Chapter 10

Li Yi, now in the mood for storytelling, finally had an audience.

So he continued.

"Plantain, also known as cartwheel herb, quietly sprouts when all things revive in spring."

"It resembles a wheel and often appears in front of wheels. When its tender shoots emerge, the wheels always mercilessly roll over them."

"But this does not take away its life; it continues to grow tenaciously, its greenness never diminishing."

"Moreover, it is a delicious dish. Just pick it gently, and you will see the yellow-green parts that are so tempting."

"Boil a pot of water, and toss the crisp plantain into it to cook for a moment, then scoop it out."

"Dip it in some spicy sauce, place it lightly in your mouth, and you will feel the ancient life force and unique sensation..."

When Li Yi said this, everyone couldn't help but reach for the plantain by the side.

Then they dipped it in the sauce and put it in their mouths, feeling their souls indeed elevated.

Li Yi didn't eat; he hurriedly ate meat instead. He was still young and in the stage of growing. What was there to eat in plantain?

"Brother Yi!" Li Longji, after eating two bites of plantain, came to his senses and clasped his hands.

At this moment, he admitted his admiration. A common wild herb, found everywhere, how could it be so different when described by Li Yi?

Li Chengqi also came to his senses, looking at Li Yi in surprise. It felt quite eerie.

"Big Brother, Third Brother, eat the scallion stir-fried meat. This meat has some fat, and it's not good to eat when it's cold."

Li Yi acted as if nothing had happened and urged his two older brothers to eat.

Everyone slowly savored and ate, finishing when it was dark.

Obviously, normal people couldn't return to the city.

Li Longji and Li Chengqi also pretended they couldn't go back and stayed overnight at the manor.

Li Yi knew the intentions of his two half-brothers at a glance.

So he prepared some sheep's tendon and simmered sheep's tail in the pot, waiting to heat them up.

Then he took out the wine that cost over a thousand coins per pound, having bought a total of five pounds.

The wine, to be honest, wasn't very tasty.

This was the most expensive wine, and what people drank wasn't the taste but the brand.

It was aged for a long time and had an alcohol content between 20 to 25 degrees, classified as a 'strong' wine.

The price was fixed at a thousand coins per pound.

He also prepared some lamb skewers and dry tofu rolls with scallion and cilantro, ready to grill.

This dry tofu, also known as thousand sheets, didn't exist yet.

No one had thought to spread the soy milk used in tofu-making on a cloth and then peel it off to make dry tofu.

But he did it effortlessly, as he had plenty of silk.

Sure enough, it was seven in the evening, and everyone... hadn't rested.

Yes, everyone in the manor was still energetic.

There were biogas lamps.

Those doing handicrafts, writing for the adults, and reading, all were reluctant to sleep.

Including the four new people from the palace, once the biogas lamps were lit, they didn't want to sleep either.

Li Longji and Li Chengqi, who had rested for a while, also lit the biogas lamps in their room.

They just stared, until their eyes were full of stars.

"Indeed, it's brighter than candles," Li Longji commented.

"It's bright, and you don't need to trim the wick," Li Chengqi added.

Candles have wicks, and when the other parts burn away, the wick becomes too long and wastes wax, so it needs to be trimmed.

If using an oil lamp, you need to adjust the wick.

Now, with this, you don't need to. If you find it too bright, just turn the valve on the copper pipe to reduce the gas flow, and it will dim.

Candles can't be adjusted so easily; if not done well, they might go out.

After looking at the biogas lamps for a while, Li Longji and Li Chengqi went out again, heading to the area where the students were staying.

The wooden boards were up, but there were gaps.

Inside the rooms, it was bright, so they couldn't see outside, but from outside, they could see inside easily.

The two of them looked, and in the small rooms, the students were flipping through books.

Occasionally, they would write something on the paper beside them, probably notes.

Seeing this, Li Longji felt good. The Tang Dynasty was eager for talent.

But after looking at a few places, his mood turned sour.

Because the rooms were so bright, why were the biogas lamps so effective?

In the same-sized room, four candles wouldn't be as bright.

So Li Longji got angry and knocked on a student's door.

The student who opened the door was also quite angry. What's going on? I'm reading, and you're disturbing me.

But considering it was the landlord's powerful friend, the student forced a smile: "Brothers, haven't you slept yet?"

"I ask you, why don't you turn down the light? Wasting biogas like this, what if it runs out?" Li Longji asked directly.

The student was taken aback, then smiled: "Young Master doesn't allow it, saying dim light can harm the eyes and make it hard to see far, so the lamp should be placed to the side, reflecting light, which is better for studying."

Li Longji looked and indeed, the biogas lamp wasn't facing the student but was placed to the side.

Then the room was bright, and the student found an angle without shadows to read and write.

"Is it like this?" Li Chengqi felt his vision wasn't as clear as before.

But why was it clear last night and now blurry?

Li Longji had the same feeling, puzzled.

They had forgotten that they had been staring at the lamp, making their eyes full of stars.

Whoever stares like that will end up blurry.

"Big Brother, Third Brother, I was just looking for you two. How about we three brothers drink tonight? I've already prepared the food."

Li Yi's voice suddenly rang out at the door.

It wasn't that he was staring at anyone, but the people in the manor had agreed to take turns keeping watch.

Seeing the two of them wandering around, they went to find Li Yi and told him.

Li Yi was worried that the two brothers would disturb the students' studies, so he came to look for them.

Li Longji and Li Chengqi blushed, as if caught doing something wrong.

"Brother." The student greeted.

Li Yi walked over and looked at the paper on the table, which was written on both sides.

This kind of paper, when written on both sides, was too translucent.

He also looked at the ink stick on the inkstone and said, "Give Brother Xuanyan some ink."

"Yes, Young Master." A voice came from outside.

"Goo, goo," another bird sound was heard.

Soon, someone from the manor brought ink and paper to the student and left.

"Brother Xuanyan, your writing is excellent. After you finish your poem, please send it to me," Li Yi said to the student and led Li Longji and Li Chengqi out.

The three of them walked in silence until they returned to Li Yi's courtyard.

Li Longji asked, "Is that person out of paper and ink? I found his writing quite good."

"Yes, his writing is good, so I gave him some paper and ink as a gift," Li Yi said.

Li Yi emphasized the word "gift" to indicate it wasn't charity.

Li Longji reached out and touched Li Yi's head, sighing, "If the world had more people like Brother Yi, why would there be sorrow in the nine provinces?"

Li Yi didn't want to talk about these things; he couldn't change them now.

He lit the biogas lamp in the room, added charcoal to the grill, and set up a small stove to light the charcoal.

The simmered sheep's tail was ready, and the wine was warmed.

"Big Brother, Third Brother, do you want to know about the biogas lamp?" Li Yi asked while grilling the meat and tofu rolls.

"Brother Yi, is this thing worth it?" Li Chengqi didn't deny it but asked if ordinary families would benefit more than they would lose by using it.

"It's not worth it in the city. In the city, there's no space to build a biogas tank, and it's not worth it for ordinary families outside the city either."

"A biogas tank requires: one, a lot of manure; two, space; three, a lot of daily firewood consumption."

"Building a biogas tank is expensive, and if you can't fully utilize it, it's a waste of resources."

"Only large families and manors can use it, especially those with many livestock."

"I built a multi-functional kiln just for firing bricks, tiles, ceramics, and cement."

"The biogas tank is to test the quality of the cement and try out the biogas fertilizer."

Li Yi explained the advantages and disadvantages of the biogas tank and told his two brothers that the biogas tank was a byproduct.

The cement from the biogas tank could be used in other areas, such as road and riverbank construction, with even better results.

Li Chengqi reached out and touched Li Yi's head: "Brother Yi, you are a great talent."

Li Longji also reached out, but Li Yi dodged. "It's fine for beautiful women to touch my head, but you two, what if you make me stupid?"

Li Longji awkwardly retracted his hand, tried a tofu roll, and found it delicious.

So he asked, "Brother Yi, what is this? Can it be promoted?"

Li Yi shook his head: "It's not useful. It doesn't significantly impact life, and many people can't even afford tofu."

"Can it be offered to the palace?" Li Longji changed the topic.

"Would the emperor eat this? There should be many delicacies in the palace. Oh, the food in the palace must be tasted by others first, like the Shangshi Bureau of the Dianzhong Province, which must test the food before it is served."

Li Yi had reviewed the New Book of Tang the previous day, making his speech more refined.

His head was a bit fuzzy, but he learned a lot.

"Can it be offered to the palace?" Li Longji didn't care about the provinces and bureaus; he only cared if he could eat it in the palace.

"I'd need to find someone to make it, which is quite labor-intensive. Unlike tofu, this requires layering and peeling."

Li Yi didn't want to make it; dry tofu wouldn't extend his lifespan.

The key was the labor. If not done well, a sheet of dry tofu would be ruined and could only be used for other things, like mock chicken.

"Can you make some for us brothers every day?" Li Longji didn't give up.

"I'll teach you how to make it." Li Yi was more straightforward; it wasn't difficult to learn.

"I'll learn, Brother Yi. I'll learn. We'll split the profits from selling it fifty-fifty," Li Chengqi agreed.

The third brother is the emperor; if the emperor wants to eat it, it will be made.

Li Longji nodded: "Yes, let Big Brother make it."

"Alright, it doesn't matter about the money. Tomorrow, send someone, and I'll teach the process and a few dishes with dry tofu."

Li Yi had no interest in this; it wouldn't make much money, unlike soy sauce.

"Very well." Li Chengqi also ate a dry tofu roll, dipped in spicy sauce.

It was refreshing, especially with the flavors of scallions and cilantro mixed with the slight bean smell and texture of the dry tofu.

"Brother Yi, I'll get you a position in a prince's mansion, you..."

Li Chengqi wanted to bring Li Yi to his mansion.

Before he could finish, Li Longji glared: "Big Brother, no. Asking a prince's mansion for a position weakens our brotherhood."

"Ah? Ah! Right, no prince's mansion." Li Chengqi felt wronged.

What about brotherhood? Can't I bring him to my mansion?

Clearly, you're not agreeing, and as the older brother, I can't even get a person from you.

Li Longji felt no guilt towards his older brother.

He thought, Li Yi is truly remarkable.

He seems to come up with something new every day. What do you want him for, Big Brother?

What if one day he invents something that could usurp power? Do you still want to be emperor?

"I won't go to a prince's mansion; I want to be an official." Li Yi stated his position.

He knew that princes were now restricted by the emperor.

Working in a prince's mansion had no future.

If he didn't show his abilities, he would just live.

If he showed exceptional skills, would the emperor's spies be idle?

"Brother Yi, what about helping with the wheat harvest and threshing? Do you need help?"

Li Longji was pleased, planning to borrow some of Li Yi's people to process the wheat after the harvest, removing the husks and grinding it into flour.

"No, I have a good method. There's the Ba River next to my house. I'll build a water wheel to process the wheat, and three to five people will be enough."

Li Yi had already thought about this.

Li Longji and Li Chengqi stared. How could three to five people process eight hundred acres of wheat?

Li Longji glared at his older brother again. Do you still want to bring such a person to your Song Mansion?

Are you getting too confident, or have I lost my edge?