Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 5: Difficult to use when encountering problems, killing and eating meat
Even before daybreak, the Zhang family mansion was bustling with activity. Zhang said that both father and son were expected to attend court, so the servants had to get up early to feed the horses and prepare the ceremonial procession.

The humble house had little soundproofing, and Zhang Luo had barely fallen asleep when he was awakened by a commotion outside. He found himself back in bed, while Ah Ying curled up at the foot of the bed, still sound asleep. The young woman's dream had been filled with delight, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, revealing a sweet dimple on each side.

As for Ying Niang, who was originally sleeping on the bed, she was not in the room at this time. It seemed that she moved him back to the bed after she fell asleep, and now no one knew where she went.

Zhang Luo also carefully got out of bed, stretching his limbs as he dressed. Although he was not old in this later life, he had already maintained an unhealthy lifestyle for several years, such as working at a desk, staying up late playing games, and lacking exercise. His waist and neck muscles had some problems, and his energy was gradually decreasing.

But now, although the young man had just recovered from a serious illness and had not had enough sleep, he still did not feel any discomfort and was still full of energy.

"Alang is awake...ah!"

He was just looking down, fiddling with how to look less unsightly, when he heard Ah Ying's soft cry from the bed. Turning around, he saw the girl, who had not yet gotten enough spring sleep, lying lazily in a half-lying and half-lying posture, with a few strands of black hair scattered in front of her eyes. Her eyes flickered and wandered between her hair, and her pretty face was blushing and charming.

"Ah, Alang, don't tease him..."

"Uh, got it."

Zhang Luo wanted to explain, but he didn't know what to explain. He could only nod slightly, turned around pretending to be calm, and took a few deep breaths in the room, gradually dispersing the overly condensed qi and blood in his body.

After walking out of the outer hall, Yingniang was still nowhere to be seen, so Aying got up and went to the side room that served as a kitchen to light a fire and warm water, preparing for Alang to wash up.

At this moment, the clear sound of drums and horns could be heard again from the front of the mansion. This wasn't some gong and drum troupe about to perform an opera, but rather the ceremonial procession for the Prime Minister's departure. Zhang Luo was eager to witness the actual ancient procession, after all, in later times, only images could be seen. However, when he thought of his father Zhang Jun's rude attitude yesterday, he didn't bother to approach and face the cold stare and scolding.

Soon, Aying served warm water and bath beans, facial cream and tooth powder.

Zhang Luo had already used these personal care products once yesterday. Even if he hadn't used them before, he wouldn't make a fuss about it. After all, they were all recorded in ancient books. He wouldn't shout like some marketing account that these were time-travel items!

The development of science and technology and productivity in ancient times was indeed not as good as that in later generations, but people's needs for food, clothing, survival and the desires above these were similar, so it was natural that some utensils and supplies were derived from them. It would be strange if they did not exist.

Of course, just because something exists doesn't mean it's universal, nor does it mean there's no room for improvement. As Zhang Luo crushed the bath beans, mixed them with water, and applied them to his face, he was thinking about making soap sometime to earn a little money. If he couldn't make a profit, he could just keep it for his own use; it didn't require much cost or craftsmanship anyway.

After both the master and the servant had finished washing up, Yingniang returned from the outer room, carrying a food box in her hand, followed by a short and strong middle-aged man in a brown robe.

The middle-aged man walked into the courtyard and took a few glances at the simple thatched cottage. A hint of scorn flashed in his eyes before he fixed his gaze on Zhang Luo. He raised his arms and said, "Yingniang came to tell me that Liu Lang wanted to use the horse for a trip. I came to ask if this is true."

"This is Wu, the stable manager at the mansion."

Ah Ying came in and whispered, "I noticed that although Ah Lang had grown up quite a bit, he seemed a bit unfamiliar with people and things. After a brief introduction, she turned and walked back into the room."

Zhang Luo was the sixth of his generation in the clan. Upon hearing what Wu had asked, he nodded and said, "Yes, that is the case. I am sorry to have caused trouble for you, Wu."

"It's not a big deal. This is my job. But why didn't you tell me earlier that you needed a horse? This morning, your Excellency and the other masters all rode out, and there are not many horses left in the stable. We need to keep some for other needs. If you need one urgently, could you please use a donkey?"

Zhang Luo's face darkened when he heard this. He didn't care whether to use a horse or a donkey, it was just a means of transportation, but this guy came here specifically to talk like this, clearly looking for trouble.

His eyes narrowed, and he immediately looked at the man and said, "We want to keep you as an idle horse? Who needs it? I'll go ask everyone in the family with you. If you really don't have enough, we don't need the donkey either. We can just walk! Donkeys and horses are raised to be used as loads. If they're no longer useful, we kill them for meat! You're the one who manages the stables, but you're not going to be of any use when things get tough. What's the point of having you?"

Manager Wu hadn't expected Zhang Luo to be so irritable, and the fake smile on his face faltered. His eyebrows trembled, and his mouth opened and closed. After a long while, he leaned forward and said, "Sir, I'm sorry, Liulang, I misunderstood. How dare I embarrass you? I just wanted to ask where you're going. If the journey is long, there's food in the stables for you, so you don't have to look for food along the way to feed the horses." "I'm only going to Luonan Manor and will be back in the afternoon, so I don't need any food. Since you're asking, please send someone to bring the horses over. I'll use them after I greet my wife."

Zhang Luo waved his hand impatiently and spoke to the man again.

Seeing this, Manager Wu did not linger any longer. He nodded repeatedly, bowed to Zhang Luo, and then turned and left.

At this time, Ah Ying came out of the room, carrying dozens of Kaiyuan Tongbao coins strung together on a hemp rope. Seeing this scene, her eyes suddenly sparkled. She came to Zhang Luo, raised the string of coins in her hand and said with a smile, "This Wu Chuan is a servant of Ling Gong, and he got this job because of this connection. Ah Lang was previously staying at the stables, and we often had to entrust him with feeding and caring for the horses, and we had to bribe him with money. This time he came to make things difficult, he must be asking for money again, but he was scared off by Ah Lang!"

Zhang Luo was speechless again upon hearing this. He felt that his predecessor, the young Zhang Luonu, was not only a prodigal son, but also had no idea how to protect his rights. Even if this bastard son was disliked, it was still the product of his master Zhang Jun's crotch. To think that he was being held captive by a groom, without even considering that he was being held captive? He was clearly his master's slave!

Yingniang had already been moved to tears last night by Ah Lang's sudden growth. Seeing this scene now, she was naturally even more excited and relieved. She sighed repeatedly, "Ah Lang has grown up. He doesn't have to endure humiliation anymore!"

The three of them returned to the room, and Yingniang took out the food she had gotten from the public kitchen in the mansion from the food box. This time it was no longer the bland soup noodles, but two pieces of biluo stuffed with chopped lamb liver, accompanied by steamed date cakes, fried cold dishes and other pastries, which looked very appetizing.

Zhang Luo finally had a delicious meal after arriving in this world, and he ate nearly half of it himself. Yingniang and her daughter ate less, waiting until Zhang Luo finished before coming over to eat a little, then packing up the food. "It's a long way out of town today, so I'll leave this for Alang to eat on the way."

After the three of them finished their meal, two servants in short brown clothes arrived from the outside, leading a brown horse and a donkey. Wu Chuan, the stable keeper, did not return. The horses were already saddled and bridled, and a full bag of soybean meal and hay hung beside the saddle.

Since the horse had been delivered, Zhang Luo prepared to go out. As for going to pay his respects and say goodbye to the Zheng family mistress, he was not going to do it! Since he had already planned to leave the Zhang family, he naturally didn't need to give these people face too much.

The ancient patriarchal ethics still imposed great constraints and oppression on people, which is one of the reasons why Zhang Luo wanted to leave the Zhang family.

For example, the story of Li He, a well-known Tang Dynasty poet, is that his father, Li Jinsu, refused to take the imperial examinations to avoid his father's taboo. This was not an isolated case in the Tang Dynasty. Another example was Jia Zeng, whose father was Jia Yanzhong, who refused to serve as a secretary of the Central Secretariat to avoid his father's taboo.

As long as Zhang Luo remained in the Zhang family, he would always be overshadowed by his father, Zhang Jun. He could still hope to gradually change Zhang Jun's opinion of him with his own talent and ability, but the problem was that Zhang Jun himself was a fool, and getting involved with such a scoundrel was definitely not a good idea!
The farm outside the city was located in Sanchuan Township in the southern suburbs of Luoyang, and it was dozens of miles away from home. If there were no donkeys or horses to travel by, walking alone would be both tiring and slow, so Yingniang went to the stable in the mansion to ask for a horse early in the morning.

Zhang Luo inherited the young Zhang Luonu's knowledge of horses in his mind, and his body still retained the muscle memory related to riding. He could tell at a glance that this was an old horse with long tees, thick mane, and poorly cared for. It was not a good horse, but only barely good enough for transportation.

However, he also understood that even if he brought the matter to his grandfather Zhang Shuo, he would probably not be able to use the fine horses and famous colts in the stable. The stable keeper Wu Chuan even brought a bag of feed with the horse, which was a relatively correct attitude.

Originally, the three of them had agreed to go to the village outside the city together. Yingniang had originally planned to give one of the horses from the stable to Alang, while she and her daughter would follow on foot. But now Wuchuan, intimidated by Zhang Luo, had sent a horse and a donkey, and it was difficult to divide the two horses among the three of them.

"Why don't you go to the donkey shop in the market and rent a donkey?"

After thinking it over, Ah Ying suggested this. Zhang Luo naturally had no objection, but Ying Niang on the side quickly waved her hand and said, "No, no, renting a donkey costs fifty coins a day. Even if we walk, how much is our leg power worth? Now that Ah Lang is planning to leave home, every penny must be carefully calculated. How can we continue to waste it like before?"

As she spoke, she glared at Ah Ying, then said to Zhang Luo, "Let Ah Ying accompany Ah Lang. I'll wait at home and even spin some yarn in my spare time to help with the expenses."

"Auntie, you don't have to spin. Just rest at home. I've been ill these days, and you've been worried and taking care of me. You must be very tired."

Zhang Luo nodded after hearing this, and after breakfast, he and Aying went out together, leading the donkey and horse.

(End of this chapter)