Chapter 93: Moving House

"Who wants to hire?" Chen Qingshan examined the edge of a flying dagger against the candlelight.

"If, hypothetically, someone wanted to hire..."

"I don't do bodyguard work."

"..." Wang Yang choked for a moment, then asked, "If you don't do bodyguard work, what do you live on?"

Chen Qingshan lowered her head, placing the wiped flying dagger into a long, connected dagger sheath: "I have money."

Wang Yang was stunned: "How much money do you have?"

Chen Qingshan immediately looked vigilant: "What are you doing?"

"I just meant... unless you're exceptionally wealthy, you still need to earn money!" Wang Yang wanted to trick Chen Qingshan into being his long-term bodyguard.

Chen Qingshan took out another flying dagger and began wiping it: "I don't want to earn money; I want to uncover the truth."

"And after you uncover the truth?"

"I haven't thought about it."

Wang Yang seized the opportunity: "Why don't you just follow me?"

Chen Qingshan's wiping motion suddenly stopped; she tilted her head to look at Wang Yang.

Wang Yang didn't know why he suddenly felt a bit nervous, so he immediately added: "Follow me as a bodyguard."

Chen Qingshan looked at Wang Yang, withdrew her gaze, and continued wiping the blade: "I don't do bodyguard work."

Wang Yang wouldn't give up: "Any terms can be negotiated. You can set the commission higher. You can try it for a while first; if you really don't like it, then—"

Chen Qingshan coldly interrupted Wang Yang: "When are you going to ask Jiao Zheng?"

"The timing is almost here. Don't worry, I remember this matter."

"Good." Chen Qingshan stood up.

"Don't go! Let's talk more! How about I throw in a house if you're a bodyguard?"

Chen Qingshan walked straight out the door.

Wang Yang couldn't help but sigh: "Talent is hard to keep!"

The next day, Wang Yang moved house.

In the new residence, everyone was moving things in and out, cleaning and organizing, busy as a swarm of bees.

He had only told the five people he was closest to about the move, and each of them had sent gifts.

Liu Zhao's gift was the most substantial, consisting of the Four Treasures of the Study and various pieces of furniture.

He had originally been the most unwilling for Wang Yang to move, even suggesting that as long as Wang Yang stayed, he would give his own main room to Wang Yang and move into the guest quarters himself!

After Wang Yang explained for a long while that he wasn't moving because the living conditions were bad, and promised to come to the Commandery School at least once every three days to discuss academics with Liu Zhao, Liu Zhao finally let him go.

Xie Xinghan sent a six-panel wooden folding screen with colorful paintings, depicting moral lessons of virtuous gentlemen. The first panel showed Confucius meeting Nanzi; the second, Liuxia Hui sitting with a woman on his lap without being tempted; the third, King Zhou and Daji causing the fall of the nation; the fourth, Qiu Hu teasing his wife; the fifth, King You of Zhou lighting the beacon fires to tease the feudal lords; and the sixth, Duke Zhuang of Qi climbing a wall and being shot by an arrow.

The more Wang Yang looked at it, the more wrong it felt. Why were all six stories about warning against lust?! But he couldn't return it, so he had to accept it with a wry smile and place it in the corner of his bedroom.

The gift from Yu Yuling was much more practical: a complete set of wine vessels and eating utensils.

As for Le Yue Xiao Pang, he sent ten large jars of "Jiangling Spring," a famous fine wine from Jingzhou, which were piled in the kitchen, taking up a huge amount of space.

Zong Ce's gift was the most "original." He sent Wang Yang a hand-copied volume of the *Li Sao*. Wang Gong of the Jin dynasty once said: "A famous scholar doesn't necessarily need extraordinary talent; as long as one can often be free of affairs, drink heavily, and read the *Li Sao* thoroughly, one can be called a famous scholar."

According to Zong Ce, with Brother Wang moving out of the Commandery School and no longer needing to spend time discussing vulgar studies with Scholar Liu, this was what was called "often free of affairs."

As for wine, it was a housewarming celebration, so someone would definitely send wine, and Brother Wang wouldn't be lacking.

Only this *Li Sao* was something no one else would send.

Therefore, Zong Ce borrowed flowers to present to the Buddha, "sending the *Chu Ci* with extraordinary spirit to a famous scholar with extraordinary talent."

Besides these five, there was one unexpected gift-giver: Yu Yuling's elder brother, Yu Qianlou. Having heard from Yu Yuling that Wang Yang was moving, he specially sent twenty bolts of silk. At the time, the average price of a bolt of silk was three hundred coins, so twenty bolts were worth six thousand coins.

Because moving was too busy, Wang Yang told everyone not to come in person and that he would hold a banquet to thank them in a few days. Liu Zhao, Yu Yuling, and the others, to spare Wang Yang the trouble of hosting, only sent servants to help carry and organize the gifts.

It just so happened that Le Yue Xiao Pang was straightforward and blunt; he personally brought people to deliver the wine and asked Wang Yang to show him around the house. Seeing that there were no ingredients prepared in the kitchen, he said: "If I had known, I would have sent you a pig."

Wang Yang laughed: "No need for a big pig, I can't eat it all. A piglet would be fine, then I could try 'three bites for a whole pig'."

Yuyang Le Pang was surprised: "Even the smallest pig couldn't be eaten in three bites!"

"This sentence isn't a fact; it's said for laughs. It's a 'meme'."

"What is 'for laughs'? What is a 'meme'?"

"Did you buy any household courtesans?"

"I am a gentleman; why would I buy household courtesans?"

Yuyang Le Pang looked at Wang Yang in confusion, paused, and a flash of light crossed his eyes. He suddenly realized: "Oh! This is 'for laughs'! It's a 'meme'!"

Wang Yang: (╬▔＾▔)

"This isn't 'for laughs'! It's not a 'meme'!!"

"Brother, your house is too empty. You need to get some calligraphy, paintings, or ornaments." Yuyang Le Pang looked around the main hall.

"No need, right?"

"How can you say no need? You are a dignified member of the Langya Wang clan; without ornaments, you'll easily be looked down upon. Besides, you don't even have a leaning table or a soft cushion here; how can you sit comfortably?"

Leaning tables and soft cushions were popular small pieces of furniture at the time. The former generally had three legs at the bottom and a circular arc on top, which could be used for leaning back, resting elbows, or reclining; the latter were mostly oval-shaped soft cushions, somewhat similar to today's throw pillows.

Because chairs and stools with backrests hadn't been invented during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, sitting without support easily led to fatigue, making leaning tables and soft cushions particularly important.

Wang Yang was dragged away by Yuyang Le Pang to go shopping. Seeing Chen Qingshan busy arranging the room, he didn't call her, just told the Strong Man before leaving that he would be out for a while and asked him to keep an eye on things.

As the sun set, the Strong Man answered loudly while moving things in the sunset glow. He was full of energy, with more vitality than ever before. He knew that his family's fate had changed from this moment on. Although the result of his discharge from military service wouldn't be out for another two days, since the Young Master said it could be done, it definitely wouldn't be a problem!

On the Le family's ox cart, Yuyang Le Pang counted the items they needed to buy for Wang Yang, thought for a moment, and added: "By the way, we also need to buy a few maidservants."

Wang Yang didn't hide anything from Yuyang Le Pang and said with a wry smile: "I'm not well-off; buy maidservants? A maidservant would cost at least ten or twenty thousand coins."

Yuyang Le Pang laughed: "Just how beautiful a maidservant are you looking to buy? In Jingzhou, even a maidservant from a large household wouldn't cost more than seven or eight thousand. An ordinary maidservant from a good family can be had for five or six thousand."

Wang Yang's expression suddenly turned solemn: "Are you serious? Wouldn't a little girl be even cheaper?"

Yuyang Le Pang didn't notice the change in Wang Yang's expression and just said: "Of course, an ordinary little girl wouldn't cost more than a few thousand. Those with good looks are more expensive, but not by much..."

Wang Yang was no longer listening to what Yuyang Le Pang was saying; his mind was filled with the scene of his negotiations with Master Du Sanye.

Previously, when he took money with Yu Yuling to the Eighth Camp Village, he had run into Du Sanye snatching people. He had found it strange then, because he had already promised to repay the money, but Du Sanye had first broken his word by coming to collect the debt early, and then refused to accept the money, instead negotiating with Wang Yang and hoping he wouldn't interfere. At the time, Wang Yang had asked Du Sanye if he was after the money.

Later, Du Sanye took the money and left, so he hadn't thought much more about it. He just assumed that since little A-Wu was a living person and was born cute and clever, Du Sanye would rather have A-Wu than the money.

This judgment was based on a subconscious assumption that the price of human trafficking at the time was about the same as the "thirteen thousand two hundred coins" he had returned to Du Sanye. Only then would the situation arise where Du Sanye wanted to take A-Wu to settle the debt after he couldn't pay it back.

But after what Yuyang Le Pang said, Wang Yang realized something was wrong!

If a child could be bought for a few thousand coins, how could Du Sanye consider snatching A-Wu as settling the debt? Could it be that he was a great philanthropist?

Actually, if Wang Yang hadn't been a transmigrator, he should have discovered this doubt long ago. When he was trying to find a way to repay the usury, Wang Yang had asked the Strong Man about the value of ten thousand coins, and the Strong Man had said: "Even if you sold me, I wouldn't be worth ten thousand coins!"

At the time, Wang Yang had felt vaguely awkward, but his entire mind was focused on how to earn money, and he thought that perhaps the market price for people was just like that, and the Strong Man, being a rough fellow, might not be as valuable as a little girl. So he hadn't thought deeply about it.

Now, looking at it this way, Du Sanye didn't even want the money he returned and only wanted to take A-Wu away. Wasn't this a case of the drunkard's heart not being in the wine!

What did Du Sanye want to do?

Why was it A-Wu?

By the way, where was A-Wu?

Today, while moving, little A-Wu was the happiest. She had spent the whole afternoon helping move things, running in and out countless times. Why hadn't he seen her when he left just now?

Wang Yang suddenly had a bad premonition and shouted: "Turn around! Go back to Haojing Lane!"

———————

Note: ① Do not compare ancient currency systems with modern ones. It might seem like the gift Yu Qianlou sent was only worth six thousand and didn't seem like much. In fact, six thousand was more than the entire net worth of many commoners. The Book of Southern Qi, Biography of Gu Xianzhi records an event in the sixth year of Yongming: "In Shanyin County, there were twenty thousand taxable households, and those whose assets did not reach three thousand were almost half."

The *Book of Wei, Biography of Prince Xiu of Anding* says "a cost of less than ten coins for a laborer," meaning the daily wage for a job was less than ten coins; this matches the soldier's salary recorded in the *Book of Wei, Biography of Xue Huzi*, which says a soldier's annual salary was "twelve bolts of silk for provisions," meaning one bolt of silk per month. Silk was also considered currency in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and the average price of a bolt of silk at the time was about three hundred coins (Southern Dynasties *Book of Southern Qi, Biography of Wang Jingze*: "Now the loom is hard, a bolt is only three hundred"; Northern Dynasties *Book of Wei, Treatise on Food and Money*: "A bolt of silk is only two hundred coins, but private sales are still three hundred." So the difference between the North and South is not large), which is three hundred per month. The daily wage of commoners is ten coins, so that's also three hundred per month. This is probably a general income standard for bottom-tier commoners.

Therefore, Yu Qianlou sending twenty bolts of silk already shows that he valued Wang Yang highly. Emperor Wu of Liang thought Lu Chui's writing was good, and the reward was only thirty bolts of silk. (*Book of Liang, Biography of Lu Chui*: "In the past, Yu Qiu identified objects, Handan presented a rhapsody, and they were rewarded with gold and silk; it is a beautiful story in previous histories, and he can be rewarded with thirty bolts of silk.") Of course, it cannot be compared to the generous rewards of Emperor Wen of Song. (*History of the Southern Dynasties, Biography of Xu Huo*: In the early Yuanjia period, he was the Prefect of Shixing, and submitted a memorial on three matters, which Emperor Wen appreciated. He was rewarded with two hundred bolts of silk and one thousand hu of grain.)

As for the price of people at the time, although it fluctuated depending on age, origin, appearance, and the specific circumstances of the sale, it was generally in the range of several thousand. For example, the historical material cited by the author says that the maidservant named "Green Grass" was sold for seven thousand. For another example, *Book of Liang, Biography of Liu Jun*: "Jun was eight years old when he was abducted to Zhongshan. Liu Shi, a wealthy man in Zhongshan, pitied Jun and redeemed him with a bundle of silk." Silk here refers to the "silk" commonly used as currency at the time, and a "bundle of silk" is ten bolts of silk.

(Everything ten is called a bundle, counting silk is called a duan, a bundle of silk is ten duan, two duan is one bolt. According to the annotations of Zheng Xuan and other ancients, it is easy to understand a bundle of silk as five bolts, but in fact, the common literary example in the Northern and Southern Dynasties was to equate a bundle with ten bolts. If this were to be verified, it would be too long-winded, so I will just give one example. *Book of Southern Qi, Biography of Wang Jingze*: "In the middle of the Yongchu period, a bolt of official cloth was worth one thousand coins, but for what the people paid, it was allowed to be nine hundred. Gradually reaching Yuanjia, the price of goods became cheaper, and private goods were six thousand per bundle." If a bundle was five bolts, then "a bundle is worth six thousand," and one bolt would be one thousand two hundred, which does not match the description of "the price of goods became cheaper." Only by understanding a bundle as ten bolts, and one bolt as six hundred, does it logically follow.)

Therefore, that wealthy man in Zhongshan redeemed an eight-year-old boy for ten bolts of silk, which, calculated at the average price of three hundred, was only three thousand coins. This is a relatively low example of the price of people. However, this is converted at the average price, and the price of silk at the time might have been higher than the average.

② There is a saying that before the Song dynasty, nobles did not eat pork because there was no castration technology, which caused pork to have a sour taste. This is another historical rumor. As early as the Shang dynasty, the ancestors had already learned to castrate pigs, and based on whether they were castrated, a distinction was made in the shape of the character "pig" in oracle bone inscriptions. Friends interested in this issue can refer to Mr. Wen Yiduo's Explanation of Pig.

In physical objects, a bronze statue of a "docked-tail pig" was unearthed in the tomb of the Marquis of Jin in the Western Zhou dynasty (now in the Shanxi Museum). Docking the tail is an important part of ancient castration technology. The *Essential Techniques for the Common People* of the Northern Wei dynasty says: "The piglet should have its tail pinched at three days, and be castrated after sixty days."

"Jian" means castration. The reason for docking the tail is that "if the tail is pinched at three days, it will not fear the wind. All castrated pigs that die are caused by tail wind. If the tail is not docked during castration, the front will be big and the back will be small."

Therefore, pork was not abandoned by nobles during the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties. Wang Ji, a great noble of the Jin dynasty, invited Sima Yan to dinner, and one of the dishes was "steamed piglet." Sima Yan felt it was "different from the usual taste," and after eating it, he specially asked for the recipe and was shocked. Ruan Ji buried his mother and also "steamed a fat piglet." Including the "three bites for a whole pig" mentioned by Wang Yang, this meme is roast suckling pig in the movie, and roast suckling pig was already very popular in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. At that time, it was called "roasted piglet," and it had to be roasted until it was "the color of amber, similar to real gold, melting in the mouth, shaped like snow."

However, from the Eastern Han to the Wei Jin, and then to the Five Barbarians, a large number of Hu people moved inland, so mutton became more and more popular. By the Wei Jin dynasties, it had begun to overwhelm pork. By the Northern Dynasties, mutton became the representative ingredient of the North, but there was no saying that mutton was respected and pork was cheap. The concept of distinguishing the status of pork only became popular in the Song dynasty (the rumor that nobles did not eat pork should also come from here). The reasons for this include dietary habits, the construction of medical and cultural concepts, and the specific historical background from the late Tang to the early Song. The volume is enough for a research note, so I won't say more.

Ps There are really too many historical rumors. I will teach you a simple way to distinguish them: if a statement starts with "In ancient times, everything was...", the probability of it being a rumor is not small. Because the concept of ancient times is too big, not to mention a certain concept or thought, even for a certain object, it might experience several changes every hundred years. Taking a specific example from a specific period of time as a universal theorem increases the possibility of problems.

Pps I'm too busy, only one chapter today. Actually, I could barely manage to update the second chapter, but my habit is to make adjustments in real-time before updating. Sometimes this adjustment may extend to several or even dozens of chapters later, and sometimes notes may be added. To ensure quality, I'd better not update for now.

Wang Yang said: "As long as one can often be free of affairs, drink heavily, and read the *Li Sao* thoroughly, one can be called a famous scholar."

Sigh, it's hardest to get half a day of leisure, and I'm not good at drinking, so I really can't be a famous scholar... ===== CHAPTER 94 =====