Chapter 3, Life is primarily about being able to have enough to eat (Part 2)
A height of approximately 1.789 meters can undoubtedly be described as strikingly handsome in this era of relatively lower average heights. The body, appearing somewhat slender due to the height, is nonetheless muscular and well-defined, exuding a quiet yet solid strength. Additionally, it is worth mentioning the facial features: thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a high nose bridge. Although lacking the delicate charm of Tang Que from later generations, it embodies the most masculine traits that align with the aesthetic preferences of the Tang dynasty. In summary, the appearance is quite impressive, ensuring one does not appear out of place when stepping out.
Although the journey was hurried, it did not hinder Tang Que's good mood. As he glanced at the mountainous scenery on both sides, he couldn't help but marvel at the high forest coverage and the excellent air quality. However, when he truly entered the city of Yunxi County, his originally good mood completely vanished.
After clarifying the family’s financial situation, Tang Que was suddenly overwhelmed by a strong sense of crisis. Setting aside the issue of money, the food supply was on the verge of running out. It was now March, and the wheat in the mountains ripened later. The family had to hold on until early July to harvest the new wheat and gather fresh grain, which meant they had at least another four months to endure
It is also worth mentioning that there are six chickens at home, all of which are laying hens. In fact, the Tang Zhang family originally raised quite a few, but over the past six months, they have all been consumed by their sick son. This is because the customs of the Tang Dynasty favored sheep in the north and fish in the south, and there was no tradition of eating pork among the people, so the family did not raise pigs.
Temporarily abandoning the thought of making a living through knowledge, Tang Que, a graduate of a prestigious university in later generations, could only settle for finding work that relied on physical labor. The result was that he once again faced a ruthless setback
... ...
Finally, I must mention the sharecropping. Not only are there taxes to be paid, but with three mouths to feed in the family, and considering that the agricultural yield at this time was far lower than in later generations, relying solely on one mu of rice paddy was simply insufficient. Therefore, the Tang family rented fifteen mu of sloped land from the largest landlord in the vicinity, Liu Lizheng.
Early the next morning, Tang Que set off on the road to the county town with forty wen in copper coins. At least while walking on the road, he was quite confident in himself. After all, he was a graduate of a prestigious university in the future, having passed the sixth level of English in his freshman year. How could he not live a good life after returning to over thirteen hundred years ago?
Typically, with little oil and water, and engaging in heavy labor, people naturally consume more grain. Based on this calculation, a family of three would need to prepare at least 400 catties of grain over the course of four months. It appears that the household's grain reserves are sufficient, but when considering the expenses for hiring laborers during the wheat harvest, there is a shortfall. However, these laborers must be hired; if one tries to save on these costs and delays the wheat harvest, a single rain could ruin the entire season's yield. Moreover, the taxes owed to the court and the rent for the land cannot be reduced. As for the flexible 600 wen, it cannot fill this gap, as it must be reserved for wages and cannot be used indiscriminately. However, these laborers must be hired; if one tries to save on these costs and delays the wheat harvest, a single rain could ruin the entire season's yield. Moreover, the taxes owed to the court and the rent for the land cannot be reduced. As for the flexible 600 wen, it cannot fill this gap, as it must be reserved for wages and cannot be used indiscriminately.
After finishing his meal, Tang Que looked at the sky and then walked towards the city gate without looking back. Since this county town was not suitable for him at the moment, he had nothing to be nostalgic about. His family experiences from a young age had taught him that when faced with unsatisfactory situations, complaining would not help; it was better to focus on doing what he needed to do first.
In such a situation, even if Tang Que wished to recite a couple of classic poems learned from later generations to impress others, it would be in vain. Who could believe that someone who cannot even write with a brush could compose good poetry? Such actions would merely serve to add another title of 'poet thief' to oneself. After all, there are many refined thieves in this era, and people have grown accustomed to it.
In the small county town, which was already not large, Tang Que, exhausted and utterly disappointed, dragged his sore legs to a roadside pancake stall. He first spent three cents to buy three pancakes, and then, while taking a break, he wolfed down the pancakes with the free noodle soup.
Currently, the house we are temporarily residing in is an old building with three rooms that has been abandoned by others for three to four years, which is also the reason why there is such a strong musty smell inside. The total value of all the possessions in the house amounts to only six hundred wen in copper coins, which is approximately equivalent to one hundred and eighty yuan in modern currency. In addition, there is one mu of paddy field and a grain storage of four shi, consisting of one shi of rice and three shi of wheat. Converted to modern measurement units, this equates to just over one hundred jin of rice and a little over three hundred jin of wheat.
Tang Que has been struck down, and it has been a series of consecutive blows
Under the influence of such confidence, Tang Que walked nearly dozens of miles along the mountain path without much rest. Of course, this was also due to the strong physique he inherited. Although he had been ill for a period of time, the solid foundation laid from participating in labor since childhood proved to be very reliable
During the more than half a month of recovering his health, when Tang Que had understood everything clearly and made his calculations and plans, he said to the farmer couple: "Father, Mother, I would like to go to the county town tomorrow." After more than ten days, although he still stuttered a bit when saying it, he ultimately managed to call out the words "Father" and "Mother".
Hurrying home, Tang Li, however, did not rush past the village entrance this time as he had in the morning. Instead, he deliberately took a few extra steps to detour and carefully observed the village school located not far from the entrance.
The small environment that Tang Que traversed to is a small mountain village located in the jurisdiction of Yunxi County, Jinzhou, in the Eastern Road of Shannan. If we convert this according to the administrative divisions of later generations, the "Road" in the Tang Dynasty is similar to the provinces of later times, while the "Zhou" corresponds to a prefecture-level city. Shannan is divided into two roads, east and west, and is named Shannan because it lies south of the Qinling Mountains. These two roads are surrounded by the foothills of the Qinling Mountains and the Daba Mountain range, with the most notable feature being the abundance of mountains. Since ancient times, there has been a saying: "In this land, there are no three parts flat, seven mountains, two waters, and one part field." Fortunately, with many mountains, there are also many waters, allowing the people to gather produce from the dense forests and rivers to supplement the insufficient grain yield.
"So, you want to work at this restaurant? Hmm, the young man looks quite promising, won't bring shame to our restaurant. Tell me, have you worked there before? Were you in the kitchen or serving? Oh, you want to be a server, then fine, start by reciting the menu for the 'Big Four Happiness' banquet in the elegant hall for me to hear... ... You can't? Then how about the 'Small Three Yuan' banquet for casual seating... ... You can't do that either! I say, young man, are you deliberately trying to cause trouble? If you can't do anything, why are you wasting time here? Oh, you want to be a server, then fine, start by reciting the menu for the 'Big Four Happiness' banquet in the elegant hall for me to hear... ... You can't? Then how about the 'Small Three Yuan' banquet for casual seating... ... You can't do that either! I say, young man, are you deliberately trying to cause trouble? If you can't do anything, why are you wasting time here? Ah Fu, stop just smiling foolishly, send him out."
From the initial state of complete weakness to a continuous high fever and coma lasting over twenty days, the original owner of this body, Tang Cheng, suffered from this illness for more than half a year. First, the money prepared by his family for his wedding was exhausted, then they sold the hillside land, followed by selling large livestock, and eventually selling the house. If the soul-seizing Tang Que does not awaken soon, the next step would be to sell people.
In addition to these large items, the household also has several quantities of husks and bran. These items not only serve as feed for poultry but, in times of famine, are also regarded by villagers as lifesaving food. There has long been a saying in rural areas that "vegetable and grain can sustain one for half a year," thus it is necessary to include them in the inventory of household assets.
Unable to use a brush pen, unable to write even the basic commonly used characters, Tang Que, who entered the job market with confidence and vigor in the eyes of others, has become a joke, a complete fool who has come to make a mess of things, and unfortunately, there is no way to refute this situation
Unable to engage in literary pursuits and lacking experience in the service industry, Tang Que, in a moment of desperation, even went to the Sihai Goods Depot. Indeed, he was capable of manual labor, but after carefully examining the working conditions and income of the laborers, Tang Que decisively abandoned the idea. He concluded that it was more worthwhile to return home and farm than to toil away here for such meager earnings.
To be more specific about the family into which he was reborn, it can be summed up in one word: poor, very poor. This was originally an ordinary farming household. Among the three children, the two older sisters had already married into families of similar status. In times of prosperity, this family could have lived a decent life, but a serious illness of the only son left the entire family destitute
The pharmacy owner shouted, but Tang Que pretended not to hear him, and the louder the owner shouted, the faster Tang Que walked away, feeling embarrassed. The amount of embarrassment he experienced today surpassed all the awkward moments he had accumulated in his past life. After traversing a span of 1,300 years, Tang Que truly understood why career guidance counselors in modern university classrooms emphasize the importance of "work experience". To put it simply, even selling vegetables requires one to first learn how to shout.
Yes, our pharmacy is in need of an assistant. Would you like to work here? Come in, let's talk. Young man, take a look; the herbal cabinet outside contains one hundred thirty-seven types of herbs that we commonly sell. How many can you recognize? You don't need to be too familiar with their properties, just knowing their temperature and which ones are incompatible will suffice... Hey, young man, I haven't finished speaking yet, don't be in such a hurry to leave.
Originally, Tang Li thought that with the education received in later generations, it would be no problem to find a writing job in this era. However, when he truly found himself in this situation, he realized that he could not use a brush to write at all, unable even to produce large characters, let alone the small, intricate script used in daily life. Moreover, even if he could write in brush script, he would not recognize all the traditional characters of the Tang Dynasty, and the simplified characters he wrote were unrecognizable to others. This scenario is akin to boiling dumplings in a teapot; although he indeed had the goods inside, there was simply no outlet to pour them out. Furthermore, even if he could write in brush script, he would not recognize all the traditional characters of the Tang Dynasty, and the simplified characters he wrote were unrecognizable to others. This scenario is akin to boiling dumplings in a teapot; although he indeed had the goods inside, there was simply no outlet to pour them out
It was only after he truly began searching for a job that Tang Que realized the superiority theory of time travelers he had imagined was utter nonsense, at least when a time traveler found themselves in a situation as lowly as his.