A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 21 The General Leaves Chang'an

"Lanxiang, you three siblings should come too."

Li Yi saw that Lanxiang and her brother had dry and yellow hair and white spots on their faces, which clearly indicated they had roundworms in their stomachs, so he asked them to go with him to Fengjiabao to see Dong Xiucai.

The afternoon sun was scorching, but the children were not afraid of it and were willing to follow Li Yi to Fengjiabao.

Fortunately, the road was not far. They arrived quickly along the winding dirt road. Shitou knew Dong Xiucai's house. He had a stomachache once, and Luo San took him to see Dong Xiucai. Dong Xiucai gave him an acupuncture and prescribed medicine, but did not charge him any money.

"Mr. Dong was in the private school in Baozi all his life, and his home was in Xiaobaozi."

Originally, there were three surnames in Fengjiabao: Feng, Dong and Zhang. The village was divided into three parts: the fort where the Feng family lived, the small fort where the Dong family lived, and the lower fort where the Zhang family lived. A few years ago, a wealthy man named Feng Liulang moved in and started a large-scale construction. He built two large mansions to the west of the fort, which were called West Fort.

Shitou was also full of respect when he spoke of Mr. Dong, the scholar. Although he always had a stern face and was called Mr. Leng, Mr. Dong not only opened a private school to teach and educate people, but also practiced medicine and did not charge poor people for their treatment.

Among the seven villages in Xingshengli, only Fengjiabao has a private school. Everyone naturally respects and fears Mr. Dong, who once studied in the Imperial College in Chang'an and was recommended to take the scholar examination.

Shitou led the way to the Baozi private school. This private school covers an area of more than one acre. It is said that it was originally the Ma Wang Temple. The layout of the house is similar to Li Yi's Wuji Temple, with three main rooms and three side rooms on the east and west sides, connected by earth walls to form a courtyard.

Standing at the gate of the courtyard, I could hear the sound of reading aloud.

The scholars in the Sui and Tang dynasties were extraordinary. It was more difficult to pass the exam than the Jinshi and Mingjing exams. Often, one exam was held every two or three years, and only one or two people were admitted to each exam. If there were not enough talented people, the exam would rather be suspended than admit indiscriminately.

It is already a great achievement to be able to be recommended to take the scholar examination.

Dong Xiucai was a tall and thin old man with white hair and a goatee. Li Yi's first impression of him was that he looked a lot like Du Fu in his textbooks when he was in school.

He has a strong scholarly air and his eyes are full of vicissitudes of life.

Li Yi introduced himself and stated his purpose.

"Last time when my humble abode was being built, the master sent someone to give me a calligraphy..."

Dong Xiucai looked at Li Yi and said, "I used to be an old friend of your master, Master Li, and you have grown up now."

After a few pleasantries, Li Yi presented a gift: twenty A-grade sheets of four, which he bought for his daughter to doodle and draw. There were five packs in a box with 2,500 sheets, and it only cost seventy-nine. It was much more useful than a sketchbook.

A piece of paper worth three cents,
But when he handed it to Mr. Dong, Mr. Xiu was a little surprised. He picked up the paper and rubbed it carefully.

The paper is uniformly white, feels delicate, is exceptionally white, and is very smooth and thick.

As a scholar, I particularly like books, paper, pens and ink, just like a fisherman's love for various fishing gear.

"This paper is really good. I'll try it."

As he spoke, Mr. Dong couldn't wait to grind the ink and pick up the brush, spread out a piece of A4 paper, and write on it quickly.

"In the high autumn, white dew falls as the general sets out from Chang'an. Dust and sand darken the frontier, the wind and moon chill the mountains. The turning brush follows the horse's hooves, while frost falls on the tip of the sword... He still sneers at Fu Jiezi, who painstakingly stabbed Loulan."

On a piece of paper, Mr. Dong wrote twenty five-character poems.

Li Yi, standing by, exclaimed in admiration, "Compared to the poems written by the Han, Wei, and Six Dynasties, Xue Xuanqing's poem "Out of the Frontier" is even more vigorous and powerful. It is filled with the self-confidence of a great power and overflows with an impassioned and heroic spirit. It perfectly embodies the great power spirit of the Sui Dynasty when it unified China and ended the division that had lasted for more than 300 years since the end of the Han Dynasty."

"Mr. Xue's calligraphy is rigorous and flexible, complementing Xue Xuanqing's frontier poem. It is truly excellent."

"Sir, I have a humble request. Could you please write a seal on this and then give it to me?"

Mr. Dong picked up his pen and looked at Li Yi, with surprise and admiration in his eyes.

People like to be praised. Li Yi's flattery is very skillful. He not only knows who wrote the poem of Mr. Dong, but also can point out the strength of the poem and even the strength of Mr. Dong's calligraphy.
This kind of flattery was just right, making Mr. Dong extremely satisfied.

Mr. Dong gladly signed and sealed the work and gave it to Li Yi. This was much better than the four words "good luck" he gave him on the day of raising the beam.

"I didn't expect you to admire Xue Daoheng so much." Mr. Dong looked at his calligraphy. "Your paper is really good. It can show even the most delicate brushstrokes. The ink color can also show the thickness, dryness and wetness very well. The ink does not smudge. The size is also very good."

White, thick and smooth, it is far superior to many papers.

"I'll find some more of this paper for you next time."

Mr. Dong was in a very good mood at the moment and took the initiative to ask Li Yi why he came.

Li Yi then told them about Xiuzhi selling herself to bury her husband, and then said that he would bring them here for a physical examination today.

"You did a good job and accumulated good karma." Mr. Dong did not think that Li Yi's behavior was taking advantage of someone's misfortune. In today's world, if you want to sell yourself into slavery, you have to queue up.

He examined all of them thoroughly, observing, smelling, asking and feeling.

"There's nothing wrong with the three of them. They're just malnourished for a long time, weak, and have roundworms, lice, and fleas. The two brothers also have ringworms."

"These three siblings are also malnourished, have worms in their bodies, and have lice and fleas on their bodies."

Mr. Dong prescribed anthelmintic and anti-ringworm medicine, both for internal and external use.

"Boil the external medicine in water, then wash your hair and take a bath. It will basically be cured in seven days. You can also just shave off all the hair on these four boys, which will be faster. In the future, pay attention to cleanliness, wash your hands frequently, and especially eat less raw food."

In the chat,
Li Yi knew that Dong Xiucai's private school was also somewhat of a public welfare institution. Children from landlords and wealthy families had to pay tuition to study there, but if some children from poor families had a talent for studying, he would allow them to attend and even provide them with some paper and pens.

As a township assistant and one of the two deputy township heads of Yusu Township, Mr. Dong actually does not have much to do with affairs and is devoted to teaching and practicing medicine.

Although he was not the richest man in Yusu Township, his family owned hundreds of acres of land. He was a rare scholar in the township and was also proficient in medicine, so he was highly respected by the villagers.

Li Yi took out one ounce of gold.
"What's the purpose?" Dong Xiucai was surprised. The medicine was not worth much money. Besides, he felt that Li Yi was quite to his liking. In addition, he had a previous relationship with Li Laodao, so he did not intend to charge any money.

"I really admire your kindness, so I want to contribute my own little bit. This little money can buy some paper and pens for the private school and some herbs for your pharmacy. It can also help educate more children and save more poor people."

Mr. Dong looked at him carefully for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll accept it. Master Li has trained a good disciple."

After sitting in the private school for a while, Li Yi followed Mr. Dong to visit the students, then said goodbye and left.

On the way, Xiuzhi seemed to want to say something but stopped herself.

"If you have something to say, just say it."

"Alang treats us and gives us medicine, but it only costs one or two ounces of gold. It's too much. We don't even have a door at home, and we don't have furniture. We need money for everything. Alang still needs to marry a wife, so he has to save money..."

Li Yi smiled and didn't explain.

He paid out this ounce of gold today because he really wanted to make friends with Mr. Dong. Mr. Dong was not just a village official, he was also a scholar who had studied in the Imperial College and was recommended to take the examination for the scholar.
Mr. Dong was not only highly respected in his hometown, but was also often invited to give lectures at the Imperial College in Chang'an. He was also a guest of honor of the Wannian County magistrate.

Some incense has to be burned in advance. You can't wait until something really happens and then carry a pig's head around looking for a temple.

The worst things in life are to have no power but a lot of money, to be poor but have a beautiful wife, to be weak but smart at an early age.

Even in the countryside, it's not that simple.

After leaving the private school, Li Yi went to Feng's blacksmith shop in Xibao, where he ordered an iron pot.

"Boss, is the pot I ordered ready?"

"It's Village Chief Li. Please come in and have a drink of water first."

Li Yi ordered several cooking utensils from the blacksmith shop, including a large cast iron pot, a cast iron tripod pot, a cast iron pancake griddle, a wrought iron wok, and a large flat iron pan.
All are customized according to requirements.
For the Feng family blacksmith shop, although these cooking utensils looked a bit strange, they were not difficult for them.

Li Yi made a request and even drew a pattern. They asked for the size and thickness and started working. Their shop was very efficient and everything was completed.

"This is the seven-print thickened cast iron pot you ordered. It is two feet one foot wide, eight inches deep, weighs twenty-five pounds, and is cast from a handmade clay mold..." Li Yi was very satisfied with the big iron pot after seeing it. It was made entirely according to his requirements. It was made of pig iron, cast, and equipped with a large wooden lid.

One seal is three inches, and seven seals are exactly two feet and one foot, which is large enough and suitable for frying tofu puffs.

"This cauldron of yours has a very unique shape. I've been a blacksmith all my life, but this is the first time I've made one like this. It looks like a cauldron split in half."

There were many cooking utensils in the Tang Dynasty, but none were called pots. Most of them were in the form of cauldrons, tripods, cauldrons, and cans. A major feature was that they were all relatively deep. For example, the cauldron was egg-shaped with an opening at the top, and some even had three legs.

This type of cookware is suitable for stewing, not frying.

Suitable for frying are griddles, woks, etc., which are very shallow and suitable for making pancakes.

The one that is relatively not that deep and shaped like a semi-sphere is generally called a small cauldron.

The large iron pot that Li Yi customized was the same type used on wood stoves in later generations. It was cast from pig iron. Its advantages were that it was thick, sturdy, and had a long lifespan. Its disadvantages were that it conducted heat slowly and was difficult to move. This pot was suitable for stewing, as well as frying and stir-frying.

He ordered this big pot to be used in his wood stove, and it was also needed for processing soy products.

The large cast iron pan is used to boil the slurry to produce bean curd sheets.

"This small cauldron is made of wrought iron," the shopkeeper took out the wrought iron wok and showed off his craftsmanship to Li Yi, saying that the pot had gone through twelve processes by their master and apprentice, eighteen times of heating, and had been forged thirty-six thousand times.

"It is durable and rust-resistant. One pot can be passed down through three generations. Even after the owner is gone, the pot still exists."

Li Yi looked at the uneven wrought iron pot and couldn't believe it had been forged 36,000 times. It would be amazing if it could be forged 3600 times. "Master, are you from Zhangqiu?"

The shopkeeper was surprised, his eyes widened. "How did you know that, Village Chief Li? My ancestors really are from Zhangqiu County, Jinan Commandery. Decades ago, my grandfather took me to escape famine and came to Guanzhong. The blacksmiths in Zhangqiu are world-famous, and my family has been blacksmiths for generations..."

The frying pan is three feet in diameter, larger than the eight-print pot. It is more like an oversized cast iron tray.

A large iron pot with eight seals, two large frying pans, a cast iron tripod pot, a pancake griddle, an iron wok, and a wrought iron cooking pot.

There were seven pots, big and small, which scared Li Yi when they settled the bill.

The eight-print iron pot weighed 25 jin, with a loss of 3 jin. The iron material cost six pieces of silk, and the labor cost was four pieces of silk. The total cost of the pot was ten pieces of silk, which was the same price as Li Yi's three-year-old ox. One jin of iron cost more than coins.

The key is that the labor cost is quite expensive, nearly 1,500 yuan.

There were two large flat-bottomed pots, three feet in diameter, made of similar materials as the large iron pots, so each was also worth ten pieces of silk.

Although the forged wrought iron pot is small, it is very expensive. Wrought iron is three times more expensive than pig iron, and the labor cost of the pot even accounts for 60% of the pot's price.

A three-jin (approximately 100 kg) pot cost five and a half pieces of silk, while a griddle and a wok cost three pieces of silk each.

"Seven sets of cooking utensils, a total of forty-one and a half pieces of silk, with seven wooden pot lids and three iron spatulas."

The shopkeeper took a handful of abacus and fiddled with it to calculate for Li Yi to see. Li Yi didn't understand how the abacus was used and was secretly surprised at the price.

No wonder ordinary people cannot afford iron pots, they are too expensive. You can cook with pottery pots, sand bowls, or even clay pots, and they won’t rust.

A few pots, forty-one and a half pieces of silk. Now a strong young ox only costs about ten pieces of silk, so the money for four oxen is gone.

"Village Chief Li is also a friend of my Liu Lang. We won't charge you for these two custom-made iron spatulas." The shopkeeper said with a smile.

Lanxiang, who was standing by, exclaimed that it was so expensive.

"Girl, this isn't expensive at all. What's the price of grain these days? Before, when a dou of grain cost twenty or thirty coins, a jin of iron cost thirty or forty coins. Now, a dou of grain costs three or four hundred coins, and a jin of iron costs only about seventy coins. The batch of cooking utensils that Li Cunzheng ordered are all new styles. They took us a lot of time, and we had to make the clay molds several times, which resulted in a lot of iron loss. We didn't even calculate... All these custom-made ironware are only worth a little over four stone of rice. It's really not expensive."

After hearing this, Li Yi felt that what he said made some sense. Nowadays, everything is expensive.

"Li Cunzheng, are you thinking of buying a sword? The swords in our shop are all forged with fine steel, and we even have a few iron swords. Life is pretty messy these days, so it's a good idea to carry a sword with you when you go out."

"What's the price?"

"Steel swords are priced at three levels: top quality is four and a half pieces of silk, medium quality is four pieces of silk, and low quality is three and a half pieces of silk. For a wrought iron sword, top quality is ten pieces of silk, medium quality is nine pieces of silk, and low quality is eight pieces of silk."

After hearing the price, Li Yi could only smile bitterly. A steel knife was only worth a cow.

One or two slaves can be bought in Kouma City.

If you carry a wrought iron knife worth a cow for self-defense, you will probably be robbed.

The steel horizontal sword is not actually made of all steel.
The shopkeeper said that the horizontal sword was made by the steel-clad method or the steel-clamped method, and took out a steel horizontal sword to show him. Finally, Li Yi picked out a high-quality steel horizontal sword, which was only two pounds without the sheath. It was forged using the steel-clamped method, with a ring head, no blade guard, and the sheath was buried in the handle.

The blade is straight and narrow, and is made of a cutting edge.

Li Yi liked it at first sight and spent half the price of a cow to buy this ring-handled steel sword with a sheath.

"Buy another iron axe,"

"I'll give you half a piece of silk for the three-jin iron axe."

"Where's the kitchen knife?"

"A kitchen knife is lighter and cheaper, while a bone-chopping knife is heavier and more expensive. If you take one of each, I'll only charge you one piece of silk for both."

"Okay." There was an old kitchen knife at home that Guo Erlang gave him, but it was too blunt, so Li Yi simply bought two.

The shopkeeper took the counting sticks again and started to arrange the formula. Li Yi felt that it was a bit backward to use the stick to calculate without an abacus. Maybe he could tinker with the abacus when he had time.

The pot cost forty-one and a half pieces of silk, and the three knives and an axe cost another six pieces of silk.

The total cost of this purchase was forty-seven and a half bolts of silk, which, at today's silk prices, was worth over seventeen thousand coins. However, due to the current confusion among various copper coins, the blacksmith shop generally set prices based on silk.

If you pay with copper coins, you have to convert it into Kaihuang Wuzhu coins. As for other Daye Wuzhu coins, copper coins with other era names, and even privately minted coins, the conversion rates are different. The very thin and white counterfeit white coins cost five or six coins to convert into one Kaihuang Wuzhu, or they may not be accepted at all.

Li Yi directly took out the gold.

The shopkeeper's face immediately broke into a smile. This thing was the hardest and most valuable. One or two taels could be converted into eight thousand Kaihuang Wuzhu coins.

Li Yi took out two taels of gold, which the shopkeeper checked and weighed, and accepted after confirming that it was correct.

"I still owe you three pieces of silk. Remember this and I'll send them to you next time."

The shopkeeper accepted two taels of gold and happily paid the balance, "Thank you for your patronage, Mr. Li. If you need farm tools or anything else in the future, just let me know. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

"Okay, we still need to buy some plows, hoes, shovels and other farm tools at home. Come back next time when you have time." Li Yi agreed with a smile.

The shopkeeper provides door-to-door delivery service. He sends his men to deliver the pots, spatulas, knives, axes, etc. to Wujiyuan at the bottom of the plateau.

"Boss, could you give me a wooden steamer and a bamboo steamer?" Xiuzhi was heartbroken when she saw Li Yi take out another two taels of gold. He really spent money like water, spending three taels of gold in just a short time. Who would have thought these ironwares were so expensive? Her young master was really extravagant with his money.

The shopkeeper was also very generous and gave me a wooden steamer for steaming rice and a bamboo steamer.

Walking downhill on the way home, Li Yi calculated in his mind: Xue Ping Guo had exchanged eleven taels of gold, one and a half dan of grain, a piece of silk, and a cow with Guo Erlang. Now he had spent seven taels of gold, leaving only four taels.

Fortunately, he sold another stewing cup to Guo Erlang, and when the 150 strings of cash arrived, he would not be short of money for the time being.

"You guys go home first. Remember to wash your hair and take a bath with medicine. I'm going to Nianwan to do some work."

(End of this chapter)