Chapter 2

Having lived two lifetimes, Li Su finally encountered a food crisis.

This was the helplessness of the poor; survival had become the biggest issue. In his previous life, Li Su had lived a wealthy and comfortable life, and he had never experienced the taste of hunger.

The taste was indeed unbearable.

Li Su considered himself a smart person, and smart people could always solve the most troublesome problems with the simplest and most effective methods.

So, Li Su decided to use a simple and effective method to solve his hunger problem.

Li Daozheng was still lying on the bed, his head facing inward and his back outward, curled up like a large shrimp, even snoring softly.

"Such a big heart..." Li Su envied his father a bit.

In theory, at this moment, his father should have been frowning and looking for rice to cook, while Li Su, a fifteen-year-old child, should have been carefree, lying in bed and snoring.

The current family atmosphere was very abnormal.

Li Su unceremoniously knocked on the empty clay jar in his hand, and the noise quickly disrupted Li Daozheng's snoring rhythm. The snoring stopped, and his breathing became heavier.

Li Su's eyes twitched; this was a bad omen that his father was about to hit him.

So, Li Su hurriedly said, "Father, we're out of food."

"Hmm?" Li Daozheng didn't get up, just turned his head to look at Li Su.

"No food in the house..." Li Su had to repeat it.

Li Daozheng hummed again, continued to lie with his head facing inward and his back outward, and mumbled, "Scaredy-cat, if there's no food, go hungry for a meal, and I'll borrow some from the Shi family tomorrow..."

Li Su: "......"

What an irresponsible father. Li Su really wanted to seek advice from his predecessor, to learn how he had survived the past fifteen years.

"Go hungry for a meal?" Li Su was not satisfied with this answer.

He struck a delicate pose, looking at his father with a cute expression, "I'm still a child..."

This time, Li Daozheng didn't even bother to turn his head. He waved his hand dismissively, a standard gesture for shooing flies, and then continued sleeping.

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After three days in the Tang Dynasty, Li Su gradually understood a principle.

If the father in a family is unreliable, the son must be reliable.

So, Li Su decided to be a reliable person.

It was already evening, and the villagers went to bed early. The village was dark and quiet, with only the occasional bark of a dog.

Tonight, going hungry was a certainty. Li Su sighed, went out in the dark, and searched around the wooden gate, finding a few straighter pieces of wood, a log as thick as his arms, two very smooth pebbles, and a small piece of sheepskin that had been stored for a long time.

He drank a ladle of water from the water jar, which slightly eased his rumbling stomach. Then, Li Su rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

The only tool at home was a chipped hatchet. Unable to afford oil lamps, he had to light a few pieces of wood in the courtyard, working by the dim, flickering firelight. The red firelight illuminated his young and innocent face, and in his bright, star-like eyes, two flames seemed to dance continuously.

......

The next morning, Li Su rubbed his sleepy eyes and got up.

He hadn't slept well, and as a growing teenager, going without a meal was very hard to endure. His stomach was empty and aching, and he had to drink cold water several times in the middle of the night to suppress the overwhelming hunger.

Li Daozheng got up even earlier than Li Su. He couldn't be found inside or outside the house, and no one knew what he was doing.

In the courtyard, Li Su's creations from the previous night were quietly displayed—some oddly carved objects whose purposes were unknown.

Tying them together with hemp rope, Li Su carried them out the door.

Li Su's family were tenant farmers, meaning they had no land and could only work for landlords, paying rent annually.

Since there were tenant farmers, there were also landlords. Li Su's landlord was surnamed Hu. It was said that his ancestors had come to Taiping Village with a group of refugees, but Hu's great-grandfather was the smartest and most restless among them. After settling in Taiping Village, he not only farmed but also sold small items like needles and iron hairpins from the city, trading them for grain when the villagers couldn't afford to buy them. He then sold the grain back to the city.

Over time, the Hu family quickly accumulated capital, and their business grew. It was said they had opened three shops in Chang'an. During a period of natural disasters, the Hu family bought nearly half of Taiping Village's land, turning many villagers, including Li Su's family, into their tenants.

Li Su's destination after leaving home was the Hu family.

Feeling a bit nervous, Li Su's mind kept conjuring up images of Ge You wearing a melon-shaped hat, saying sarcastically, "Even the landlord has no extra grain..."

If the landlord Hu looked like that, Li Su decided to give him the middle finger, knowing he wouldn't understand what it meant.

The Hu family's residence was not far from Li Su's home, about two miles away. Although they were a wealthy family in the village, the Hu residence was only slightly more impressive than ordinary tenant farmers' homes. Two stone lions stood at the gate, but they were poorly carved, small, and timid, crouching on either side of the gate, less imposing than the village dogs.

Li Su felt somewhat relieved. The fact that the stone lions were so timid showed that the Hu family was close to the people and approachable. They certainly didn't have a cold and aloof demeanor, and the prospect of getting grain finally seemed a bit brighter.

Tenant farmers were not allowed to use the main gate, a rule set by the class system. Only the county magistrate had the right to use the main gate.

Li Su obediently bypassed the main gate and went to a small side door on the west side of the Hu residence. A middle-aged man in rough linen clothes was slowly sweeping the fallen leaves. Li Su squinted and recognized him as the Hu family's steward, so he hurriedly greeted him.

The steward looked at him, "The Li family's boy, what brings you here?"

"To find the outhouse..."

"What?" The steward was incredulous.

"To find the outhouse."

The broom swept toward Li Su's head with a whoosh. Li Su's eyes twitched, and he quickly dodged.

"Scaredy-cat, no manners, coming to an old man's place to find the outhouse. Go home and let your father beat you to death," the steward scolded, pointing at Li Su.

"I have a reason, I have a reason!" Li Su hurriedly said, "Steward, please calm down, I really have a reason."

"Speak, what is it? If you can't explain, I'll discipline you in your father's place," the steward said angrily.

Li Su wasn't upset. Over the past few days, he had found that although the men of Guanzhong had bad tempers, their fiery words still conveyed a sense of warmth and straightforwardness. Li Su enjoyed dealing with such people; it wasn't tiring.

"To improve your outhouse, so that using it will be a pleasure..." Li Su started advertising.

The steward was stunned, "What kind of pleasure?"

......

Explaining a thousand times was not as effective as showing him. The steward had no choice but to lead Li Su to the outhouse and then frowned, staring at him with a stern look.

Li Su ignored him and laid out his creations from the previous night.

The log had been hollowed out in the middle and placed over the pit. Behind it was a wooden water tank, connected to the log by a sheepskin tube. A small round stone blocked the water outlet in the tank, and a hemp rope was tied to it, extending outside the tank and connected to a simple wooden handle.

The tank was filled with water. Under the steward's surprised gaze, Li Su gently pulled the handle, and the round stone blocking the outlet loosened, allowing water to rush out and flush the wooden toilet.

A simple version of a flushing toilet from the Tang Dynasty was born in Li Su's hands.

"What... what is this?" The steward was increasingly astonished, unable to resist sticking his head into the log. It was a heart-wrenching action, and Li Su would never have the courage to stick his head in there.

"Steward, as the saying goes, 'eating, drinking, defecating, and urinating.' This device takes care of the 'defecating' and 'urinating' for your household," Li Su explained softly.

"Defecating and urinating?" The steward finally realized how inappropriate it was to stick his head in there and quickly pulled it out.

"Yes, Steward, you just sit on it, and after you're done, pull the handle next to you..." Li Su demonstrated, and after a while, the steward finally understood the purpose and method of the flushing toilet. His unfriendly expression gradually turned to a smile.

"Scaredy-cat, you're quite clever," the steward tapped Li Su on the head and praised him, looking at the new flushing toilet with interest, seemingly tempted to use it right away.

"Thank you, Steward. Your comfort is my happiness..."

The steward laughed, "Good boy, you used to be so clumsy, making people want to beat you. Now you look more acceptable. Tell me, why did you come to my house with all this?"

Li Su scratched his head and smiled shyly.

The steward pointed at him and laughed, "After finishing your business, you're shy. I'll say it for you. You're out of food, right? This year, due to natural disasters, tenant farmers haven't harvested much grain. It's about time for you to come. The landlord has already prepared grain for you. You can pay it back next year when the harvest is better, or you can work on the western ditch of the estate to pay it off. You and your father count as one and a half laborers. We can't let the villagers starve, or the officials will hold us accountable."

"Ah?" Li Su was stunned.

This wasn't right!

Where was the sharp contradiction between the ruthless landlords and the oppressed peasants? How did it become so warm and friendly in the Tang Dynasty, almost like family?

"What are you 'ah'ing? Go to the front courtyard and take three sheng of millet, then get lost," the steward waved his hand.

Li Su suddenly realized that the flushing toilet was unnecessary. Reality was so disappointing. He had planned to use this invention to get food, but it turned out that the landlord had already prepared the grain.

Feeling a bit moved, Li Su thought he should get to know the Tang Dynasty and the reign of Emperor Taizong better. Perhaps the prosperity of the era wasn't just about national strength and military might, but more importantly, about the hearts of the people.

"Thank you, Steward. Since that's the case, I'll take the toilet home..." Li Su, being a bit ungrateful, bent down to pick up the toilet.

He received another tap on the head, and the steward's unfriendly voice came from above, "Leave it here. You can't take back something you've given. No manners! Take the grain and get lost!"

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PS: Please add this book to your collection and give it some recommendations! These two things are very important to me. I beg you to add this book to your shelf and give it some recommendations.

Let's talk about updates. Since the book just started, the editor hasn't arranged any recommendations yet. For now, I'll update once a day. Once it gets recommended, I'll update twice a day. Also, I've been resting for four months and haven't adapted to the busy life yet, so please give me a few days to adjust.