Ch 49: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

Once Jiang Ji decided to act, he got to work right away. That same afternoon, he finished drawing the design for a roasting oven. He chose the hanging-roast style—a small enclosed structure—and planned to test it out first. If it worked well, he would build another one in the new house later.

The materials and workers were readily available. Jiang Ji went to find Master Zheng and asked him to help construct the oven.

After looking over the design and confirming its purpose, Master Zheng said, “Sure, this is simple. I can finish it in two days.”

Jiang Ji was a little worried. “But there’s no cement right now. If we keep burning fire inside the top section, won’t it crack?”

“It’s about the same as our regular cooking stoves,” Master Zheng replied. “Not that big either—it’ll be fine.”

“What if I burn it all day long?” Jiang Ji pressed.

“You’re going to burn it that long?” Master Zheng thought for a moment. “If you’re worried, just give it a break every few hours. Let it cool for a couple of hours before you use it again. Or build several ovens and rotate them.”

Jiang Ji nodded. “That makes sense.”

They agreed to start construction the next day, and Jiang Ji went home.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the cement issue. Opening his livestream, he asked the viewers, “Guys, can someone check for me how cement is made?”

【Even if we told you, you couldn’t make it right now】
【Cement nowadays is industrially produced—you don’t have the machines for that】

“Then help me find out how the earliest cement was made—the primitive kind.”

【Mix lime and clay, calcine it, grind it into powder, then add a bit of gypsum】
【Yeah, the original cement was made from a mixture of limestone and clay】

Jiang Ji’s eyes lit up. “Hey, we have lime here! Master Zheng and the others already use lime mortar mixed with sticky rice water. What about clay—what does it look like? Does yellow soil count as clay?”

【What kind of yellow soil are you talking about? Not sure if we have the same thing】
【Yeah, what you call yellow soil might not be what we mean by clay】

“It’s fine,” Jiang Ji said, chuckling. “2977 automatically translates and adjusts things—it’s got a little bug you guys probably haven’t noticed yet.”

【What bug?】

“If I ask you guys about something technical, what you have might not exist here, right? But the system automatically converts it into something I do have here. I think for technical stuff, it’ll ‘translate’ it too. Why don’t we test it out?”

【…】
【You can try, but if it works, you could skip doing missions entirely. The system wouldn’t allow that kind of bug】

“It’s not the same,” Jiang Ji explained. “Even if I understand the theory from what you say, I can’t necessarily make it. But the skills from completed missions—I actually learn them. Like cooking—I’d never cooked before, but after getting the skill reward, I could cook instantly.”

【Oh, that’s true】
【Then you’ll still have to do missions】
【I looked it up—yellow soil doesn’t count as clay】

“Oh, I see. I’ve never seen clay myself, so I don’t even know what it looks like.”

【Ask the system—see if it has a related mission】

“Oh right!” Jiang Ji smacked his forehead. “2977, are there any tasks related to cement or clay?”

2977 quickly replied: 【Special Mission 199: Complete to obtain Beginner Cement-Making Skill.】

Jiang Ji opened Special Mission 199: Propose to the emperor the establishment of a women’s academy, allowing women to receive equal educational opportunities.

After reading it, Jiang Ji felt his teeth ache. The emperor? Where was he supposed to find the emperor?

The viewers asked what the mission was. Jiang Ji sighed. “Yeah, there is a mission, but I can’t complete it—it involves the emperor.”

He read out the mission details to them.

【Why are so many of your missions related to the emperor?】
【Forget it—you’ll find clay faster on your own】

“You’re right. It’s quicker if I just look for clay myself.” Jiang Ji thought for a bit, then added, “But I can tell Master Zheng about it. He’s in the trade and has seen more than I have. If I tell him, maybe he’ll try it out if he finds some.”

…

The next day, Master Zheng arrived with his crew and the materials. He also brought along an apprentice to help with construction. While they were setting up, Jiang Ji asked if he had ever seen clay before.

“You mean sticky soil?” Master Zheng said as he cleared the area for the oven. “That’s the kind used for making ceramics, isn’t it?”

“Ceramics?” Jiang Ji’s eyes brightened. “Right! Why didn’t I think of that?”

“What do you need it for?” Jiang Yan asked while moving bricks.

“It’s important!” Jiang Ji said excitedly, then turned to Master Zheng. “Master Zheng, I heard that if you mix lime and clay, then bake it in a kiln, grind what comes out into powder, and add a little gypsum and water—it can be used as mortar for building walls. It’s even better than what we use now.”

Master Zheng’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

“Really! You should try it when you have time,” Jiang Ji said eagerly. “Wouldn’t that be great? We’re using sticky rice water right now—it works, but sticky rice is expensive and edible. If we can use clay instead, we won’t waste food.”

“True!” Master Zheng was intrigued. “Do you know the exact proportions?”

“Let me think—I heard about it before.” Jiang Ji clapped his hands. “Wait a second, I’ll be right back.”

Jiang Yan watched him wash his hands and head toward the latrine, guessing that when he came back, he’d “remember” the details.

Sure enough, a few moments later Jiang Ji returned and said to the master, “I remembered! The limestone should make up about sixty to seventy percent, clay about ten to twenty percent, then a little iron ore—maybe one to two parts per hundred—and about ten percent coal. That’s roughly it. Bake it for four or five hours, grind it into fine powder, then mix in a bit of gypsum. That should work, but it might take a few trials to get it just right.”

Jiang Yan glanced at Jiang Ji, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

Just like his mysterious cooking skills that no one could explain, Jiang Ji somehow knew things that even veteran builders had never heard of.

More and more secrets surrounded him.

How very interesting.

When Master Zheng heard the detailed explanation, his face lit up. “Master Jiang, you’ve got paper and brush, right? I need to write this down and have someone test it.”

“Of course—I’ll write it for you.” Jiang Ji turned to Jiang Yan. “Jiang Yan, help me jot this down.”

The two washed their hands, then Jiang Ji dictated while Jiang Yan wrote out the instructions for making basic cement.

Master Zheng read it carefully, as if it were a precious treasure, then folded it neatly and tucked it into his robe.

Soon after, he and his men finished building the oven. “We’ll have to wait a few days for the top to dry completely before removing the boards. Then it’ll be ready to use.”

“Got it,” Jiang Ji said, nodding. Then he took out another drawing. “Could you also build me this simpler one?”

The drawing showed a jar-shaped open-top oven—smaller, with food placed in from above.

He wanted to test which type would work better.

This smaller oven was easy to build; Master Zheng and his apprentice finished it in half a day and coated the outside with a layer of lime plaster. Once it dried for a couple of days, it would be ready.

Jiang Ji went to town, bought two ducks, some hooks and an iron rack from the blacksmith, and even a sheet of iron to use as a lid.

…

Two days later, the small oven was ready.

Jiang Ji began his first attempt at making roast duck. Zhao Ru and Jiang Yan stood nearby watching.

After slaughtering, plucking, and cleaning the ducks, Jiang Ji cut off the feet, removed the tongue, and pulled out the windpipe through the neck. Then he took a small bamboo tube and blew air into the duck.

“What are you doing?” Zhao Ru asked curiously. “Why blow air into it?”

“This makes the duck taste better. The skin separates from the meat so it roasts evenly,” Jiang Ji explained.

After blowing air, he made a small cut under the wing to remove the innards, inserted a short bamboo stick to keep the body open, cleaned the inside again, and hung the ducks up to dry.

Roast duck involved many steps—after drying the skin, it had to be scalded, brushed with sugar water, dried again, sealed at the tail, filled with boiling water, and only then roasted.

That afternoon, Jiang Ji prepared lotus-leaf pancakes and sweet bean sauce. By midafternoon, he began roasting.

He used the small oven. There was no fruitwood, so he burned pine instead. The fire blazed hotly. Above it, a cross-shaped iron rack held the ducks suspended inside the oven on long hooks.

After roasting for over half an hour, Jiang Ji poked a knife into the duck’s leg to check—it was done.

By then, Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei had just returned from school. They could smell the roast from outside, and their homework was hopeless—every few characters, they’d glance at the door.

When they saw Jiang Ji lift the iron sheet lid, Jiang Nan ran out excitedly. “Brother, is it done?”

“It’s done. We can eat soon,” Jiang Ji said, setting the roast duck in a large bowl. “Don’t touch that iron sheet—it’s hot!”

He had just finished speaking when Jiang Yan came out carrying a bucket of water.

“Jiang Nan, Jiang Bei—stand back,” Jiang Yan said. When the boys stepped away, he poured the water over the hot iron lid.

Ssssss—

A cloud of steam hissed up instantly.

“Whoa—!”

The twins gasped in amazement. As soon as Jiang Ji carried the duck back into the kitchen, they trailed right after him.

Zhao Ru had already finished the other dishes, waiting only for the duck.

Jiang Ji washed his hands and began carving.

He cut off a piece and tasted it first. Jiang Nan stared eagerly. “Brother, how is it?”

“Not bad,” Jiang Ji said. Compared to the authentic roast duck he’d once had, his version still fell a little short—but it was already quite good.

“Can I try?” Jiang Nan asked, nearly drooling.

“Not yet. It’s plain now—wait till we dip it in the sauce.”

He sliced the duck neatly, plated it, and brought it to the table.

“All right, time to eat,” Jiang Ji announced. “There are a few ways to eat this. Here’s the sweet sauce, and here’s the savory dip. Choose whichever you like. You can wrap it with cucumber or just dip and eat.”

“How do we wrap it?” Zhao Ru asked.

“Like this—follow me,” Jiang Ji said.

He placed a lotus-leaf pancake on his palm, spread a layer of sweet bean sauce, added slices of duck, cucumber strips, and green onion, then rolled it up and took a bite.

“Eat it like this. See if you like the slightly sweet flavor. If not, use the savory dip instead.”

Everyone followed his example and began eating.

“How is it?” Jiang Ji asked eagerly.

Zhao Ru chewed thoughtfully. “The duck’s delicious, the cucumber’s crisp—but it’s a bit too sweet for me.”

“Then try the salty one, Mother.”

Jiang Xia, however, seemed to enjoy it. “It’s actually pretty good! The first bite felt strange, but the second one’s really tasty.”

“Try both kinds—eat whichever you prefer,” Jiang Ji said. He was used to both flavors.

Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei, being meat lovers, skipped the pancakes entirely. They dipped slices straight into the salty sauce and devoured them.

“This skin’s amazing—it smells so good!” Jiang Nan exclaimed.

“And the meat’s great too,” Jiang Bei added.

Jiang Ji laughed at them. “You two won’t get tired of eating like that?”

Roast duck was rich and fatty; after a few bites, most people found it heavy. That was why the cucumber or radish was used—to balance the flavor with something fresh and crisp.

But Jiang Nan shook his head, his mouth glistening with oil. “It’s delicious—not greasy at all!”

Jiang Ji chuckled, then turned to Zhao Ru. “Mother, how’s the savory one?”

“The savory one’s delicious. I still prefer that flavor,” Zhao Ru said with a smile.

“As long as you like it.” Jiang Ji then looked over at Jiang Yan, noticing that he’d been eating with the sweet sauce. “You like the sweet kind?”

Jiang Yan nodded. “Mm. It tastes really good.”

“Do you think it could work as a shop dish?” Jiang Ji asked.

Jiang Yan nodded again. “Yes.”

Without looking up from his plate, Jiang Nan chimed in between bites, while Jiang Bei said loudly, “Yeah—it’s tasty! We could sell it for sure.”

“It’s so good, people would definitely line up to buy it,” Jiang Xia added eagerly. “Brother, when are we going to start selling it?”

Jiang Ji answered while eating, “It’s still too early to open a shop. The oven we have now is too small, and I can’t handle everything alone. I’d need to take on apprentices and teach them other dishes too. Once they’ve learned enough, I could make them head chefs, and I wouldn’t have to cook all the time myself.”

Jiang Xia’s eyes widened. “But if you train them, what if they leave and open their own shops later?”

Jiang Ji paused. “That’s… a good point.”

He began to think it over.

Zhao Ru offered a suggestion. “Why not just buy a few people? Your own people are more trustworthy.”

Buy servants?

Jiang Ji froze for a moment. In this era, the buying and selling of servants was indeed common—and perfectly legal. Still, it felt strange to him, clashing with the values he’d been raised with.

“What do you think?” he asked Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan nodded. “It’s reasonable. Having your own people would be more reliable. Best to buy those under death contracts—it’s more secure.”

Jiang Ji thought about it. In this world, that was simply how things worked—no need to get hung up on it.

He nodded. “All right. Let’s find a few with good character and an interest in cooking. As long as they’re willing to learn, I’ll teach them. At least that way, they’ll have a proper skill for the future. But our house can’t fit anyone right now. It’ll take at least two months before they’re trained.”

Jiang Yan said, “Then buy a house in town for them to live in. They’ll be working there anyway, so it’s better to get one now. You can modify the kitchen—build a few more stoves for them to practice on. For now, just visit every other day to teach. When choosing people, pick those with some experience—they’ll learn faster.”

Jiang Ji thought for a moment, then nodded. “All right. Come with me to town tomorrow so we can find a broker and buy a house.”

“Sure.” Jiang Yan agreed.

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