Chapter 4: Ways to Make Money

In contrast, Liu Laoda took several large bites of fish, his face displaying an expression of enjoyment, as if he were savoring a rare delicacy. At this moment, Liu's wife also called the children to eat in the kitchen. When these children saw the boiled fish in front of Li Xiu, each of them revealed a look of envy. However, they were quickly scolded by Liu's wife, after which they dared only to steal a glance at Li Xiu before lowering their heads as if they were thieves.

Uncle Liu!" Li Xiu called out from outside the door

Uncle Liu, thank you for bringing me the food today. I happened to catch a fish today, so I brought it over for you!" Li Xiu said with a smile as he handed over the fish in his hand

This is a small courtyard, surrounded by a fence acting as a wall. The main gate is merely a wooden frame, with a movable fence serving as the entrance. Inside the courtyard, there are only three thatched cottages. To the left, there is a grass shed functioning as a kitchen. From outside the courtyard, one can see Liu Laoda and his wife cooking in the kitchen, while three children are playing in the yard. The oldest is about eleven or twelve years old, and the youngest is only three or four. According to Li Xiu, Liu Laoda originally had two sons, older than Li Xiu, but they both died on the battlefield several years ago. Such situations were very common during the early Tang period, with almost every family having someone who perished in the turmoil of war.

"Wasteful thing, hit me hard!" Upon hearing this, Liu Laoda was so furious that he pointed at his son and scolded him severely

Uncle Liu, I believe we cannot merely endure our days in hardship; we must find a way to earn some money to improve the situation in the village. Hearing this, Li Xiu sighed again and finally expressed his thoughts. Although he could not think of a good way to make money at the moment, he was confident that a solution would eventually present itself. The prerequisite was that he needed to organize these tenants; otherwise, it would be quite difficult to achieve anything relying solely on himself.

"Uncle Liu, it's just a few grains of yellow beans. The child has eaten them, so please don't be angry!" Li Xiu hurriedly advised, and after saying this, he picked up his own bowl of porridge and added a few pieces of fish to it before placing it in front of the crying child. As a result, the little one immediately stopped crying, and with his dirty little hands, he picked up the bowl, which was larger than his face, and began to eat heartily.

Li Xiu admired this rare beauty that is hard to come by in later generations, and his steps became lighter. Unknowingly, he arrived at the riverbank, stepping onto a small bridge made of several logs to reach the opposite shore. Next to the riverbank were dozens of acres of farmland belonging to Li Xiu, all of which were top-quality land, yielding a considerable harvest each year. Unfortunately, the past few years have not been favorable, with continuous natural disasters and man-made calamities, which have made life difficult for both Li Xiu and the tenants.

The younger brother stole some yellow beans! At this moment, the oldest girl named Su Niang began to explain. She appeared to be only eleven or twelve years old, but in Li Xiu's memory, Su Niang seemed to be already thirteen or fourteen. According to the customs of the Tang Dynasty, she was about to be married, but due to years of malnutrition, she looked very thin and small, her flat figure hardly resembling that of someone who was supposed to be developing.

Beyond the small bridge lies a winding path through the fields, and at the end of this path is the Li Family Village where Liu Laoda and the other tenant farmers reside. It is now dinner time, and the few households in the village are sending up wisps of smoke from their kitchens. Upon seeing this, Li Xiu suddenly had a thought; he wanted to see for himself what Liu Laoda and these tenant farmers, who are at the bottom of the Tang society, usually eat.

Master, you are considerate, but although there is some grain, there are still three months until next year, and then we have to endure another spring famine. In total, that amounts to a full six months, and we cannot afford to waste the little grain we have at home; it must be reserved for emergencies. As Liu Laoda spoke these final words, a serious expression appeared on his face. Throughout his life, he had endured countless famines and had accumulated rich experience. In his meticulous calculations, every grain of food must be used with utmost precision.

Upon hearing Liu Laoda's words, Li Xiu suddenly remembered that there was a cow in the village. For farming families, the life of a plow ox is more precious than that of a human. Even if the people go hungry, the ox must not be allowed to starve, as the entire village relies on this plow ox for labor. Therefore, the dietary standards for the plow ox are even higher than those for humans. In addition to eating forage, it also needs to consume legumes to replenish its strength, and during work, it is even fed high-protein foods such as eggs.

"What are you arguing about, Guaponiang? Can't you see the host is here!" At this moment, Liu Laoda also glared at his wife and scolded her, as there were guests in the house, and such noise was disrespectful to them

Liu Laoda originally insisted on buying wine, but Li Xiu was adamant about not allowing it, which led him to abandon that thought. The two then sat down at a small table next to the kitchen to chat casually. Before long, Liu's wife brought out the cooked fish. However, Li Xiu couldn't help but smile wryly in his heart; the cooking techniques of the Tang Dynasty were still quite primitive. Aside from boiling and roasting, methods like stir-frying had not yet emerged. For instance, the fish before him was simply boiled in water with salt, without any scallions, ginger, or garlic, and the fishy smell was overwhelming. After picking up a piece with his chopsticks, Li Xiu had no desire to take a second bite.

At dusk, the mountains behind the courtyard rise and fall, resembling a winding golden dragon under the setting sun. In front of it flows a gently meandering stream, where a few resident birds frolic on the shimmering surface of the water. As Li Xiu approaches, the waterfowl are startled, their wings rapidly beating against the water's surface, and finally, they soar into the sky against the backdrop of the sunset, truly embodying the phrase "The setting sun and the solitary wild goose fly together, the autumn waters and the vast sky share the same hue".

"Hehe, this year has not been good; being able to have something to eat is already something to be grateful for!" Liu Laoda said with a hearty smile, his expression tinged with a hint of embarrassment, as Li Xiu was indeed a rare guest. He originally should not have entertained him with such simple fare, but now that it was late and they had already prepared the meal by the time Li Xiu arrived, they could only make do for the time being.

Making money from money is always the easiest. Starting from scratch is truly too difficult. After thinking for a long time, Li Xiu finally decided to temporarily abandon the idea of building a greenhouse and instead opted to think of a way to earn money that requires less investment and yields quick results. Once he has accumulated a certain amount of savings, it will not be too late to build the greenhouse.

"Oh, how come you are here, Master?" Liu Laoda, seeing Li Xiu outside the door, hurriedly put down the firewood in his hands and came out to greet him, warmly inviting Li Xiu into the courtyard. In contrast, Liu Laoda's wife and several children appeared somewhat uneasy upon seeing Li Xiu, especially the eldest girl, around eleven or twelve years old, who quickly ran into the house while holding her younger brother.

Although there was a locust plague this year, in the end, did we not manage to harvest some grain? Uncle Liu, you and your family should not be too hard on yourselves. Li Xiu thought that Liu Laoda was reluctant to consume the grain, which is why he spoke up to advise him.

Upon seeing this, Li Xiu couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh, gaining a deeper understanding of the hardships faced by the common people in the early Tang dynasty. At that moment, Liu's wife brought over two bowls of rice. When Li Xiu saw the contents of the bowls, his heart sank even further, for inside was a type of porridge that was black with yellow hues, emitting a familiar yet strange aroma. In his previous life, he had also come from a rural background, and he remembered that when he was a child, some families fed pigs with food that had this very scent. The pig feed was generally made from the leftover bran from milling flour, combined with some wild vegetables, and it was almost indistinguishable from the bowl before him.

"Uncle Liu, do you eat this when you are at peace with your books?" Li Xiu asked in a low voice, recalling the two bags of white flour that Liu Laoda had sent him earlier, and looking at the bowl of pig feed before him, his eyes couldn't help but feel a bit sore.

What happened? At this moment, Li Xiu also stood up and took a few steps forward, only to see Liu's wife crouched on the ground picking up the scattered yellow beans. Meanwhile, the crying child had a few chewed beans in his mouth, which made him seem to guess something in an instant

"You are too polite, my dear host. Why bring fish when you come to my place?" Although Liu Laoda verbally declined, he smiled brightly, for Li Xiu's gesture of bringing a gift indicated his regard for him. Thus, after speaking, he did not refuse, took the grass carp, and handed it to his wife, saying, "Go, cook the fish, and have Su Niang fetch some wine. I will drink with my host..."

Oh? Beans? I have a way!" At this moment, Li Xiu suddenly had a flash of inspiration and thought of a feasible path to wealth, which made him unable to hide his joy, and he was almost jumping with excitement!

"Uncle Liu, there's no need for wine; we can just chat for a bit!" Before Liu Laoda could finish his sentence, Li Xiu hurriedly interrupted. In his previous life, he had a strong aversion to the taste of alcohol, but sometimes he could not avoid it due to social obligations. As a result, he would always end up vomiting profusely after drinking. Now that he has crossed over to the Tang Dynasty, he has made a firm resolution never to drink again. Moreover, this is a year of famine, and the price of wine is certainly higher. Liu Laoda's family does not even have enough grain to last through the winter, so he certainly should not be spending money on wine.

However, although Li Xiu had more than a thousand years of insight compared to the people of the Tang Dynasty, it was not easy for him to come up with a nearly cost-free way to make money in a short period of time. Therefore, he lay in bed for half a day, thinking of many methods, but none were suitable for him at the moment. Eventually, feeling somewhat frustrated, he simply got out of bed, intending to take a walk outside to change his mood, hoping that he might come up with a good idea.

Upon hearing Li Xiu's words, Liu Laoda's simple face also revealed an expression of excitement. He then slapped his thigh and said: "What the master has said resonates deeply with me. However, we tenants lack knowledge and cannot think of ways to make money. Master, you are a scholar and certainly have more insight than us. Moreover, you have shown great kindness to us tenants, so as long as you say a word, we will do whatever you ask!"

As soon as this idea emerged in Li Xiu's mind, it immediately began to grow wildly like weeds. However, visiting empty-handed was indeed somewhat inappropriate, so Li Xiu turned around, went home, and brought the grass carp he had caught today in hand. Only then did he return to the village and find Liu Laoda's house from his memory

At that moment, a crisp slap echoed from the kitchen nearby, followed by the sound of a child's crying and the angry scolding of Liu's wife. This surprised Li Xiu, who turned to look. He saw that the youngest child of the Liu family was crying loudly, with a clear handprint on his face, while Liu's wife was scolding and bending down to pick something up from the ground

Li Xiu and others are indeed waiting for Liu Laoda's words. However, although he has many ways to make money, he has not yet thought of one suitable for the current situation, which makes him feel somewhat troubled.

Li Xiu's face still needs to be given some consideration. Liu Laoda glared at his younger son a few times, and then helplessly said to Li Xiu: "Master, you may not know that these soybeans do not belong to my family alone, but are the result of hard work from five tenant families. Moreover, they are not meant for human consumption; they are primarily for feeding the only plow ox in the village to help it gain weight. Only in autumn, when the ox is well-fed, will it have the strength to work the following year. The other tenants trust me and have entrusted all the beans to my care. If it becomes known that my son has been stealing the beans, it would be a huge embarrassment!"