Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 6 Kunlun Slave

On the avenue outside Luoyang City, there was an endless stream of carriages and horses, and the neighing of donkeys and horses was incessant. Zhang Luo was dazzled by all the novel things. He even almost fell off his horse several times because he was too fascinated by them. So he dared not be distracted anymore and could only concentrate on controlling the mount under his crotch.

Although he had previously complained about his predecessor, the young Zhang Luonu, who loved to spend money, it was thanks to his accumulated experience and skills that Zhang Luo was able to control his mount. Otherwise, with his own laziness and lack of exercise, he would have fallen off the horse countless times, with only the experience of riding horses in some scenic spots in his later life.

Generally speaking, there are more people riding donkeys than horses on the road. Although the old horse under Zhang Luo's crotch is not very majestic, he himself is a young man with high spirits and talents. Therefore, he has attracted a lot of attention on the road. Occasionally, bunches of wild flowers are thrown to him by passing cars, and the coquettish laughter of women can be heard from the curtains of the cars, which arouses people's hearts and makes them want to get closer to catch a glimpse of their beautiful faces.

However, Zhang Luo didn't have time to flirt with other girls on the road, because he was accompanied by female relatives.

Although Aying's clothes were not fancy and she wore a veil to protect her face from dust, her youthful and graceful figure still attracted people's attention. Occasionally, some self-proclaimed playboys would come up to her and show off, and Zhang Luo would wave the wooden stick in his hand to drive away the passing flies.

Fortunately, the place was in plain sight of everyone on the road, and no bad guys dared to commit crimes in public. The occasional harassment was probably similar to the behavior of the rich second generation in later generations honking their horns while driving in downtown areas. Although it was quite annoying, it was not malicious at all.

Zhang Luo's feeling was that it was best for women to travel by carriage, as this would greatly avoid harassment from passersby and would be more comfortable. And if he had the money, he'd buy a famous horse, so that the passing playboys would know his status by looking at his mount and would be too ashamed to even approach.

Now he is riding an old horse, but people are already throwing flowers at him. If he really wants to wear fine clothes and ride a brand new horse, wouldn't he be like Pan An of the Tang Dynasty with his carriage filled with fruits?

The two walked south along the main road for more than ten miles and then turned into a country road heading southeast. The road became sparsely populated. There were either villagers carrying agricultural products for sale in their carts, or farmers working in the fields with farm tools on their shoulders. When they saw them coming on horseback and donkey, they all kept away.

"Go around the forest ahead and you'll reach Chuandong Village!"

Aying pointed at the woods ahead and said this while guiding the donkey under her crotch to block Alang's right side intentionally or unintentionally. Her cautious look actually attracted Zhang Luo's attention.

He looked in the direction that Aying was blocking and saw a canal and pond mudflat. After thinking for a while, he remembered that it was the place where his predecessor Zhang Luonu fell into the water and almost drowned. Aying wanted to block it, but she was still worried that he might be frightened by the scene.

This young lady was not very old. In later generations, she should be a carefree middle school student. However, in this ancient society, all her intelligence and cleverness were used to care for and take care of her husband. Her attentiveness was touching.

A farmer in short brown clothes came down the slope. Seeing them from afar, he quickly quickened his pace, shouting as he ran over: "Young Master is here, Young Master!"

These men were all able-bodied men from the farm. They came forward enthusiastically to lead Zhang Luo's horse and welcomed the three of them into the farm behind the slope. Upon hearing the noise, the villagers also hurried over. There were nearly twenty people, men, women, young and old.

These people were not all Zhang Luo's slaves. Most of them were tenants who rented farmland. His only servants were a dark-faced, beardless man in his fifties and a lame teenager.

"Thank goodness Alang is alright, otherwise Aye would have beaten me to death!"

The lame boy burst into tears upon seeing Zhang Luo, lifting his shirt to show him the bruises on his body. The boy's name was Ding Qing, and he had been the personal attendant of Zhang Luonu, the previous incarnation. He had accompanied Zhang Luonu when he fell into the water. His lameness wasn't congenital, but rather the result of recent punishment.

"You still dare to complain! If anything happens to Alang, even beating and killing you, this thief, won't be enough to make up for it!"

The dark-faced middle-aged man raised his hand and slapped the young man a few more times after hearing this. He then looked at Zhang Luo with concern and said, "Ah Lang is finally okay. Otherwise, I would not dare to see the former mistress even if I died..."

As the middle-aged man approached, a complex smell of urine came to his face. Zhang Luo stepped back slightly, and the middle-aged man also came to his senses and hurriedly hid backward.

The ancients believed that one's hair and skin were inherited from one's parents, and men generally had the habit of growing beards. However, this middle-aged man has no beard at his age, and his skin color and appearance look different from those of Chinese people.

The reason for this was that he was a eunuch and a Kunlun slave, originally a servant in Wu Youyi's mansion, named Ding Cang, who later followed Zhang Luonu's mother to the Zhang family. As for the young Ding Qing, he was his adopted son.

Eunuchs often suffer from urinary incontinence, and the young Zhang Luonu disliked Ding Cang's odor, so he lived on the farm year-round and managed the farm. Although not of Chinese descent, Ding Cang was a loyal servant, and the young Zhang Luonu's past indulgences were all accumulated bit by bit from Ding Cang's years of managing the farm.

After remembering the other person's identity, Zhang Luo took another step forward, grasped Ding Cang's equally dark wrist, and said, "I was willful when we were in danger before, so don't punish Ding Qing anymore. If you really beat him to death, where would I find a son to carry on your legacy and support you in your old age?"

This simple gesture had Ding Cang startled. Ever since Ah Lang was old enough to understand things, he had rarely been this close to him. He looked at Ah Ying, who had come with him, with a puzzled look, wondering if there was something wrong with Ah Lang's brain. "Ah Lang is fine, completely recovered! He even understands how hard you've been running the farm, Old Man Ding, all these years, and he's just caring about you!"

Aying on the side understood what he meant and spoke loudly.

"This, this... As an old slave, managing the farm is my duty. How can I deserve Alang's concern? If it weren't for the late mistress taking me in, I would have been sold to who knows how many places, and perhaps even filled a ditch..."

After hearing this, Ding Cang was extremely excited, tears welled up in his eyes, and he bowed down to kowtow to Zhang Luo again.

Zhang Luo didn't expect that he had only expressed a little recognition of Ding Cang, and he would have such a strong reaction, which scared him.

Ding Cang's behavior was not without reason. As a Kunlun slave, and a eunuch at that, he could not possibly live a normal life in the Tang Dynasty. Even if he accidentally escaped from his master, he would be captured by the government as a fugitive, or abducted and sold as a slave by a powerful person, only to be met with another round of slavery and torture.

But now he has been entrusted by his master to manage a manor, and his life has been very stable for more than ten years. The only thing he worries about is that he might not be liked by the young master and be expelled. Now that he has finally been recognized, how can he not be grateful?

Ding Cang was so excited that the other villagers followed suit and bowed. Zhang Luo was surprised to see this scene. In the memories he inherited from the young Zhang Luonu, most of them were about living in Luoyang City. He rarely visited this rural manor. He didn't expect the villagers to still respect him so much.

But he soon realized that there was no such thing as love without reason. As the villagers prayed, they kept calling out, "Young Master, please find a way to save the farming season as soon as possible! If you delay any further, the farming season will be missed, and I'm afraid there won't be any harvest this autumn!"

Amidst the villagers' pleas and explanations, Zhang Luo finally understood the farm's current predicament. A recently breached river bank had flooded the farmland, and the dike had been left unrepaired. Consequently, the farmland was soaked in mud, making it difficult to cultivate. It was already mid-March, and if this problem wasn't resolved, spring farming would be delayed, and the autumn harvest would be barren.
"Is the situation so serious?"

Zhang Luo frowned after understanding the situation. He came to the farm to take stock of his family assets, but he didn't expect that the farm was facing a crisis of survival.

Ding Cang saw the young master's worried look, so he stood up and waved to the villagers, saying, "Young master, you are tired from the journey. You must rest for a while before you can inquire about the affairs of the village. You can all disperse and do your own things first. We will gather again in the afternoon to listen to my questions!"

He was a loyal and fair person. Although he was a barbarian slave, he was quite trusted by the villagers. After hearing what he said, although the villagers were anxious, they gradually dispersed and allowed Zhang Luo to enter the village.

The manor building does not occupy too large an area. The earthen wall encloses an area of ​​about five or six acres. The manor is fully equipped with halls, side rooms, warehouses, as well as chicken pens, dog kennels, and cattle and horse pens for raising poultry and livestock.

The buildings on the manor were primarily functional and practical, lacking any extra decoration. However, they were far superior to the humble cottages Zhang Luo lived in at the Zhang family mansion. The only slight drawback was that the manor was located in the countryside, unlike the Zhang family mansion, which was right outside the bustling Dongdufangqu.

"Has the village's business been in trouble and is no longer sustainable?"

Zhang Luo was still thinking about the complaints of the villagers just now, and had no time to appreciate the layout and scenery of the manor. He came to the small hall in the manor and sat down, then frowned and asked again.

"The income from farming is more than just the income from cultivating the land, but if the farmers lose their crops and the harvest fails, their situation will inevitably be miserable. Last year, families already had a hard time collecting taxes, and this year, grain prices are even lower. If the harvest fails again, I'm afraid they will inevitably go bankrupt!"

Ding Cang sighed again after hearing this. He had been with these farmers for many years, and seeing them so worried and miserable, he couldn't help but feel sympathy.

"What taxes? Tell me all about the detailed operation of the farm, Old Ding!"

His predecessor, the young Zhang Luonu, didn't care much about the affairs of the village, and didn't leave Zhang Luo with many relevant memories. He had just arrived in this world and didn't know much about the specific matters of people's livelihood, so he asked again.

"Alang, just call me slave, how dare you call me old!"

Ding Cang waved his hands repeatedly when he heard the address, not daring to accept it. He then turned to his adopted son Ding Qing and shouted, "Hurry up and get the farm account book and present it to Alang!"

(End of this chapter)