both changed into newly bought clothes. It was not silk and satin, but the material and cut was clean and elegant. In addition, the two siblings were good-looking with endearing features, so the doorkeeper had a good attitude towards the two children. But now when he heard that they were from Zhao Family Village, the doorkeeper looked disgusted and snorted: “Wait.” After that, he entered the small door, slammed the door, and left Tang Shen and Tang Huang outside.

Tang Huang had never been treated like this. The people in Zhao Family Village were simple and honest, and their neighbors all had good relations with them. The little girl was angry and upset, but Tang Shen only showed a meaningful expression and remained silent.

After a long time, a man who looked like a housekeeper opened the small door and led the siblings inside.

The Tang family house was a standard Jiangnan garden courtyard. At the entrance was a huge Taishan stone screen, with eight characters inscribed on it, “Extensive scholarship with unyielding dedication, earnest inquiry with close examination”, which came from “The Analects of Confucius·Zizhang”. The housekeeper led Tang Shen from the west corridor, past the west corner room, and after a few more turns, they came to a deserted and remote courtyard. After settling the siblings, the housekeeper left first.

A servant served two cups of tea to the brother and sister. Tang Huang took a sip and said, “Bah, it’s cold.”

Tang Shen didn’t drink the tea at all. He placed the gifts he brought on the table and closed his eyes to rest, and it was impossible to know what he was thinking.

After a while, footsteps came from the courtyard outside the house. Tang Shen turned around and saw a middle-aged man wearing a Confucian hat and a round-neck gold silk robe walking in. He was slightly portly and his steps were light. When he walked into the house and saw Tang Shen and Tang Huang, he paused and continued walking forward.

Tang juren sat in the main seat at the top, and the servant served him a cup of tea. He took a sip and looked at the siblings: “You are from Zhao Family Village?”

Tang Shen: “En, uncle, my name is Tang Shen, and this is my sister Tang Huang.”

Tang juren looked at Tang Shen with a strange expression, as if he was remembering the past. He said coldly: “So it seems you are my half brother’s children. Why did you come to Gusu City? Is there something you need?”

Tang Shen was about to speak when the housekeeper suddenly entered the room in quick steps and whispered a few words in Tang juren‘s ear. Tang juren stood up and said: “There is something I need to take care of, I will be dealing with it first. You may wait a moment, housekeeper, serve two plates of cakes.” After saying this, he hurried away without giving the brother and sister a chance to speak.

Soon, the housekeeper served several plates of snacks, which tasted good and were no longer cold like the two cups of tea.

Tang Huang ate a few mouthfuls and said, “Brother, how long has it been? Why hasn’t that Tang juren come yet?”

“Dis you really think he would come back?”

“Ah?”

Tang Shen looked at the cold refreshments on the table and stood up: “Are you full?”

Tang Huang: “I wasn’t hungry to begin with.”

“Okay, then let’s go.”

At first, it was Tang Huang who kept saying that they should leave, but now Tang Shen really decided to leave. The little girl was stunned and said, “Didn’t you say we came to visit relatives? Tang Shen, if we just leave like this, wouldn’t our visit today be in vain?”

“Didn’t we already come to visit relatives?”

“Is this called visiting relatives? We haven’t even talked to Tang juren at all.” After a pause, the little girl who was young but had a sharp mind: “Although he doesn’t want to talk to us either.”

“It’s enough after going through this process. The other doesn’t want to bother with you at all, and you know their attitude as well. The important thing is that we came and sat for a bit. What do you think we are really here for? That we are really here to visit relatives?”

“If it’s not visiting relatives, then what are we here for?” Tang Huang trotted to follow Tang Shen and left the courtyard.

Tang Shen’s hands were empty. He left the gifts in the room and said calmly: “Dividing the families.”

After the Tang siblings left the Tang Manor, the news spread to the main room within just a tea break. At this time, Tang juren was sitting at the table eating and did not appear busy at all. After hearing the housekeeper’s report that Tang Shen and Tang Huang had left, Tang juren snorted coldly and had the maid serve him a bowl of soup.

“Two little brats who came to sponge off on people.”

Madam Tang took the soup from the maid’s hand and handed it to Tang juren: “Tang Shen, Tang Huang? Are they the children of your half-brother? Don’t they live in Zhao Family Village? When did they come to Gusu City? Why didn’t you let me know.”

Tang juren finished drinking the soup: “Let you know for what, they are just two poor relatives who came seeking gratuitous financial help. When their father was still alive, my mother was so kind to him, she never treated him badly, and even if he went to live in Zhao Family Village, she still sent people to give him things during the holidays, treating him as her own. But when my mother passed away, he didn’t even come back to take a look. Isn’t he just a white-eyed wolf? The white-eyed wolf gave birth to two little white-eyed wolves, this kind of relative, as soon as they arrived at Gusu City and came to the Tang family, naturally it’s to ask for money.” (TN: White-eyed wolf=ungrateful)

Madam Tang frowned and said: “Don’t say that. What do children know? Their father’s affairs have nothing to do with the children. I remember that my nephew should be only twelve or thirteen years old this year.” She waved and called the housekeeper over: “Tell me what happened after they came today.”

The housekeeper relayed everything about the behavior of the Tang siblings after they entered the house.

Madam Tang said: “So, they also brought gifts? That’s quite sincere of them.”

Housekeeper: “They are all cheap things.”

Tang juren: “As I said, they came to sponge off.”

Madam Tang glanced at Tang juren then said to the housekeeper: “You just said that before Tang Shen left, he said that he had to visit someone else, so he couldn’t wait any longer?”

“Yes.”

After thinking for a moment, Madam Tang called her personal maid: “You go to the warehouse to get twenty taels of silver. If you go after them now, you should be able to catch up with the brother and sister. After you catch up, don’t disturb them first. Just watch from behind. Take a look and see who they went to visit today. After they return home, you go to their home and give them the money.”

Tang juren: “What are you doing!”

Madam Tang: “What am I doing? Those are your niece and nephew, only twelve or thirteen years old. When the two children came to Gusu City, the Tang family didn’t take care of them, but drove them away. This news will only harm your reputation after it spreads, and others will be criticizing your Tang family.”

“This, this… isn’t this because the people in Gusu City knew what their father did back then.”

“You used to bully their father a lot when you were young, am I wrong?”

“Whose side are you helping?”

Madam Tang: “Fine, just think of it as the pocket money that I, their aunt, give to my nephew and niece. Go now.”

The maid accepted the order and left. Tang juren was very disdainful, but Madam Tang was thoughtful. She asked: “Those two children have just arrived in Gusu City. What other relatives do they have to visit? Aren’t our family the only relatives in Gusu City?”

Tang juren: “Why do you care so much?”

Madam Tang opened her mouth but said no more.

On the other side, as soon as Tang Shen left the Tang Manor, he was pestered by Tang Huang who wanted him to explain clearly.

“What exactly do you mean by dividing the families? What are you talking about?”

Tang Shen’s head hurt from being pestered. He stopped, looked at his sister seriously, and said in a sincere tone: “Sometimes I really wonder whether I am an ancient person or you are an ancient person.”

“What?”

Tang Shen: “Pretend I didn’t say anything.”

As the brother and sister walked away, Tang Huang said, “Tang Shen, just tell me why we need to separate our families.”

Tang Shen: “Call me elder brother.”

“Elder brother!”

“Beg me.”

“Elder Brother, please, you are the best brother in the world.”

Tang Shen rubbed the goosebumps that appeared on his arms and said, “Do you still remember what dad told you about the Tang family when you were little?”

Tang Huang thought for a while: “Dad said that his brother had no ambitions and was stupid. But out dumb luck, he managed to pass the exams and become a juren in one fell swoop. It’s God’s injustice. Brother, I think Dad is right. Today after seeing that Tang juren, he doesn’t look like a scholar at all, his belly is so big.” The little girl drew a big circle around her thin waist.

“Don’t exaggerate. Yes, dad said that, but have you ever heard dad say a bad word about the old madam?”

Tang Huang recalled seriously: “No.”

“With our dad’s temper…”

Tang Shen added silently in his mind: When he wakes up in the morning, he curses Tang juren first, then after lunch he curses him again, and finally before going to bed at night he throws in some more curses.

“Hai, with our dad’s temper, he can’t even say a bad word about the old madam. It shows that the old madam treated our dad well, and our dad has nothing to say.”

Tang Huang: “So?”

Tang Shen: “So, the Tang family is also a well-reputed family in Gusu City. Even Liang daru, the governor of Gusu City has heard of Tang juren‘s name. The Tang family is so well-known, but our dad did not come back to keep vigil at the old madam’s funeral. You tell me, would everyone in Gusu City know about this or not?”

Tang Huang clapped her hands: “Of course they know!”

“To put it lightly, it is unfilial, and to put it harshly, it is a lack of character. It is indeed our dad who got into a dead end and did not do right. Now that dad is gone, others can’t blame our dad. Who do you think they would blame then?”

“…Us?” 

Tang Shen smiled and said: “The child is worthy of being taught. So going to the Tang family today is to express our attitude. Since the Tang family does not want to resolve the dispute, then we will separate the families directly next time we go. Otherwise, if something happens to Tang juren in the future, we must give a helping hand, otherwise we would be accused of being white-eyed wolves. But if Tang juren doesn’t help us when something happens to us, he could say that it was our dad who was unkind in the first place. In everything he has the upper hand, so say, don’t you think we have the short end of the stick?” Definitely the shortest end of the stick!

Tang Huang opened her eyes wide: “Tang Shen, you are so clever!”

“Call me elder brother.”

The little girl called sweetly: “Elder brother!”

Arriving at Tongde Lane, Tang Shen asked two families and soon found the Liang Manor.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

The Liang Manor was different from the Tang Manor, though they were both wealthy families. In front of the Tang Manor were two round stone statues, but in front of the Liang Manor there were two majestic stone lions. In the Song Dynasty, not everyone could place stone lions at their doors. Two guards armed with spears stood on both sides of the gate of Liang Manor. When Tang Shen stepped forward, one of them came down the steps and examined him first.

This soldier was not as arrogant as some ruffian soldiers, and he was not vulgar either. He asked: “Who is it? This is the residence of Governor Liang of Gusu City. Do you have a name card?”

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It was early morning when Tang Shen arrived at Gusu Prefecture City.

During this time in Zhao Family Village, the villagers were all working in the fields and there was no one on the road. However, there was already a huge flow of people in the Gusu City. The vendors were selling their goods and breakfast, and the peddlers were carrying the goods from one end of the street to the other.

Within a moment, two carriages passed by the brother and sister.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

“Brother, there are so many carriages, so many!”

Zhao Family Village didn’t see a single carriage for a month, but Gusu Prefecture City was packed with carriages and horses.

Tang Shen: “Grandma Liu probably looked like you now when she entered the Grand View Garden.” (TN: A phrase to describe someone who has not much sophistication/has barely seen much of the world)

“Grandma Liu, Grand View Garden. What are you talking about?”

“I am complimenting you on your beauty.”

Tang Huang: “…” Why don’t I believe it?

In ancient times, it was not easy to find a house to live in. Yao San had stayed here for a month and was familiar with Gusu Prefecture City. He took Tang Shen to find a house broker.

A house broker was equivalent to the real estate agency in ancient times, and the intermediary agent. In the Song Dynasty, it was illegal to buy and sell houses privately without using a house broker. 

After looking for a whole day, Tang Shen and Tang Huang took a fancy to a tile-roofed house with four entrances. The house was very small, with just a kitchen, a main room and a side room. A lot of the tiles on the roof were broken and there were several small holes in the walls. The house broker asked for three strings of coins a month.

Tang Shen was not good at bargaining. Fortunately, Aunt Yao was there, so they finally settled on two strings a month, and had to pay a six-month deposit first.

In the blink of an eye, half the savings was gone. The miser Tang Huang was stunned and refused to let go of the small purse of remaining money.

Since there were only two rooms, Tang Shen and Yao San shared one room, while Tang Huang and Aunt Yao slept in the other room. Aunt Yao kept saying: “This is not good! How can we share a room with the little bosses? San’er and I can just stay in the side room.”

Tang Shen: “At the age of six we begin learning literacy. At seven years old, girls and boys neither sleep nor eat together. Although our family house was just a few thatched houses, there were many rooms and each person had a room of their own. Now there are only two rooms, and Ah Huang is already nine, too old to sleep with me anymore.”

Aunt Yao said: “Then how about San’er and I go to the kitchen to make do?”

Tang Huang: “How could that be done? Aunt Yao, just sleep with me.”

Yao San: “Mom, we should just listen to the little boss.”

After allocating the rooms, handling the moving matters, and cleaning the house, Yao San came to Tang Shen and said, “Little boss, I will go out tomorrow to see if there is any work, and find a job to supplement the family income.”

Tang Shen said: “What kind of job are you looking for?”

“Guard. Don’t laugh. I’m a rough man with only a little strength to me. I only know how to do this. They didn’t want me before because I had my mother along with me. Now we have a place to live with the little boss, I can now easily find a job as a guard.”

“Brother Yao, don’t worry, I have something else for you to do.”

Yao San was stunned and said: “Something else? 

Tang Shen thought for a while: “Do you know where in Gusu Prefecture City there are the most people?”

“Of course it’s Suijin Street in front of Tianqing Temple!”

Gusu Prefecture City, Tianqing Temple, Sujin Street.

Tianqing Temple, also known as Xuanmiao Temple, was said to have been built during the Western Jin Dynasty on the order of Sima Yan, Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty. The most popular place in the entire Gusu City was not the Hanshan Temple outside the city, nor the Xiyuan Temple inside the city, but this Xuanmiao Temple. There was a long street in front of Xuanmiao Temple called “Tianqing Temple Front Street”, and people in Suzhou call it Suijin Street.

Aunt Yao took Tang Huang out to buy some household items and do some sightseeing/shopping. Tang Shen and Yao San went to Suijin Street.

Yao San took Tang Shen to the busiest alleys of Suijin Street, where there were tailor shops selling silk and satin, rice shops, grain shops, wine shops, and various stalls. At noon, the two of them sat down in front of a wonton stall and while eating, Yao San followed Tang Shen’s instructions and said: “Shopkeeper, your wontons are so delicious that I almost swallowed my tongue while eating it. You must be a time-honored brand of Gusu City.”

The stall owner selling wontons said with a smile: “You are really good at talking. My wontons are also the best even in Suijin Street. We have been making them for more than 20 years since my father’s generation.”

Tang Shen: “Oh, is this still an ancestral craft?”

“Of course. Go and ask who makes the best wontons on Suijin Street. Nine out of ten people will definitely say mine.”

Yao San: “Your stall has to pay a lot of tax every year, right?” He made a gesture of rubbing his fingers, “And also some private fees?”

The vendor shook his head: “No way. Ever since Liang daru became governor of our Gusu Prefecture City, everyone knows that Liang Daru has always cared for the common people. Those hoodlums on the streets have long since dared not bully us casually. We only need to pay a fixed fee to the government. We have official protection.” He spat to the side, “Those shameless hoodlums, who dares to act recklessly in Gusu City? You must be foreigners, Gusu City is different from other places.”

Tang Shen: “We are from Wu County.”

“No wonder, our Gusu Prefecture City is a great place.”

After finishing a bowl of wontons, Tang Shen paid and left. Yao San calculated: “Little boss, the money received by the prefecture government is not much, but we only have fifteen strings left. After buying various household items, who knows how much will be left. There are no fruit trees in Gusu Prefecture City, so if we want to make fruit juice we have to buy fruit from someone else for the juice, which is a big expense.”

“Who said we are going to make fruit juice?”

Yao San was stunned: “Then what are we going to do?”

The two of them stood in the center of the bustling Suijin Street. Tang Shen said, “Brother Yao, do you see any difference between Gusu Prefecture City and the Zhao Family Village?”

Yao San looked around them for a long time and said: “There are many more people than in the Zhao Family Village, and there are more people selling things.”

“Gusu City has Osmanthus and Lotus wine, and Jinling Green Bamboo Leaf wine that comes from Jinling. There are seven or eight shops selling these two wines in Suijin Street alone. However, there is no wine in Zhao Family Village, only home-brewed rice wine, but mostly there is just herbal tea. People in the village don’t have anything tasty to drink so our fruit juice sold fine in Zhao Family Village, but in Gusu City, I can tell you that within a month of selling, we will be squeezed out of Gusu City and forced to return to the Zhao Family Village.”

“How can that be!”

Tang Shen and Yao San walked slowly on Suijin Street. Tang Shen carefully looked at the vendors on both sides. His eyes lit up: “Brother Yao, you are from the north, can you make thin pancakes?”

In the evening, the family returned to the house, and Tang Shen arranged for Yao San to buy some buckwheat noodles, black rice noodles, mung bean noodles, and some flour the next day. He asked Aunt Yao to take some money and go to Suijin Street to see and eat and taste the flavor of the Gusu City people.

Tang Huang said happily: “I will go with Aunt Yao.”

Spending money to eat outside, who wouldn’t want to do this?

Tang Shen said calmly: “You will come with me.”

Tang Huang: “Huh?”

“We’re going to visit relatives.”

Tang Huang didn’t understand what Tang Shen meant at first, and subconsciously said, “How could we have any relatives in Gusu Prefecture City?” But after a while, she realized and said quickly: “You, you really want to visit relatives? When father was alive, he said he wouldn’t go even if he starved to death. How can you go?”

Tang Shen looked at her: “So our father passed away. Little boss Tang, do you also want to starve to death?”

Tang Huang: “…”

After a while, the little girl muttered: “How could we starve to death?”

Tang Shen rubbed his sister’s head and said, “There is no grudge in the first place, so why not visit relatives?”

The mother and son of the Yao family looked on confusedly. Before coming to Gusu Prefecture City, they had never heard Tang Shen say that the siblings had relatives in Gusu Prefecture City. In fact, even Tang Huang forgot that they had such a relative.

The father of Tang Shen and Tang Huang, Tang xiucai, was actually from Gusu Prefecture City.

Two months ago, Liang daru asked Tang Shen if he was related to the Tang juren in the west of Gusu Prefecture City. Tang Shen only said that they were distant relatives. But in fact, they were not distant relatives at all. Tang Shen’s father and Tang juren were brothers. Except one was the son of the official wife while the other was the son of a concubine.

Tang xiucai‘s mother died early, so he was raised by his legitimate mother since he was a child, and was considered half a legitimate son. The Tang family was from a scholarly family, with a well-off family background. They were not considered extremely noble and wealthy, but they were also a family of literati and polite people. The legitimate mother’s relationship with Tang xiucai was not so good, but she would not purposely make trouble for him. He had been attending private school at home since he was a child.

Tang xiucai was an intelligent child since young. Because his mother died early, he was always very prideful and competitive. He felt that he was a son of a concubine and had no honor. Fortunately, he worked hard and became a xiucai at the age of fourteen, which could be regarded as a glorious achievement. The Tang family had high hopes for him, thinking that he could at least become a juren. Unexpectedly, from then on, Tang xiucai failed the exam four times.

On the fourth time, it was his eldest brother who was not very smart when he was young, but in his thirties, managed to pass the county examination in one fell swoop, and went on to pass the provincial examination the next year.

Tang xiucai was so angry that he fell ill. After he recovered from the illness, he took his whole family to his wife’s hometown of Zhao Family Village, and vowed never to return to the Tang family unless he passed the provincial examination.

Within two years, Tang Shen’s mother died. A few years later, Tang xiucai also passed away due to illness before he managed to pass the provincial examination.

When Tang Shen and Tang Huang were young, they often heard Tang xiucai complaining about the unfairness of the world. He couldn’t pass the provincial examination, but why was his stupid older brother able to? Therefore, the siblings also hated the Tang family since they were young. After transmigrating over, Tang Shen was completely uninterested in the grudges of his parent’s generation. According to his memory, although Tang xiucai always complained about the Tang family, he only complained about his elder brother becoming a juren and had no objection to others.

As the saying goes, the son should not talk about his father’s fault, only the person involved knows the details of what happened back then, and Tang xiucai had already passed away.

Tang Shen thought to himself: Dad, I can also be considered your son. From now on, I will take my sister to eat and drink delicious and tasty things. I promise not to embarrass you. Finally, he added silently: So tomorrow when we go to the Tang family, don’t be angry up there in heaven.

After saying this, Tang Shen raised his head and looked at the sky: “If there is no lightning or thunder, I will assume that you agree.”

Tang Huang happened to be passing by the yard holding a pillow. When she heard this, the corner of the little girl’s mouth twitched and she also raised her head to look at the sky.

Where was there any lightning and thunder on such a sunny day? There really must be something wrong with my brother’s brain!

Before she could take her eyes away from the night sky, Tang Huang suddenly saw a star falling from the sky and heading north. The little girl had never seen such a thing before. Frightened, she threw the pillow, and hugged Tang Shen’s arm: “Brother, what was that? What was that? Did you see it? The stars have fallen!”

Of course Tang Shen saw it. He was just talking to the dead Tang xiucai in his mind when a shooting star suddenly appeared. Tang Shen was also frightened and thought: This couldn’t be Tang xiucai scolding me, could it?

He forced himself to relax and recited the Eight Honors and Eight Disgraces and the Scientific Outlook on Development in his heart. He was an atheist and did not believe in these ghosts and gods.

“That’s called a meteor.”

Tang Huang asked: “Meteor?”

“Meteors are an astronomical phenomenon. The earth we were on now… Well, you don’t understand this. Anyway, you only need to know that meteors are normal. It is a star that happens to pass in front of us and you happen to see it. Some of them will also meet us regularly, for example, there is a star called Halley, which is a comet that will meet us once every 76 years.”

Tang Huang seemed to still be confused, but Yao San said from the side: “Little boss has read a lot, so he knows a lot.”

Aunt Yao: “Of course, scholars were different from us.”

It was too difficult to explain clearly to Tang Huang what a meteor was, so Tang Shen went back to his room to sleep after a few perfunctory explanations.

At the same moment, the capital of the Song Dynasty, Shengjing.

The majestic palace had a strict inner court.

In the dark night, a group of armored guards held long spears and marched on the bluestone in unison, making their rounds. There was silence in the palace. Except for the patrolling guards, only one magnificent building was still dimly lit.

The light flickered, then suddenly a gust of wind blew by and the room turned into darkness.

A scream suddenly came from inside.

“Come, come, quickly, light this longevity lamp for zhen!” (TN: form of self address by the emperor, similar to the royal we)

In an instant, two children in Taoist robes ran into the hall with their waists bent and came to a row of bronze lamp stands. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the lamp light was not extinguished, but only a few sparks were left.

The child was so frightened that his face turned pale, his legs shook, and he lit the nine longevity lamps tremblingly.

Among the golden bricks and carved beams, an old man wearing a white robe and had a long beard breathed a sigh of relief. He walked anxiously to the longevity lamp and stared at the nine lamps with obsessed eyes.

“What was that wind just now?”

The two children knelt down and said, “Your Majesty, please spare my life!”

The old man had a fair face, slender eyes and arched eyebrows. He looked at the two children quietly with deep eyes. He was silent for a moment, but before he could speak, a voice came from outside the room: “Your Majesty, the Imperial Astronomer has come to report!”

Emperor Zhao Fu of the Song Dynasty paused and said, “Summon.”

The Imperial Astronomer Li Xiaoren walked into the hall quickly. He kept his head lowered and did not dare to look up. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two children kneeling on the ground, and Li Xiaoren cursed in his heart. When he heard that the lamp of longevity was extinguished, he hurried over, but he was a step too late. These two boys were both his proud disciples. Originally he thought that serving the emperor and guarding the longevity lamp would be a good job, but he didn’t expect that they would encounter such a disaster.

Wearing a Tai Chi Bagua official robe with a colorful golden pheasant tail feather tucked on the official hat on his head, Li Xiaoren knelt down and prostrated on the ground: “Your Majesty, there is a meteorite as big as a peach, leaving the Zigong, entering Taiwei, appearing above the Emperor Star, suppressing the southeast, passing through Tianshi Yuan Twenty-two stars to bring disaster, which may endanger our century-old Song Dynasty!”

A look of panic appeared on Zhao Fu’s fair face. He took two quick steps forward and then stopped: “Elaborate in detail.”

Li Xiaoren described the incident of the meteor in detail again, and said: “Your Majesty, the meteor stopped on the Emperor Star and disappeared without a trace. I’m afraid this is an ill omen.”

“Why?”

How could he know why. This meteor came inexplicably, starting from the south and sinking into the north. Could it be that something was going to happen in the south? A rebellious party interfering in politics?

Li Xiaoren suddenly thought of a person. He told lies with open eyes: “This star has fallen past the twenty-two stars in the sky, submerged into Ziwei, and then becoming invisible. It must have been hidden for many years. I observe the stars at night, and the Ziwei Emperor Star is bright as day. The imperial power is prosperous and has not had any impact in the past twenty years. I believe this evil star has already been subdued by Your Majesty and has been dormant beside Your Majesty for many years, only to show signs of revival in recent days.”

Zhao Fu narrowed his eyes: “Being subdued by zhen, dormant for many years… revival?”

Li Xiaoren gritted his teeth and reminded again: “Your Majesty, one must remove the root when cutting the grass.”

Zhao Fu looked at Li Xiaoren quietly. As the saying goes, accompanying the emperor was like accompanying a tiger. Li Xiaoren held his breath, like a child, not daring to breathe out.

“My dear official, speaking of which, he has also been in prison for twenty-four years.”

Li Xiaoren bowed to the ground, and said, “Chen is stupid and doesn’t know what Your Majesty means.” (TN: self address for officials)

Zhao Fu said impatiently: “Zhen knows, you are dismissed.”

“Chen retreats.”

Li Xiaoren trembled as he got up from the ground. Before he could stand upright, Zhao Fu said lightly: “Those two, drag them out and execute them.” 

The two children shouted: “Your Majesty, please spare my life, Your Majesty, please spare my life!”

Li Xiaoren stiffened, then left without looking up.

After leaving the emperor’s palace, Li Xiaoren wiped the sweat from his forehead and heard two screams from the palace behind him. Li Xiaoren acted as if he hadn’t heard anything and left the palace calmly.

Jiangnan, Gusu Prefecture City.

Knowing that they were going to visit the Tang family, Tang Huang was both curious and nervous. The little girl put on the new tunic and skirt that she and Aunt Yao bought on the street yesterday, which evoked a second look from Tang Shen.

Tang Huang said shyly: “What are you looking at?”

Tang Shen said with a smile: “It turns out that my little sister is also quite comely when not wearing hemp clothes? I used to think she was a mountain village woman.”

“…”

“Tang, Shen!!!”

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

The brother and sister set off to go to Tang juren‘s house in the west of Gusu Prefecture City. Before they left, Tang Shen said, “I almost forgot about something.”

After a while, he came out of the house with something in his pocket. Tang Huang didn’t see clearly, only that it was a placard of sorts.

Then the siblings went out and headed to Tang juren’s house in the west of Gusu Prefecture City.

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