The Most Powerful Young Master of the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 6: Where’s Sister Jin Mao?

Could someone actually be willing to trade rice for practically worthless wheat bran and very cheap beans? So this turned out to be a “good deal,” and everyone was eager to trade. As a result, the ten jin of rice the brother and sister carried out turned into nearly thirty jin of other grains and legumes. These ingredients provide more nutrition than two hundred jin of rice could, while significantly reducing the strain on the chickens’ digestive systems and improving nutrient absorption. The addition of wheat bran provides certain vitamins that are difficult to balance in the diet at a low cost, helping the chickens stay healthier and more resistant to disease. Adding free clover reduces the amount of beans needed, further improves the vitamin profile, and lowers costs. The addition of roughage prevents the chickens from becoming constipated, allowing them to produce more droppings. Using these nutrient-rich droppings as fertilizer in our vegetable garden yields amazing results. It will produce the finest vegetables of our time—and if we’re not afraid of the trouble, supplying them to the imperial palace isn’t out of the question. This process is called a sustainable cycle. There’s a saying: “Dung that doesn’t breed maggots.” This phenomenon reveals a fundamental truth: if the dung lacks nutrients, it won’t attract maggots, because maggots also need nutrients to grow. However, if what we eat has no nutrients, how could our poop possibly have any? This is precisely why there’s a shortage of agricultural fertilizer in this era and why crop yields remain low. Wang Bang, who was lost in his daydreams, turned around only to be caught by Old Liao again. Old Liao, who had arrived unexpectedly, scolded him in disappointment: “Young Master, how could you do such a thing? If the Master finds out, he’ll be heartbroken. We don’t have any extra rice left. You’re messing around like this, trading our pristine white rice for this stuff—aren’t you satisfied until you’ve driven the old lady to her grave?” “Uncle Lao Liao, I’m putting a powerful technique into practice. Our family’s life will soon improve, and our reputation will soar—let those who’ve been causing my father trouble take a good look,” Wang Bang said. Old Liao said, “Young master, you really don’t know the value of rice and firewood until you run a household. Even if you want to eat these things, you didn’t have to trade away so much rice.” That said, in Old Liao’s view, trading rice for these items was a bad deal for the young master—though it wasn’t exactly exploiting the common folk. While it made him look a bit dim-witted, it did fit the Wang family’s character. Moreover, the Sword Saint’s word was as solid as a mountain. Now that the die was cast and the purchase was final, he couldn’t very well go back on his word. “Come with me. Give me that backpack.” Old Liao, ever the man of honor, reached out to take Wang Bang’s backpack. Wang Bang said, “No need. If I carry the basket and you carry me, wouldn’t that be even more impressive?” “Hehe, Young Master, you’ve become quite the mischievous little rascal—it’s a bit unfamiliar, but I like it.” Old Liao took one in each hand, lifting Da Bang and Erya—along with the two back baskets—onto his shoulders, then set off with long strides. His movements remained as graceful as ever, seemingly unaffected, so Wang Bang wondered just how much weight Old Liao could actually carry. Next time they collected grain, they wouldn’t need to bring a donkey cart—he could test Old Liao’s carrying capacity then. As they walked, Wang Bang made up a story on the spot: “I heard you couldn’t beat Zhan Zhao, right?” “Zhan Yidao’s got a few tricks up his sleeve, but he’s nothing special. I was mostly doing it to save face for Magistrate Bao. After that sparring match last time, that kid Zhan Zhao fell into Old Bao’s hands—he got charged with illegal fighting and thrown in the holding cell,” Old Liao chuckled. “Who’s better—Bai Yutang or you?” Wang Bang asked, rambling on as he rubbed Old Liao’s big head. “All I know is that Bai Yutang has huge boobs. I don’t fight women, so I don’t know how good she is,” Old Liao said. So there really is such a person—and she’s a woman? Having heard that Bai Yutang was a beauty, Wang Bang suggested, “All right, let’s go catch those bandits on Xankong Island some other day.” Lao Liao sighed and said, “Young Master, you’re too late. Someone’s already done that. A while back, after that kid Zhan Zhao spread slander, Magistrate Bao personally wiped out that gang. The world is changing now. Being a martial artist isn’t as glorious as it used to be—it’s getting harder and harder to make a living by breaking the law in the name of chivalry.” “That’s a real bummer. What about our Sister Jin Mao?” Wang Bang asked. “Bai Yutang didn’t get caught, though. She’s now adrift in the martial world—no one knows where she’s wandering. Young Master, don’t bother her. Let her have some peace. She’s not a bad person, really,” Old Liao said in a very hushed tone. “That won’t do. With the empire facing internal and external crises, every commoner has a duty to act. A skilled woman like her must be captured and trained to serve the empire—only then can she be considered a true hero. I thought you, Uncle Liao, understood these things.” His argument left Old Liao at a loss for words—the key point seemed to be the phrase “train” after all. Old Liao thought he was just too clever—and too sleazy… Upon returning, Old Liao had completed his task. Given that the young master had recently become quite mischievous and clever—which Old Liao found quite endearing—he decided not to tell the master about this rice-stealing incident. Otherwise, even though the young master hadn’t harmed the common people, he’d still get beaten senseless for squandering the family’s wealth. “Da Bang, teach me how to feed the chickens.” After the grain was brought back, the little girl urged him again. Ugh, how could she be in such a rush? Chickens have a much slower metabolism than humans—feeding them like this is a waste. Don’t I need to grind it up first and mix it in? Only by mixing it in like this can I trick the chickens into eating the clover too. This is the rule of the unscrupulous merchant—just like how supermarkets in later times offer crazy discounts on certain items to lure elderly ladies into the store to buy other things. Fortunately, their loyal dad was keeping an eye on things and didn’t “kill the donkey after the millwork is done”; otherwise, Old Liao would’ve had to come and turn the mill himself this time. The two kids dragged the supplies to the mill, full of excitement, only to find the donkey passed out drunk—they couldn’t even wake him up. The little girl said, “Let’s just do it tomorrow—it’s already asleep.” “No way. With internal and external crises looming, the donkey has a responsibility too—it can’t slack off.” Wang Bang, acting like a stern official, began whipping the donkey with his little hand. But his strength was too weak, and the donkey continued to stand there snoring. Just as Wang Bang was about to put more effort into it, a cold snort of “Idiot” suddenly rang out in the darkness—though it seemed to have drifted away? “It’s better to have the donkey do the work tomorrow.” That voice scared Wang Bang so much that he grabbed the little loli and ran off to find Old Liao. We’re in big trouble. Now that we’ve been targeted, having a Demon King for a dad really isn’t good. It seems he’s offended a lot of people, and now our whole family can’t even find peace. But at least our family is sneaky enough to have a Sword Saint living under our roof…