I am a temporary worker in Jinyiwei, how did I become a powerful official?

Chapter 4 Making a Small Fortune
Lin Shisan first sawed the Yuquan Mountain bamboo into eight four-inch long and one-inch wide bamboo boards, and then used a drill to drill holes in the bamboo boards.

He strung the bamboo boards together with cowhide ropes and put a sheep bone bead between each bamboo board.

Sun Yue showed off his knowledge: "Isn't this the bamboo clapper used by beggars who sing lotus flowers?"

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "That's right. The only difference between it and the bamboo board used by beggars is that there is an extra sheep bone bead between the boards."

Sun Yue asked: "What does this have to do with katydids?"

Lin Shisan nodded: "It's very relevant. I'll let you see it later."

After saying that, Lin Shisan grabbed another handful of flour, rinsed it continuously with the clean water in the wooden barrel, and continued to knead it with his hands.

Sun Yue said, "I understand. Master, you are washing gluten. But gluten is used to catch summer cicadas."

Lin Shisan said: "If you can catch summer cicadas, you can also catch katydids."

After Lin Shisan washed out the stickiness of the gluten, he wrapped the gluten around the top of the cottonwood branches and then stuck the green soybean worms on the gluten.

After doing all this, Lin Shisan smiled and said, "Everything is ready, let's go find the bugs!"

Sun Yue asked: "How do I find it?"

Lin Shisan didn't say anything. He picked up the sheep bone bead bamboo board. He shook the bamboo board gently, and heard a "crackling" sound from it, which sounded like a katydid.

Sun Yue was surprised: "It's amazing! Master, this thing in your hand can make a katydid sound?"

Lin Shisan said: "This thing is called 'Yin Jiao'. It was made by Jia Sidao in the Song Dynasty for Song Lizong to find the best singing insects. Not many people know about it. Two years ago, I used a good thrush to learn how to make this thing from an old man in the South City Insect Shop."

(Attached: Picture of the katydid caller)
Sun Yue asked: "What's the use of it making the sound of a katydid?"

Lin Shisan said: "The call was caused by the chirping of young katydids. All living things have spirits, and insects are just like humans. They all have the kindness to protect the old and the young. When an adult katydid hears the chirping of a young one, it will respond with a chirp."

As he was speaking, the chirping sounds of an adult katydid were heard from the weeds.

Sun Yue clapped his hands: "Hey! I found it, it's in the bushes in the northwest corner!"

Lin Shisan said, "That's not a Gai Xiongji. It's just an ordinary grasshopper. Gai Xiongji is a top-quality short-winged mountain green grasshopper. Its call is long, pleasant, crisp and loud. It sounds as beautiful as the sound of jade hitting each other."

A moment later, the sound of katydids could be heard from five or six places in the grass of the deserted courtyard. Unfortunately, none of them were roosters.

Sun Yue was a little anxious: "Will the sparrows and swallows eat the rooster?"

Lin Shisan said: "Don't panic. After all the insects have chirped, the Insect King will speak. Once the Insect King speaks, all the insects will be silent."

Lin Shisan shook the "Yinhu" in his hand for a full two quarters of an hour.

Suddenly, a long insect chirp sounded from a reed in the southwest corner of the deserted courtyard. After the insect chirped, the other katydids in the deserted courtyard stopped chirping at the same time, as if they were listening to the imperial decree of the insect king.

Lin Shisan lowered his voice and said, "It's him. Fat disciple, stand here and don't move. I'll be back soon."

After saying this, he waved his left hand to attract the insects, and held the cottonwood stalk wrapped with gluten in his right hand, and moved cautiously towards the southwest corner. He would stop for a moment after taking two steps before moving on again, for fear of startling the insect king.

Finally, Lin Shisan stopped ten feet in front of the reeds. The rooster was quietly lying on the reeds, flapping its wings and singing. It didn't notice the danger at all.

Lin Shisan stopped shaking to lure the insects. The purpose of lure was to find the location of the insect king. Now that the location was found, the next step was to trap it.

He held up the cottonwood stalk and carefully brought the bean worms on the top close to the rooster.

The best cicadas love to eat bean worms, just like flies seeing shit, dogs seeing shit, dung beetles seeing shit, maggots seeing shit, and corrupt officials seeing money and beautiful women - they can never resist the temptation.

Gai Xiongji jumped directly onto the cottonwood branch, grabbed the bean worm and started to eat it.

A satisfied smile flashed across Lin Shisan's lips: "Done." He pulled back the cottonwood branch.

The rooster was frightened and tried to escape, but its six limbs were firmly stuck to the gluten and it could not move.

Lin Shisan shouted to Sun Yue: "It's done! Bring the katydid cage and the wine bowl filled with Autumn Dew White!"

Sun Yue stuck out his butt, picked up the katydid cage and the wine bowl, and walked quickly to Lin Shisan. He pointed at the rooster stuck on the cottonwood tree branch and said, "Is this it?" Lin Shisan nodded, "No doubt about it."

Sun Yue looked worried: "It's stuck to the gluten. If I pull it raw, I'm afraid I'll tear off its six legs. I can't let Boss Zhao give the young minister a legless insect."

At this point, Sun Yue lowered his voice and said, "I heard that the young cabinet minister is blind in one eye and is a cripple. Boss Zhao sent the young cabinet minister a cripple, and the young cabinet minister thought he was making innuendos. The dozen or so people in the Zhao family must all be put in prison for death."

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "So I asked you to bring Qiulubai!"

Qiulubai is a kind of wine made from sorghum. It is called Qiulubai because it is brewed in autumn.

Lin Shisan first broke off the front end of the cottonwood branch, and gently pinched the back of the cockroach with his right thumb and index finger.

Then he asked Sun Yue to feed him a sip of wine.

"Puff", Lin Shisan sprayed the wine on Gai Xiongji's six limbs.

Almost in an instant, the six limbs of the rooster were separated from the gluten and remained intact.

Lin Shisan carefully locked Gai Xiongji into the thirty-six sorghum katydid cages. Mission accomplished!
Sun Yue was overjoyed: "Did it work?"

Lin Shisan nodded: "It's done."

Sun Yue hurriedly flattered his master: "Master, you are truly a master of craftsmanship, a stroke of genius, and a genius."

Lin Shisan laughed and scolded, "You are a pig demon holding a book, why are you pretending to be a student? Gao Xiaoqi promised to give us ten taels of silver. I will keep eight taels and give you two taels."

Sun Yue rubbed his hands, looking greedy and stubborn: "Ah. I, your fat disciple, didn't do anything, how can I just take two taels of profit?"

Lin Shisan said, "Gao Xiaoqi asked you to be my apprentice. From now on, we two, master and apprentice, are like little grasshoppers on the same rope. We share the good times and run away when the disaster comes. Why are you being polite?"

After a cup of tea, Zhao Cunren returned to the deserted courtyard. Lin Shisan returned the chicken intact to Zhao. Zhao Cunren felt like he had escaped death. He thanked Lin Shisan profusely.

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "I am doing this for money. There is nothing to thank you for. Boss Zhao, you should quickly prepare some pickles for the old mansion."

Zhao Cunren whispered, "Just now this fat officer said that Gao Xiaoqi's reward was fifty taels? Thirteenth Master saved my family's lives. I'd like to give you the two hundred taels reward to take back to the elephant training center."

Lin Shisan waved his hands repeatedly: "According to the rules of the elephant training institute, whoever takes the private work will get the reward. I am just a person who gets paid for doing the work. If you do this, it will make me embarrassed in front of my superiors. What do you mean by two hundred taels? I only know that the reward is fifty taels."

Zhao Cunren understood immediately: "Okay. I will send someone to give the reward to Gao Xiaoqi right away."

Sun Yue's fat face was filled with anger. Obviously, 40 taels out of the 200 taels belonged to them, but Gao Xiaoqi was not a decent person and turned the 40 taels into 10 taels.

Lin Shisan smiled slyly: "Boss Zhao, how much ice does your store use in summer?"

Zhao Cunren was stunned. "A lot. It's hot in the summer, and pickles are easy to spoil. The pickles provided to the palace and the masters in the capital are all served in ice jars. Every summer, we always use hundreds of square meters of ice."

Lin Shisan didn't hate money. He saved the life of the rich man Zhao Cunren, and naturally he was unwilling to get only ten taels of silver. But he couldn't tear his face with Gao Xiaoqi, his direct superior, and ask for more reward.

This did not pose any difficulty for Lin Shisan: "Hey! Isn't this a coincidence? Guess what my father does for a living?"

Zhao Cunren asked: "May I ask, Thirteenth Master, how high is your father's position?"

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "My father runs an ice cellar. The Fuyuan Ice Cellar on Gouqibo Street in the south of the city is my family's business."

I, Lin Shisan, saved your life, Boss Zhao, so I won't ask you for more money. You need ice every year anyway, so just buy from me. Isn't that too much? Pretty reasonable, right?

Zhao Cunren immediately stated: "No doubt, from now on when Liuxinju purchases Xia Bing, we will only go to your father's Fuyuanhao."

In the summer, the Lin family’s ice cellar could make about ten taels of profit for every hundred cubes of ice sold.

It’s ten taels a year, what about five years, or ten years?
Isn't it more cost-effective to find a big ice customer for your father than to go to war with your boss and ask for the thirty taels of reward?
Money needs to be earned. But there are many ways to earn it. It is a skill to earn money without offending anyone and bring it home.

It is good to practice in the government. After three years in the elephant training center, Lin Shisan has already mastered this art.

(End of this chapter)