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

Chapter 7 Promoted to Village Chief
The sun rises in the east.

Guo Cunzheng stood in the yard and told his wife, "Cook some dumplings and add more pig fat."

He held Li Yi and refused to let him leave, insisting that they stay for breakfast.

When Luo San and the other four village chiefs heard that there was something to eat, they immediately stopped moving. The Guo family servants set up a large pot in the yard, boiled water, and started kneading dough.

Guo Erlang's concubine and daughter worked together. After the dough was kneaded, they rolled it into the size of a thumb, broke it into two-inch long pieces, and soaked it in a basin of water. After the water in the pot boiled, they took the soaked noodles out of the basin, rolled them into thinner pieces again, and put them into the pot to cook.

To put it simply, it is noodle soup.

But for the several headmen of Luojiabao, they had to eat millet porridge with wild vegetables, and they could only eat white flour twice a year. Today, they were lucky to have Li Yi.

Guo Cunzheng also made a big move today and asked his wife to measure a lot of white flour.

Several tablespoons of lard were scooped into the pot, and the lard melted, emitting a fragrant aroma. The thin noodles rolled in the boiling pot, shiny and lovely.

Roll the noodles a few times, sprinkle with chopped green onions and salt to season, and you can start eating.

Luo San and his companions took a large bowl without hesitation, and then squatted in the yard to eat. The noodle soup was quite hot, but they couldn't wait to slurp it up.

Li Yi sat on the roller and blew air slowly, picking up the noodles and eating them slowly. He felt that the taste was just average, but the noodles were chewy and fragrant.
It would be more fragrant if you add some chili oil, minced garlic, cooked sesame seeds, and some vinegar.

Guo Erlang also brought a bowl of noodles and squatted beside him to eat, repeatedly emphasizing that Liu Heizi's theft had nothing to do with him. He also said that he didn't hand him over to the authorities because he was afraid of causing other troubles. Li Yi had no power and had just returned to secular life. He had more than ten taels of gold in his hands. If he was harassed by the clerks in the yamen, it would be very troublesome.

"I know my second uncle is doing this for my own good."

Everyone was very satisfied with the breakfast. They all had full stomachs and greasy lips.

Before Li Yi and his companions left, Guo Erlang specially asked his servants to carry two and a half stone of wheat and two and a half stone of millet.

"I hired that Liu Heizi as a farmhand. Originally, we agreed to provide him with ten shi of grain a year, half wheat and half millet. I also provided him with two seasons of clothing and room and board. Now he has been working for five months and committed this crime. I did him a great favor by not turning him in to the authorities. However, I cannot pay him back for these five months' wages.

These five koku of wheat and millet will be given to you as a small compensation."

In order to express his apology, Guo Cunzheng gave Li Yi two more ducks.

"It's because of my uncle's poor judgment and ineffective discipline that such a shameful thing happened. Luckily you caught him. Otherwise, if he had stolen and escaped, I would have been covered in mud and shit."

"As for your household registration and land and property matters, I will go to the Wannian County Government Office in Chang'an City today to help you handle them."

Li Yi refused several times but failed, so he finally had to accept it.

Five stone of rice and wheat, two ducks,
The four village chiefs who came with him had a greasy meal today. When they returned, they naturally helped to carry the food. Li Yi held a white duck in his left hand and another in his right hand.
Everyone returned with a full load.

"Yesterday we were talking about buying grain to start building the house, but now we've directly brought back five stone of wheat and millet." Luo San was happier than Li Yi.

Luo Erze sighed, "I never thought that in my lifetime, I would be able to eat the delicious food that Guo Erlang invited me to eat."

"Yeah, when did Guo Erlang become so generous and open-minded?"

Luo San said angrily, "We're just taking advantage of Wu Yi. When we borrowed money from Guo Erlang before, we always paid out nine out of thirteen. When we borrowed grain, we only paid back two in the fall. Sometimes we even paid back a small amount, or wheat when we borrowed millet. When we borrowed his cow, we had to pay 10% of the harvest as rent."

Guo Erlang was almost known as Guo Paopi. His "Nine Out, Thirteen Return" loan was usually a short-term loan with a term of three months. For example, if you borrowed one thousand coins, he would only give you nine hundred. Three months later, you had to pay back thirteen thousand. The monthly interest rate was nominally one percent, but in reality it was more than one and a half percent. Once the three-month period was up, if you couldn't pay it back, you would have to pay compound interest, which was much more than double the interest.

As everyone was talking, they talked about Li Yi's capture of the thief last night.
Luo Er said that Liu Heizi was quite strong and had a lot of strength. There was even a time when two cows from Guo Erlang's family were fighting, and Liu Heizi managed to separate the two cows by pulling one of the cow's horns with one hand.

He could grab a big bull by the neck and throw it to the ground.

But such a tough guy had a setback at Li Yi's hands last night.

He was completely subdued by Li Yi and even kowtowed to Li Yi when leaving.

"Wuyi, do you really know that Five Thunders Law? Can you really summon the God of Thunder and the Goddess of Lightning?"

"Of course. Didn't you see that Liu Heizi was foaming at the mouth and convulsing all over last night after being electrocuted by Wu Yi?"

Luo San also said, "I heard some noise last night and saw lightning in Wuyi's shed."

The four village chiefs looked at Li Yi with awe.

Li Yi almost couldn't suppress the corner of his mouth that was about to rise. If he didn't explain, he would let them think about it. It would be difficult to explain if he really wanted to.

His high-intensity electric baton is very small, only sixteen centimeters long, not as long as his, but it is very powerful. Not only does it have a good strong lighting effect, but most importantly, it has a strong ability to defend against electric shocks. The voltage of 18 million volts is no joke.

It can discharge about two hundred times. If used sparingly, Li Yi can cast the Five Thunder Technique many times silently.

It was indeed a crime to possess a treasure. With eleven taels of gold in his hand, he immediately attracted thieves. However, many people in Luojiabao knew that he had exchanged gold yesterday, but no one had any bad intentions. They were still relatively honest and decent.

Back to the rice field and thatched hut,

The villagers gathered around and asked about the result. Luo San and his friends told him what happened and boasted about how Guo Erlang treated everyone to pig fat dumplings.

Everyone was envious when they saw Li Yi carrying back another five stone of grain.

"Uncle San, we can start clearing the ground and leveling the ground today. We need to tear down the roof and walls of the main house in the east courtyard of Wuji Temple. See if anyone in our village is free and willing to help. I will provide two meals a day. When everyone repairs their houses in the future, I will definitely return the favor." Li Yi said.

Luo San smiled and said, "It's normal for neighbors in the village to help each other. If someone doesn't come, no one else will help him."

After a brief discussion, it was finally decided that each family would first provide a strong laborer to complete the preliminary preparations. After the base, wood, yellow grass, etc. were in place, they would invite craftsmen and skilled workers over. If there were not enough people by then, each family would provide more people.

Sanniang took the two ducks and examined them carefully. "Guo Erlang gave you two female ducks. Let Gousheng and Shitou go to the rice fields and ditches to catch some frogs and snails to feed the ducks. They can lay eggs for a hundred days straight."

Lanxiang also likes these two ducks and even said she wanted to build a nest for the white duck and the mallard.

Everyone is busy.

Li Yi had nothing to do.
Digging and building hu ji was tiring work, and carrying wood to the market was even more exhausting. Finally, Li Yi decided to take care of the logistics. He gathered Gousheng, Shitou, and a dozen other young men from the village, and went fishing for frogs in the fields, snails in the canals, and fish in the river. These were the things these young men loved to do, and they were all very experienced.

Get a short stick, tie a rope, catch some small frogs, tear them in half, tie one half to a stick, and gently shake them in the rice paddies. Bigger frogs will jump up and devour their remaining mates. Although the daytime catches are mostly green frogs, not the half-pound or even full-pound tiger frogs, they're actually quite good if you skin and head them, then cook them with oil and salt. There's still plenty of meat.

There are actually many kinds of small fish and shrimps in the rivers and canals.
Li Yi became the leader of the children, hunting everywhere and having a lot of fun.

The harvest was quite a lot.

Everyone dislikes these small fish and shrimps, snails, clams, frogs and even field mice because they either have too many bones or too little meat and no oil, but Li Yi has oil and exclusive seasonings.

Not to mention cooking wine, white wine, ginger, garlic, and onions, there are also peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, pepper, five-spice powder, chili peppers, etc. His kitchen is well stocked with all kinds of ingredients.

Salt, sugar, soy sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, fermented black beans, vinegar, oyster sauce, starch, honey, etc. are also available.

With so many seasonings, insoles can be made delicious.

As the sun sets,

Li Yi moved to the kitchen, and Sanniang and Lanxiang became his helpers. Li Yi cooked personally, making fried snails with leeks, braised mixed fish with mint, braised field mice, stir-fried frogs, river clam and perilla soup, tofu with green onions, bean curd dregs porridge, and boiled water spinach.

All are made from local materials.

But Li Yi secretly added some seasoning to this dish and more oil to that dish.
Although the dishes were cooked in a big pot and were all made in clay pots and earthenware jars, even Sanniang, a skillful girl who was good at both housework and cooking, was impressed by Li Yi's cooking skills.

No farmer would say something like "A gentleman should stay away from the kitchen". It's quite a plus for a man to be able to cook.

Today, there are eighteen households in the village, and each household sent a young man or woman to help. Together with the three uncles' family of four and the three mothers, there are more than twenty people to eat in the evening.

Li Yi prepared so many dishes that everyone who came to eat after work was stunned.

When helping people build a house, they help each other. It is customary to provide one meal, or even two meals, which is very generous. Just a pickle or some vegetables or wild vegetables to go with the meal is enough.

"It's a waste of money."

"It's just like putting up a beam and making a mat."

Everyone's mouth started watering when they smelled the aroma.

"We're starting work today, so there's nothing fancy to eat. Just help yourself."

Li Yi arranged for everyone to eat. There were no tables or chairs, and everyone brought their own bowls and chopsticks from home. They filled the bowls with rice, put some vegetables on top, and started eating wherever they wanted.

Guo Erlang came again riding a mule. His back was soaked with sweat, and even the green mule was covered in sweat.

"I've done everything for you, Wuyi." Village Chief Guo shouted to him with some pride, "Your household registration is settled in Luojiabao, Xingshengli, Yusu Township, Wannian County, Yongzhou. I've also got land for you, according to the full quota of 50 mu for one adult in our narrow township.

The twenty mu of mulberry fields on the plateau are permanent farmland, and the thirty mu of rice fields on the south bank of the He River below the plateau are family-owned farmland. These are all contiguous, good lands. Please make Wuji Temple your homestead."

"Also, I've recommended you to be the new village chief of Luojiabao, and the county magistrate has approved it."

Guo Erlang was indeed very attentive today. After breakfast, he rushed to Chang'an and first found his elder brother, the Chang'an County Law Officer. Then he followed his brother to the Duke of Zhao's Mansion and found his wife's cousin, Du Keming, the military officer of the Duke of Zhao's Mansion.

With these two connections, Guo Erlang was able to get Li Yi's services in Wannian County with a smooth process. Not only was his household registration completed that same day, but he also obtained land and a house, all within the specified quota.

"The fifty acres of land I've requested for you are not only a contiguous stretch of good land, but also fields that were specially selected from those that were wiped out by the disaster. The rice fields are planted with rice, and the mulberry fields are home to mulberry, jujube, and elm trees. They're all ready-made. In about a hundred days, the rice will be ready for harvest."

Li Yi was somewhat surprised by this series of good news.
Guo Erlang is too nice to him, and he feels a little uneasy.

"Second Uncle, I just returned to secular life. I'm only eighteen this year, and my last name isn't Luo. Is it inappropriate for me to be the village chief?"

"What's inappropriate about that? Uncle asked you to be the village chief, and it's all for your own good. Today, when I went to visit my wife's cousin, I heard him say that the court was about to prepare for a war with Xue Ju in Longyou, and the Duke of Zhao would personally lead the troops. At that time, not only would a large number of government soldiers from Guanzhong be mobilized, but also many able-bodied men would have to be used as laborers to transport food, fodder, and weapons.

The swords and arrows on the battlefield are merciless.

Although you are not yet an adult, you are still required to perform labor service according to the rules. Once you become the village chief, it is equivalent to taking up a position and being exempted from other labor service. Others can't even beg for it. Who asked you to call me uncle? "

"But will everyone in the village agree?"

"Who dares to disagree?" Guo Er glared. "Just do it with confidence. To be honest, I believe in your ability. Being the village chief is not an easy job. From now on, all matters, big and small, of the nineteen households in Luojiabao will be under your care. I can finally let go of this burden and no longer have to deal with the troublesome affairs of Luojiabao."

The household registration and land and houses have been completed. Li Yi has now officially settled in the Tang Dynasty and owns 52 acres of land.

"Uncle, the meal is ready. If you don't mind its simplicity, let's eat together."

Guo Erlang was not polite either. He tied up the mule, took the food from Li Yisheng, and squatted in front of the straw shed to eat like everyone else. While eating, he said rudely, "I found that the food in your family, Wuyi, is much better than that in mine. I will miss it again after eating it once.

After eating your food, my own food doesn’t taste good anymore.”

"Then uncle, come and eat often in the future. You're welcome."

"Okay, that's what you said." Guo Erlang picked up a frog leg. The meat fell off the bone with a bite and was quite tasty. He didn't eat this kind of thing much before. If he wanted to eat it, he would only eat tiger-striped frogs, and the kind that weighed more than one kilogram. He didn't even look at this green-skinned frog, but today he ate it piece by piece and couldn't stop.

Those small fish and shrimps, and even tofu dregs, are all particularly delicious.

Even the water spinach seemed exceptionally tender and fragrant.

"Have you added any ingredients to this dish?" Guo Erlang added more rice three times. His stomach was a little full, and he finally felt a little better.

"Well, these are all ingredients I collected from various places when I traveled around with my master. I then mixed them myself. When making different dishes, I add different seasonings. Not only can they make the dishes more delicious, but they can also neutralize the cold or hot effects of some foods..."

Guo Erlang, I believed it.

(End of this chapter)