Tang Shen followed Tang Huang into the small courtyard.

As soon as they entered the door, a black thing flew at the two of them. Tang Shen pulled his sister behind him and kicked the thing away. The earthen pot fell to the ground and shattered with a crack. Tang Shen’s expression became angry. He looked up and saw that the things in their yard had all been smashed.

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

Seeing him back, Yao San hurriedly ran over: “Little boss, what should we do? If it was someone else who came then fine, I dare to argue with him, the worst is to end up in a fist fight. But that person said that he is the eldest son of Tang juren‘s family. He brought two people over and has been smashing the yard for an hour, ignoring me no matter what I say. They claim that it is exactly us they want to smash.”

Tang Shen saw the sturdy young man standing in the corner of the yard at a glance.

This sturdy young man wore a satin robe and a tortoiseshell jade crown. He was decent-looking, just a little portly, and had a wealthy appearance. He heard the sound of his entrance and followed the sound to look over. The eyes of Tang Shen and the young man met across the yard. The young man was stunned for a moment, and then said domineeringly: “Are you that Tang Shen?”

Tang Shen held back his anger and sneered: “And what is your name.”

“Oh, you don’t even know my name? My surname is Tang and my given name is Yun. I am the eldest son of the Tang family in the west of Gusu City.”

This was the biological son of Tang juren and Madam Tang. He was Tang Shen’s elder cousin by seniority.

Tang Shen half-smiled but said: “Tang Yun, what are you doing here?”

Tang Yun signaled at the two strong men he had brought, and the two men immediately stopped smashing things. The three of them stepped forward, and Tang Yun spoke in an arrogant tone: “What am I doing here? Of course I have something to do! What kind of drug did you, a mere boy from the countryside, give my mother to pay for you to make that soap or whatever. Bah! What the hell is that? Where did a scammer like you come from, how did you confuse my mother!”

Tang Yun was fifteen years old this year, two years older than Tang Shen, and half a head taller than him. Coupled with his strong build, he looked a lot bigger than Tang Shen.

Tang Shen looked at the other’s attitude and suddenly let out a laugh.

Unexpectedly, Tang Yun came here for this matter.

Tang Yun became angry from embarrassment: “What are you laughing at!”

“Why should I tell you why I’m laughing? You can take a guess.”

Tang Shen ignored Tang Yun and started walking in the yard.

Tang Yun smashed a lot of things, including the earthen pot with flower petals, the pickles made by Aunt Yao last month, and the rice wine Yao San bought two days ago. They didn’t smash anything inside the house, but they smashed the things in the yard. Fortunately, Tang Shen bought a workshop on the outskirts of the city two days ago and moved all the tools for making soap and essential oils there, otherwise Tang Yun would probably have smashed it all today.

Seeing Tang Shen walking in the yard and ignoring him, Tang Yun stepped in front of him angrily: “You scammer, if you don’t apologize today and explain your deceitful tricks to my mother, you won’t be able to walk out of this yard.”

Tang Shen was amused: “What do you want to do?”

Tang Yun said: “You two, seal up this courtyard.”

The two strong men stood in front of the door, guarding the door.

Yao San said angrily: “Don’t bully others too much!” As he said that, he wanted to take action.

Tang Shen stopped him and said to Tang Yun: “I have to apologize? Young Master Tang, you smashed my things, but you want me to apologize to you? I didn’t know that this Gusu City belongs to your family, or… that the Song empire actually belongs to your Tang family!”

Tang Yun’s face changed drastically: “You scammer, how dare you talk nonsense, don’t slander me!”

Tang Shen dared to say such rebellious words because he was sure that no one in the courtyard would dare to tell anyone about what happened today. If this were to be spread, none of them would be able to escape being beheaded.

He said: “Brother Yao, please calculate for him, and let him know just how much loss he has caused us today!” 

Yao San watched Tang Yun smash the things, and he had already calculated it in his mind. He directly counted: “Forty strings, at least forty strings!”

Tang Yun said coldly: “It’s only forty strings, which is not even enough for my daily allowance.”

Tang Shen: “Heh, Brother Yao, count it for Young Master Tang.”

Tang Yun glared at Tang Shen, suddenly at a loss. This was the first time he saw the rumored Tang Shen. When he brought people over, he didn’t expect that Tang Shen would be like this. Madam Tang and Tang Shen cooperated to do soap business and did not hide it from the Tang family. Tang juren tried his best to object, but Madam Tang insisted on having her own way, and Tang juren could do nothing to his wife.

Today, Tang Yun heard the news just after he returned from the Ang family private school. How could this happen, a boy from the countryside actually dared to deceive his mother. He was so angry that he brought two house guards with him to demand an explanation. Unexpectedly, after smashing so many things, Tang Shen didn’t look angry at all, and instead asked him for compensation.

Was this Tang Shen so devoid of self-esteem? He had smashed so many things, but Tang Shen still didn’t get angry. On the contrary, his attitude was so shameless.

Tang Yun was about to speak when suddenly, footsteps sounded from outside the courtyard. Tang Yun looked up and saw Madam Tang rushing over with her maid and the housekeeper.

Tang Yun was dumbfounded: “Mother…”

Madam Tang strode up to Tang Yun, raised her hand high, and slapped it downwards. But when it was about to hit Tang Yun’s face, she stopped, and finally used her finger to poke Tang Yun’s forehead hard, and said angrily: “You unfilial son, go back with me now! You two actually followed him to do evil, after going back I will also deal with you. Drag him back!”

With scolding words on her lips, Madam Tang carefully observed her son over and breathed a sigh of relief when she found that Tang Yun was not injured.

Madam Tang looked at the mess in the courtyard and said apologetically: “Shen’er, I didn’t teach your elder cousin well. You have been wronged.”

Tang Shen: “It doesn’t matter, none of us were injured, but a lot of things in the yard are broken.”

“Eldest Aunt will make it up to you later. This unfilial child has been spoiled since he was young, so don’t quibble with him. I promise that nothing like this will happen again in the future.”

Tang Shen didn’t care. Madam Tang felt very guilty towards him and apologized repeatedly. The Tang family servants grabbed Tang Yun and were about to take him home, but Tang Yun shouted angrily: “Mother, why are you always on the side of that boy? He is just a country bumpkin who has never read a book! What kind of bewitchment has he cast on you, deceiving you so. You believe him, but I don’t!”

The moment Tang Shen knew that the person who smashed things was Tang Yun, he had Tang Huang go to the Tang Manor to report the news, and then find Madam Tang. The little girl came with Madam Tang. When she heard this, Tang Huang couldn’t bear it: “You are a country bumpkin! My brother is much better than you. My brother will be a xiucai and juren in the future. He will be an official!”

Tang Yun said disdainfully: “Ignorant child, narrow and shallow.”

Tang Huang: “You…”

“Who are you calling narrow and shallow?”

Tang Yun did not expect that Tang Shen would suddenly ask this. He was stunned for a moment then replied with ridicule: “Two children of a concubine, you don’t even know where the academy gate is. Narrow and shallow, ignorant and uneducated brats. You two siblings are the same!”

Madam Tang scolded: “Shut up and drag him back home!”

Tang Shen smiled and said: “I’m afraid you can’t even compare to me, a narrow and shallow,  ignorant and uneducated child.”

Tang Yun: “What a joke, how can I not compare to you? I took the county exam last year and got the rank of tongsheng.” (TN: candidate who has passed the county exam of the tongshi)

“You’re just a tongsheng, it’s not like you are a xiucai.”

Madam Tang persuaded him: “Shen’er, don’t quibble with this rascal. Eldest aunt will teach him a lesson when we go back.”

Tang Shen said: “Eldest Aunt, I’m not quibbling with him. It’s just that tongsheng is really not that impressive. I’m just telling the truth.”

Tang Yun: “Mother, you see him, he is so arrogant!”

Tang Huang: “Bah, you are clearly the one who is arrogant.”

Tang Shen said calmly: “Is it difficult to become a tongsheng?”

As soon as this was said, everyone was stunned. Even Tang Yun didn’t understand what Tang Shen wanted to say.

Then, Tang Shen said casually: “The county exam will be held in February next year. Why don’t I take the exam and become a tongsheng?”

Madam Tang was startled: “Shen’er, it is your eldest cousin who is wrong.”

Tang Yun: “Mother, let him take the exam, I don’t believe he can become a tongsheng!”

Tang Shen: “Oh, what if I do?”

Madam Tang was about to stop him when she heard Tang Yun say: “Then I will be your slave for the rest of my life, Tang Shen,  I will call you eldest brother!”

Tang Shen muttered, “Who wants to be your eldest brother? I’d a loss on my part,” and then said, “That’s fine. Eldest Cousin, you didn’t pass the prefectural exam last year. We will take the exam together next year. Don’t let me pass the prefecture exam and become a xiucai, while you are still a tongsheng.”

Tang Yun: “Oh, I want to see what capital you have to dare to talk so big.”

The corners of Tang Shen’s lips curled, but what he said was like thunder: “What capital do I have? If I say, I will go to Gusu prefecture academy to study from tomorrow, and my teacher is Liang Bowen, one of the four great Confucian scholars in the world?”

There was dead silence in the courtyard, and no one spoke.

Only when Madam Tang took Tang Yun away did Tang Huang and Yao San react.

Tang Huang was so excited: “Brother, you said Liang daru accepted you as his student?”

Yao San: “Little boss, is this true?”

Tang Shen: “Why would I lie to you about this? I am indeed going to Ziyang Academy to report tomorrow. Ziyang Academy is a prefecture academy in Gusu Prefecture, and I am not a xiucai. If it weren’t for my teacher’s guarantee, could I go to study there?”

“That’s great! Did you see Tang Yun’s speechless look? I could remember it forever.”

Everyone was happy for a while, and Yao San spat: “Bah, that Tang Yun is really spoiled rotten, with his eyes above his head. Little boss, you didn’t see his attitude before Madam Tang came. I really wanted to give that brat a good beating.”

“You think I don’t want to?”

“Ah, little boss, I didn’t think you were angry at all.”

Tang Shen looked at the broken tiles all over the yard: “In your mind, I am just a clay figurine? Even clay figurines have a temper. But Brother Yao, if I beat him, Madam Tang would definitely result in a disagreement.”

Yao San: “No way, Madam Tang seems very fair. This was clearly the fault of Tang Yun who was looking for trouble.”

“Yes, that eldest aunt of mine is a fair person, and she also understands in her heart that we have been wronged in today’s matter. However, people’s hearts are made of flesh, and he is her only biological son. From now on, we will be cooperating together. It is exactly because she is a fair person that she will definitely compensate us twice as much for the grievances we have endured today. Beating Tang Yun would only create a crack between us and Madam Tang. If we don’t beat him, and let him act out in front of Madam Tang, Madam Tang will feel guilty.”

Yao San: “Little boss is truly a scholar. You are right.”

Tang Huang: “Brother, are you really going to take the county exam in three months?”

Tang Shen: “…”

“Elder Brother?”

“…”

“Tang Shen?”

Tang Shen raised his head and looked at the sky, speechless and choked up: “The boast I made must be carried out even if I must cry while doing so!”

On the second day, Madam Tang sent someone to bring two large boxes of things over. At the same time, she asked the housekeeper to bring a message to Tang Shen: “Young Master, Madam asked me to tell you that Tang Yun is used to being spoiled and arrogant, but with his temperament it should not have come to smashing things indiscriminately. She will investigate this matter carefully and will definitely give you an explanation. In addition, the essential oils have begun to be prepared to be put up in the shop today. Madam would like to know when you can have the first batch ready.”

Tang Shen: “It will be ready in half a month.”

“That’s good!”

After sending the housekeeper off, Tang Shen didn’t even eat breakfast. He tied a long piece of cloth around his forehead and ran to Liang Manor. At this time, Liang Song was still eating breakfast when he suddenly heard from the steward that Tang Shen had arrived. Liang Song wondered strangely: “What time of the day is this? What is he doing here? Isn’t he supposed to report to the prefecture academy?”

Before he finished speaking, he saw Tang Shen running over with a long cloth tied around his forehead with tears in his eyes.

“Teacher, you must save this student!”

Liang Song: “Ah?”

Tang Shen wiped the non-existent tears from the corner of his eyes: “Teacher, there are still three months left,do you think with this student’s talent and intelligence, could I pass the county exam?”

Liang Song: “…”

“Teacher!”

Liang Song almost kicked Tang Shen in the butt. He scolded with amusement: “You little rascal, you ask for help, and you have to throw in a praise for yourself. And your talent and intelligence? You don’t even know the eight-legged essay formula, let alone have decent enough handwriting. The more handsome your looks are, the more disgraceful your handwriting is!”

Tang Shen: “…Teacher, my handwriting isn’t that ugly.”

Liang Song said with exasperation: “Tell me, what happened.”

Tang Shen: “Teacher, save me!”

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

AN: Little Tang Lang: The boast I made must be carried out even if I must cry while doing so!

TN1: Imperial Examination Ranks: tongsheng (county level)—>xiucai (prefecture level)—>gongsheng (all gongsheng are xiucai but not all xiucai can become gongsheng)—>juren (provincial level)—>gongshi (all gongshi are juren but not all juren are gongshi)—>jinshi (palace/highest level, divided by third rank, second rank, and first rank. First rank includes tanhua(3rd), bangyan(2nd), zhuangyuan(1st))

TN2: Examinations and their resulting rank: tongshi (divided into county exam=tongsheng, prefecture exam=xiucai, academy exam=gongsheng)—>xiucai/gongsheng, xiangshi—>juren, huishi—>gongshi, dianshi—>jinshi

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In the biting cold wind, two armored guards, holding spears and with their backs upright, stood guard in front of the manor.

Suddenly, a thin figure rounded quickly from the corner of the street. The guard standing on the left was about to yell, but when he saw the person clearly, he smiled and said, “Tang Gongzi, you just left at noon, why are you here again today?”

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

These guards were all veterans who had retired from the battlefield, apparently they were injured on the battlefield. They were originally from Gusu Prefecture. After being disarmed and returning to their hometown, they could not do any other work, so Liang daru took the initiative to recruit them to be his guards. They were originally ruffians in the army, but after entering the Liang Manor, they all absorbed Liang daru‘s literary halo, and after a few years they became much more polite and courteous when speaking to others.

Tang Shen said: “Brother, please report that I am here to see Liang daren.”

“Wait a moment.”

After a short while, Tang Shen was led by the steward to the study of Liang Manor.

Liang Song was painting. What he painted was an orchid, rooted between cliffs and swaying in the cold wind. A young man wearing a green robe was grinding ink for him. This person’s name was Xu Hui, also known as Yu Zhi, and he was Liang daru‘s maternal nephew. (TN: maternal cousin’s son)

Seeing Tang Shen coming, Liang daru glanced at him and then continued painting. He was holding a thin brush, while brandishing it freely, he said: “Why did you come back after only a couple hours? Did you forget something, if so let Yu Zhi go and get it with you.”

Tang Shen took three steps forward and took out something from his sleeve.

“Sir.”

Liang Song looked up and saw what was in Tang Shen’s hand. He was slightly startled.

After a long while, Liang Song said with a smile: “Yu Zhi, you go out first.”

Xu Hui bowed his head and left the study.

Tang Shen raised his arms, held the invitation in both hands, and leaned forward in a salutation.

Liang Song said: “Yu Zhi left, why don’t you come and grind ink for me?”

Tang Shen stepped forward and handed the invitation to Liang Song. Liang Song took the invitation and placed it on the corner of the table, and began to draw again. Tang Shen rolled up his sleeves, picked up an ink stick, and grinded the ink on the inkstone. Under the brush, the orchids on the cliff were noble and elegant, but there was silence in the study.

After finishing painting an orchid, Liang Song said, “Why did you come back?”

Tang Shen grinded the ink and said, “I’m here to apologize to you, sir.”

“Oh, apologize? Did you do something wrong?”

Tang Shen thought for a while: “Maybe I didn’t do anything wrong, but I didn’t do anything right either.”

“Tell me, what did you do right and what did you do wrong.”

“Three days before the Double Ninth Festival, sir gave me an invitation, inviting me to come over for a chat. I did the right thing and guessed that the date was noon on the Double Ninth Festival to admire the chrysanthemums with sir in the pavilion. However, to this day, I have done one thing wrong.”

“What is it?”

“Arrogant and conceited, proud and forgetting myself.”

Liang Song put down his brush and said with a smile: “I didn’t say that, young man, you are quite good at finding troubles for yourself.” 

Tang Shen also put down his ink stink: “Sir, if you didn’t say that, wouldn’t I feel even more ashamed? I am not talented, and once said that I have a retentive memory and can recite the Four Books and Five Classics backwards. However, sir also said it twice, even old xiucai who have read it fifty or sixty times dare not talk so big. To this day I hadn’t understood the word puzzle on the invitation. Now I understand that sir only said to appreciate the chrysanthemums, and has sincerely invited me. Sir also hid the words “Double Ninth” in the poem to tell me that I am still very shallow. There are others better than yourself, thus one must not be arrogant.”

Liang Song looked at Tang Shen for a long time and said, “You said everything I wanted to say. You also said what I hadn’t wanted to say. Little Tang Lang, you really leave me speechless.”

Although he had nothing to say, Liang daru stroked his long beard and looked pleased.

When Tang Shen saw that Liang daru was not angry, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He continued: “Before coming, I heard a story.”

“Oh, what story?”

Tang Shen hesitated for a moment and said: “In the third year of Kaiping, outside Wuyuan City, the Liao army invaded with great momentum.” After Tang Shen said the first sentence, Liang daru‘s expression changed and his lips moved, but he did not speak. Tang Shen continued: “The Liao people suddenly attacked, and Wuyuan City was short of soldiers and horses. It was a drought year, and there was not much food and grass in the city. The imperial reinforcements would not arrive for ten days, and the Liao army surrounded Wuyuan City.”

“Not ten days, they only arrived half a month later.”

Tang Shen was stunned for a moment: “Yes, it took half a month to arrive. Seeing that the soldiers and civilians in the city were trapped and unable to get food, the general guarding Wuyuan City took out one hundred thousand silver taels and gave it to the provincial military commander at the time, asking him to secretly leave the city to raise food and grass.”

That was twenty-one years ago, in the third year of Kaiyuan, some unrest occurred when the new emperor ascended the throne, and the country’s strength was seriously damaged. For ten consecutive years, the Liao people invaded frequently, making the common people miserable.

Wuyuan City was not bordering the Liao territory, so there were only more than 3,000 defenders in the city. Unexpectedly, the Liao people took advantage of the drought in the Song Dynasty and suddenly launched an attack. They captured Youzhou City overnight and arrived at Wuyuan City. The general who defended the city was named Zheng Yuanping. He came from a common background and was a general who rose in the ranks with his own sweat and blood.

The Liao army attacked the city, and Zheng Yuanping defended it for three days. The food in the city had already reached the bottom. Zheng Yuanping found the provincial military commander Liang Song. He knelt down and asked Liang Song to take one hundred thousand silver to Xixia and come back to save the people.

Zheng Yuanping: “Wuyuan and I shall live and die together.”

At night, Liang Song escaped from the defenders and went to Xixia. There was a waterway from Xixia to Wuyuan. If they transport grain by water, they could avoid the Liao army’s spies. But at that time, Xixia had friendly relations with both Liao and Song and had an alliance. Liang Song found a Xixia merchant who coveted the one hundred thousand silver taels, but was worried about getting involved in the war.

Liang Song was in his early thirties at the time and was a well-known talent in the Song Dynasty. Seeing that day by day passed, there was no food and grass in the city, and the Liao army was laying a fierce siege against the city. He immediately knelt down, knocked the ground with his head, and kowtowed until his forehead was bleeding. He begged the Xixia merchant to send out two ships full of food and grass to Wuyuan City.

It was a pity that by the time he arrived, Wuyuan City had already been destroyed, and Zheng Yuanping’s head was chopped off by the Liao army and hung on the top of the city gate.

Tang Shen said: “Seeing that you had failed General Zheng’s instructions, sir drew your sword and planned to apologize with your death. Fortunately, sir was saved by the people accompanying you.”

Liang Song seemed to recall the people and things from more than twenty years ago. He sighed and said, “More than twenty years have passed. In the tenth year of Kaiyuan, the Song Dynasty defeated the Liao army in Shuozhou. Why do you mention this again today?”

Tang Shen walked to stand in front of the desk, bowed respectfully, and said: “I was born in the countryside. Since I was a child, I only knew about frogs and insects, but not the world. Today I heard an old xiucai talk about this, and I finally understood what sir meant by ‘be concerned, worried for the country and forget one’s own family’.”

Liang Song looked at him: “Then tell me what it means.”

Tang Shen raised his head, his eyes were very bright, and he said word by word: “For the rise and fall of the country, every common man has his obligation!”

Liang Song’s body shook, as if he had been enlightened, and he remained motionless for a long time.

After a long time, he murmured to himself, “For the rise and fall of the country, every common man has his obligation.” After a while, he laughed loudly: “Yes, for the rise and fall of the country, every common man has his obligation! You are right. Do you know why I gave you this invitation card, or why I gave you that name card in Zhao Family Village that day?”

Tang Shen paused.

He had never thought about this before. Now that he thought about it carefully, he suddenly felt as if he had a bucket of icy water overturned on him and realized his ignorance.

From the moment he transmigrated into the ancient times, he had always had a feeling of superiority. He felt that as a person from a thousand years later he was smarter and more knowledgeable. Whether it was Zeng fuzi or Liang daru, he never really took these ancients too seriously. He always maintained a high position and saw no one in his eyes. Even if he didn’t show it, he had this thought deep in his heart, but he never noticed it. Now that he had discovered it, he was simply too ashamed.

Tang Shen was ashamed, and he said frankly: “I don’t know, sir.”

Liang Song: “Because you and I are so similar!”

“Ah?”

“I have also seen a child prodigy with a highly retentive memory. Of the ten talents in the world, he occupied eight (TN: expression for extraordinary talent). Speaking of myself, I gained the rank of xiucai at the age of twelve and juren at the age of sixteen. At the age of twenty-one, I passed the palace examination as the zhuangyuan (TN: top scorer). Tang Shen, do you dare to say that you would be a jinshi at the age of twenty-one?” (TN: successful candidate in the highest imperial civil service examination)

If it were in the past, Tang Shen might still have confidence that this was possible. But he was no longer arrogant now. He knew that in ancient times, becoming a jinshi was as difficult as climbing the skies.

The imperial examination was held every three years, and each time 300 jinshi were admitted. On average, there were only 100 jinshi a year.

These one hundred people were to the backdrop of the entire Song Dynasty, not a certain city or a certain province! In later generations, Tsinghua University and Peking University admitted tens of thousands of people a year, but in ancient times, there were only a hundred jinshi each year. All the scholars of the world were taking the exam with you and were your classmates.

Tang Shen said: “I don’t dare.”

Liang Song looked at Tang Shen’s humble and ashamed look, and felt even more satisfied. He sighed: “Alas, you are so similar to me. Tang Shen, twenty-four years ago, I was just like you, feeling that the world was in the palm of my hand. But you have to remember that there are things in this world that you can’t do, and there are people that you can’t save. Have you ever seen bones covering a thousand miles, and blood flowing everywhere outside Youzhou City?”

Tang Shen said sincerely: “Sir, I was too arrogant.”

“Enough, come here, Little Tang Lang, that proud and complacent look of before suits you better. But what you said is quite right, for the rise and fall of the country, every common man has his obligation!”

No matter how thick-skinned Tang Shen was, he was still a little embarrassed at this moment. How was he proud and complacent? Sir really doesn’t know how to speak.

Liang Song: “When are you going to study?”

“Uh, this…”

“I’m afraid you won’t be able to catch up with next year’s county exam. There are only three months left. You haven’t even learned the eight-legged essay format, have you?”

Tang Shen lacked confidence: “No…”

Liang Song: “Next month, go to the prefecture academy to study.”

Tang Shen was surprised and said: “Sir, isn’t it true that only xiucai can attend the prefecture academy?”

“My students can attend too.”

Tang Shen said in surprise: “Sir?”

Liang Song laughed and scolded: “You naughty Little Tang Lang, you have come to visit me several times since the Double Ninth Festival, isn’t it just to formally become my student?”

Tang Shen pretended to be dumb: “I just want to see you sir.”

“Enough, go.”

After sending Tang Shen off, Liang daru looked at his thin back and felt relieved and amused at the same time. He rolled the orchid painting into a scroll and put it away, took out a letter paper, and began to write a letter. At the end of it, he pondered a bit and then added another sentence.

“…You old fellow, you found a good student eighteen years ago and showed off to me again and again for eighteen years. Did you know that I also accepted a student today, and he also has a retentive memory like Zi Feng? Moreover, this student of mine is no more than thirteen years old yet he said this to me.”

“For the rise and fall of the country, every common man has his obligation!”

“Did Zi Feng ever say this when he was thirteen?”

After writing the letter proudly, Liang Song called his maternal nephew: “Send this orchid painting and letter to the old fellow in Shengjing.”

“Yes.”

On the other side, Tang Shen still felt a little light-headed after he walked out of the gate of Liang Manor.

Liang daru was right. From the beginning, Tang Shen did not come to visit him for no reason, but with selfish motives: he wanted to formally become the student of Liang Song.

Liang daru was not a person who did not accept students. It was said that before the tenth year of Kaiyuan, when he was the provincial military commander and when the late emperor was still on the throne, he also accepted a few students. It was a pity that most of these students died on the battlefield, and one died of illness many years ago. Perhaps because he was older now, he stopped accepting students.

Logically speaking, Tang Shen was not qualified to have the other make an exception for him, but Tang Shen had one confidence: Liang Bowen personally gave him his name card.

Even if Tang Shen did not enter officialdom in the future, the title of “Liang Bowen’s student” would allow him not to worry about other things.

Now, Tang Shen sincerely wanted Liang Song to be his teacher.

He didn’t have that kind of integrity, but he respected people like that. The world could lose one Tang Shen, but the world could not lack people like Liang Song.

When he returned home, Tang Shen saw his sister waiting outside the door from a distance. As soon as she saw him, Tang Huang hurried over.

Tang Shen was still a little proud at this time. He smiled and said, “Ah Huang, guess what I just accomplished.”

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

Tang Huang stamped her foot: “Bad Tang Shen, I don’t care what you accomplished, something happened, hurry and come in quickly!”

AN: Why do I feel that today you all are going to start guessing the age of old Wang next door…

Old Wang next door: Huh? I’m very young.

Thirteen-year-old little mantis: What, what are you guys talking about? (TN: Little Tang Lang=homonym for little mantis)

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On the other side, Tang Shen and Yao San went to the Liang Manor, but unfortunately they did not come at the right time.

Liang daru had gone to a poetry gathering on the outskirts of the city. He just left in the morning and had not returned at noon. Tang Shen handed the gift to the steward and went home with Yao San. As soon as the two entered the house, they saw someone who shouldn’t be here. Yao San was shocked, but Tang Shen had a certain idea in his heart.

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

Tang Shen said: “Why has Eldest Aunt come?”

The visitor was none other than Madam Tang.

Madam Tang did not come alone, she also brought her personal maid and the housekeeper. Madam Tang gestured at the maid, who immediately brought over the small box Tang Shen had given her earlier.

Madam Tang said: “We are all a family, and eldest aunt will be honest with you. You said you made these two things with your own hands before, is this true? If you made them with your own hands, how much did it cost? How much is the production cost of the soap? And the scented soap? Also  the scent on your letter paper, was it scented with aromatherapy?”

Tang Shen smiled slightly: “Eldest Aunt, please come with me. The tools are still in the yard. I will demonstrate it to you. You will understand after seeing it.”

The several people walked into the yard, and Tang Shen made Madam Tang a basin of soap, a basin of scented soap, and a small bottle of essential oil in person.

Madam Tang asked the housekeeper to try it, and the effect was exactly the same as what Tang Shen had given her before.

Madam Tang had some concerns in heart, and the look in her eyes when looking at Tang Shen was no longer the same as before. She thought about it for a while and said seriously: “Nephew, this thing of yours can be sold for a lot of money.”

In many webnovels, once the time traveler traveled through time, it was given they would make soap. What was even more amazing was that some could also make glass, and even discover penicillin. Tang Shen felt that his golden finger was not that big yet.. He could not even make chocolate, let alone penicillin. After all, cocoa beans were still growing freely on the land of South Africa at this time, and Columbus had not yet discovered the New World.

But there was something in the webnovels that was not false. The reason why time travelers made soap and glass was because they could really make these things and make a lot of money.

Madam Tang asked the housekeeper to calculate the approximate production cost of a basin of soap and a basin of scented soap, and also calculated the cost of making essential oils.

Madam Tang frowned and said: “This essential oil smells very fragrant. It could also be mixed into soap to make the soap fragrant. But the cost is too high. Such a small bottle requires five or six kilograms of petals. It is fine to use it to make soap, but selling it alone is not possible.”

Tang Shen said: “Eldest Aunt, do you think the function of this is just to make things smell better?”

“No?”

Tang Shen smiled and said: “It is actually a beauty product.”

In the modern world, essential oils were often used by women to beautify their skin. The essential oils made by Tang Shen could certainly not be compared with the assembly lines of large factories, but this thing was absolutely impossible to disfigure, and it should also have certain beauty effects, though he didn’t know just how effective it would be.

Tang Shen thought for a moment and said, “Eldest Aunt, have you ever heard of a kind of pearl called mermaid tears?”

Madam Tang was surprised and said: “Mermaid tears, what is that?”

Tang Shen said: “I read it in an ancient book. The book records that the mermaid tears were originally just an ordinary type of pearl. They were not much more precious than ordinary pearls, let alone the one-in-a-thousand eastern pearl. In the past dynasty, there was a rich businessman who got many mermaid tears, but he couldn’t sell them no matter what, and was about to become a total loss in his hands. So he came up with an idea and named the pearl “mermaid tears”, and claimed that only if one loves a woman could you give her the one and only ‘mermaid tears’ in this life.”

Madam Tang’s eyes lit up, and the housekeeper beside her also understood the underlying meaning.

“How were the mermaid tears at the end?”

“Of course they were all sold out.”

If there were any time travelers present and hearing Tang Shen’s words, they would probably roll their eyes at him.

What mermaid tears! I might as well call myself the Little Mermaid and The White-Eyed Wolf Prince!

This was clearly diamond marketing!

That’s right, this was the famous diamond marketing that caused a global sensation in the early 20th century and remained influential even after a hundred years. Diamonds were not originally such precious gems, at least not so expensive. However, at the beginning of the 20th century, a major diamond merchant in the United States cooked up what could be called the most powerful scam in history, linking diamonds with eternal love. From then on, diamonds became an eternal luxury product.

Tang Shen smiled and said: “Eldest Aunt, it’s not that the essential oils can’t be sold, but it depends on… how we sell them.”

Madam Tang said: “Nephew…” After a pause, she said in a serious tone: “Tang Shen, you must’ve already figured out the reason why eldest aunt is here. The cost of soap is not high, you may be able to afford it. But if you want to do that essential oil business on your own, it will be as difficult as climbing to heaven. Moreover, you are new here, and have yet to learn the ways of Gusu City. To be honest, Tang Manor has three shops on Suijin Street, one jewelry shop and two powder shops.”

Tang Shen: “Eldest Aunt, I gifted you the soap and scented soap for this very purpose.”

Madam Tang breathed a sigh of relief and said, “What do you intend?”

Tang Shen said without hesitation: “We are family, 50-50 split, you contribute the capital.”

As soon as this was said, the Tang Manor’s housekeeper and maid frowned. 

What Tang Shen meant was that he wouldn’t have to pay a coin, Madam Tang paid all the money, and in the end he got to share half of the dividends. Even if this soap and scented soap were good things that he made, he couldn’t be so greedy.

Madam Tang also hesitated.

After a long while, she asked: “Are there any more stories like the mermaid tears?”

Tang Shen looked at the woman seriously.

Although Madam Tang had a son who was older than Tang Shen, in fact she was only in her early thirties this year, so her womanly charm was still present. In the modern world, she was not much older than Dr. Tang Shen. That an ancient feudal family could raise such a smart lady, Tang Shen had a deeper understanding of this era, and he did not dare to look down on any ancient person.

“Of course there are stories like the mermaid tears, and there can also be more stories in the future.”

“Alright!”

Madam Tang was generous and after agreeing to pay the capital, she had the housekeeper stay and discuss with Tang Shen the making of soap and scented soap and selling them in the Tang family’s powder shops. Originally, Madam Tang wanted the big shopkeepers of several shops in the Tang family to come over and directly assign Tang Shen a soap-making workshop, but Tang Shen refused.

The separation of investors and business operators must be established from the beginning, otherwise there would be endless troubles.

Tang Shen first needed to find a bookkeeper.

Yao San thought for a while: “Little boss, Lin xiucai from Linglong Lane, just left Qianji Pawnshop a few days ago and have been looking for a job as an accountant. But he is already old, in his late fifties. Of course, you can trust his character.”

“Age is not a problem, you can ask him to come over to have a talk.”

Soon, Yao San went to Linglong Lane to find Lin xiucai.

Lin xiucai had gray hair and was said to have gotten the scholar rank three years ago. It was supposed to be a happy event for him to finally become a xiucai at his old age, but he was too old and had no hope of passing the provincial examination and becoming a gongsheng (TN: candidate for the Imperial Examination proposed by a tributary state). Gusu City’s xiucai were not as valuable as those in Zhao Family Village, and Lin xiucai lived in poverty. Previously, he found a job as an accountant at Qianji Pawnshop, but unfortunately he was getting older and the pawnshop fired him when a better accountant became available.

Tang Shen looked at him and asked, “What books have you read?”

“I have read the Four Books and Five Classics, I have also studied mathematics, and I have read Zuo Zhuan and the Book of Changes.”

Tang Shen asked a few simple math questions. Lin xiucai did not calculate quickly but he used the abacus steadily and did not make any mistakes.

“It’s you. Uncle Lin, are you willing to be my accountant?”

“Yes, yes!”

In the next few days, Tang Shen and Yao San began to look for a suitable workshop in Gusu City.

If he wanted to sell soap and essential oils, a shop was not a problem. The Tang family’s shop on Suijin Street sold women’s items, so there was no need to worry about the lack of a market. This was also the reason why Tang Shen specially visited Madam Tang and gave her the gift. He had already found out what kind of shop the Tang family opened and what kind of business they did.

After searching for four or five days, Yao San and Accountant Lin each found a workshop.

Yao San: “This workshop is located in the west of the city. It was originally a winery. The owner is eager to sell and offers a low price. He also said that all the workers in the workshop can stay. They are skilled winemakers.”

Accountant Lin: “The shop I found is also in the west of the city. It was originally a dyeing workshop. The price is a bit higher than the one Yao San found, but the owner is an old Gusu resident and is trustworthy. This workshop also had one more room than the one Yao San found.”

Tang Shen thought about it for a while, and the three of them went to two workshops for field inspections.

Tang Shen: “Let’s use this dyeing workshop. It’s a big place and will be convenient for making things in the future.”

Yao San was a blockhead and he only repeatedly said good before taking his mother to bargain with the owner of the dyeing workshop. However, Accountant Lin heard the underlying meaning: “Little boss, do you plan to sell other things in the future? Soap, scented soap and essential oil are not going to be sold?”

Tang Shen said: “Of course we will sell them, but what else we will sell is another matter.”

Accountant Lin didn’t ask anymore.

After all, they were not related, so Tang Shen had not completely let go of his guard against Accountant Lin.

Another half month later, Tang Shen bought the dyeing shop. During this period, Tang Shen went to Liang Manor again, and this time he met Liang daru. Liang daru invited him to stay for dinner. During the meal, Liang daru said: “That soap is very useful. Do you have any more, I will also send some to some old friends.”

Tang Shen’s eyes lit up. The reason why he brought the things over was to borrow Liang daru‘s reputation to gain free publicity for the soap.

“Of course I have more. I’ll deliver it to sir as soon as possible tomorrow.”

Before leaving, Liang daru asked: “Do you still remember that half a year ago, I met you in Zhao Family Village? At that time, you recited the entire The Analects of Confucius backwards. Zeng fuzi said that you are a child prodigy, proficient in The Analects of Confucius and The Doctrine of the Mean. Now that half a year has passed, what books have you read?”

How could Tang Shen dare say that he hadn’t read a book in the past six months and had been busy doing business. He said: “If we just talk about it superficially and don’t talk about understanding its meaning, I have read Great Learning and Mencius, and I have also finished reading all the Five Classics.”

Liang daru laughed and said, “Young man, you really dare to say that. You have read all the Four Books and Five Classics. Even an old scholar in his sixties would not dare to talk so big.”

Tang Shen blinked. As a thirteen-year-old child, he could confidently pretend to be innocent. “Sir only asked what I read. I didn’t say I understood everything, I just read it.”

“And by the way recite it fluently?”

Tang Shen nodded.

Liang daru shook his head: “You little rascal!” The implication was not that he didn’t believe that Tang Shen did not have the ability to memorize everything, but that he didn’t believe that Tang Shen had studied in the past six months.

Suppose Liang daru asked Tang Shen to recite the Four Books and Five Classics backwards on the spot, he would not panic. After hearing Liang daru’s answer on the Double Ninth Festival “be concerned, worried for the country and forget one’s own family”, Tang Shen went back and read all the Four Books and Five Classics. Thanks to his golden finger, he had a photographic memory, and could really memorize the Four Books and Five Classics.

However, since then, Tang Shen had never touched a book again.

After leaving Liang Manor, Tang Shen returned home. He found the invitation card stuck in the book Spring and Autumn Annals. Tang Shen looked at the words on it carefully and read softly: “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… en, drink to the chrysanthemums outside the window…”

Tang Shen looked at it for a long time, but still didn’t see anything particular in the invitation poem.

At this time, Accountant Lin entered the room and saw Tang Shen looking at something: “What are you looking at, little boss?”

Tang Shen put down the invitation card, raised his head and said, “This is an invitation card from Liang daren.”

Accountant Lin’s eyes shone with excitement and his body trembled. He came over and said, “I have heard from Young Lady Ah Huang and Yao San that little boss and Liang daren know each other a long time ago. I never expected that to be true. Little boss, this invitation was written by Liang daru himself?”

“I don’t know about that.”

“Can I have a look?”

Tang Shen handed the invitation card to Lin Accountant.

Accountant Lin took the invitation card with trembling fingers, as if he was seeing a holy object, and he held it to the utmost respect. He looked at the invitation card carefully and read the poem on it: “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. Eh, this poem is a little strange.”

Tang Shen was surprised: “What’s strange?”

“I can’t be sure at the moment. Please wait a moment, little boss, and let me take a closer look.”

After looking at it for an hour, Accountant Lin smiled and said, “It turns out to be a poem with hidden words.”

“Hidden words?”

“Yes. Little master should be able to tell. This invitation is about the Double Ninth Festival, inviting little boss over. ‘Drink to the chrysanthemums outside the window’ is an invitation for you to enjoy the chrysanthemums on the Double Ninth Festival. But this is only the first layer of this poem.”

Tang Shen: “First layer?”

Accountant Lin: “That’s right. Look at the first sentence, the sky is clear, the sun and the moon are fixed. On the surface, it means that the weather is good to meet up. In fact, the clear sky means ‘yang’, and where the sun and the moon converge together is ‘yao’. Yang Yao, comes Yi Zhuan (TN: commentary on the Book of Changes), also known as ‘Qi Yao’, which is the ninth hexagram. Look at the third sentence, ‘after entering the room and looking up’. On the surface, it means that after entering the house, we shall enjoy it to the extreme. In fact, to the extreme refers to the ninth.”

Accountant Lin took the invitation card and looked at it carefully. Tang Shen on the side was shocked and speechless.

Accountant Lin: “Yang Yao is nine, and the extreme is nine. Yang is nine, and nine is Yang. And this double nine points to the Double Ninth Festival. It’s strange, why would Liang daru write such a poem with hidden words. He had already said ‘drink to the chrysanthemums outside the window’, so why hide the word Double Ninth Festival in the poem.”

Tang Shen was stunned in place, unable to make a sound for a long time. Suddenly, he said to Accountant Lin: “Mr. Lin, there is a saying that I have looked for in the Four Books and Five Classics, but I couldn’t find it. I wonder if you know it?”

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

Accountant Lin: “What saying?”

Tang Shen: “Be concerned, worried for the country and forget one’s own family.”

“Haha, what little boss said, ‘be concerned, worried for the country and forget one’s own family.’ This comes from “Zuo Zhuan·The 24th Year of Zhaogong”. Zuo Zhuan does not belong to the Four Books and Five Classics. So it’s normal for little boss to have never heard of it.”

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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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