Loyalty in the Time of Tyranny Chapter 7

The guard looked at the business card given by Adrian Tang and respectfully welcomed the brother and sister into the house.

Adrian Tang and Ivy Don waited in the room for a while, and then saw an old man wearing a gray cloth shirt, tall and thin, walked into the room. He first looked at Adrian Tang, then looked at Ivy Don. Then he walked forward, returned the name card to Adrian Tang, and said: "Young master, may I know your name? I am the housekeeper of the Liang Mansion. It is really unfortunate that I came today. The master went to Jinling and may not be back for ten days or eight days."

Did Liang Daru go to Jinling?

Adrian Tang didn't expect that the two people he was going to visit today, one didn't want to see him, and the other couldn't see him at all. He said: "My last name is Tang, and I met Mr. Liang once in Zhaojia Village, Wu County."

The housekeeper said, "Your Excellency did go to Zhaojia Village two months ago. Does Young Master Tang have something urgent to ask you?"

Adrian Tang shook his head: "No, I just moved to Gusu Mansion. I remember that Master once said that I could go to see him in the future, so I came to visit him specially."

Housekeeper: "If it's not urgent, I will send someone to inform the young master after the master returns from Jinling. Can the young master leave his address?"

Adrian Tang told his home address to the housekeeper, who personally saw him out and returned his business card to him.

On the way home, Ivy Don whispered, "Brother, you actually know such a powerful person. Is Lord Liang the prefect of Gusu Prefecture? There are guards guarding the door."

"You know quite a lot."

"Of course, I don't know who the county magistrate of Wu County is, but everyone in Gusu Prefecture knows Liang Daru."

Adrian Tang really wanted to say: Your brother didn’t know two months ago, and by the way, I don’t know who the county magistrate is.

Ivy Don continued, "When Liang Daru took over as the governor of Gusu Prefecture, Dad was very happy and told us several times. Who among the scholars in the world does not admire the four great scholars? But Dad seemed to say that Liang Daru was exiled to Gusu Prefecture? Brother, what does exile mean?"

Adrian Tang frowned. He knew nothing about these official affairs. The original owner did not pay attention to these things, so his memory of this aspect was also very vague. Besides, Tang Xiucai was just an ordinary poor scholar, he didn't know much, and he couldn't say anything.

Adrian Tang said: "How do you remember these things? Dad also talked about this? I can't remember it."

Ivy Don frowned and said, "Because Dad said that even though Liang Daru was exiled, he could still live a life of wealth and luxury like a god. He was so envious. Brother, I also want to live a life of wealth and luxury like a god."

Adrian Tang: ...

What happened to this father and daughter!

When Adrian Tang got home, he smelled a burnt smell as soon as he entered the door. He hurried into the kitchen and saw Auntie Yao cooking something. The big iron pot was pitch black and the smell of burnt food filled the whole yard. Auntie Yao coughed twice and Mason Yao just came home and quickly dumped out all the black paste in the pot.

Mason Yao: "Mom, what are you doing? It's all messed up."

Aunt Yao’s cooking skills are pretty good. Ever since the mother and son came to the Tang family, it has always been Aunt Yao who cooks. This is the first time she has burnt something.

Aunt Yao said, "When I came back and saw that you guys weren't back yet, I remembered what the young master said about using flour to make sauce. So I wanted to try it with the little flour I had at home, but I didn't expect it to turn out like this."

Mason Yao was also very surprised: "Little Master, I have never heard that flour can be used to make sauce."

Adrian Tang didn't expect that Aunt Yao's first time cooking porridge was to make sweet noodle sauce!

He said with a smile: "Auntie Yao, why are you so anxious that you don't wait for me to come back? Let me try it, you watch from the side first. I have only seen others make this sweet noodle sauce, but I have never made it myself, so I may need to try a few more times."

"Okay!"

Aunt Yao cleaned up the kitchen and heated up a few more buns. After the family had eaten their fill, they all came to the kitchen to watch Adrian Tang make the sweet noodle sauce.

Adrian Tang put on a coarse linen shirt and rolled up his sleeves. He looked at the big black iron pot, took a deep breath, looked away, and began to mix the flour paste.

Compared to other seasonings, white fine flour was quite expensive in this era. At first, it was just an experiment, and Adrian Tang was not sure if he could really make sweet noodle sauce, so he only scooped three spoonfuls of flour. He put the flour into a bowl, added water and stirred it, and then added a little soy sauce and four spoonfuls of sugar.

After mixing everything evenly, he heated the pan with a small amount of rapeseed oil and poured the entire bowl of batter into it.

Not long after pouring the batter, Adrian Tang couldn't turn the pan anymore. The batter was burnt and mushy, and the familiar smell of burnt batter soon filled the whole kitchen.

The four of them left the kitchen coughing, and Ivy Don said, "Brother, your cooking is worse than Aunt Yao's. It gets messed up even faster than hers!"

Adrian Tang said angrily: "Shut up!"

After washing the pot and trying again, Adrian Tang failed twice again.

Adrian Tang seldom cooked in his previous life, but when he was a graduate student, his roommate was a "chef" who loved to cook. Sweet noodle sauce, peanut butter, spring onions for wraps, steamed buns and fried dough sticks, and if he said "I want to eat pizza" the night before, his roommate would bring a plate of pizza out of the kitchen the next morning - all handmade, no takeout additives.

Adrian Tang had seen his roommate make sweet bean paste, but it was a bit difficult for him to try it himself.

Looking at the batter in the bowl, Adrian Tang's eyes stopped at the dark brown rapeseed oil. Suddenly, he had an idea and poured the batter into the pot again. The three people thought that Adrian Tang would burn the pot again, but he was pouring oil down the edge of the pot while stirring the batter.

The sound of oil sizzling could be heard in the kitchen. The batter was fried into a brown color and a strange aroma wafted out.

Hearing this smell, Ivy Don licked his lips and said, "Brother, what is this smell? It smells really good."

Aunt Yao said, "Young Master, please don't put so much oil in it. You asked me to go to the street to eat today, and I ate a lot. I found that people in Gusu Prefecture have a light taste and don't like oily food. If you put so much oil in it, they won't be able to eat it."

Adrian Tang tasted the sauce and added a few spoonfuls of sugar. The sweet aroma and sauce aroma filled the small kitchen. Tang Juan and Mason Yao both stretched their necks to taste what it tasted like. Adrian Tang poured the sauce into a bowl, and the little girl rushed over impatiently.

"Let me try it!"

Ivy Don dipped his chopsticks in the sauce, which was thick and sticky. The brown sauce stuck to the tip of the chopsticks and was licked clean by the girl. "So sweet and fragrant! It's much better than the fragrant sauce that the village chief's family often makes." The girl wanted to take another bite.

Adrian Tang then asked Mason Yao and Aunt Yao to taste it.

Mason Yao: "Delicious!"

Aunt Yao frowned and said, "It tastes good, but young master, I'm not used to it. You put too much oil in it, it's a bit greasy. People in Gusu Prefecture mostly eat light food. Although they like sweet food, they don't like this kind of heavy sweet food."

Adrian Tang said, "Auntie Yao, you said that people in Gusu Prefecture don't like to eat oil?"

"Yes, I ate at several stalls today, and they all used very little oil."

Adrian Tang: "Maybe it's not that they don't like eating oil, but they haven't found something that's 'allowing them to eat oil without being greasy.'"

"ah?"

Adrian Tang: "Have you ever noticed that the oilier something is, the tastier it usually tastes."

This question stumped Aunt Yao. She thought: "Fried meatballs are indeed delicious, but you can't eat too much, or you'll get sick of it."

Ivy Don raised his hand: "I like fried dough sticks the most. Yesterday, Aunt Yao took me to eat at the breakfast stall in Gusu Mansion. People in Gusu also like to eat fried dough sticks."

Adrian Tang nodded: "Yes, people like to eat high-calorie foods. The higher the calorie content, the tastier it generally is."

"What does high calorie mean?"

Adrian Tang: "It makes you gain weight more easily."

Ivy Don was surprised and said, "Then I can't eat too many fried dough sticks!"

Aunt Yao was puzzled and said, "I don't understand what the young master said, but do people in Gusu Mansion really like to eat this?"

Adrian Tang smiled slightly: "Auntie Yao, you don't like it because you are old and your taste is light. Why don't we open a stall in a few days and try it directly?"

At the same time, Adrian Tang didn't know that when he left Liang Mansion, a figure following him quickly ran back to Tang Juren's house.

"You mean, the person Adrian Tang wants to visit is most likely Lord Liang?"

The maid nodded and said, "I watched it carefully. Lord Liang just left Gusu Mansion this morning. The master mentioned this matter. Adrian Tang took out his name card and was welcomed into Liang Mansion by the guards. In a moment, he was escorted out by Liang's housekeeper. I thought this matter was not simple, so I came back to report to my wife and did not give them the twenty taels of silver."

Mrs. Tang was combing her hair and preparing to rest. After hearing this, she put down her comb and started thinking.

This maid was her dowry maid, who had been with her since she was very young. Although she was young, she was very capable, so she was sent by her to do this. What the maid said was most likely true, and the person the Tang brothers and sisters wanted to visit was Lord Liang.

"lady?"

Madam Tang said, "Go to the treasury and get another ten taels of silver. Go to Linglong Embroidery Shop and pick out some clothes for young men and women and send them to them. Also buy some household items, writing brushes, inkstones, and some books. You don't need to send silver, just gifts. You don't need to pick expensive things, but they must be good and complete."

The maid nodded: "Yes. Madam, is it enough to just deliver the things? Do you want me to say something else?"

"No need. They are relatives. We cannot get too close just because they might be related to Lord Liang. Our family is not so flattering."

"Okay." After saying that, the maid turned around and was about to leave.

Mrs. Tang said, "Stay. Remember, they are still the young master and young lady of the Tang family."

The maid thought about it and nodded.

On this side, Mason Yao was still making pancakes when suddenly someone knocked on the door.

Ivy Don: "I'll open the door."

When he opened the door, he saw a woman who looked to be in her twenties. Ivy Don was stunned. Before he could speak, he heard the woman bow her head and say, "Miss."

"Ah, I'm not a lady. Brother, someone is looking for me, I don't know who I am, maybe I got the wrong person."

Adrian Tang came over, and the maid said again: "Master."

Adrian Tang was stunned, and subconsciously thought that the other party had recognized the wrong person.

The maid said, "I am Madam Tang's personal maid. You left in a hurry, and the master was busy and couldn't entertain you. Madam didn't know about this until you left. Madam specially asked me to bring you some summer and autumn clothes, as well as some books, paper and inkstone. You just arrived at Gusu Mansion and many things may not be prepared yet." As she spoke, several men carrying two boxes entered the yard.

Adrian Tang looked at the boxes quietly and said, "Thank you for Madam Tang's kindness, but we have already bought everything. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to take it back."

"Master, this is unacceptable. If I fail to complete the task, I will be scolded by the Madam."

Adrian Tang wanted to refuse, but the maid was very stubborn.

Finally, the maid left. Adrian Tang looked at the two boxes in the yard and smiled helplessly.

Ivy Don and Aunt Yao opened the box and saw that it was just daily necessities, clothes, and writing brushes, inkstones, and paper. There were no valuables, and the clothes were only what Don Shen and Ivy Don could wear. They were not silk or satin, but the styles were generous and beautiful, and it was obvious that they were carefully selected.

Aunt Yao said, "Young Master, your relative is really nice. These things are not bought with just money. They are bought with great care."

Adrian Tang said, "It's only been one day, and they already know where we live."

Ivy Don: "Ah?"

Adrian Tang checked the contents of the box, thought for a moment, and said, "But Mrs. Tang doesn't seem to have any bad intentions."

We can only take one step at a time and see what happens.

In the next few days, Adrian Tang thought a lot, and even wondered if Mrs. Tang had guessed that they wanted to split up, so she deliberately tried to curry favor with them in advance. But he rejected this idea.

Tang Xiucai was a B@st@ard. According to the laws of this dynasty, the money he could get after the family division was not much. Tang Jucai's family would not deliberately plot against two children for such a small amount of money. Moreover, what Adrian Tang really wanted was to separate the family and sever ties between the two families, not for money.

"Could it be that they knew I was visiting Liang Daru and wanted to get close to him?"

But after waiting for a few days and delivering the things, Mr. Tang, Mrs. Tang, and even the maid never showed up again.

Adrian Tang: "Am I really too petty and overthinking?"

Putting the matter behind him, Mason Yao returned home that afternoon and brought with him the stall approval documents from the market.

Mason Yao: "Now we can finally open a store."

Mason Yao made a breakfast cart these days. It was not as gorgeous as the breakfast carts of later generations, but just a small wooden cart. They bought a stove and coal, made a bucket of grain batter, and waited to open the stall the day after tomorrow.

Luna Ah and the mother and son of the Yao family were very excited. Adrian Tang thought a lot. He went out in the afternoon and strolled around Suijin Street again. In the evening, he found Mason Yao and said, "Brother Yao, tomorrow you go out to the outskirts of Hukou City and hire a few dozen people. It's best to have both men and women, young and old. Only hire them for half an hour. You can negotiate the price."

"It's easy to find. There are many people in Gusu Mansion, and there are many idle people looking for work. But young master, why are you looking for this?"

"Are our pancakes delicious?"

Mason Yao swallowed his saliva, recalling the taste: "Delicious! Little Master, I never thought that pancakes could be so delicious after being spread with sweet noodle sauce. But what's wrong with that?"

Adrian Tang said: "We don't have much money. I can't wait to be discovered. I have to make money quickly. It's useless just because you know it tastes good. We need to let more people know that it tastes good."

"What does that have to do with hiring people?"

Adrian Tang looked calm, not even taking a breath when he spoke, and said confidently: "Hire someone to act as a shill!"

Early that morning, many breakfast stall owners on Suijin Street noticed a new face.

The person pushing the cart was a strong middle-aged man, the person collecting the money was an old woman, and the person making breakfast was actually a boy of about thirteen or fourteen years old!

At first, there were almost no people in front of the stall. However, at some point, seven or eight people suddenly appeared, without even looking at other stalls, and walked straight to the boy's stall, forming a long queue.

"I heard the pancakes at this stall are delicious."

"Yes, I ate one yesterday and thought about it all night."

Other stall owners: ...

You're talking nonsense! This stall was clearly just put up this morning, it took less than an hour in total!

However, passers-by did not know that the stall was only opened today.

Seeing so many people queuing and hearing people say how delicious this thing is, many pedestrians stopped and joined the queue.

One person asked, "Brother, what is this multi-grain pancake? I have never heard of it in Gusu Prefecture before."

Before anyone could reply, a middle-aged man in front of the line said enthusiastically, "The multi-grain pancake is delicious. I gave one to my wife two days ago and she has been thinking about it for two days. But the boss only makes 100 pancakes a day and stops selling them after they are finished. I was able to buy one today."

"What? Only make a hundred?"

"That's right! Little brother, I've already bought it. You can wait in line slowly. Don't be in a hurry."

"Okay, thank you, big brother. I will definitely buy one to try."

Adrian Tang finished making another multi-grain pancake, and Mason Yao's loud voice spread across half of Suijin Street: "Get it out of the pan!"

Aunt Yao was counting the money so hard that her hands became tired, and Ivy Don was stunned watching from the side.

"Yao... Auntie Yao, pinch me, didn't we just open the stall today, and only for an hour? Why are there so many people lining up to buy our multi-grain pancakes? Am I dreaming..."

Adrian Tang was busy making pancakes. Hearing this, he sneered and thought to himself: This is what you call a lot of people?

He used both hunger marketing and queuing marketing, and it was always successful a thousand years later. Now, attracting a dozen customers, isn't it a piece of cake?

Other stall owners nearby: ...

It's so shameless!!!