Great Tang Idyll

Book 2: Chapter 35

Volume 02 Chapter 35: Three Different Moods, Three Different Kinds of Weathers

It seemed like it became hotter at noon. The wind that blew into the carriage carried waves of unbearable heat and this made people sweat uncontrollably. Birds that had nothing better to do kept chirping and this made people feel irritated. The sky appeared to be grayish white, and the clouds seemed to press down on people's chests.

Occasionally, a few little birds could be seen pecking at the sand, and this sight was quite annoying to see.

Li Cheng was sitting in the bumpy carriage. He had no intention of urging the coachman to hurry. He regretted that he didn't bring more water and ice---saying this was incorrect because he didn't bring any at all. He wanted to stop and ask someone for water, but he feared that this would waste time.

With the curtains of the carriage open, the wind that blew in from the outside was hot, and the sunlight filled up the entire inside. With the curtains of the carriage closed, the body would sweat even more profusely.

"Where are they? Where did they go? Did they grow wings and fly away? How come a carriage drawn by four horses can't catch up to a horse ridden by two little toddlers? Did they get lost, and rode their horse to somewhere else?"

Li Cheng muttered under his breath while wiping his endless amount of sweat. The sound of whip swinging and yelling from outside reached his ears from time to time, leaving him with a trace of worry in his anxiety.

It seemed like it wasn't that hot at noon. The wind that blew into the carriage carried waves of tolerable heat and this made people feel warm. Birds that had nothing better to do kept chirping and this made people feel the comforts of familiarity. The sky appeared to be blue, and the clouds seemed more carefree than usual.

Occasionally, a few little birds could be seen pecking at the sand, and this sight was quite amusing to see.

"It's good now; the two families will no longer have to worry about not having a good life. Our manors will have a lot of leftover grains every year. There's also so much land--- even if its filled with mountains, it's fine since there'll be more room for Ying'tao to raise more chickens."

As the carriage swayed, Shi'liu murmured happily as she thought about the days to come. The three people next to her heard what she said and nodded. All four of them served in the inner courtyard. Their masters were good to the residents, and even better to the inner courtyard servants like them.

There were people who took turns to guard in the night. The clothes they usually wore were all the same, and it was provided by the master family. When it came to time to eat, they were allowed to choose what they wanted to eat from the various dishes available. Once they decide what to eat, the kitchen will prepare it. Occasionally, they were given a bit of money to buy what they liked. If they were any other manors' residents, they would not be able to even dream of receiving this kind of treatment.

However, all of this was when their master did not have an official title and that many fiefs. Now that they had more fiefs, the days to come would only be better.

It seemed like the day was really nice at noon. The wind that blew from all around carried waves of relaxing coolness that made people feel extremely comfortable. Birds that had nothing better to do kept chirping and this made people feel happy. The sky appeared to be up so high, and the clouds seemed more charming than usual.

Occasionally, a few little birds could be seen pecking at the sand, and this sight made people feel like happiness was right in front of them.

Today, the residents of the two Zhang and Wang manors ate lamb soup. Sliced lamb organ and lamb meat were placed into a bowl, and then lamb bone soup and lamb tallow was poured over top. A bit of coriander and green onion was sprinkled on top, and ground black pepper was added to help remove the gamey taste. They sweated amid the sensation of feeling refreshed after taking a sip. The sweat caused them to feel cool and at that moment, all of the hotness disappeared.

Large flatbreads were baking inside vertical earthen ovens and they were so soft, crispy and fragrant. The little children ran around excitedly, and sometimes their parents grabbed them and spanked them since they wanted to get their children to drink the lamb soup, lest it becomes undrinkable when it turns cold.

The person in charge of serving the soup did not care whether or not other people's soup would turn cold. The liquid portion of the soup can be poured out while keeping the solids in the bowl, and then water and lamb tallow can be added to make another bowl of soup.

There was also meat taken from the lamb's head served on the table of the older residents. The lamb tail, lamb kidneys, and lamb testicles were not served, and were stored frozen in the Young Master's storage room. The Young Master had instructed that these parts of the lamb was reserved for the master family to eat since there was not enough to share with the residents.

The male residents sweated a lot from eating, and they tore off the shirts. While naked, they toasted with other people and talked about their manor. The female residents watched the kids and took care of the elders of their family.

The leaves on the trees by the river seemed to have spreaded open at this time. A slight breeze brushed by, bringing the fragrance of rice grains, lotus, and soil to the noses of people. From time to time, dog barks that carried hints of joy could be heard.

The mischievous little boys and girls chased each around. Occasionally, someone jumped into the shallow and muddy creek, and when they got out, they were slapped a few times by their parents. While crying, they continued to find other companions to play with. In just a short while, the children forgot about the slaps, and jumped into the river again.

Unlike the adults, the children didn't think so much. They don't know what the future of the manors would be like. They could stay happy for the entire day if they were given candied hawthorn. With so many people together, they felt safe. Every time the master family invited them to a dinner party, they felt like it was a festival.

The Ge Manor's residents all stayed at home, or were sitting in front of their doors, and talked to their neighbors about the Zhang and Wang's families. Although they felt envious, they also felt helpless.

Without realizing it, their children walked across the small bridge to watch the faraway scene of people eating and drinking. They licked their own lips, and squatted down, looking for something on the ground to play with. Even if it was just a few ants carrying stuff on their backs, they could stare at them for a long time.

If they felt that the ants were moving too slowly, they would pick up a small stick and help them transport the stuff to the ant hole. When the ants dragged their preys into the hole, the children felt happy again.

"Brother Shi'tou, what are you playing with here? I brought you a flatbread with a lot of sesame seeds on it."

The boy raised his head to look at the little girl the moment he heard her voice. Then, he looked at the flatbread in her hand. He swallowed his spit, then he shook his head and said, "Lil' sis Ye'zi, you eat it. It was given to you by your master, I don't want it. I will go home to eat when I'm hungry."

"There's meat in it that's half lean, half fatty. Grandpa asked me to give this to you. Last year I accidentally fell into the river, and you were the one who pulled me out. Take it."

The five or six-year-old girl handed the flatbread to Shi'tou with a sincere expression on her face.

Shi'tou stared at the flatbread blankly, but in the end, he still shook his head and said, "I really don't want it. I'm from the Ge manor. If I want to eat it, my master will give us some to eat."

"Really? But there is no one with an official title at your manor. I heard my grandfather say that the master of our Wang manor is no longer just the master of a manor; he's a high ranking official now and his ranking is just slightly below the Magistrate." The little girl squatted down. She repeated the words she heard the adults say while she watched Brother Shi'tou use a wood branch to squish the bug so that it would be easier for the ants to eat.

"It's true. In order to congratulate the Zhang and Wang manors, the Ge Manor also slaughtered a lamb." A voice came from the side, and the two children looked up. Shi'tou immediately stood up to greet the person.

"Old Master, I didn't take their manor's stuff."

Ge Ying'xi nodded slightly. Originally, he planned to go over to the two families to congratulate them, but he didn't expect to overhear the two children's conversation. When the children spoke, they didn't think much about their words, but when Ge Ying'xi heard it, he felt like a knife was stabbed into his heart.

He thought about how the Between the Water and Clouds Restaurant earned a lot of money this year, how the autumn harvest was also good, and how the taxes were completely exempted. If he was still stingy as before, then the hearts of his manor's residents would go off to elsewhere, so he decided to have a lamb slaughtered for his residents to eat. He even gave the two manors some respect since he was celebrating with them.

"Old Master Ge, please have some flatbread." As soon as Miss Ye Zi saw the master of the Ge family come over, she cleverly handed the flatbread over to him. She was not afraid of the people of the Ge family, even if the person was the manor's master. She was from the Wang Manor, so she wouldn't be afraid even if the county magistrate was here.

Ge Ying'xi was stunned for a moment, and then he actually took the flatbread. He ripped the flatbread with his teeth and said, "It's delicious, but now that you gave me this, what are you going to eat?"

"Me? There's still more for me when I get back. My master's wife told me that one should be grateful and repay other people's kindness. The residents cannot forget about those who were kind to the Wang manor's residents, and the master will definitely repay their kindness. I brought this flatbread over for Brother Shi'tou. If it weren't for him, I would have drowned to death last year. When I grow older and become more capable, I'll work hard for my master."

Ye'zi smiled sweetly as she explained herself. While she was talking, she held her little fist up to express her determination.

Hearing these words, Ge Ying'xi really didn't know what to say, so he gave her a generic response. He took the flatbread he had bitten into and walked towards the main courtyard of Zhang Manor with Housekeeper Zhang following behind him.

It was very lively outside. In the Zhang family's yard, Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan allowed the doctor to apply borneol and other medicines to the injuries on their legs while they discussed with their families about the 4000 mu of land.

"Xiao'bao, Juan'juan, what happened to you two? How come such large pieces of skin were removed from your legs? What on earth were Shi'liu and the others doing?"

Seeing the wounds on her son and daughter-in-law, Madam Zhang-Wang was distressed. She got the manor's doctor to come treat their wounds. Her eyebrows were furrowed when she questioned them.

Once the borneol was applied, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan felt much better, and they no longer looked like they were in pain, and of course, they did not cry like other children would.

"Mother, it's okay, it's just a small injury. We will be fine in just a couple days. Juan'juan and I came back because we were afraid that you would take all 5,000 mu of land over there and notify the administrative office. If that is done, then our families will be in big trouble. This time, we can only take the land that the Imperial Court has granted us with. There are people on the side watching us and waiting for an opportunity."

Zhang Xiao'bao nodded to the doctor who was treating him, and then explained to his mother.

"Huh? We shouldn't occupy that 5,000 mu of land? That entire piece of land can be easily taken. Doctor Pang, be more gentle, Xiao'bao is in pain." Madam Zhang-Wangwas stunned for a moment, then replied back to Zhang Xiao'bao, and talked to the doctor.