Under the eaves of the corridor, the autumn wind was chilly.
Jiang Weiping rolled up his sleeves to resist the cool breeze and stood with his hunched shoulders. On the corridor wall, the red paint had been peeled off by wind and frost, and the wooden core and paint blocks were alternately mottled and dilapidated.
After a while, an old bald man stepped out, his face was thin and his brows were slightly furrowed. He stood under the eaves of the corridor and waved to him.
“Young master calls you.” His expression was a little contemptuous.
This man was Liu He, the caretaker of the Rong family’s ancestral home. Due to the rapid rise of this family, Jiang Weiping felt that Liu He’s status had increased. After all, the entire Linxi Town and even Mengshan County only had Rong Shangshu, a third-rank official. The thought only flashed in his mind, Jiang Weiping lowered his hands, bowed, took off his shoes, and followed Liu He inside.
In the late autumn season, the coolness was about to pass through the body from the soles of his feet. Jiang Weiping rubbed the shivers on his arms, inadvertently raised his head, touched a pair of clear eyes, and was suddenly stunned.
Rong Shangshu‘s eldest son made a big mistake and was sent back to his ancestral home in Linxi, and not a single maidservant was left behind. After learning about this, Jiang Weiping was filled with emotions. He believed that a son of a high official should study diligently and honor their ancestors, instead of being like those playboys who only play with things and lose their ambition. Now that he had seen Young Master Rong in person, this idea had become even stronger.
He quickly lowered his head, hiding the secret sigh in his heart, and bowed slightly, “I have met Young Master Rong.”
Rong Xi took a closer look at the person in front of him.
Wearing linen and brown clothes, Jiang Weiping had a strong body, resolute brows, and a complexion like wheat, which made him look powerful. He sat on the futon, raised his neck, and made eye contact with Rong Xi.
Due to the cold from falling into the water and the lack of strength, Rong Xi could only sit cross-legged, feeling sore, tired, and numb. If he were to sit up straight in such a precarious situation, it might endanger his life.
“Grandpa Liu, serve tea to Master Jiang.” Rong Xi slightly stretched his right leg, rested it on the edge of the futon, with the side of his foot touching the ground.
Liu He left on orders.
“Please, Master Jiang.” Rong Xi stretched out his hand to signal Jiang Weiping to take a seat.
As a blacksmith, Jiang Weiping was self-aware. Craftsmanship was a humble job and was looked down upon by many people. Unexpectedly, Rong Xi didn’t show any contempt at all.
“Thank you, Young Master Rong.” Jiang Weiping bowed sincerely and sat opposite Rong Xi without changing his expression.
Rong Xi moved his left leg again and finally felt it stretch a little. He ignored the complicated etiquette and went straight to the point. “I heard that Master Jiang’s skills are extraordinary, and I wanted to come to see you in person. However, I accidentally fell into the water the day before yesterday and had a fever. The doctor told me not to go out. But I really admire your unique skills, so I have to take the liberty to invite you. If there is any negligence, please forgive me.”
Rong Xi spoke neither hastily nor slowly, and was very sincere. When Jiang Weiping heard what he said, he was a little moved.
Jiang Weiping thought that the Rong Xi in rumors was a naughty and domineering man, bullying men and dominating women, and engaging in all kinds of evil. Now that he saw the person in person, he could not believe it at all.
“The young master’s words are serious. If you give an order, I will do my best.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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The tea was warm. Jiang Weiping took a sip and gradually became calmer. He took the initiative to mention: “Do you want to forge utensils?”
Rong Xi stretched out his sleeves to take the paper, placed it on the table, and handed it to Jiang Weiping. His smile became deeper, and his eyes brightened. “Master Jiang, please take a look.”
The paper’s material was soft and yellowish, and the ink outlines several structural diagrams of the utensils, and the shapes of the utensils appeared vividly on the paper.
Jiang Weiping had been engaged in iron forging for nearly ten years. He had never seen such iron tools. He was as curious as a cat scratching his head. However, due to his professionalism, he did not ask anything. He only said: “I have never forged such items. If the thing I make is not in line with the young master’s idea, please forgive me.”
Seeing that there was no embarrassment in his expression, Rong Xi knew that he was just being modest. His smile grew even brighter, revealing white and perfectly aligned teeth. The flesh on his cheeks gathered at the corners of his eyes as he smiled, leaving only two fine lines.
Jiang Weiping also smiled slightly.
If the young master loses his excess weight, he must have been a very handsome young man.
Although Liu He didn’t know what Rong Xi wanted to do, he still obeyed the order and took fifty copper coins from the table.
“This is a deposit. How many days will it take for you to finish it?” Rong Xi caressed the cold chestnuts. Winter was approaching, so he should prepare for a rainy day.
Rong Xi’s original body made a mistake and was driven to a remote ancestral home by his father, penniless. Except for himself, only Liu He and his grandson Liu Zishi remained in the house. This body had just passed the age of dancing spoons and was at the peak of its appetite. Liu Zishi was also a grown-up boy, and Liu Zishi didn’t feel full after a meal.
After Rong Xi came through, he had to be taken care of by the Liu family. Seeing that the winter was tough, he had to think about making money.
“Seven days.” Jiang Weiping did not hesitate.
Neither of them were sloppy people, and the matter of custom-made utensils was settled. Jiang Weiping didn’t want to waste time, so he got up and left with the deposit, and Rong Xi didn’t try to hold him back.
Jiang Weiping was tall and strong, and could travel with ease. Rong Xi stood under the eaves of the corridor and watched him disappear outside the door. Rong Xi lowered his head again and could not help but laugh when he saw his soft belly.
Several days ago, the original body tragically died. When Rong Xi woke up on this body, his mouth and nose were surrounded by cold water. The will to survive drove him to desperately swim towards the shore. On the brink of death, he finally reached the riverbank. Lying on the cold ground, in a daze, Rong Xi saw a fat young man bidding farewell to him in tears. “It’s boring to live a life, so I’ll give this body to you. I hope you will cherish it.” After saying this, the fat young man’s eyes showed relief, and he gradually disappeared from the world.
Rong Xi: “…”
Has he traveled through time?
Before Rong Xi could think about it, he passed out. After waking up, receiving the memory of the original body, he would know that the facts had been determined. There was no doubt that he possessed this body. The boy’s name was the same as Rong Xi’s. Rong Xi once read an online book, and the name of the cannon fodder in the book was no different from his own, so he remembered it deeply. The cannon fodder person in the book also died by falling into the water.
Could it be that he was now a person in the book?
“Young master, the doctor said you should not stand under the wind, please go back to your room and rest.” Liu He worriedly whispered behind him.
Rong Xi’s illness had not yet healed, his body felt heavy, and his spirits were low. Upon hearing the advice, he tightly fastened his clothes and went back to the room to keep warm. Underwear was not produced here, and the cold wind just blew through, making his crotch feel extremely cool, and his scalp numbed. Just as he shrank into his bed, a young man’s voice came in from the outside.
“Young master, I’m back!”
“Keep your voice down; the young master is resting.” Liu He said it softly, holding his voice.
However, the walls were thin, and Rong Xi could hear it clearly and distinctly.
Liu Zishi was going through a voice change, his voice was hoarse and unpleasant to hear. “Ah, yes, I caught some crucian carp in the river and stewed them for the young master to eat at night.”
There were no high-quality ingredients at home, and a few fish were considered delicacies.
Rong Xi really loved to eat fish, but after observing for several days, he found that most of the cooking methods here were steaming, boiling, and roasting, while frying and braising were not seen. This was because the iron-smelting skills were backward. The custom in the Wei Dynasty was to have two meals a day. Although it was not yet time for the second meal, he was already hungry, his stomach growling loudly, making it impossible to sleep. Thinking about Liu He’s culinary skills, Rong Xi had no choice but to get up and walk to the kitchen.
A sturdy young man was killing fish with a knife in the kitchen. When he saw Rong Xi, he immediately stood up, put his fishy-smelling hands behind his back, and said with a silly smile: “Why are you getting up, young master? This place is dirty, be careful of soiling your clothes.”
“It is fine.”
Rong Xi ordered him to continue cleaning the fish belly and said: “I once had a delicious dish in Shengjing, would you like to try it?”
Liu Zishi loved to eat, and he believed that the delicacies that even his young master couldn’t forget must have been unimaginably tasty, making his mouth water.
“Young master, what kind of delicious food is this?” He had a delicate appearance, which was very different from his strong figure. At this moment, he squatted down and looked up at Rong Xi, his eyes were round and a bit cute.
The belly of the fish was quickly cleaned, and Liu Zishi only ran it through the well water before putting it into the dish.
Rong Xi took it and washed it twice more himself.
It happened that Liu He was returning from collecting firewood. When he saw this, he threw down the firewood. He knocked Liu Zishi’s chest and shouted: “You lazy slave! How dare you make the young master do the job?”
Liu Zishi covered his head and looked innocent. However, his height and strong body made it impossible for anyone to feel sympathy for him.
“Grandpa Liu, don’t blame him. I’m bored so I just want to do it.” Rong Xi put the fish on the plate and said, “If you have onions, ginger, and coriander at home, please find them.”
Liu He’s eyes widened when he saw that Rong Xi was skilled in modifying the knife, and his beard rose due to the trembling of his facial muscles. He had always heard of the young master’s ability to get into trouble in Shengjing, but he had never known that he was very skilled in cooking. After getting along with each other for several days, Liu He gradually realized that the gossip was untrue. Although the young master’s appearance was not striking, he had an elegant and quiet temperament and was friendly to others. There was nothing nasty about him. Moreover, as the son of an official, he was actually proficient in the art of cooking, which was really pitiful.
Liu He originally wanted to keep Rong Xi away from the kitchen, but he couldn’t bear to disturb Rong Xi’s enjoyment, so he had to go to find the supplements.
Having lived on the waterfront since childhood, Liu Zishi ate a lot of fish cooked by Liu He. The taste could only be described as acceptable. Never before had the aroma of the kitchen been so fragrant, causing him to drift away and lose track of his surroundings.
The fish meat was steamed and placed on the plate. Rong Xi poured the hot oil over it, and prepared shredded green onions, ginger, and coriander. A steamed crucian carp full of flavor was freshly baked. Even Liu He, who had seen a little of the world, couldn’t help but lick his lips.
The overbearing aroma made Liu Zishi’s eyes turn red. His mind was not on frying the pancakes, but his eyes were always drifting to the delicious food on the plate.
Rong Xi was not satisfied but had regrets about this dish. If he added red pepper, the color and taste would be more delicious. However, since Wei Dynasty did not have red pepper, he could only settle for the next best thing.
That night, the three of them had several crucian carp and gnawed on a few pieces of pancakes, eating until their mouths were oily and their stomachs were uncomfortably full, feeling quite satisfied.
“Grandpa Liu, can we burn charcoal in the winter?” Rong Xi laughed hard and walked on the corridor after eating.
Liu He was repairing the broken window paper when he heard this and sighed.
“Report to the young master, Linxi is no better than the capital. Charcoal is expensive and hard to buy.”
Before he finished speaking, Rong Xi already understood what he meant. Rong Shangshu was so determined to teach Rong Xi an unforgettable lesson that he didn’t even give him a single copper plate, only allowed him to bring several large boxes of books. Except for Liu He’s income, there was no other income from the ancestral home. With this little money, they could not eat full, let alone burn charcoal for heating.
During the few days he was recuperating, Rong Xi had read books on the history and geography of Wei Dynasty. As a senior researcher, his memory was far beyond that of ordinary people, and it was not difficult for him to have a photographic memory.
The book mentioned that Mengshan County in Qingzhou was rich in black stone, which was flammable.
Coal mines were abundant, nothing particularly remarkable in the eyes of contemporaries, but for Rong Xi, they should have been considered priceless treasures.
The Wei Dynasty rarely used black stone. The reason may be that the production costs of black stone mining and other production were too high, which kept the price of black stone high.
Only the royal family and a very small number of dignitaries could afford the black stone.
And its coal-burning method was mostly in the form of briquettes or coal blocks, and the combustion efficiency was low. If it could be improved, it would definitely make a difference.
“Grandpa Liu, is there a charcoal seller in this town?”
Liu He thought he wanted to buy charcoal for heating, so he put paper on the window and replied: “There is none in the town, but there is one in the county.”
Most of what charcoal sellers sold was charcoal, which was much cheaper than black stone. Only a few black stones were given as gifts to people in the government to establish connections and receive their blessings.
Of course, Rong Xi asked about this not to purchase charcoal.
I think it is possible the Mr. Lang means young master, and Liu Weng means old man Liu, but I’m not too sure so I’d recommend you check the words again. Wiktionary might help.
Also, what do they mean with black stone? As in mined charcoal vs wood charcoal?
I don’t have much knowledge of charcoal, but I believe it is mine charcoal. Later he would make charcoal briquettes (https://zgrills.com.au/coal-vs-charcoal/#:~:text=Coal%20is%20a%20natural%20mineral,to%20increase%20the%20energy%20density. )
You’re welcome and thank you for the link 🙂
What is “passed the age of dancing spoons”?
It means “13 or 14 years old” in a Chinese book https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Rites
Thank you for your translation 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
I’ve been craving steamed fish for weeks 😭
I want it too… *drool*
Hello everyone, I’ll be joining the drool party too! 🤣
OG body owner was pretty chill dude. He be like: it’s so boring, imma just die 🤣