Chapter 3, utterly useless

Although the winter in Chang'an is not as damp and cold as that in Jiangnan, being dry and cold, it is still too chilly at night to only have a thin blanket over a straw mat. It is necessary to heat the kang.

Zhang Chao sat there feeling somewhat dejected, not expecting that as a distinguished time traveler, he would be unable to even start a fire properly

Moreover, the noodles must be handmade, requiring one to knead the dough, roll it out, and cut it oneself

It is unwise to recklessly bring these things out when one is still completely unaware of this era. With this thought in mind, Zhang Chao put everything back into his bag, including the watch that was in his pocket.

The old man's skills are quite good, and with a bit of effort, the white flour was finally rolled into a thin dough, which was then cut into strips using a kitchen knife

Zhang Chao intended to help make breakfast, but after surveying the room for quite some time, he could not find where the household grain was located

Carrying an empty grain bag, Zhang Chao helplessly shouted to his father outside the door. He never expected that upon his arrival, he would not only have to endure the cold but also suffer from hunger

A veteran who has fought for decades, as he reaches old age, is left with nothing but the scars on his body and this set of armor and weapons accompanying him, bearing witness to his life.

In the end, it was once again the old man who took action, picking up the fire tongs to poke at the fire a few times, then blowing on it a few times, and the flames roared back to life.

For a person from the north, the heated kang is certainly not unfamiliar. Perhaps those born in the 1990s and 2000s in urban areas may no longer be aware of this, but Zhang Chao is very clear about it. Building a heated kang is not difficult, and it does not consume too much firewood to heat it.

Zhang Chao opened it and discovered that there was a grain bag inside, but when he lifted the bag, it was empty

After a while, he walked to the bedside, where his bag was placed

lighter

In this era, there are no mechanisms for noodles; ordinary people actually eat very little flour, let alone noodles. Eating white flour is a rare luxury.

The old man did not move, a backpack on his shoulders

Beside the bed, there is a wooden rack, on which hangs an old man's armor, a polished bright armor that shines brilliantly. The two heart-protecting copper mirrors on the chest of the armor are so shiny that they can be used as mirrors. The old man's iron spear, broadsword, and bow and arrows are placed beside it

Father has not yet returned, and the idle Zhang Chao began to examine the bed in the house. It was a simple wooden bed, lacking proper bedding, and having not been occupied for a long time, it carried a damp, moldy smell.

In the first year of the Wude era, my father abandoned Wang Shichong and joined the Tang dynasty. In the second year of Wude, Sui's Prince of Qin, Li Shimin, launched a campaign against Liu Wuzhou in Hedong. From the third year to the fourth year of Wude, he fought continuously in Henan against Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande, with only brief periods of truce each year to return home. Especially this year, the fighting began in February and has continued until now in October

I am somewhat speechless about how much I have exceeded my limits. I truly had not realized that my bag contained so many items.

In fact, although Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande were both defeated, either through surrender or execution, Dou Jiande's former subordinate Liu Heita has once again caused unrest in Hebei, and by now, has already restored a large part of Dou Jiande's former territories.

Do you know how to start a fire? the old man asked with a smile

Zhang Chao then discovered that there was a jar next to the dark cupboard, which one might mistakenly think was a pickled vegetable jar if not paying attention

When the fire first starts to burn, take it slow and do not add too much firewood

An ordinary small mirror could be considered a treasure in the Tang Dynasty

After taking a stroll outside, Zhang Chao discovered that his father was indeed very poor

Understood. Zhang Chao sat down in front of the kang to start the fire, but once he sat down, he realized he did not know where to begin.

There is no need for the stove to be connected to the kang; it is sufficient to leave an opening for the stove under the kang. The chimney is a bit troublesome, as it must be constructed outside the house and should be at least 4 meters high

Upon opening the bag, there is a laptop, a tablet, a camera, as well as a charger, a power bank, a mobile phone, keys, a wallet, headphones, cigarettes, a lighter, a bottle of perfume, a pack of tissues, chewing gum, glasses, a data cable, a USB flash drive, a notebook, several pens, and a few magazines and books

Ke Wu's family took half a bag of millet and also weighed two jin of white flour, we did not eat it this morning

If I take out one or two of these items to Chang'an, I estimate I could exchange them for some money? Zhang Chao thought to himself, not to mention anything else, just that simple mirror; the people of the Tang Dynasty must have never seen such a high-end and sophisticated item before

Is there even a single grain of food in the jar

Although my father divided thirty acres of land, he has been continuously fighting outside and has no time to cultivate it. The land is rented out to others for farming. However, this is the beginning of a new nation after great chaos, and each household in Zhangjiagou has at least twenty to thirty acres of land. In the absence of oxen and horses, they cannot even take care of their own fields. Moreover, this year has also been dry, so even though Zhangjiagou is located on the Ba River in the Guanzhong Plain, the yield from the fields is not high.

The old man hummed a tune as he returned with half a pocket of grain

Thinking of this, Zhang Chao truly felt grateful to his father and had made up his mind to settle down here

Dad, where is the food at home? I am here to cook

The weather is very cold, and the air is very good

Without a down jacket and thermal underwear, the patched burlap jacket could not shield Zhang Chao from the biting cold wind of winter. He shivered and tightened the collar a bit more.

"Wait for me, I will go get some grain and be back soon," said the old man as he walked away carrying a bag of flour

There is only one very dilapidated cellar, and it is just a single room, dark and gloomy. The bed is dark and shabby, and there is a worn-out low table. The cellar, less than thirty square meters, serves as both a bedroom and a kitchen, and also functions as a living room.

Zhang Chao hurriedly grabbed a straw and added it to the stove, but after just a few moments, a cloud of smoke billowed out, and then the fire unexpectedly went out. Zhang Chao puffed his cheeks and blew hard into the stove, but the smoke made him tear up, yet the fire refused to ignite.

It seems that not only do we need to build a heated bed, but this stove also needs to be renovated

There is also a thermos cup

The old man stopped his long axe and said, "Are you hungry? If you're hungry, then cook something to eat. The grain is in the jar next to the cupboard."

Zhangjiagou is shrouded in white snow, and the trees in the village are bare, adorned with icicles

There is also a pair of shoes and a set of change of clothes

A common man is innocent, but possessing a precious gem is a crime

Zhang Chao stood in the room, somewhat lost in thought

In front of the stove, there is still a pile of split wood and a bundle of wheat straw

In the innermost part of the cave, there was a simple wooden bed, with only a thin blanket on it, and the mattress was made of straw, particularly the pillow which was just a cut piece of round wood

At this moment, he finally had the time to carefully examine the stove. Zhang Chao discovered that this stove was indeed inadequate. The stoves his family had used in the past were all better than this one. Later, as he grew up, he also promoted a type of fuel-efficient stove that burned better, consumed less fuel, and was more efficient.

"Where is the flint?" The old man kept his eyes focused here, timely guiding him through the confusion.

Zhang Chao discovered that he had brought quite a lot of items with him

The fire has finally ignited

Upon entering the cave, there is a clay stove, which is also dark and grimy. Above it sits an iron pot, and beside it stands a similarly dark and grimy wooden cabinet, which appears to be a bowl cabinet missing one leg

Take out the phone from your pocket, and shake it a bit in a somewhat reluctant manner, yet there is still not a trace of signal

He said to himself, this cannot be blamed on me, it is truly this stove that is inadequate. I have also used a stove when I was young, but it was much easier to use than this one. This stove is indeed difficult to operate

The firewood might be a bit damp, let me handle it. The old man could no longer bear to watch, so he walked over and took the fire poker. With a few swift motions, sparks flew onto the firewood, and a flame ignited. The old man then began to puff his cheeks and blow on the fire to help it burn, and the flame grew larger and larger.

The production of adobe bricks is also quite time-consuming and labor-intensive

Not to mention exchanging for ten or eight thousand pieces of gold and silver, exchanging for ten or eight thousand pounds of grain should be acceptable, right? Zhang Chao couldn't help but fantasize a little in his heart. However, he quickly suppressed his excitement, realizing that with his current appearance, if he rashly took such a rare item to trade in Chang'an, it would be akin to a child parading around the market with a piece of gold.

A small mirror bought for just a few dozen yuan might very well become a rare and exquisite glass treasure when taken to Chang'an

I have a handful of wheat stalks in my hand, but what should I use to light them?

"What is it? I will go to Ke Wu's house to pick up some things in a while, and this afternoon I will go to the military office to collect some items." The old man appeared quite calm. He set down the axe, dusted off his hands, and walked into the house

Zhang Chao is very grateful to his father, who, despite his own hardships, kindly brought him back and even wants to take him as his son. If he had encountered someone else, they probably would not have been so kind. Perhaps he would even have to think about how to explain his origins.

Even a pair of glasses is very special

Father, where is the grain!

Zhang Chao dismissed that thought, continuing to look at the items in the bag, each of which was out of place in this era

He himself has a lighter, a metal one, which is both practical and aesthetically pleasing. But what should the common people of the Tang Dynasty use to start a fire

With a wry smile, Zhang Chao turned off his phone and placed it into his bag. After closing the zipper and fastening the combination lock, he shoved the bag under the bed. Aside from under the bed, he had no other place to hide it for the time being. Fortunately, his father had never touched his bag and likely would not rummage through it in the future

The cave is not large, but there is enough space inside to set up a heated kang.

The old man is still chopping wood at the door, winter has arrived, and it is necessary to prepare more firewood to keep it dry

Building a heated bed does not require much money; one can use yellow clay to make adobe bricks, which can be used after drying. With these bricks, he can build the bed himself. Constructing the bed and the chimney is not difficult; once the bed is built, he can simply weave a mat for it.

Zhang Chao was somewhat unclear about what "bu tuo" was, but seeing his father start to knead the dough, he guessed it was probably a type of noodle dish. People from Shaanxi love noodle dishes; even during the Tang Dynasty, the staple was still noodles.

Zhang Chao walked on the road back to the village, his casual shoes crunching on the unmelted snow, leaving a trail of footprints in the snow

Upon seeing these two stones, Zhang Chao immediately knew how to use them. However, when he began to strike them, he found that the reality was not so simple. After striking them a dozen times, sparks occasionally flew, but he just could not ignite a fire.

He, coming from a later generation, never imagined that one day he would worry about the issue of food, nor did he expect that he would truly find himself in a situation of borrowing grain to survive

Father, this stove is not very easy to use. I know there is a type of stove that is more fuel-efficient and easier to operate. How about we change the stove at home?

razor, Swiss Army knife, umbrella, mirror, throat lozenges, as well as a compass and a pair of binoculars

Finally, I found a box of condoms

The only valuable item in this household is Old Zhang's equipment

What is it

Including the outfit and shoes currently worn, as well as the watch on the wrist and the phone in the pocket

Zhang Chao reached into a small hole in the wall and pulled out two stones

Firestone, this is the material that the common people use to ignite fire

To be honest, Zhang Chao never expected that Old Zhang would be so poor. After all, he is a dignified officer, yet he appears to be in such a destitute state.

a pack of chocolate

Zhang Chao had a kang at home since he was a child, and he had seen the construction of a kang many times, making him quite familiar with it. He didn't even need to draw anything; a structural diagram immediately formed in his mind.