Great Tang Idyll Volume 01 Chapter 104
Shout out to Dan for commissioning chapters 99-108!
Chapter 104: Having A Good Swim in the Little River
On the scorching hot summer day, Zhang Xiao’bao and Wang Juan were lying on the chairs in the yard after they had lunch. Shi’liu had went to the pond to get two large lotus leaves to use as umbrellas to cover their heads.
Knowing that her two little masters didn't like to have servants by their sides, Shi’liu went to care for her fungus again. There were a lot of fungus already, but Zhang Xiao’bao refused to sell it. Shi’liu didn't know what plans her Young Master had on his mind, but she followed his orders anyway.
"It's too hot, I can't sleep. Xiao’bao, what do you think we should do now?" Wang Juan was so bored that she was playing with her own fingers. It would be bad for the body to exercise outside in this heat.
Zhang Xiao’bao felt a bit bored while lying there next to her. He could easily fall asleep if he placed some ice next to his bed, but it was not good to just lay around doing nothing and not exercising in the morning. He had to think of something to do.
"Speak. You’re usually full of ideas." Wang Juan waited for a while but she did not get get a response from Zhang Xiaobao, so she urged him to speak. Zhang Xiao'bao was in the middle of thinking. He rest his chin on his small hand, and his eyes looked straight at the door of the yard.
"Hmm, let's go for a swim. The water will cool us down and it can count as exercise. You have six ponds to choose from." Zhang Xiao'bao finally thought of an idea.
Wang Juan also thought that this was a good idea. She got off the chair and started looking for a servant to accompany them. It would be best if that servant knew how to swim, otherwise their family would definitely not let them go.
Shi'liu rushed over, and when she heard that her two little masters were going to swim in the pond, she was terrified. were frightened. She hurried to find someone to discuss. The two elders of the Zhang and Wang families also came over and they said that they could make a big tub for the two children to play with water in.
Of course Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan did not agree to doing that. They weren’t little kids who didn’t understand anything. After some negotiations, they finally put away the idea of making tubs. The small river in front of the main yard was sectioned off. First, the Manor's residents were told to check if there were water snakes, and then the place was dug with a spade to remove the locusts and other creatures that can cause harm to the children.
Fine sand was used to cover the bed of the river and then boiled hot water was mixed with cool well water to make warm water and the warm water was poured into that section of river. After four hours of busy work, a swimming pool was built for Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan.
Both Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan were shocked. Seeing the busy people in the yard, they felt that manpower was wasted, but at the same time, a kind of warmth lingered in their hearts. In particular, Zhang Xiao’bao was smiling the entire time, and his eyes were gradually turning red.
"Xiao'bao, let's go, we can play now. Tomorrow will be better." Wang Juan took Zhang Xiao’bao's hand and led him to the river.
*
"It would be great if I can wear a pair of sunglasses." Zhang Xiao’bao floated on his back as he spoke to Wang Juan, who was floating on her back next to him.
Wang Juan was not like Zhang Xiao’bao who floated in the water naked. She got Ying’tao to make an undergarment and a pair of trousers for her.
Hearing Zhang Xiao’bao’s words, she also felt that it was uncomfortable to bask in the sun. She raised her hand to smear water onto her face and felt a bit of relief from the heat. Then she said, “It would be better if the sky is gloomy or cloudy. From today on, let’s spend the entire summer and autumn playing in the water. We can work out all parts of the body, and increase our lung capacity."
"I agree, but it's a pity that the place is a little too small. We can always build another swimming pool. Stay floating here, I’m going to dive underwater for a bit."
As Zhang Xiao’bao spoke, his body sank down and he swam under the surface of the water. It was safe since the water was only up to his neck if he stood upright.
Shi’liu and a Manor resident that was good at swimming were watching the two children from the side of the river. At first, she thought her two little masters wanted to play with water. She did not think that after her two little masters entered the water, they swam in all sorts of swimming postures. Watching them made her feel confused since she never knew that the Young Master and Young Miss knew how to swim. Could it be that they learned how to swim when they took baths?
Shi’li didn’t think too much about it. Regardless of what the Young Master and Young Miss did, she would accept it. She felt that it would be reasonable even if they were able to fly in the sky.
At the same time, Shi’liu felt relieved that she didn’t have to worry that something would happen to the two of them. They were different from other children; they did not cry when they accidentally hurt themselves, and they even knew to use medicine on their injuries before going to bed at night.
Wang Juan floated on her back for a while, and then swam back and forth a few times. When she was tired, she joined Zhang Xiao’bao to float on her back again. "Xiaobao, let's make up some couplets. You’re a bit weak in that area. You can make the first line, and I’ll make the second line. "
"Okay, the first line is ‘swimming fishes play in the water’. " Zhang Xiao’bao had studied hard, and of course he would not let go of a chance to practice.
"Then the next line will be ‘a walking beast stares from the shore’." Wang Juan was able to immediately come up with a corresponding line that matches the structure of the first line of the couplet.
"My first line is ‘green leaves reflected the sun’s rays’." It was easy for Zhang Xiao’bao since he was responsible for the first line, and he could say whatever he wanted.
"My nextline is ‘green caterpillar morphed with the night’." It was more difficult for Wang Juan since she had to come up with the next line.
"The toads laid in the field."
"The toddlers chased on the ridge."
"The sly rabbits build nests in the forest."
"The clever fox hide in grass under the tree."
"..."
"Keep going, why aren’t you making a sound anymore?" Wang Juan was still waiting, but then she saw that Zhang Xiao’bao had turned around and plunged his face down into the water.
"Hurry up." Wang Juan reached out and nudged Zhang Xiao’bao.
"Say what? Shi’liu, get some beef jerky for Juan’juan to eat." Zhang Xiao’bao’s head surfaced above the water, and he shouted to Shi’liu who was standing on the shore. Shi’liu turned around and left after she heard his order.
Wang Juan didn't know what was wrong, so she touched Zhang Xiao’bao again, "Why are you telling her to get that for me? I'm not hungry. Let’s keep going."
"You’re not hungry? If you’re not hungry, then why do you keep trying to eat me? When I said fish, you talked about a beast staring. When I said leaves, you said caterpillars. When I said toads, you said toddlers. I said rabbit, and then you said fox. Every single time, you keep trying to eat me. What’s the point of making couplets? I don’t want to anymore."
Zhang Xiao’bao complained that she was bullying him and that she was being unfair.
"Fine, I’ll stop eating you. This time, I’ll protect you. Hurry up and say the first line." Wang Juan didn't realize that what she said was eating what Xiao’bao said. She laughed loudly and then she submerged her body into the water. When she floated back up, she placed her hand on Xiao’bao belly and tried to coax him.
Zhang Xiao’bao sighed, "It's pointless to come up with the first line of the couplet. I’ll practice more when we go back to study. Learning language requires accumulating experience and knowledge, so it cannot be done overnight. Later, let’s go see the school that was finished building two days ago. I want to see how the two teachers are teaching. We can’t risk ruining the children’s education. If the teachers aren’t good, then fire them."
"We don’t need to go? As soon as the two of us arrived there, those two teachers would become nervous. Even if they teach well on normal days, they are prone to making mistakes if we watch them. After these children have studied for a few days, we can get them to come over and then we can ask them what they are studying. Then, we will know how well the two teachers are teaching. "
Wang Juan had turned her body perpendicular to Zhang Xiao’bao, and she rested her head on his stomach while she spoke quietly.
Zhang Xiao’bao put his hands behind his head and his ears were now above the surface of the water. He thought for a while, "That works. Then let’s wait a few more days. The teachers can be given time to adjust and get used to teaching the children. It seems that the children on the Manor like to study; no one skipped classes to go out to play. They’re better than the kids from our generation back then."
"That’s not true. I enjoyed studying when I was a kid. I always learned faster than other children. I even skipped grades. No matter how hard my classmates worked, I was always the top student." Wang Juan retorted.
"Yes, you are a genius. It's a pity that you majored in law. It would have been better if you studied physics. You could have become a distinguished member of the science faculty. Your knowledge would be useful here too. " Zhang Xiao’bao yawned when he talked.
While the two of them chatted like this, the good swimmer who was watching them from the shore was dumbfounded. He looked at the Young Master and was surprised that he was still floating even though he was used as a pillow by the Young Miss and he had rested his own head on his hands while chatting. The good swimmer was able to do this too, but he would have to put a lot of effort into it while the Young Master did this so effortlessly.
He concluded that the Young Master did not fear water at all, and was actually really comfortable with swimming. He looked at Young Miss Juan’juan, and she was like this too. What kind of training did they undergo? Could it be just like during a flood, babies can float on the water? They’re definitely one of a kind.
Shi’liu came back with the items; not only did she bring beef jerky, she also got some fruit juice. Her two little masters had instructed people to create two cups that had a long stem at the base of the cup--- her Young Master called this a cocktail glass. After juice was poured into the cup, a bamboo straw had to be placed inside, and when the straw was sucked on, the juice could be drunk. However, she heard the two little masters complain that it was not the same as the cocktail glass they described since the cup itself was not clear.
Zhang Xiao’bao and Wang Juan were done with swimming since it was not good to soak in water for too long. They swam to the shore, and laid on the chairs that were brought here. They took a few sips of juice while looking at the paddy fields in the distance. This was a rather interesting experience for them.
"Xiaobao, those farmlands near my Manor that belong to ordinary farmers won’t have a good harvest this year, do you think they will let us buy their farmlands? I don’t intend to buy their farmland and then shoo them away. I want to add that farmland to my Manor, and let the farmers become the Manor’s residents.
Our master household is different from other ones, we don’t try to exploit that little amount of grains they have. We can provide them with new ways to get rich. Once the farmlands are added to the Manor, we can make plans in a unified manner. This way, we can increase the output and we can work together during the winter. In the future when we improve our techniques, we can set up a greenhouse, and other infrastructures. That piece of land would be useful.
In particular, there is a decently sized area there that is very low-lying. A manmade lake can be made there, and then it can be used by the restaurant customers. If people don’t want to stay inside the restaurant, they can camp near the lake. We can provide them with charcoal and they can grill foods themselves. The phrase 'a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen' doesn’t actually mean people shouldn’t cook, it actually implies that people shouldn’t kill animals."
Wang Juan kept a piece of beef jerky in her mouth while she looked at the faraway land that did not belong to the Zhang and Wang Manors and suggested this to Zhang Xiao’bao.
Zhang Xiao’bao was also looking over there. Hearing what Wang Juan said, he nodded and replied, "Yeah, that’s a really good idea. That land is wasted, but it would be put to good use if it was in our hands. Later, I’ll get someone to go over there and ask if they’re willing to sell the land and tell them that if we buy it, they can still farm on the land and we won’t collect rent from them.”
A naked Xiaobao playing with minor Wang Juan in the water while drinking cocktail...
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You mean you'll turn yourself in
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