Ch 24: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

Jiang Ji really meant it when he said he wanted to frame the “Wealth from All Directions” calligraphy that Jiang Yan had written. The very next day, he went to the town’s bookstore to have it mounted and arranged to pick it up in three days.

After that, he headed to the west side of town.

The west side was home to the vegetable market, livestock market, and the poorest residents—those who did the hardest, dirtiest jobs.

His first stop was the livestock market. When he had come earlier to buy an ox, he’d noticed there was plenty of manure in the pens. What he didn’t know was how they dealt with it afterward. If he could take that manure back home, it would make excellent fertilizer.

The livestock market held fairs on the first, fourth, and seventh days of each ten-day cycle. On those days, villagers would bring in animals to sell. On other days, it was quieter, though there were still several permanent livestock shops operating there.

Usually, the shopkeepers—always sharp businessmen—would seize the opportunity to buy good-quality animals from villagers ahead of time, then keep them in their pens to sell at higher prices later. Jiang Ji had bought his ox from one such shop.

The market was overseen by local officials, so Jiang Ji first asked around and learned that the shops cleaned their own pens, while the public areas were tidied by workers arranged by the government on market days.

He entered one of the cattle-and-horse shops and found the shopkeeper, but instead of asking to buy livestock, he said, “Shopkeeper, do you happen to need someone to clean out your pens?”

Thinking he was looking for work, the man replied, “Already have someone for that.”

“Oh, I see,” Jiang Ji said with a touch of disappointment. “Then may I ask what you usually do with all the manure?”

The shopkeeper was a shrewd man. “You’re after the manure, aren’t you?”

Seeing that he understood, Jiang Ji nodded frankly. “Yes. Would you be willing to let me take it? I can handle the cleanup for you.”

The shopkeeper shook his head. “The cleaner already hauls it away.”

Jiang Ji thought for a moment. “Do you pay him to clean and let him take the manure as part of the deal, or does he pay you for it?”

“That’s no secret,” the shopkeeper said. “We pay him to clean—what he does with the manure afterward is his business.”

Jiang Ji’s eyes lit up. “Shopkeeper, how much do you pay him per month?”

“Two hundred wen a month. He comes five times.”

Jiang Ji said, “How about this—you let me cover that cleaning wage, and in return, I’ll take the manure. What do you say?”

The shopkeeper could see this young man was probably a villager looking for fertilizer. Saving two hundred wen a month was nothing to sneeze at—money saved was money earned. “Alright, that’s fine.”

“Great. Could you call the cleaner here? I’d like to speak with him.”

“Sure thing. Come back in half an hour.”

“Okay. Oh, by the way,” Jiang Ji added, “are the cleaners for the other shops the same person?”

“Two of the nearby ones use the same guy. The others, I’m not sure,” the shopkeeper said, pointing out which two.

“Much obliged.”

Not wanting the man to change his mind and sell the manure to someone else, Jiang Ji suggested they draw up a simple written agreement. The shopkeeper readily agreed.

While the shopkeeper was writing, Jiang Ji asked casually, “By the way, who collects your night soil around here?”

The man gave him a long look and chuckled. “You’re even thinking about that? You must have a lot of fields.”

“Eh, four or five mu,” Jiang Ji said with a sigh. “But there’s no fertilizer. You know how it is—without fertilizer, nothing grows. I don’t have much choice.”

The shopkeeper laughed. “Our area’s chamber pots are collected by a man named Wu Er in Apricot Blossom Alley. You can go ask around for his place.”

“Thank you kindly.”

With that lead, Jiang Ji moved on to the next livestock shop.

There were about a dozen in total—selling pigs, oxen, horses, mules, and donkeys. Some shops confirmed that the manure belonged to the cleaners, while others agreed to his offer. In the end, Jiang Ji successfully negotiated with six shops.

By the time he finished going around the market, it was nearly noon.

He grabbed a quick bowl of noodles on the street, then returned to meet the cleaner—a man named Liu Dalang.

The shopkeeper had already told him that from now on, Jiang Ji would pay his wage and take the manure. Liu Dalang didn’t look happy; without the manure to sell, his income would drop significantly.

Seeing his displeasure, Jiang Ji pulled him aside and said, “Brother, you’ve been selling the manure before, haven’t you?”

Liu Dalang nodded sullenly. “Yeah.”

“How much do you sell it for? And to whom?”

“To a rich landowner outside town—fifteen wen per cartload, delivered to his estate.”

“How many buckets make up a cartload? And how big are the buckets?”

Liu Dalang gestured with his hands. “About this big. One cart’s worth is just one big bucket. I clean three livestock shops—their waste together fills roughly one cartload each time.”

From the size he indicated, it was an oval-shaped wooden tub, longer and wider than the ones used for night soil. Jiang Ji nodded. “Alright, I’ll pay you fifteen wen per cart, same as before. Think of it as transport pay. Please deliver all the manure you collect to my house—and that includes from the other three shops I’ve arranged with. The total amount should be about the same. You’ll probably make around ten trips a month. Is that alright?”

Liu Dalang froze for a moment—he wouldn’t be losing money after all, and might even earn a bit more from the extra deliveries. His face broke into a grin, and he nodded quickly. “Alright, deal!”

Jiang Ji went over the details, took him to meet the other shopkeepers so they’d all recognize each other, then told him his name and village before leaving.

Afterward, Jiang Ji wandered through the vegetable market, stopping by the poultry sellers.

He noticed that the vegetable and poultry vendors swept up vegetable leaves, chicken and duck droppings, and feathers into piles at the side—most likely for the street cleaners to collect later.

He thought for a moment. These stall owners opened early every morning; they probably knew the street sweepers.

He bought a cabbage from one stall and asked the owner, “Boss, do you know who cleans this street?”

The man nodded. “Sure, see him every day.”

Jiang Ji brightened. “Do you know where he lives?”

The man eyed him warily. “What do you want him for?”

“Oh, I’ve got some work I want to hire him for,” Jiang Ji replied with a smile.

Hearing it was work, the stall owner relaxed. “He lives back in Apricot Blossom Alley. Not sure which house, but if you wait about an hour—when we pack up—he’ll come to sweep here.”

Also Apricot Blossom Alley again. Jiang Ji smiled. “Got it. Thanks, boss.”

Since there was still time before the cleanup, he turned down two side lanes to reach Apricot Blossom Alley.

Just a short walk away, the stone pavements gave way to dirt, and the tiled houses disappeared—replaced by rough wooden huts and thatched roofs. It felt almost like being back in the countryside.

He asked around and soon found Wu Er’s house.

Wu Er made his living in town as a night-soil collector—emptying and hauling chamber pots.

Jiang Ji knocked on the door. “Hello, anyone home?”

“Who are you looking for?” A small gap opened in the door, revealing a timid boy of about seven or eight, eyes wary.

Jiang Ji bent down and said kindly, “Little one, are your parents home? I’d like to speak to them.”

The boy looked back into the house. “My father’s not back yet. Come later.”

“Do you know when he’ll be back?”

“Don’t know,” the boy said and promptly shut the door.

Jiang Ji sighed and lingered there a while. He was just turning to leave and maybe ask around some more when a man arrived, pulling a wooden cart.

Jiang Ji’s eyes lit up. “Brother, are you Wu Er?”

“I am,” the man said, wiping sweat from his brow with the cloth around his neck, giving Jiang Ji a curious look. “And you are?”

“Hello, Brother Wu,” Jiang Ji said quickly. “My name’s Jiang Ji. I wanted to ask—what do you do with all the night soil you collect? Do you just dump it?”

Wu Er shook his head. “I sell it.”

Jiang Ji was slightly disappointed. “How much per cartload?”

“Ten wen.”

“Where do you deliver it?”

“To a household just outside town. Takes about a quarter of an hour to get there.”

Jiang Ji looked at his cart—it was empty—and asked, “How many buckets per cart, and how big are they?”

Wu Er opened his courtyard gate and pointed at a large wooden tub in the corner. “Like that one—two buckets per trip.”

Jiang Ji glanced at it. The tubs were about the same size as the ones used for chamber pots. The cart could just fit two.

He said immediately, “Brother Wu, how about this—sell the night soil to me instead, deliver it to my home, and I’ll pay you twenty wen per cart. How’s that sound?”

“Twenty?” Wu Er blinked—twice as much?

“Yep,” Jiang Ji confirmed.

Wu Er thought for a moment. “Where do you live? Far from here?”

“Shanqian Village—about half an hour’s trip.”

“Oh, I know that place.” After a pause, Wu Er nodded. “Alright, deal.”

Jiang Ji reminded him, “Don’t add water to the night soil—if it’s watered down, I can’t use it. If this works out well, maybe we can make it a long-term deal. There are plenty of families in my village.”

Wu Er understood perfectly and thumped his chest. “Don’t worry! What you get will be pure and original.”

Jiang Ji: “…Brother, you sure have a way with words.”

Wu Er chuckled good-naturedly.

They agreed he’d deliver for the next two months first. Then Jiang Ji asked about the street cleaner from the vegetable market—turns out Wu Er knew him and lived nearby. Wu Er even led him there.

He made the same offer: twenty wen per cart for vegetable waste, chicken and duck manure, and other market scraps, to be delivered for two months.

After finishing his errands, Jiang Ji stopped by the blacksmith and bought a large chopping knife before heading home.

With the fertilizer problem solved, he finally breathed easier. By starting the composting now, he’d have enough ready in two months for the crops’ growth period—enough for his dozen-plus acres.

When he reached the village, he saw many people hurrying deeper into it.

“Auntie, what’s going on? Did something happen?” he asked, stopping one woman.

“It’s Jin Hua’s family—they’re dividing up the household. The village head and clan elders are over there. We’re going to watch the commotion!”

So that was it. Jiang Ji went home and told Zhao Ru. “Mother, do you want to go see?”

Zhao Ru shook her head. “No, I’ve got to finish sewing clothes. Shopkeeper Sun’s heading to the prefecture in a few days—we need to finish this batch while we can. Every coin counts.”

Jiang Xia was also busy making clothes.

When Jiang Ji glanced at his livestream, the viewers were all clamoring for him to go see the drama—everyone wanted to watch the family quarrel.

He was curious himself, so he headed toward the courtyard gate.

Just as he stepped outside, he walked straight into Jiang Yan’s chest. Startled, he exclaimed, then looked up and saw who it was. “You scared me!”

Jiang Yan stepped back a little. “You’re back already? Going out again?”

“I’ve got something to do,” Jiang Ji said, waving a hand as he went off to stream the commotion.

Watching him leave, Jiang Yan turned to Jiang Bei. “Where’s your brother going?”

Jiang Bei thought for a moment. “Probably to join the crowd.”

Jiang Yan: ?

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾