FOD Chap 5.4

PREV
NEXT

Chapter 5.4

Zhang Jia Rui was a scholar, he felt he was above arguing with Tweety. After calming down his agitated emotions, he sneered, “Everyone here knows exactly who is the one really speaking nonsense.”

“I’m sorry, I really don’t know what you’re talking about. When I first took over my family property, I didn’t dare drastically change anything, so I kept the rules set by my father. These past three years, I’ve been collecting 50%. But two months ago, I changed it to 30%, and after seeing the bad harvest for this year, I simply waived it. My account books can verify it. Little brother, if you’re saying something like this, there must be a misunderstanding.” Zhou Yun Sheng slowly opened.

Zhang Jia Rui ridiculed, “There is no misunderstanding, just yesterday, Zhu Lao Si came to my house to press for rent, 60% of the grain, not a percent less.”

Zhou Yun Sheng’s face turned terribly gloomy when he heard this, he looked towards a young guard. This guard was none other than Zhu Lao Si’s son, Zhu Fushun. He’d wanted to hide with his father, but unexpectedly, the master requested that he follow him up the mountains. Zhu Lao Si left him behind in order to show his loyalty.

Since Zhu Zi Yu became the head of the family, Zhu Lao Si has corrupted the Zhu family property. Zhu Fushun was raised to be incomparably big and obese, he looked more like a landlord’s son than Zhu Zi Yu.

However, his appearance was like a pig, but his inside was cowardly. Under Zhu Zi Yu’s stare, and after the other guards encircled him and held a sword to his neck, he instantly fell limp like mud. He kneeled on the ground, wiping his tears while kowtowing, unfortunately, his tongue was in a knot, so his babbling was incoherent.

Zhou Yun Sheng pointed to him and said, “This is Zhu Lao Si’s son. I really don’t know anything about a 60% rent, so when the bandits retreat, I’ll take him to go confront Zhu Lao Si. We’ll certainly give the villagers an account.”

He didn’t say much, but the people present could already figure out that something was fishy. Zhu Zi Yu said he only got 30% rent, but Zhu Lao Si took away 60%. It was self-evident where the missing 30% went.

Zhou Yun Sheng paused, then continued, “Moreover, in my father’s time we only charged 50%, never 60%.  Whoever ate that extra 10%, I’ll make sure they vomit it out and return it to everyone.”

His expression was ruthless, his tone cold, Zhang Shu Lin was almost fully convinced of his story. Qin Ce gave him a deep look, then dropped his eyes to stare at the fire, his thoughts hidden.

Zhang Jia Rui had an extreme character, once he hated someone, it was very difficult for him to change courses, he sneered, “At the end of the day, don’t you get to decide how much rent is collected? After provoking public resentment, you present us a scapegoat. After all, he’s your family’s servant, his good and bad, his life and death, you have the final say. That Zhu Lao Si has been the villain’s flunky for so many years, he certainly never thought he’d see the day he becomes the bow that’s thrown away after the birds disappear. How pathetic.”

Boy, you’re speaking facts.

Zhou Yun Sheng praised Zhang Jia Rui in his heart, but his expression was very gloomy, he assured, “I, Zhu Zi Yu, don’t consider myself a good man, but I’m not wicked, I would never prey on the villagers. I dare swear to the heavens, if I really instigated Zhu Lao Si to exploit the villagers, may lightning strike me down to a painful death, and after death, send me to the eighteenth layer of hell, so that I will never reincarnate!”

The ancients had great faith in fate, with him daring to speak out such a poisonous oath, Zhang Jia Rui was rendered speechless. Tweety and Lu-shi were angered to tears, they really wanted the guards to drive that aggressive boy out.

Qin Ce suddenly crushed the arm thick firewood in his hand, saying gravely, “Don’t recklessly say such a poisonous oath, your words, I … … we all believe it.” In the pause, he’d filled in a ‘we’, it sounded rather unnatural.

Zhou Yun Sheng raised his eyes and glanced at him, his mood was obviously unpleasant.

Zhang Jia Rui was in even more of a bad mood, he criticized, “Let’s put aside the rent for the time being, you robbed my family’s secret recipe, this is an indisputable fact, right?”

Zhou Yun Sheng was already getting tired of his aggressive attitude, this time, he didn’t hold back, “I have a very sensitive tongue, I have no need to demand your secret recipe. I only have to eat it once to know the cooking method, why would I also order Zhu Lao Si to steal it? Wouldn’t it be pointless? Zhu Lao Si was greedy, so he used my name to do that evil deed. He wanted to present the recipe to me to claim credit, but I rejected it. I even told him to bring it back. If he didn’t return it, that is not my responsibility. There are no debts without creditors, and no hatred without cause, if you guys want to find fault, don’t come to me. But honestly, I really don’t like those eggs. Only the taste and look are a little unique, but eating too much of it will greatly harm the body, it’s basically poison.”

The amount of information in his words was really too much, Zhang Jia Rui momentarily didn’t know which point to question. After half-a-day, he shouted, red faced, “What nonsense are you spouting, how can my family’s century eggs be poisonous?!”

“Whether or not it’s poisonous, don’t you guys know for yourselves?” His beautiful peach blossom eyes peered at Zhang Shu Lin.

No way, some ancients actually know that you shouldn’t eat too many century eggs? Zhang Shu Lin felt somewhat guilty, and his face involuntarily showed it. Qin Ce seemed to sense something, his eyes darkening.

Zhang Jia Rui looked at his brother, then looked back at Zhou Yun Sheng, his already red face reddening further, until it could drip blood.

Zhou Yun Sheng didn’t want to let the Zhang family off easily, he continued, “The century eggs are made when a duck egg is wrapped with a mixture of soda ash, quicklime, salt, and a certain percentage of lead oxide, plus clay and bran, and pickled for fifteen or sixteen days. Lead oxide is a traditional Chinese medicine ingredient, it’s pungent, salty, cold, and poisonous. It’s used to treat boils, ulcers, excessive incised wound bleeding, canker sores, cataracts, burns, ring worms, epilepsy, malaria, dysentery, vomiting and other illnesses. An appropriate amount can treat illnesses, but excessive amounts will remain in the liver, lungs, kidneys, and brain, causing nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, abdominal pain, diarrhea and other ailments. Children are especially affected, if they eat too much, not only will their teeth not grow well, their bones will easily break, which are disastrous consequences. How could I, Zhu Zi Yu, sell such a thing?”

Meaning, the Zhang family knew that it was poisonous and still sold it, all the money they earned was black money.

The Zhang couple saw him speak so confidently and had already started believing him, they stared at Zhang Shu Lin in disbelief. Zhang Shu Lin’s face was now red like Zhang Jia Rui’s, bright red, faintly stinging like he’d received a dozen slaps. He felt uncomfortable and ashamed.

He naturally knew the reason why century eggs couldn’t be eaten too often, he’d thought that since everyone didn’t eat it every day, there was little harm, so there was no need to say it and affect the business. Now, Zhou Yun Sheng had exposed the unpleasant truth, and it looked like he’d deliberately intended to harm people, even if he had a hundred mouths, it wouldn’t be enough to defend himself.

After stalling for half-a-day, he stammered, “The things the landlord talked about, I really had no idea, fortunately, my family stopped selling them.”

How could Qin Ce not see that he was lying? He immediately frowned.

Zhang Jia Rui immediately cut in, “Yeah, my family stopped selling those century eggs a while ago, but your Zhu family opened a shop in the town, it’s specialized in selling century eggs.”

“Dog, who owns that shop?” Zhou Yun Sheng didn’t bother acknowledging Zhang Jia Rui, he held a red-hot poker stick and jabbed Zhu Fushun’s ass.

Zhu Fushun cried out bitterly, “Master, please spare me! That shop is my father’s, that recipe was also secretly confiscated by my father. When we go back, I’ll immediately ask my father to return the money and shop.”

“No need, guilty of both bullying the villagers and coveting your master’s property? You’d better use that shop and money to lobby with the authorities, maybe you can get your father a lighter sentence.”

This meant that this wasn’t going to be privately settled, he was planning to report it to the officials. Zhu Fushun was scared out of his wits. He quickly jumped over to kowtow for mercy, but was knocked unconscious by a stone thrown by Qin Ce.

Zhang Jia Rui was rendered speechless, uttering a very dissatisfied huff.

Unexpectedly, Tweety opened up a package and removed a box of Sichuan chicken strips to distribute to everyone, she beamed, “This is Lu Wei. My young master improved the recipe after eating yours, you guys try it. Like my young master said earlier, century eggs can be eaten occasionally, but you can’t eat too much. Since you guys know, you should tell everyone sooner rather than later.”

The rich aroma instantly filled the cave, the already hungry residents gulped. Qin Ce’s characteristic was a loyal dog gong with a black hole for a stomach, so he couldn’t resist twisting out a slice first, his dark eyes radiating a brilliant light.

Sesame paste, sugar, vinegar, chili oil, Sichuan pepper powder, sesame oil, refined salt and other seasonings mixed into the bowl evenly, drenching the crispy, yet soft chicken strips. Finally, they were sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds, forget about the smell, merely the reddish gold color was extremely eye-catching. Once in the mouth, the meat was tender, salty, sweet, peppery, spicy, and sour all in one without overpowering each other. A thousand flavors all revolved around the tip of the tongue, making it a memorable dish.

“This craftsmanship is comparable to an imperial chef’s! Zhang family’s Sichuan chicken is not even in the same league.” Qin Ce evaluated pertinently.

After each Zhang family member tasted it, their faces turned red, then white, then green, then purple, it looked really spectacular.

Zhou Yun Sheng gave Qin Ce a slanted look, snorting out, “You’ve eaten an imperial feast?”

Qin Ce hesitated for a moment before shaking his head, “No, just an analogy.” Then he quickly glanced at the gorgeous young man’s peerless face, then bowed his head and secretly thought: this Sichuan chicken is good, but Zi Yu’s squinted peach blossom eyes are even more wonderful.

Zhou Yun Sheng no longer paid attention to him, he stared at the two brothers Zhang Jia Rui and Zhang Shu Lin and spoke word by word, “I’m an epicure, my tongue is particularly keen. With just a taste, I can understand the cooking method of every delicious dish, and also improve it. I’m a private person, so I prefer enjoying the food myself rather than selling it to outsiders. You sell yours; I’ll eat mine. No one has to get in anyone’s way. If I really wanted to make things difficult for you guys, I would’ve thoroughly cut off your livelihood a long time ago. I’ll be honest, your Zhang family’s Lu Wei and hotpot actually tastes quite mediocre, the only reason they stand out is their novelty. They are not so valuable that I, Zhu Zi Yu, have to take them by force.”

He paused a little to enjoy the Zhang family’s ashamed expressions, then he pulled out a white handkerchief from his bosom, picked up a small half-burnt stick, and sketched out a new marinade recipe, handing it over.

“Zhu Lao Si is my family’s servant. Since he robbed your family’s secret recipe, although I had nothing to do with it, it was my lack of oversight. This is the recipe that I was most satisfied with after many adjustments. You guys should bring it back, treat it as compensation. In the future, if you still have the same sour faces when you see me, I won’t be as polite as I am now. If someone respects me for a foot, I’ll honor them for ten, if someone owes me one, I must get back a thousand. I, Zhu Zi Yu, am this type of person.”

Throwing the handkerchief over, he squinted slightly, his lazy look revealing a bit of arrogance.

Zhang Jia Rui was very smart, he knew that this recipe would bring a lot of benefits to the Zhang family, so he endured the pain of being slapped in the face as he reached out to pick it up. However, he was blocked by Zhang Shu Lin, who held the handkerchief with two hands and handed it back, stammering, “It’s us who misunderstood you, landlord. You’re not in the wrong, we are. We really wronged a good person. We don’t dare take this recipe, please take it back.”

He saw that Zhu Zi Yu wasn’t moving, so he handed it to Tweety. Tweety was reluctant to give the Zhang family even a small advantage, so she immediately took it back.

Zhou Yun Sheng pointed at him with the stick, sneering, “Hypocrite.”

There was a well-known phrase with that word in modern times –Bitches are hypocrites. Zhang Shu Lin couldn’t figure out if his words had that meaning or not. Thinking that he, as an ancient, shouldn’t have this knowledge, he just gave an embarrassed laugh.

After a series of face slapping, Zhang Shu Lin’s feeling of superiority as a modern-man had long since vanished.

——————————————————

T/N:

bow that’s thrown away after the birds disappear – something that’s abandoned after serving its purpose.

no debts without creditors, and no hatred without cause – when settling disputes, one should not involve third parties

lead oxide – This is the key ingredient here. It was used to make century eggs in ancient times, and, as Zhou Yun Sheng says, it’ll kill you. But it’s no longer used, so if you’ve eaten a century egg recently you won’t die. Well, not from the egg.

Bitches are hypocrites – From a popular Chinese drama called ‘Empress in the Palace’. Wikipedia “One particular popular phrase is “Jian ren jiu shi jiao qing,” spoken by the Consort Hua, which literally means “bitches are hypocrites”.”

PREV
NEXT
Posted in FOD
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

Comment moderation is enabled. Your comment may take some time to appear.

18 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Plew
Plew
11 months ago

“I, Zhu Zi Yu, don’t consider myself a good man, but I’m not wicked, I would never prey on the villagers. I dare swear to the heavens, if I really instigated Zhu Lao Si to exploit the villagers, may lightning strike me down to a painful death, and after death, send me to the eighteenth layer of hell, so that I will never reincarnate!”

I don’t know how MC kept a straight face saying that. I know that after countless lives he became an otherwordly oscar level actor, but even with that his bull**it power is just too strong!

Laona
Laona
2 years ago

OH MY GOD HUA FEI NIANGNIANG WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE HAHA, the childhood nostalgia of watching that drama is rising ?

Kawaii Panda
Kawaii Panda
3 years ago

Kuku ? the way to earn your future lover’s love was filling their stomachs

Rae
Rae
4 years ago

His royal highness is hungry ???

And it should be “palate”‘ not “pallet”.
Thank you very much for the wonderful translation of this story, probs my favourite bl novel ever.

Navleu
Navleu
5 years ago

Ohh, ZYS is getting Qin cE’s love little by little. Haha

Thanks for the chapter!

Re:start
Re:start
5 years ago

This dude needs to be in Shougeki no soma.

jo12kspj
jo12kspj
6 years ago

he is stealing the lover from the protagonist this time… it is him right?

Cherry
Cherry
6 years ago

This happens near the beginning:
“He’d wanted to hide with his father, but his father had sent him to monitor Zhi Ziyu. He gave him a loyal guard and left him.” It should be Zhu Ziyu, not Zhi Ziyu. (Also, I wanted to say, Kez you’re very hardworking and your work is almost perfect so as a loyal reader, it’s my responsibility to assist in any way I can. <333

Pk
Pk
6 years ago

Your comment
https://keztranslations.wordpress.com/2017/07/19/fod-chap-5-4/#comment-599
Was like a recap of all the previous chapters.
Thanks so much.?

Midgetbunny
Midgetbunny
6 years ago

Hes so cute keep using his branch stick to poke people. So cutee.

August
August
6 years ago

Zhang Shulin seems like a genuinely good person, especially since he was aware of the lead and knew not to sell it to the same person too many times. He also seems appropriately polite, humble, and capable of shame.
I don’t really expect Yunsheng to treat him well, I just hope he doesn’t completely trash his future xD

myling
myling
6 years ago
Reply to  August

How can he be a genuinely good person if he aware of the lead and sold it anyway ? Im not saying he evil but he not good either …he average normal person with grey morals ? he seem shady to me

cosse
cosse
4 years ago
Reply to  Keztrans

true! ZYS have to do this thing to achieve his goal and to survive while playing someone else character coz if not at the end he will be the one who will suffer and actually i like how the way he resolve things…

Spica
Spica
3 years ago
Reply to  Keztrans

I just remember a quote “we’re are the hero of our own story” so saying who’s right and wrong can sometimes depend on different perceptions

potatofriez
potatofriez
6 years ago

thank you translator!!!!! I love this novel!