The campfire was lit, illuminating the cheeks of those sitting around it. The men beside Yun Ye were Tang Dynasty prefectural soldiers. They belonged to the Left Martial Guard, but they weren’t combat troops – they were auxiliary soldiers responsible for transporting grain, military equipment, and various supplies.
The leading man was named Zhang Cheng. He was a squad leader commanding fifty soldiers and several civilian laborers. Zhang Cheng had originally been a genuine farmer – cultivating during busy seasons, practicing martial arts during leisure time. The sons of Guanzhong had a prevailing custom of favoring martial prowess, so in the battle to exterminate Prince Changluo You Liang, he had beheaded two enemies, accumulating merit to be promoted to squad leader. Because of You Liang’s rebellion, public security in Longxi had suddenly deteriorated. The Qiang people, having lost their restraints, would occasionally attack grain transport teams – this was why Zhang Cheng was so vigilant toward Yun Ye.
This group were all good people – Yun Ye was very clear about this. Seeing that Yun Ye was somewhat cold, Zhang Cheng took out his own clothes for him to change into. The fourteen-year-old Yun Ye wearing Zhang Cheng’s clothes looked absurdly comical. The two women accompanying the group took the clothes, fetched needle and thread, and altered them smaller for Yun Ye.
They were going to Black Wind Pass to see their husbands. Zhang Cheng quietly told Yun Ye this, winking suggestively and saying they’d return after their bellies grew big. Having said this, he even slapped Yun Ye, saying little brats shouldn’t ask about adult matters.
Yun Ye’s face was full of grievance – did I ask about this? You forced it on me, didn’t you? The two women giggled secretly, handing Yun Ye a strip of white hemp cloth. Yun Ye looked left and right, unable to figure out what this was for.
“Loincloth – what are you staring at?” Zhang Cheng said, then pulled off Yun Ye’s tattered clothes. Amid Yun Ye’s anguished howls and everyone else’s roaring laughter, in two or three moves he wrapped the white cloth around Yun Ye’s waist. Only then did Yun Ye understand – those two stark naked fat guys wrestling on the platform were wrapped in this thing. After all this time, just this little item, and it was learned from our ancestors after all.
Wang Cai was also whinnying, obviously laughing. Yun Ye angrily slapped him. From his backpack he took out smoked mutton he had been reluctant to eat, skewered it on a tree branch, and placed it over the fire to roast. Soon grease began seeping out, sizzling.
All around came the sound of swallowing saliva. His sense of satisfaction greatly increased. He had Zhang Cheng find a wooden board, used his knife to slice the meat thinly, took the flatbread from their hands, split it in two, tucked the meat slices inside the bread – a beautiful meat sandwich was complete.
He handed it to Zhang Cheng with both hands. Zhang Cheng held the bread with both hands, took a deep sniff, his face full of rapture. Then his expression turned serious: “Eat in two shifts. After one shift finishes, the other shift eats.”
Then he handed the meat sandwich to the two women. The two women accepted the sandwich with clear conscience, lowering their heads to chew heartily.
Yun Ye smiled secretly to himself, understanding that Zhang Cheng feared the meat might be poisoned. So after preparing the second meat sandwich, he didn’t hand it to Zhang Cheng.
“Uncle Zhang, I’m starving. I’ll eat first.” Saying this, he took a big bite. This sheep had been plump to begin with – one bite and grease flowed down from the corner of his mouth. What enjoyment!
Whether Zhang Cheng’s face turned red or not was unknown – after all, it was dark and difficult to see clearly. But he reached out and slapped Yun Ye on the head. “Young but full of schemes.” Having said this, he took the knife to cut the mutton himself. Truly one who made his living by the blade.
In an instant, a sheep’s hind leg transformed under his blade into a pile of meat slices. Seeing Zhang Cheng take a big bite of the meat sandwich, Yun Ye even heard him moan with comfort. Yun Ye couldn’t help but shake his head with a bitter smile. This was a meat sandwich – if he prepared some proper dishes, Zhang Cheng would probably float with bliss.
“Eh?” After swallowing the first bite, he cried out strangely. He pulled out a slice of meat from the bread, stuck out his tongue to lick it – the sight made Yun Ye somewhat nauseous.
“Salt! You stinking brat, is this how you live? Putting in so much salt.” Saying this, he was about to hit Yun Ye. Yun Ye hugged his head and ran – that big hand striking his body was like getting hit with a paddle. Better to avoid one strike if he could.
“It’s just salt – I have plenty!” Having said this, Yun Ye took out a small cloth bag from his backpack. The bag contained four or five pounds of salt that Yun Ye had collected along the way from several rock faces. Zhang Cheng’s eyes went straight. He snatched it away immediately, carefully opening the salt bag by the fire, staring blankly at the grayish-white powder inside.
Yun Ye walked over and pushed him: “What’s so interesting about salt?”
“Stinking brat! Such good refined salt, and you dare waste and squander it like this.” Zhang Cheng completely erupted. Seeing Yun Ye hiding behind the two women, difficult to capture, he took a breath: “Stinking brat, where did you get so much salt?”
Yun Ye was somewhat confused. The two women also held Yun Ye’s hands, looking at him nervously.
“There’s a salt mine by the river. Just dig it out.”
“Bullshit! I know there’s a salt mine by the river – that’s poisonous salt, can’t be eaten. Eating that salt, you’d shit yourself to death, not to mention eating that stuff turns your whole body purple. I’m talking about the salt in your bag – it’s even better than official salt. Where did it come from?” Zhang Cheng’s eyes were already turning red as he loudly questioned Yun Ye.
Yun Ye greatly admired ancient people’s experimental spirit. Eating salt wasn’t wrong, but eating the saltpeter, phosphorus, and potassium impurities from salt mines along with it was purely seeking death. Eating saltpeter, perhaps you could hold out for a while. Eating too much phosphorus and potassium – your whole body not turning purple would be the strange thing. In later generations, Yun Ye had seen calcium supplements, seen iron supplements, but had never seen saltpeter or phosphorus-potassium supplements.
“Uncle Zhang, how can you just eat salt ore like that? It needs to be crushed, dissolved, filtered, analyzed, and only after crystallization is it salt for human consumption. It’s like how some herbs are clearly poisonous, but after certain special processing, they become non-toxic and can even cure illness. This salt is the same. Everything in this world is prepared for people. As long as you find the correct, appropriate method, all things in heaven and earth can be used by people. The mere method of salt-making is just a minor art.” Seeing Zhang Cheng’s eyes full of confusion, Yun Ye knew his words had been wasted.
“So you’re saying you know how to extract edible salt from poisonous salt?” Zhang Cheng wasn’t stupid – he could summarize, could ask the key point, and hadn’t been confused.
“Didn’t I tell you? Just a minor art.” No need to torment an honest man. Yun Ye directly gave a definite answer, trying hard to assume the demeanor of an expert.
Whether in past or present life, people who benefit others, or rather people who can bring advantages to others, most easily integrate into a group and are accepted by them. Yun Ye’s urgent task was to join the Tang Dynasty’s great family, obtain household registration, and become a brick in this great feudal imperial dynasty. After all, he had been a brick a thousand years later too – being a brick anywhere was the same, wasn’t it?
Zhang Cheng’s face was full of joy. He wanted to speak but held back, his face flushed red, anxiously rubbing his hands together. He paced back and forth in front of Yun Ye like an old donkey grinding grain. His humble status constrained his passionate desire to know the secret recipe. He couldn’t give Yun Ye any promises. This method of turning waste into treasure involved too many benefits – definitely not something a minor squad leader like himself could participate in. Yun Ye was a reclusive master’s disciple. Just revealing one corner had amazed people – if everything were revealed, what great learning it would show!
“I am merely a martial man, unworthy of knowing the secret recipe. I beg Young Master to pity our hardships. Allow me to report this matter to Captain Xiao Wei. Young Master will surely receive commendation from the court, and Young Master’s good deeds will be spread throughout the land.”
“Uncle Zhang, what does the salt you eat look like?”
Zhang Cheng carefully took out a cloth package from his bosom, unwrapping it layer by layer. A walnut-sized yellowish-brown crystal appeared before them. Yun Ye picked it up and tasted it. Besides being salty, it had various strange flavors that nearly killed him. He grabbed the water gourd and vigorously rinsed his mouth several times before the strange taste faded.
“This is salt? This is poison!” Having said this, he casually threw it away. Just as it left his hand, Zhang Cheng, who had been staring longingly at the salt block in Yun Ye’s hand, caught it back like lightning. He wrapped it in cloth and stuffed it back in his bosom. His eyes showed some sadness as he pointed miserably at the people around listening to their conversation.
“Young master, you think everyone is like you, having fine clothes and delicious food since childhood, your hands never touching spring water, doing nothing but studying, not concerned with anything else? Even now when fallen on hard times, you have methods left by your ancestors to survive, still living comfortably. Look at you, Young Master – talented, intelligent, understanding human nature and worldly matters. In a couple years when you grow up, fine clothes and delicious food will be as natural to you as growing on your body – they can’t be taken away. This is fate! We’re different. Our parents only taught us to scrape food from the soil, taught us nothing else. The salt block you casually threw away – I got it by beheading two rebels, specially rewarded by Captain Xiao Wei. Ask them, how many have seen such a large piece of salt?”
The several men sitting around the opposite side of the fire all shook their heads in unison. The two women also awkwardly lowered their heads.
“Isn’t it already the Zhenguan era? How can life still be so hard?”
“Young Master doesn’t know – the world has only just become peaceful. Without war disasters, on ordinary days wild vegetables added to grain can barely fill half a belly. In previous years, though salt was expensive, occasionally one could weigh out a few ounces. But these past few years the Turkic people raid the borders every year, burning, killing, and pillaging with every evil deed. Trade routes are cut off. Salt from Shandong can’t be transported in, and there’s no way to mine salt from the salt pools on the grasslands. My Left Martial Guard has been stationed in Longxi for three years now, fighting every year. The army lacks salt, so we use vinegar as seasoning. The soldiers’ bodies grow weaker year by year. The Great General clearly knew the Turkic people were returning to the grasslands from Yanchuan, but our soldiers were exhausted and weak, only capable of defending cities, without strength to pursue. I heard the Great General was so angry he broke his precious sword and swore he would exterminate every last Turkic person. If Young Master possesses this exceptional skill and once displays it, the army will no longer lack salt. After we rest and restore our strength, exterminating those Turkic dogs will be easy.”
Setting aside Zhang Cheng’s inflammatory language for now – crude people employ schemes in an endearing, straightforward way. The method definitely needed to be handed over, but to whom and how to hand it over – this was profound knowledge.
Zhang Cheng’s superior’s superior was called Cheng Chumo, the eldest son of the famous Demon King of Confusion Cheng Yaojin. He currently served as Commanding Officer at Lanzhou, a standard second-generation official. Open-handed and righteous by nature, though only eighteen years old, he had followed his father campaigning on battlefields for many years – the finest among dandies. Through him, presenting the salt-making method could be considered a shortcut to success. More importantly, according to legend Old Cheng lived past one hundred years – a perennial tree of the Great Tang! Never mind, better to grab onto this thick thigh first.
Yun Ye then stood up, formally and properly bowing to Zhang Cheng and everyone: “Listening to your words, sir, is better than ten years of study. Today hearing Uncle Zhang’s teaching, Yun Ye will inscribe it in my heart and dare not forget the slightest bit.”
It wasn’t that he wanted to show off his learning, but that he truly respected them. Setting aside that passage about General Cheng’s oath, the other words truly shocked him. Good heavens, so this was the Prosperous Era of Zhenguan – war disasters and hunger everywhere. Zhang Cheng and his companions’ demands were so low – as long as there was no war, as long as bellies could be filled, it was worth filling with their lives. What qualification did someone like him – who ate meat with bowl raised, cursed with bowl set down – this low-quality commoner have to act superior in front of them? Young master? What a joke!
With a “whoosh,” those men all flashed to the side in unison. Zhang Cheng waved his hands like windmills: “We lowly laborers – what could we possibly teach Young Master? Just random rambling. Young Master is a person of great ability who will surely become a general or minister in the future. Being able to associate with Young Master is already great fortune.”
It seemed scholars exerted too much pressure on them. According to historical records, in early Tang, scholars throughout the realm comprised only one or two per thousand of the population. Learning had never been something commoners and small households could aspire to. Great clans monopolized the gates of knowledge. In this generally uncivilized era, possessors of learning enjoyed elevated social status – and it was precisely these ordinary people who desired knowledge who spontaneously elevated their status. From Zhang Cheng’s forms of address for Yun Ye, one could see this clearly – boy, stinking brat, Young Gentleman Yun, Young Master – step by step, as his understanding of Yun Ye deepened, he elevated the form of address each time.
General or minister? They really dared to dream. Yun Ye secretly laughed – were there generals or ministers who couldn’t even fully recognize characters? The Zhenguan era was a time when exceptional people filled the world. A political greenhorn like himself encountering Li Er, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, or Zhangsun Wuji would be purely seeking death – being sold and still helping count the money would be inevitable. A merchant? Lower-class people who couldn’t even wear silk. In a feudal dynasty, having too much money wasn’t a blessing – it just made you a fat pig awaiting slaughter.