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Chapter 89 The Manor Is Difficult To Take On, The Masterminds’ Indication
"Why didn’t you fall to your death at the bottom of the mountain? If you fall to death, then I will be relieved. Other families’ children know that they shouldn’t go to that place. You think you’re the capable one and you can lead the cow over there? You broke your arm, didn’t you? You deserve it. Why didn't you break your neck, that way, your mother and I don’t have to worry about you anymore."
The father yelled at the child while the child had his arm raised so that it could be treated by the doctor sent from the Master’s household. The child seemed to be frightened; he remained motionless with his eyes wide open and he didn’t cry like how other children would. When the doctor aligned his bones, he just scrunched his eyebrows. There were still streaks after streaks of scratches on the left side of his little face.
"Zhang Qing, what are you doing? Your child fell, but you’re not even comforting him and instead, you keep scolding him?"
Father Zhang really couldn't stand it anymore, and reprimanded him with a sunken expression.
On normal days, Father Zhang didn’t deal with things like this. However, he came up here personally and was also acting this strict, so this scared everyone around him. Zhang Qing was even more frightened as he wondered, why did the master come today?
"Master, I’m not scolding him. This was because he was too daring. Other families’ children walked to other places when they herd cows, but this brat had a great idea to go to the place that was eroded away by the water. That place is two zhang1  high. The cows that fell had died. He’s only lucky that he only broke an arm.
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If I don’t discipline him properly, he would still have the guts to go to that place later on. Master, don’t worry, he’s my child so I will take good care of him. Just now the people from the master’s household came and asked my wife to cook bone soup. According to the master household’s recipe, we need... we need to cook bones. "
Zhang Qing was afraid of the Master. He was explaining to him and when he began to talk about the bone soup recipe, he noticed that there were two unfamiliar people standing beside the Master, so he immediately changed his words. He didn’t talk about the two remaining ingredients, which were fish liver and seaweed.
The surrounding people did not correct him since everyone was thinking about the same thing. Why should they let outsiders know what the Master told them?
Father Zhang saw the questioning looks of Zhou Xi’hu and his uncle, and said, "In fact, if you cook bones directly like that, there are not a lot of nutrients that can be used by the body. If you add some particular ingredients, you can absorb more nutrients. The residents are a bit stingy and don’t want to tell others, but it’s okay to talk about it. Some fish liver and seaweed can be added; not only will there be more nutrients coming out of the bones, but it can also prevent goiters."
"Oh? Is there such a thing?" Zhou Kong didn't expect that there were that many details involved in drinking bone soup. The people on Zhang Manor were really hateful; they had such a good recipe, but they didn’t share it.
"Of course, these ingredients were also added to the stir-fried noodles that were given to Little Hu. The taste becomes more savory, more delicious to eat, and it’s good for the body." Father Zhang continued.
"So that was the case, no wonder when I came back this time, my eldest brother and sister-in-law are healthier than before. Yong’cheng, your Manor keeps secrets hidden too well. Hmm, it’s good like this too though. I am even envious of you right now." Zhou Kong understood immediately after hearing this. These two items cannot be belittled since their usages were really great.
"The cow died?" Father Zhang asked Zhou Kong with an expression that implied ‘you know what was going on’ and then asked Zhang Qing.
"It died, it died right after it fell." Zhang Qing nodded and replied.
"If it’s dead, then drag it to the master house. Where's the housekeeper?" Father Zhang glanced at the surrounding crowd.
"Master, I’m right here. I will send someone to report to the government office. According to the new rules of the master's household, Zhang Qing's child is not fifteen years old yet and is considered a minor. This time he broke his arm, and the master's family will take out twenty catties of bones and other things, and periodically give it out to help the child recover. The entire cost of medicine will be covered by the Master household."
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Housekeeper Zhang also came, and he stepped out from the crowd and spoke to Father Zhang.
Father Zhang nodded, and then glanced at the little child, "Hmm, bring the two catties of stir-fried noodles that we have at home and let the child eat it so that he can get better soon."
"I understand, Master." The Housekeeper agreed and informed him that he had made a mental note of it.
"Brother Yong’cheng, are you taking responsibility for all of these losses yourself?" Zhou Kong was confused, why did the master take care of the cattle that fell to its death because of the resident? They also covered the cost of medicine, and the bones and other things there were given. The resident caused the fall, but was still in the right?
After the matters were arranged properly and after knowing that the child was fine, Father  Zhang was finally able to set down his suspended heart. He spoke with a smile to Zhou Kong,  "He’s such a small child, so he doesn’t understand a lot. He’s only a few years old. It must be that he noticed that not a lot of people brought their cows to that area so the grass there was better, and thus he herded his cows over there.
The only complaint that could be made was that the Master household did not level out the place earlier, and knock the place that was washed out by the water into a gentle slope. If that was done, how would the child break his arm? On normal days, we didn’t dare to kill a cow, and now it was perfect, there is beef to eat. Brother Miao’ran may not know, but Xiao’bao and Juan’juan like eating beef the most.
Especially the tendon. A special technique is used to cook it. When it’s chewed in the mouth, the texture is not hard at all; it is soft and fragrant. The cowhide can be peeled off and in the winter, it can be made into two jackets for them to wear. Let’s go back. The affairs here are settled already. "
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Father Zhang’s nonchalant appearance when he talked at the time made Zhou Kong feel deeply touched. It was no wonder that the Seedling Protection Team they made had that attitude when they encountered him. The Master Household took care of everything for them, and the only thing the residents needed to do was to obey the master's instructions. He didn't expect that the Manor had these kinds of rules.
It would be really hard to use this place against the Master household. If you want to bribe a resident, then it’s no different from a dream. From the occurrence of the accident to the time of treatment, only a quarter of an hour was needed despite the distance, and the master household assumed full responsibility. They will also be giving the child bones too. It was probably easier to transverse through rivers, than to pass through the Zhang Manor.
With the matter resolved, the surrounding crowd of residents began to disperse. A few people came over to comfort Zhang Qing, but Zhang Qing didn’t say any words of gratitude. Only until everyone left, did he go hug his son and said distressingly,
"Don’t wander off to random places in the future. I heard that this year there will be a school. I will send you there when the time comes and you must study hard. When you are older, you must help the master household. Don’t do things that wrong the Master household. Otherwise, if I learn of it, I will strangle you to death and I’ll just pretend I never had a son."
"Father, I understand, but it's a pity that the cow died. Dad, when the bones are delivered, let my mother eat it. My mother might be giving me a younger brother or younger sister soon; let them grow stronger."
The little child touched the plastered area on his arm, and told his father that this was the first time he used this thing. He also mentioned that it was made by the Master, and that it was better to use this than just bearing with it.
Zhang Qing held his son in his arms. "Don't worry about your brother or sister. When they are born, the master will give us gifts. You must take care of yourself. When you are in school, don't bother coming home anymore if you can't do well in school."
"Father, I know, I will study hard. When I’m done with learning, I will help the master's family do great things. If I can become an official, then that would be even better. That way,  who would dare find faults in the Master household?" The little child spoke with a serious face.
*
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After Father Zhang brought Zhou Kong to have a look, they went back to the yard. From the looks of it, it seemed like he was getting ready to send Zhou Kong and the other two off. Zhou Kong panicked since he was about to ask about some things. If he left just like that, it would be hard to find another opportunity to talk in the future.
Thus, he said to Father Zhang, "Brother Yong'cheng, when the time for the imperial examination comes, you can rest assured, I will find a person from the higher ups for you. I wonder who Brother Yong’cheng thinks is appropriate?"
"I don't know much about this, so I ask that Brother Miao’ran give me some advice." Father Zhang wanted to take the imperial examination, so that he could bring honor to his family. As for those kinds of things, he didn't understand a lot, so he had to ask others.
"Brother Yong’cheng must be joking, how could you not know? If Brother Yong’cheng really doesn't know, then you can ask people, and you can also help me ask who is currently the most influential person."
Zhou Kong naturally didn’t believe what Father Zhang said. In his mind, he thought, there are two masterminds in your family, how could they not tell you about this kind of trivial matter?
Father Zhang looked at Zhou Kong stunned for several counts of breaths, and then said, "Since Brother Miao’ran has asked, then I’ll try to come up with a solution."
He actually didn't know what to do since his Madam didn't tell him about this kind of thing. A frantic look appeared on his face. At this moment, Er’niu, a person who shouldn't have been here, suddenly entered the hall.
"Master, I have an important matter to report." Er’niu glanced at the three people in the hall and spoke to the master.
Regardless of how dense Father Zhang's father was, he still knew that Er’niu wouldn’t speak in front of others. He put down his tea bowl and glanced at Er’niu.
Er’niu was more clever this time; he walked to the side of the master and whispered a few words. Afterwards, he smiled at Zhou Kong and Zhou Xi’hu, and then turned and left.
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Even a while after Er’niu had left, Father Zhang was still in a daze. Only until someone came over to add tea, did he take a sip from the bowl and speak to Zhou Kong, "Brother Miao’ran, remember what happened in the previous reign. Absolutely do not associate with women; it’s best to stay away from anything related to women, even if it’s a princess. Other ministers should do the same, otherwise it’s not a good omen.”
"The person Brother Yong’cheng is talking about, could he be the one that is under one person2..." Zhou Kong was also not dense. When he heard this, he knew what Father Zhang meant after he connected the dots, and he asked quickly.
"I don't understand what Brother Miao’ran had said. Anyway, that is all I have to say. Whether you listen or not, it is none of our business."
There was no hint of acknowledgement in Father Zhang's words. This was also part of the message that Er’niu had come here to deliver.
He sounded a bit unpredictable and mysterious, but the truth was that even he himself didn’t even understand, and he just repeated the words.
When Zhou Kong heard these words, a lot of thoughts ran through his mind, and he processed the words that Father Zhang had just said. He realized that the person he was planning to rely on to rise up in ranks could not be relied on anymore, and all of this was because of the whisper from a servant on the Manor.
Others might just think they ordered their servant to deliver a brief message, but what Zhou Kong thought of was that two masterminds didn’t want to see him troubled, so they offered some help. The more he thought about this, the more frightened he felt.
What amazing people they were. He had just asked this question, and the people on the other side knew what he was asking here and furthermore, they sent someone to deliver a message in advance. It was no wonder that Magistrate Cheng wanted to seek discipleship under these two people. If there were people like them working behind the scenes as support, then a lot of worry can be saved. However, with just one sentence, he was only told who he should stay away from, but he wasn’t told who he should become close with.
This was not okay; if he didn’t ask clearly, then if something was not done well in the future, wouldn’t it be a complete waste of his efforts?
Translator's Notes
“Two zhang” 二丈
This is about 1 km.
Under one person... 一人之下....
The full line that Zhou Kong was about to say is 一人之下，万人之上, which literally means, “Under one person and above ten thousands of people.” This line refers to a person whose power is only just below the Emperor.