Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 25: A Yamen Clerk? A Thief? (Please continue reading)

However, these are the difficulties that other farmers would encounter. Zhang Xian doesn't need to worry about so much; he only wants duck eggs.

Compared to chicken eggs, duck eggs are richer in oil. If they are pickled in brine to make salted duck eggs, the oil in the yolk is almost visible to the naked eye.

Although it's a little less than a large amount of oil, it's still incredibly precious for poor families who already have very little oil and salt.

"It all depends on how many eggs are laid tomorrow. If it really is four eggs per duck, no, even three eggs per duck, that will be enough to make up for the nutritional supplements in the previous period."

He mixed some bran and hay into the duck feed, washed his hands, and went into the kitchen.

At the entrance to the kitchen, Zhou Cui had already begun molting the second chicken.

She had already taken off the first one and was draped over a corner of the wooden tub.

Zhang Xian walked over, picked up the plucked chicken, and went into the kitchen.

He prepared scallions, ginger, garlic, and chili peppers, and chopped half a chicken to stir-fry.

Although we didn't have an iron pot, we could still make do with a clay pot for stir-frying.

Recalling the taste of stir-fried chicken with chili peppers in his memory, Zhang Xian couldn't help but swallow.

He's been in this era for almost a month now, and he's almost forgotten what stir-frying tastes like. He just steams or boils food every day, focusing on just being able to eat and not starve.

Having finally made it to the farmland, where the fields were producing crops, he was eager to savor the taste of the past.

Even without soy sauce or chicken bouillon for seasoning, he's determined to eat stir-fried dishes today!
Chop one in half and stir-fry it. The other half, along with the one Zhou Cui is still processing, will be steamed later for Zhao Yun and the others.

Wooden spoons became spatulas, and earthenware steamers became woks.

With no excess fat, Zhang Xian could only scrape some yellow fat from the chicken skin to use as grease.

When he put the ginger and garlic into the pan, the sizzling sound wasn't as loud as he had imagined; it was just a faint noise.

But the aroma of the heated oil, ginger, and garlic was so enticing that Zhou Cuilizhen, standing at the kitchen door, would occasionally turn her head to look back.

The chicken pieces were added to the hot pan, and the sizzling sound became louder. As he stirred them back and forth, Zhang Xian always understood why stir-frying was not a new dish in this era.

It's troublesome, extremely troublesome. A dish that can be stir-fried in ten minutes with an iron wok takes at least twice as long to cook in an earthenware pot.

It's not just a matter of time; the transfer of heat also prevents the aroma that should be present in stir-fried dishes from being released.

He kept stirring and stirring, until the fried chicken in the earthenware pot was almost lumped together. Zhang Xian's initial anticipation gradually turned into disappointment.

Somewhat disappointed, I poured the bell peppers into the earthenware pot, added salt, and stirred it a dozen times. When the bell peppers were almost cooked, I scooped them out with a wooden spoon.

I tried a piece.

"Okay"

The meat still tastes like meat, except it doesn't have the unique flavor of stir-fried dishes that I was expecting, but it's still okay to eat.

I tried two more pieces.

"Alright, we'll save it for dinner tonight."
-
A group of over a hundred people, dressed in rags and including both young and old, moved slowly toward the small mountain village.

Xiahou Lan and the others led the way, and they could see that it was getting darker and darker.

"Alan, what are we going to do now that it's getting dark? We might have to spend the night outside."

Forty li is not a long distance, really not a long distance, but they have been walking for several hours.

If it were just a few of them, they could have made the round trip in time, let alone return. Unfortunately, they had to take care of the refugee group behind them.

"Hey! You guys over there, I'm talking to you! Where are you headed with so many people?!"

Suddenly, a group of seven or eight men with ring-pommel swords at their waists darted out from a grove of trees.

Wearing a top hat and official robes, he is a yamen official!

'So bored you've come all the way out of town!'

Xiahou Lan muttered a couple of complaints to herself.

However, the necessary dealings still had to be done, so he rode over.

He turned and bowed: "Your Excellency, I am from Yaoting Village, Erxiang Township, Zhending County. My master has been cultivating the land and has sent me out to recruit some tenant farmers."

"Oh, is that so?" The leading official glanced at Xiahou Lan a few times, then looked at the refugee group behind him. "With so many people, I need to conduct a routine check to prevent any thieves from infiltrating among them."

The leader gave a forced smile and then waved his hand. The group of officials behind him then went into the refugees, each holding a ring-pommel sword hilt.

Xiahou Lan could say nothing and could only watch. However, as the sky grew darker and the officials continued their dawdling and questioning, he began to understand the situation.

He gritted his teeth. "They really are a pack of vicious dogs, willing to suck every last drop of oil from even the bone fragments."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a string of copper coins tied together.

"Your Excellency, you are all very busy, and you have to go out of the city to do official business even at this late hour. Please take this small amount of money and use it to buy some wine to warm yourself up."

The clerk familiarly took the item, weighed it in his hand a few times, and chuckled, "Compared to your family head, who can support so many tenant farmers, we just earn a meager living through hard work."

"However, may I ask who the head of your household is?"

"Alan, what's wrong?"

Just as Xiahou Lan was about to say something, Zhao Yun and the others came running over from the other side of the road.

The group of eight or nine men, plus Zhao Yun and Shi Tou, numbering eleven or twelve, each wielding short sticks and long clubs, looked quite imposing.

The yamen chief's pupils contracted, his grip on the knife hilt loosened, and a bright smile appeared on his face.

"Alright, brothers, our esteemed guest has invited us for drinks. Let's head back to the city and have some more!"

He called out, and Zhao Yun and the others arrived nearby.

Staring at the yamen chief, Zhao Yun looked at him suspiciously before glancing at the woods behind them.

Seeing Zhao Yun's gaze, the yamen chief urged his men on even more, and soon they disappeared down the straight road.

"Something's wrong."

Zhao Yun stared intently in the direction where the group of officials had disappeared.

Xiahou Lan calmed the refugees down and returned, asking, "What's wrong?"

"They have the aura of blood on them! The aura of blood that comes from someone who has just killed someone!"

Xiahou Lan's pupils contracted slightly, her mind flashing rapidly through all the events that had transpired since encountering this group of officials.

He then realized, "Right, their clothes look a bit loose!"

“Possibly.” Zhao Yun nodded, looking towards the woods, about to investigate, when Xiahou Lan grabbed his arm.

"Send them back to the village first!"

"I know, you guys go first, I'll just take a look."

"it is good."

Xiahou Lan nodded, having great faith in Zhao Yun's martial prowess. He then turned and quickly called upon the young men to organize the refugees' march.

Zhao Yun, on the other hand, entered the forest alone.

He had only walked a few dozen steps when the stench of blood immediately filled his nostrils.

As they rushed closer, they saw several naked corpses lying face down behind a huge rock.

"They really are thieves!"

Zhao Yun felt a chill run down his spine and then turned back.

The refugees couldn't move fast on the straight road, so it didn't take long for him to catch up with Xiahou Lan and the others.

"how?"

"Thieves! All the real officials are dead, eight in total."

"Report to the official?"

"Report! But first, go back and tell Brother Xian!"

"to make!"

(End of this chapter)