Chapter 5

Naturally, Li Longye was scolded by his third brother, who was the emperor, for trying to snatch the young man's things.

He was even hinted to not visit Li Yi's estate casually to avoid revealing his identity.

It was rare to find a young man he liked, so he needed to secretly observe him.

That night, Li Chengqi ordered people to clear a space in the Song王府 (Song Wang Fu) to start the soybean oil pressing.

By dawn, the soybean oil was produced.

However, the quality wasn't very good, not as clear as the jar Li Chengqi had brought back, and it had a strong bean smell.

Li Chengqi comforted them kindly and did not punish them.

But he instructed them to carefully study and quickly reach the same level as the jar of soybean oil.

That day, he didn't go to Li Yi's estate but asked someone to help contact buyers for the mulberry trees on Li Yi's estate.

He also asked if anyone had grapevines that produced few fruits and were not sweet, to be sold or given to him at a low price.

Li Chengqi wanted to see what would happen to the grapevines that produced few and not sweet grapes when they were in Li Yi's hands.

Because this wasn't just Li Yi's issue.

Many grape growers faced the same problem.

Why do my grapes have so few bunches? They are ripe, but why are mine still a bit sour?

Li Chengqi knew that Li Yi bought cheap grapevines, which sometimes no one wanted even if given away for free.

But he didn't believe Li Yi would dig up the mulberry trees and replace them with poor grapevines just for nothing.

Looking at the wheat on the estate, it was better than others.

The cattle, pigs, and chickens were also raised better than others.

Others were reluctant to light oil lamps at night, but Li Yi provided bright lamps for studying without charging.

"I can't, I need to find an estate, but it can't be a royal estate."

Li Chengqi suddenly remembered a big issue and felt relieved.

He was relieved that Li Yi didn't like to ask many questions and never inquired about others' family matters or business situations.

Li Yi gave the impression of being gentle and refined, listening to whatever was said.

But it couldn't always be like this; he needed an estate without royal background.

So that day, Li Chengqi was busy arranging an estate.

It had to be larger than Li Yi's estate while ensuring that the secret wouldn't be leaked.

***

Li Yi was also very busy today, preparing for tomorrow's poetry gathering.

The students had already sent representatives to invite others to come and play.

Direct invitations wouldn't work; they had to say there would be grilled meat, specifically beef.

This way, others would be willing to come and play.

Li Yi bought wine, but not the good kind, as it was too expensive.

He was too busy to distill it himself.

Someone bought the mulberry trees, and he gave them lime, instructing them to spray the lime water before placing the mulberry trees.

The grapevines also arrived, and the manager, Song De, reported to Li Yi, saying he didn't know why so many people wanted to sell him grapevines at a low price.

How low?

Others dug up the grapevines and delivered them, and the labor cost was the selling price.

It was like spending the cost of hiring labor to move the grapevines back.

Li Yi praised the manager's ability and promised to give him a bonus and a red envelope in the fall.

Then he led ten tenant families to see the rice seedlings grown on the twenty acres of land.

According to records, there was a small area in the Tang Dynasty where rice was grown.

Li Yi also wanted to grow rice, not wheat.

Now, he was using the empty land to grow seedlings, and after the wheat harvest, he would quickly transplant the rice seedlings.

Xi'an is in the north, so rice can only have one growing cycle per year.

Where is the best rice? Of course, it's from the northern part of the Hebei region.

Unfortunately, people there now grow sorghum and wheat, and the arable land is very limited.

There is no fragrant flower without a blue flower in Nanniwan.

So most of the rice comes from the south, transported via the canals and land routes of the previous dynasty.

Li Yi had tasted that rice, and it wasn't good, with a short growing cycle and no texture.

"After the wheat harvest, you will be very tired, and the water will be cold. I will give you wine to drink with every meal."

Li Yi looked at the rice seedlings and said to the ten tenant families.

Twenty people watched, silent, but their gazes were firm.

They knew how cold the water would be in the fields after the wheat harvest.

But they didn't care; for their children, they could even freeze to death in the water.

Moreover, the landlord gave them wine to drink, which would reduce the harm of being in the water.

Li Yi looked around, and it was good; all the rice seedlings were growing well.

At noon, Li Yi called the manager, Song De, to sit beside him.

"Manager Song, buy oilcloth this afternoon," Li Yi instructed.

Song De nodded first, then asked, "What for, landlord?"

"After the wheat harvest, we will flood the fields and plant rice seedlings. The oilcloth will be used to make boots and pants to prevent water immersion," Li Yi explained.

"Ah? Boots and pants? Made from oilcloth?" Song De was surprised.

"Spring water is cold, and it can harm you in the long run without protection," Li Yi explained the situation.

"Landlord, it's not worth it. A bolt of oilcloth costs three times as much as silk. It's just going into the water, why..." Song De understood and quickly advised.

"If your feet are injured and infected, can you still go into the water? Oilcloth costs three times as much as silk, but it's worth more than a life. Go buy it," Li Yi interrupted Song De and insisted.

"Landlord." Manager Song De stood up and bowed deeply.

"Landlord." The tenants who were eating with him knelt on the ground.

"Everyone, please stand up." Li Yi clasped his hands and said, "In terms of making money, you are not good at it; in terms of labor, I am not good at it. The estate's affairs are mostly labor, so I will entrust them to you all from now on."

"Brother Donglai, what a pleasant place indeed."

"Brother Shusheng, it's been a while. I didn't expect to meet you today."

"Sixteenth Brother, still as elegant as ever. Can you write new poetry?"

"One duck is not warm, two ducks share the cold. On the 15th day of the intercalary second month, Feng Cai's poem about the sympathy of two ducks is unforgettable."

The sky brightened again.

Early in the morning, the classmates of the forty-two students came one after another.

They greeted each other and exchanged pleasantries.

Li Yi watched from the side, and he could accept most of it.

But the poem about the ducks...

Actually, he didn't want to appear, but as the landlord, he had to greet everyone first before he could disappear.

The forty-two students seemed to have good relationships, as they managed to gather over three hundred people to play.

Li Yi greeted everyone and then stepped back, giving the students space.

The children on the estate were responsible for serving tea and water, mainly to listen to how the students interacted.

They could also be students in the future, so they should learn first.

Seventeen children put on new clothes, and the silk used to buy soy sauce was good.

It was new silk, suitable for making clothes.

Unlike many silks that just sit there, deteriorating and used as currency.

Some even had soil added for weight, but were short in length.

The one hundred bolts of silk used to buy soy sauce were new.

Li Yi found it good and asked about it. One bolt of silk was enough to make a set of clothes for each child.

He took out one bolt, and the children's families made the clothes overnight, using the biogas lamp to protect their eyes.

Moreover, the needles were good, and they had copper thimbles to wear.

The main thing was that they used an assembly line, with each person responsible for one part, and the seventeen children's clothes were quickly made.

Among the seventeen children, five were girls, and they looked much cuter in the scholar's robes than the boys.

Four male servants on the estate were responsible for grilling skewers, which had been grilled once before.

Now the skewers were cooked, just needing to be heated and seasoned.

However, no seasoning was added.

Each student had a small dish in front of them with seasoning, to dip the skewers themselves.

The seasoning was too expensive.

Whether it was salt, cumin, or chili oil, none of it could be thrown into the fire.

Today, besides beef skewers, there were also lamb skewers.

One piece of fat and one piece of lean meat were alternated on the bamboo skewers.

But the pieces of meat were not large, and they were marinated in advance.

Of course, the most important thing was that each person had an extra dish for soy sauce.

To be honest, Li Yi couldn't accept the idea of dipping grilled skewers in soy sauce.

But the students found it novel and interesting, and someone even wrote an impromptu poem to praise it.

The poem read: "Outside Chang'an, on the branches of spring, the students sigh with green sorrow. Searching the eastern shore of the Ba River, the only flavor of grilled beef and mutton is soy sauce."

Li Yi quickly had the manager send a skewer of grilled garlic to the person and asked him to write it down as a writing fee.

To be honest, he could write a poem a hundred times better.

But it wouldn't do any good; it had to be written by a talented person to spread.

He was now thinking about writing a preface for this 'good' poem.

For example: "On a certain day in a certain month, at Li Family Estate on the eastern shore of the Ba River in Chang'an, we gathered to taste grilled meat, seasoned with soy sauce, and found it delicious, so I wrote a poem."

The other talented people saw this and realized there was an extra benefit, especially that garlic could be grilled and eaten.

This couldn't be just about a skewer of garlic.

Who was better than whom?

Write, praise the soy sauce.

Li Yi was very satisfied and had the manager send various grilled skewers, and he also started grilling.

Because the person who could bring dead cows had arrived, and this couldn't be left to the male servants.

Li Chengqi came, along with his third brother, Li Longji.

Li Longji was really curious about the magical young man on the estate by the Ba River near Chang'an.

To be honest, the beef with soy sauce was gone.

There wasn't much to begin with, and Li Chengqi could have eaten it for several days.

Everyone shared it, especially when eating soup noodles, using a lot of it, and drinking a lot of water afterward.

No amount of soy sauce was enough for that.

Li Longji finished his share the day before, as the empress took it to share with the palace.

Empress Wang managed the palace like a happy family.

When there was nothing to do, she even played shuttlecock with the eunuchs and palace maids.

When there was something good, she shared it.

So when she was assassinated in history, the entire palace became cold.

Of course, she was still alive now.

So Li Longji came with several purposes.

After a bit of argument, they became friendly.

Li Chengqi and Li Longji called Li Yi "Yi Brother."

Li Yi called Li Chengqi "Big Brother Li" and Li Longji "Third Brother Li."

In Li Yi's view, Third Brother Li had more say at home.

Because Third Brother Li brought ten cucumbers, saying he had connections in the palace and got them from the warm garden.

Cucumbers were not available in this season, only provided by the warm garden next to the hot spring.

Li Yi didn't want to eat them, as the hot spring water contained many substances, and who knew if any element was excessive.

But the cucumbers were brought, and he couldn't refuse them.

So he cut the cucumbers into strips, made garlic paste, and mixed it with chili oil, then served it.

Nineteen children each got a strip, and the rest were on the table of the three.

The seventeen children didn't eat them directly but kept them.

The two who couldn't eat solid food yet held a little in their mouths, kicking their legs to show happiness.

Li Longji watched Li Yi distribute the cucumbers to the children, not missing a single one.

He instantly raised Li Yi's status in his heart.

He saw that the young man Li Yi didn't care much about the precious cucumbers of early spring.

Eating them was fine, not eating them was also fine.