The Most Powerful Young Master of the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 5: Clover

The old scholar at the prefectural academy didn’t like Wang Bang because there was nothing he could teach him. Whatever the old scholar knew, Wang Bang already knew; whatever the old scholar didn’t know, Wang Bang knew as well. The other students disliked Wang Bang even more. Ugh, these NPCs were just like the sarcastic characters you see in novels. So when Wang Bang said his stomach hurt and he needed to take a dump, the old scholar gladly let him leave. After Wang Bang snuck out of class, Erya, who had been hiding in a corner, ran out excitedly and said, “Da Bang, teach me how to feed the chickens.” She was a pretty great little girl—perfect for farm work, dedicated, and eager to learn. This put Wang Bang’s mind at ease; as long as she was willing to work hard, her pocket money would keep growing. “Erya, we need to make our first fortune before winter sets in. This is crucial—it’s the start of improving Shuzhou, it counts as an achievement, and it’s a step toward easing our father’s stress…” Wang Bang ruffled her little head with its dry, yellowish hair. “When we make money, we have to hide it—we can’t let Dad know. Save it for your wedding later,” the little girl said, biting her finger. “Saving it for me is fine, but why can’t Dad know about it?” Actually, seeing how shrewd his little sister was, Wang Bang felt reassured. “If we give the money to Dad, he’ll either spend it all or lend it to others. Don’t let his fierce appearance fool you—he never gets back the money he lends out.” Erya’s voice took on a hint of sadness as she said this. Just then, a group of people strutting about with an air of arrogance passed through the marketplace. It was a young man who looked like a nobleman’s son, accompanied by a bunch of thugs who were just tagging along to look tough, making a big racket as they paraded through the streets. These muscular thugs acted like vultures, plucking whatever they could get their hands on; wherever they passed, ordinary folk hurriedly lowered their heads, and the thugs would simply grab whatever they fancied from the street vendors’ stalls and pop it into their mouths. Fortunately, this was Shuzhou, and with Wang Anshi around, they still had some sense of decency. It wasn’t really robbery—it was mostly just for fun. The little girl looked down on this gang of muscleheads, despising their body-covering tattoos and thinking they were a bunch of fools. “When I’m rich someday, I’ll hire a bunch of people like that too—now that’s what you call a playboy,” Wang Bang said, watching them with a strange expression. In reality, he was thinking about how to turn the tables on them—using his father’s power to line his own pockets and boost his reputation. “If you envy them, just wait until Dad beats you to tears—he hates these kinds of people the most,” the little girl said. “But they’re so cool and imposing,” Wang Bang said. “They can’t beat Old Liao—he’s the coolest and most imposing of them all,” the little girl said… Once they were out of the city, Wang Xiaoya added, “Da Bang, hurry up and teach me how to feed the chickens.” “I’m already doing it. You handle the work; I’ll give the orders.” Wang Bang shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand, just like the Monkey King, took a look around, and found a patch of wild clover—which the locals also called “golden cauliflower.” So he sent the little girl out to gather it, with the goal of filling her backpack. If they didn’t make use of this, it would be a miracle if they got more eggs. As the law of conservation of energy goes, to get meat and eggs, you have to feed the chickens proper nutrition—yet they believed that even the best rice didn’t have much nutritional value. This perennial legume, which can be harvested multiple times a year, has excellent nutritional value—more than ten times that of rice. After gathering it to feed the chickens, the meat and eggs naturally increased. The backpack filled up quickly, so she returned home with a full load… When they got home, the little girl excitedly placed the golden cauliflower on the ground, but the chickens wouldn’t eat it. On top of that, she was chased and pecked by the little rooster; eventually, he bit her, and she burst into tears. After crying for a bit, the little girl strangely made up with the little rooster, and they agreed to a non-aggression pact. “Da Bang, you’re tricking a little kid—our chickens won’t eat this,” Wang Xiaoya said, looking instantly upset. Sigh. Clover is such a bitter-tasting thing—how could the chickens possibly eat it? You’d have to trick them into eating it, just like you need bait when fishing. So Wang Bang ordered, “Bring out our rice.” The little girl ran off and returned Shao Qing later, holding out her tiny hand and saying, “Here you go.” Wang Bang was flabbergasted. That little brat was being so stingy—just a handful of rice? In the end, after some coaxing, he persuaded the little girl to carry a basketful of rice and left. Walking through the marketplace as the sun was about to set, Erya was deeply worried; she’d been coaxed by Da Bang into stealing a basket of rice. The reason she’d been swayed was that she was so eager to raise the chickens well, so desperate to prove herself, and so determined to ease her mother’s burden. In this situation, Wang Bang had dangled a carrot in front of her. Thus, where there’s a need, there’s a vulnerability—just as people in later generations who want to make a quick buck are easily duped by pyramid schemes. “I don’t know why I let my brother talk me into stealing the rice from home,” Erya said sadly as she walked. “At first, I thought you understood how pyramid schemes worked, so I didn’t explain it to you in detail,” Wang Bang said with a chuckle… Arriving at a stall, Wang Bang traded the rice for other items, including beans, wheat bran, and so on. These were all good items, though not particularly valuable—much cheaper than rice, yet more nutritious. The Song Dynasty currently had limited access to raw materials, but Wang Bang wasn’t some perfectionist tech geek. As long as the items were usable, they were better than nothing. As long as the meat-to-egg conversion rate gradually improved, that was enough. The formula for compound feed wasn’t set in stone—there were still countless possible combinations. This was precisely Wang Bang’s area of expertise in his previous life. Through gradual experimentation, a path to agriculture and animal husbandry suited to the Song Dynasty’s unique characteristics can be worked out. In reality, bringing recipes from the future is of little use, because the Song Dynasty lacks the comprehensive range of raw materials available in the future. Furthermore, due to limitations in production processes, as well as differences in chicken breeds and local conditions, multiple variables will determine the outcome—which will ultimately differ significantly from that of the future. Just as prescriptions for cold symptoms vary endlessly, they are adjusted based on the season, a person’s constitution, and gender. Therefore, traveling back in time with a library is of little use. The principle is the same: simply holding a comprehensive medical formula compendium does not make one a doctor. Prescriptions and books are merely techniques, with little room for error. Wang Bang didn’t need specific techniques for agriculture and animal husbandry in the Song Dynasty, but he could derive them through a series of steps—that is what constitutes a solid foundation. There is, of course, a difference between techniques and inner strength…