Chapter 76: The Average Foodie
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**Chapter 76: The Average Foodie**
In response to Ah Che's question, Chu Xing was at a loss for words.
First, the issue of innate talent differences was simply too harsh; second… he just wasn’t in the mood!
Seeing that their general had personally drafted a new training plan for his daughter, Chu Xing felt anxious.
“General…”
“This matter is better left to consider further…”
He repeatedly attempted to interject, but the overly excited Chang Kuo wouldn’t give anyone a chance to speak and firmly declared, “It’s settled then! From tomorrow onward, I will come here at the hour of the rabbit every day!”
Seeing his father so eager, wishing he could just go home and sleep until tomorrow, Chang Suining raised a question: “... Are you not going to attend court, Father?”
Chang Kuo's smile froze.
But smiles don’t just vanish; they shift from one person's face to another—
Realizing this at the same time, Chu Xing was overjoyed and immediately said, “The general attends court every morning, so time won’t be enough. It’s better for someone under you to oversee the lady’s martial training.”
Chang Suining nodded: “When Father has time, just give me some pointers.”
Officials below the fifth rank only need to attend court on the first and fifteenth of each month, but as a first-rank general, Chang Kuo had to attend court daily.
Chang Kuo sighed heavily.
The early court attendance system was truly infuriating, hindering his goal of training his daughter!
Holding a high position was a kind of burden too, wasn’t it?
In a fleeting moment, numerous dangerous thoughts flashed through Chang Kuo’s mind—including, but not limited to, fantasies about how he could be demoted.
As the winner of this debate, Chu Xing decided to bow out: “But how the lady trains should still follow the general’s previously established guidelines.”
Chang Kuo had no choice but to repeatedly emphasize: “You must pay close attention; we can’t let the child down.”
Chu Xing patted his chest: “You can rest assured, General!”
Chang Sui'an , unable to hold back, asked, “But Father, won’t your plans be too full?”
“Absolutely not.”
—It was Chang Suining who answered.
Chang Kuo couldn’t help but smile: “Look at our Suining, so capable!”
“But my sister is still a girl…” Chang Sui'an said, following Chang Kuo out of the training ground, feeling a bit distressed. “Ning Ning practices martial arts just for self-defense; there’s no need to suffer like this since she doesn’t have to go to the battlefield and kill enemies, nor does sheLjj expect to become a general like you!”
“Brother, you’re wrong,” Chang Suining replied while wiping her sweat and walking ahead. “Why wouldn’t I hope to become a general? Who knows what the future holds?”
Having revealed her extraordinary “talent,” how could she only be doing this for self-defense?
Chang Sui'an was left stunned.
Chang Kuo also froze for a moment, but then he burst out laughing: “Well said! Who says a girl can’t become a general and kill enemies?”
Girls can lead troops and fight too!
—He was more certain of this than anyone else.
Looking at the girl beside him, there was a hint of nostalgia hidden beneath Chang Kuo’s appreciative gaze.
Chang Sui'an remained in shock, unable to recover for a long time. His frail sister suddenly showed a determination to go into battle and kill enemies?
Looking at his dumbfounded son, Chang Kuo teasingly said, “You little brat, don’t you realize? The future support for the Chang family might just come from your sister!”
This half-joking remark jolted Chang Sui'an awake.
That wouldn’t do!
Supporting the family was an extremely arduous task!
The young man clenched his fist, determined to strive hard and not let the burden fall on his sister.
But then, thinking of his sister’s talent, he felt a wave of despair as if he couldn’t catch up even if he tried. In a moment of urgency, a flash of inspiration hit him—a glimpse of hope named shortcuts—
“Ning Ning, think carefully…” Chang Sui'an leaned closer to his sister, cautiously yet with barely concealed yearning, and asked, “How did your brain get messed up?”
Chang Suining looked at him: “... Are you also wanting to try?”
Chang Sui'an eagerly nodded.
Could he have the same kind of “messed-up brain” as her?
He had thought about it; his sister's talent only emerged after her brain had gone haywire!
He admitted there was a gamble involved, but he really needed to give it a try!
Chang Kuo, unable to bear it any longer, slapped his son’s head: “With things already like this, what more do you want to mess up!”
Chang Sui'an rubbed the spot where he had been hit and seriously contemplated for a moment, realizing there wasn’t much room for his brain to be messed up anymore, so he reluctantly gave up.
Chang Suining said, “Brother, you already have enough strengths; there’s no need to take such risks.”
Kids should be treated equally; it’s always good to give them praise.
“Really?” Chang Sui'an ’s eyes lit up. “Ning Ning, then tell me, what strengths do I have?”
Chang Suining pretended to think: “Hmm…”
Chang Sui'an looked at her expectantly, and after waiting a long time without a response, he grew a bit anxious—this question had indeed stumped his sister, hadn’t it?
Just as he was pondering how to change the subject, he suddenly saw his sister smile gently, her eyes serious—
“Brother has a heart of gold, rare and precious!”
A heart of gold?
The young man blinked, his mouth stretching wider and wider, nearly reaching the back of his ears—if he had a tail, he might just wag it all the way up into the sky!
Seeing his son look so silly, Chang Kuo clicked his tongue: “This is unbelievable! You’re going to have to engrave those four words on your forehead!”
Chang Sui'an scratched the back of his head, chuckling.
The family joked and teased as they continued walking.
At a fork in the road, Chang Suining parted ways with her father and brother and returned to her courtyard to change.
“Does the general really intend to raise a daughter to become a female general?” Once alone, Chu Xing asked with a smile.
Chang Kuo also smiled, shaking his head: “It’s not that easy.”
He was a father who cherished and recognized his daughter, but he was also a general with over thirty years of battlefield experience. He wouldn’t be blindly infatuated just because his daughter was a martial arts prodigy—
To become a female general, innate talent in martial arts alone was far from enough.
“But it’s good that the child has aspirations,” Chang Kuo said with a smile. “Daring to dream is a good thing; this world is full of challenges, and we need those who dare to dream and act, regardless of whether it succeeds or fails.”
This wasn’t his original saying; he had heard it somewhere.
Chu Xing had heard it too, and nodded in agreement, smiling: “That’s true.”
…
That evening, the three members of the Chang family dined together in the dining hall.
Due to being inspired by his daughter’s talent, Chang Kuo was in a good mood and had a hearty appetite, eating two more bowls of rice than usual.
Chang Suining, after practicing her basics and archery today, also had an extra bowl.
Chang Sui'an was even more so; seeing that his talent couldn't match his younger sister, he had to put in more effort physically. As a young man who had been practicing martial arts for years, he already had a large appetite, and with his desire to improve, he easily polished off five bowls of plain rice.
Watching the tall stack of bowls and soup bowls, the servant serving them felt her eyelids twitch—if someone cut off her head and poured the food in, it still wouldn’t fit!
Looking at the now-empty small wooden tub that had held the rice, Chang Suining found it a bit absurd. Due to her past experience worrying about military provisions, she instinctively asked, “Father, where does most of the rice and vegetables in the household come from nowadays?”
Chang Kuo, who was not very knowledgeable about household matters, looked to Steward Bai.
“Miss, as for the rice, apart from the official rations from the court, it comes from the harvest of the estates. As for vegetables, meat, and charcoal, if there isn’t enough, we buy them from outside.”
Chang Suining nodded and asked, “Then how much surplus is there each year from the rations and the estate harvest?”
“Surplus?” Steward Bai was taken aback, as if to say—what on earth is that?
Chang Suining: “... It’s all been eaten?”
Though there weren’t many members in the Chang family, the large residence and various estates needed management, so servants were unavoidable. With many of Chang Kuo’s old subordinates around, it was hardly surprising that the 600 stones of rations were consumed. However, given Chang Kuo’s current official position, excluding rewards, his estate also had a thousand acres—
Even if the Chang family governed their household with military discipline, to sustain a body full of muscle and find everyone to be a glutton... no, a group of good eaters, it was implausible that everything had been completely consumed.
Seeing her confusion, Steward Bai explained, “Those estates have lost the skilled managers. Previously, the general decided to sell several hundred acres of permanent farmland, and the remaining land hasn’t had good harvests in recent years. After a while, we haven’t been able to stock up any surplus grain.”
Unlike the official lands that could only be rented out temporarily, the so-called permanent farmland was a private possession granted by the court, which could be inherited and sold.
Chang Suining looked at Chang Kuo: “Father doesn’t lack silver; why sell the farmland?”
Chang Kuo recalled, “It was some years ago... there was a time when military pay was tight, and the Ministry of Revenue delayed the allocation of funds, so we had to sell some properties to cover military expenses—”
The Da Sheng Dynasty had not enjoyed stability for many years, with ongoing wars affecting the treasury and the differing sentiments in the court, sometimes making it difficult to obtain supplies for the army.
The military kept urging, and the Ministry of Revenue kept delaying; this was a common occurrence.
“They eventually did reimburse us,” Chang Kuo said nonchalantly, “but we didn’t specifically buy back those estates. They’re hard to manage, and besides, the household doesn’t lack for those.”
Chang Suining pondered.
People excel in different areas; Chang Kuo had a keen sense for detail, but it wasn’t in the trivial matters of managing family assets.
Without a lady of the house to manage things, the duties fell solely on Steward Bai, who also came from the battlefield, inevitably overlooking certain aspects.
In short, the Chang household was merely a den of soldiers.
She considered aloud, “Just relying on consumption like this won’t work.”
Seeing her concern, Chang Kuo chuckled: “Sui Ning need not worry about that; your father’s mountain is quite large; it’s hard to eat it all up!”
To put it bluntly, aside from his salary, after fighting battles for decades, winning countless victories, and during his time with the late crown prince, he had never been shorted on rewards, resulting in a fairly substantial family fortune.
While the family could eat quite a bit, aside from food, they never indulged extravagantly, and his children were not wastrels. Not to mention raising some pigs, even if they ate for ten generations, it would be hard to deplete their resources!
It was precisely because of this that they had grown accustomed to not being meticulous about small matters.
Chang Suining said earnestly, “While that may be true, everything born in this world has its purpose. Since we have usable resources, we should use them wisely. If we leave them idle without management, wouldn’t that be wasting them? Just like the farmland; if managed well, we can stockpile rice. Even if we don’t need it now, it might come in handy later. Even if we ourselves don’t need it, there will always be people in need of food. Regardless of where it goes, it’s better than letting it lie idle and go to waste. What do you think, Father?”
Her earnestness changed Chang Kuo’s expression to a serious one: “Your father thinks you are quite right.”
Chang Sui'an nodded in agreement.
Steward Bai also nodded and couldn’t help but ask, “Miss, do you have any good strategies for managing the family’s estate?”
Under the gaze of the others, Chang Suining thought for a moment: “Not at the moment.”
A brief silence fell.
Clearing her throat lightly, Chang Suining said, “As the saying goes, learning has its order, and each profession has its specialty. While I don’t have detailed plans, there will always be those who excel in this area.”
Even if she had good strategies, they were merely theoretical. In her previous life, she had lived in a rush, learned a lot about military strategy and governance, but hadn’t had the time to practically engage in matters such as farming.
With no experience, if she blindly assigned tasks, it would be better to not do it at all.
Her teacher had once told her that she didn’t need to master everything, as no one could; she only needed to learn to choose wise and capable people, to recognize talent, and to put people to good use.
Chang Kuo nodded, stroking his tousled beard: “Sui Ning speaks very well.”
With a plan in mind, they only needed to find those who “excel in this field.”
It was obvious that such capable individuals wouldn’t just appear out of thin air; they needed to be sought out—
Although Steward Bai found it somewhat troublesome, since the young lady mentioned it, he nodded: “I will have someone keep an eye on this matter.”
At this moment, Xi'er and Ah Che walked in from outside.
Xi'er said, “Miss, according to your instructions this morning, everything is prepared.”
Chang Suining nodded.
Ah Che continued, “Everything has been sent to the garden; all is ready and just waiting for you to go over.”
Chang Suining stood up: “Let’s go now.”
“Let’s go together,” Chang Kuo stood up too: “It’s a rare opportunity.”
When his daughter was brought back by the prince, she was still young and had no impression of her birth mother. This was the first time she mentioned dreaming of her real mother and wanting to burn some paper money for her.
Even if it was a meeting in a dream, it counted as a reunion.
Since it was a reunion, it was considered a form of acknowledgment, and if acknowledged, it counted as effective worship.
Since it was effective worship, it had to be taken seriously and shouldn’t lack in courtesy.
This was Chang Kuo’s thought.
Thus, upon arriving in the garden, Chang Suining saw a mountain of sacrificial offerings.
The paper money was piled halfway up to her height, not to mention the paper models of houses, carriages, and horses. As she walked closer to take a look, she found that the house models were actually of a five-courtyard layout...
A bit too extravagant.
Chang Suining remained silent for a moment before saying, “If this burns down, we might as well become a wealthy family.”
Chang Kuo sighed, “It’s also the first time we’re paying a visit; as the saying goes, ‘no one complains about too much courtesy.’”
As Chang Kuo spoke, he took the wine flask handed to him by Ah Che and slowly poured it over the offerings: “Sui Ning’s mother, come and receive the offerings.”
With the smell of wine filling the air, Chang Suining thought of the gentle woman she had seen in her dream. If the woman were truly able to accept the offerings, she would probably be quite choked right now...
...
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(End of this chapter)
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