Great Tang Idyll Volume 01 Chapter 81

Shout out to Dan for commissioning this week's extra chapter release!

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Chapter 81 The Magistrate’s Rage and The Clouds Disperse

When Magistrate Cheng came to invite them to go eat, these people, who had been waiting impatiently, followed Magistrate Cheng without any hesitation. For the past two days, they were quite satisfied with the foods arranged by Magistrate Cheng. As long as it was a place that Magistrate Cheng brought them to, the food was more tasty than the ones they have eaten before.

Zhou Xi’hu's uncle Zhou Kong was also among them, but he was not like those who came here to just enjoy themselves. While everyone else was getting ready to ride the carriages, he went to find the Magistrate Cheng.

"An’ran1, you spent a lot of money in these two days, right? I can see that you are different from other county magistrates. Why don't you spend your time trying to find more ways to make money?"

There was an obvious implication in this statement. You, a county magistrate, have not promoted or demoted in a few years here, and your position is considered stabilized already. Why don't you make some money? It’s not like the county doesn’t have rich households.

Magistrate Cheng smiled helplessly, "What my lord has said is correct, but as the official of an area, it is fine if there is enough to eat, drink and live. How could I trouble the commoners. My lord, please get into the carriage." 

After walking Zhou Kong to the carriage parking lot, Magistrate Cheng sighed. He was feeling distressed and he really didn't know who to speak to. There were still a few people in the San’shui County that he couldn’t touch; they were retired government officials, how about you give a go at them? Some transactions were manipulated by these people. In addition to them, there was also Zhou Kong’s nephew, Zhou Xi’hu.

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Looking at him now, he seemed fine but he wasn't like that at the beginning. He caused troubles all day long, and he was too busy cleaning up his mess, so how could he have time to make money? Comb it off the commoners? How dangerous would that even be? During the first two years of the new emperor’s reign, the officialdom was in chaos. He didn’t have the guts to reach out, but with the new emperor, he was even more scared of making a move. If he was treated as a chicken to be killed for monkeys to watch2. It was really not worth it.

 

Last year, the situation was finally loosened up, but before he could make any moves, the auspicious omen appeared. There were so many eyes staring at him. And now, another auspicious omen came out this year. This was good since he could now care for his people without any worries. During the new years, he gave out gifts just once and his reputation of being a good official spread. Even if he was stupid, he wouldn’t do things that hurt his reputation or weaken his power3.

Furthermore, there were still the masterminds at the Zhang Manor that were still watching him closely. Who knows what those two people are thinking of? If he actually did something that brings on the anger of the heavens and complaints of the people, then what will happen if the masterminds gets angry?

He arrived at his carriage, and right before he was about to get on, he glanced at the carriages belonging to the other people, who were anxious to leave. He sneered, and quickly climbed in.

Under the rumbling noises of the carriages wheels, the group headed towards a place. This time, only two bailiffs and the Magistrate Assistant followed along and the rest of the people of the administrative office didn’t go because they knew that this time was nothing but hardships and suffering and that there won’t be any good food to eat.

If they wanted to eat, then it was better to just go home. There were still some pickled vegetables at home that were given by the Zhang Manor. It was not known what they added but the taste was different from other places. It was not so salty, but instead, it was refreshing with a taste of savory. The taste of just drinking it with porridge was beyond description.

As soon as the carriages of Magistrate Cheng’s group started moving, it didn’t stop. After driving for more than an hour, everyone in the carriages were puzzled. They have already passed by the prosperous parts of the county; could it be possible that there were good restaurants hidden in remote places?

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After thinking about this, those who had the same thoughts got excited. They thought of going to a place with mountains and waters around, preferably with a few small bridges, and a pavilion or something. And then, eating delicious dishes that they have never tried before while chatting about the wind and moon, or maybe even reciting a few lines of poems too. Only then would it worth coming out here. 

Thinking about this, their moods became better and they didn't feel annoyed sitting in the carriages.

"Uncle, there seems to be something wrong. There aren't any restaurants here, and even the tea stalls on the side of the road are piles of rubbish. Where does Magistrate Cheng want to bring us?"

Others didn't know about the situation here, but Zhou Xi’hu knew. Back then, he went horse riding with his gang of scoundrel friends and had been to almost everywhere in the entire county so he already knew where everything was.

"Little Hu, are you certain? Where will we end up if we keep going down this road? Could it be that we’re exiting the San’shui County?" Zhou Kong listened, and couldn't help but be surprised. So, he asked his nephew in a soft voice.

Zhou Xi’hu waved his hand. "If we were to leave the county, we will have to keep going until the middle of the night. There is a village up ahead of here. It’s called a village, but in fact, there are only a dozen households. There are no rivers around, and no wells were dug for water, so they all drink water from a pond that is up in the mountain. The land they grow crops on were also low quality fields, so there are no guarantees for harvests and if they encounter some sort of natural disasters, then there would be no food at all.

I’m guessing that Magistrate Cheng is crazy and wants to bring people over there. That’s it. Don’t be expecting that there will be anything to eat. Uncle, here, thanks to the fact I’m accustomed to eating what the Zhang Manor makes, I also brought some. Eat first, or you would be hungry later. After another quarter of an hour, the carriages cannot pass through and we have to walk by foot. It would be best if Magistrate Cheng led us down the shortcut, or else we would have to climb the mountain. "

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Zhou Xi’hu jumped out of the carriage and ran to the small carriage that followed behind. He took some things, then climbed back into the carriage. He placed the things in front of his uncle, then poured a half bowl of wine for his uncle, and signaled his uncle to eat.

Zhou Kong is not a snooty person. He could already guess what will be eaten when they enter the village. His body was his own so if he starved himself, then he will be the one that suffers. He picked up the things his nephew offered to him out of respect and began to eat. Zhou Xi’hu also ate too.

Surely enough, just as Zhou Xi’hu said, when the two of them ate the food, the group stopped, and Magistrate Cheng jumped out of his carriage and said to everyone, 

"My lords, advancing forward with vehicles is no longer feasible. It's better to get down and walk by foot, and then we can arrive at a good place after we walk for a distance."

"Really? Magistrate Cheng, is that place somewhere with mountains and rivers?" A man, who had just beared hunger through fantasizing, asked happily.

"Exactly just like the poem line Mister Song has recited, 'Repeats of mountains, and overlaps of water, as if there were no paths4'..."

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"I'll know about this. Scholar Song, Song Jing‘gong's line has already spread to the place I was. The next line is 'Behind the dark willows and bright flowers is another village'. Good, a good place. Magistrate Cheng must quickly lead us there so we can broaden our horizons."

Before Magistrate Cheng could speak, the man continued reciting while rotating his head, as if the poem was written by him.

"Then, my lords will have to suffer a bit." With a smile on his face, Magistrate Cheng extended his hand to gesture invitation, and went ahead with the Magistrate Assistant and the two baliffs.

"It's fine, it's fine, what’s there to be afraid of when it’s just suffering a bit? I didn't expect that there are such good places in San’shui County. Everyone, please hurry." This person also smiled and waved his hand, pretending to be nonchalant and followed behind. The others naturally followed too.

At the beginning, the road was easy to walk on but after half an hour, there was no path on the ground anymore. Only a path of less dense grass can be vaguely seen in the half-dry grass. It should be because people only occasionally walked through here.

Zhou Xi’hu stayed beside his uncle, and he carried two water pouches on his back. Seeing that everyone was still talking about the scenery enthusiastically, he whispered to his uncle, "Uncle, it's over. Magistrate Cheng really wants to torture people. Following this path to walk to that village, we will probably be able to see the smokes of civilization only before it turns dark.

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But only just seeing it. If we were to actually arrive at that place, we would have to walk for another two hours. Good thing I brought enough water. I knew that Magistrate Cheng did not have good intentions. Later, I will get you a stick, and you can use it as a cane. Don’t force yourself. "

Zhou Xi’hu was talking while looking around to try to find a suitable branch. He knew that his uncle seldomly walked this much so he would be easily tired.

Zhou Kong would not doubt his nephew. Hearing this, he took a deep breath and prepared himself to welcome the suffering. He looked at the water pouch on his nephew’s body he felt glad that his nephew was really sensible now. He knows that he should make money for his family by doing business, sympathize with others, and make arrangements in advance. When he goes to the Zhang Manor, he will definitely thank them. He suddenly remembered something and asked his nephew in a low voice. 

"Little Hu, while we were in the car just now, did you bring the beef jerky that we didn’t eat because it was too dry? I’m guessing that by the time we can see smoke, we would be hungry already. "

‘Thud thud thud. 'Zhou Xi’hu patted his own chest and then squeezed his eyes as he spoke, "Uncle, don't worry, I have brought them all. Didn't you see me getting off the carriage to return to my own carriage in the afternoon? Not only did I bring the beef jerky, but I also wrapped a large scallion pancake and two salted duck eggs in oil paper.

These were all made by the Zhang Manor. Unfortunately, there is no hot water. Otherwise, there’s also their you’cha’mian roasted in tallow rendered from beef marrow bones5 on my carriage. All of these were given to me so that I can offer them to my elders. Now, when I eat, I would go to their little shop that they run. The price is cheap and it tastes good. I bought this pancake in the morning. "

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Zhou Kong looked over and found that his nephew’s body was covered with puffy pockets, and he couldn't help but sigh. His nephew was blessed this time because of trouble. They were able to cooperate on business sales and give him foods to offer to elders, so they can’t be bad guys.

At this time, he wished he could escape from this group of people immediately so that he could go take a look at that manor and thank them. He would also take the chance to see if he can help them in any ways, and not just wait for benefits and take advantage of them.

Zhou Kong and his nephew Zhou Xi’hu were prepared, and Magistrate Cheng had eaten and drank already. The two fourth-rank officials who came from the imperial court were also given tea and snacks, and they must have brought some along with them and did not have to fear that they would starve until the point their chests sank into their backs. 

As for the rest of the people, they were all talking about flowers and trees while holding back the taste of acid reflux from their stomachs. With the arrival of the drought came, the flowers and grass were almost all withered so the scenery was not that mesmerizing.

Magistrate Cheng still had that smile on his face. As he walked, he sped up a little bit and everyone behind him unconsciously sped up too, The group of people flooded toward the “another village” that was mentioned in the legend.

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*

At the Zhang Manor, Zhang Xiao’bao and Wang Juan, who were riding on their bicycle, asked Housekeeper Wang to find Shi’liu to select seeds. Two of them went all the way to little bridge and from a distance, they could see people busy building houses in the downstream area. The foundation was still not complete yet, and the bottom was still water and sand and mud. Even with the drought, water would come out after digging.

"Xiao’bao, let’s ask an old man who knows how to predict the forecast. Even now, the sky is still cloudy and sultry. I wonder when it will rain." Wang Juan looked at the flaming hot area and wiped her sweat.

"No need, it's going to be clear soon, look." Zhang Xiao’bao was about to ask someone just as Wang Juan said, but when he looked up at the sky, rays of sunlight were peaking through, and the dark clouds seemed to fade with the sun’s appearance.

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Translator's Notes

1. “An’ran 安然

As mentioned in Chapter 65, “An’ran” is Magistrate Cheng’s given name. Normally, people would not be able to refer to Magistrate Cheng as “An’ran” since this was considered disrespectful, unless they are on close terms with him. However, Zhou Kong was able to do so because he is a higher ranking official. 

2. “treated as a chicken to be killed for monkeys to watch” 被当成鸡，杀了给猴看

I left this as a literal translation because I think the author was referring to the four word Chinese proverb 杀鸡儆猴, which means to “kill a chicken to threaten the monkeys”. It describes punishing another person as a warning to others. 

3. “do things that hurt his reputation or weaken his power” 自毁长城

I decided to go for the implied definition instead in the translation. This is a Chinese proverb which literally means “self-destroy the Great Wall”. 

4. “Repeats of mountains, and overlaps of water, as if there were no paths” 山重水复疑无路

This is a line from an actual poem written by Lu You during the Song Dynasty, and it describes the beautiful scenery of the countryside. 

For those who are curious, here’s my loose translation of the entire poem: 

Don’t laugh at the farmer’s cloudy wine that was made at the end of the year, 

keeping the guests with wonderful dishes during a year of good harvest. 

Repeats of mountains, and overlaps of water, as if there were no paths, 

Behind the dark willows and bright flowers is another village. 

Orchestras of flute and drums chase after the nearing spring festival, 

Robes and headdresses were simple and plain but the traditional air persists. 

If more adventures can be taken under the beautiful moonlight in future years, 

I will definitely come with my cane to knock on your house’s door. 

5. “you’cha’mian roasted in tallow rendered from beef marrow bones” 牛髓油茶面

This roux-like dish is usually eaten as a snack or as breakfast. It’s made by dry-roasting wheat flour until it turns a golden color, and then an oil or fat, such as beef tallow or lard, is drizzled onto the flour. Then hot boiling water is added to the flour mixture and stirred until it has a very thick sauce like consistency. Sugar, peanut paste, sesame paste, nuts, and dried fruits are usually added, and it can be eaten with Chinese twisted crispy doughnuts (ma’hua). 

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