Chapter 7 Settling Down in the County Town

  Most of the houses in the Tang Dynasty were wooden structures, with some incorporating bricks and stones as load-bearing structures. This house may not represent all the architectural styles of the great Tang Dynasty, but it is definitely a miniature version. Wu Qing was very satisfied, and after mother and son strolled around for a while, they went to the market to buy some daily necessities before starting to clean up. Wu Qing also temporarily put aside the county school affairs, according to Wang Baishi's intention, and asked Wu Qing to visit Wang Fuzi as soon as he arrived in Wen Shui County that day.

  The mother and son were exhausted from their busy afternoon and evening, so they drank some water and each went back to their own room to rest.

  On the second day, Wu Qing went out after lunch and inquired about it before arriving at the county school. He handed over Wang Bai's letter of introduction, which was equivalent to a visiting card, and waited outside the door. Wu Qing didn't like this kind of thing very much, thinking that since ancient times, China had been a country of etiquette, and the Tang Dynasty was the most prosperous country in the world at that time, with literature, martial arts, and etiquette reaching its peak, from emperors to common people were all very particular about it.

  "In the 'Six Arts', 'Etiquette' is ranked first, showing its importance. Moreover, in this era, whether it was the imperial court selecting talents or making friends, they didn't care about what kind of talent you had, but rather whether you understood etiquette. Understanding etiquette can reveal a person's moral character from one aspect, which was highly valued among the scholar-official class of this era."

  Not long after, Wu Qing was led into Wang Fu's study.

  All the way here, Wu Qing couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at this quiet place. When he walked into the study, he was even more impressed by the arrangement of the room. The shelves were filled with all kinds of books, and there were even some bamboo slips placed on top. In this era, bamboo slips were really rare. Looking at the books on the bookshelves, almost all of them were scrolls. Suddenly, I remembered an article about the development of books that I had read before, knowing that thread-bound books did not appear until the Song Dynasty, and it was only after the invention of movable-type printing that they developed.

  Wu Qing suddenly had an idea, that is to let movable type printing appear ahead of time. The woodblock printing in this era was a great waste, which was also an important reason why books could not be popularized among the common people, compared with the Song Dynasty hundreds of years later.

  In the study, a faint scent of sandalwood wafted through the air. Behind the desk, an elderly man with an aura of bookishness looked up and smiled at him.

  "Wu Qing hastily cupped his hands and bowed deeply, saying loudly: 'Student Wu Qing has seen the master!'"

  The sound of this child's voice is loud and clear, and his appearance is also quite handsome. Mr. Wang laughed and said: "Hmmm, not bad, Bai Shi has said that you are a rare prodigy in a hundred years, and with such a voice, it's also rarely seen. Hmmm, not bad, not bad." Mr. Wang stood up and examined Wu Qing carefully.

  Wu Qing didn't dare show any pride and hastily replied with respect: "I am unworthy of such praise."

  Wang Fu stroked his beard and nodded, saying: "Wu Qing, you can come to class tomorrow."

  After Wu Qing was stunned for a moment, he respectfully answered and then listened to Wang Fu's inquiry before leaving the study and walking out of the county school. The teaching method in this Tang Dynasty is really casual, just like that, entering the county school without having to take an entrance exam or anything, it seems that Wang Baishi's letter of introduction was quite good.

  Walking on the desolate and dirty streets, Wu Qing felt that the economy of this era was quite underdeveloped. Nearly half of the shops along the street were closed. This year seemed to be the second year of Tongzhi, with severe drought within the pass, Taiyuan Prefecture was no better off either. Although there were no refugees fleeing famine, the sounds of hunger and panic always pierced Wu Qing's ears.

  Having been in this world for three years, the harvest has not been very good. If it weren't for the help of veteran Zhang Xing, he really wouldn't dare believe that he could survive. Maybe he could still survive, but it would probably be extremely difficult.

  Wu Qing was very clear about the economic situation of this era, with a small-scale agricultural economy supplemented by sericulture and handicraft industries, which predetermined that this period could not have the economic energy of an industrial age, let alone be compared to the electronic information age. The prosperity of the Tang Dynasty is relative!

  Anyway, Wu Qing's first priority was to solve his own nutritional problem. Although he had been able to eat well and dress warmly for three years, his nutrition had always been lagging behind. At this time, although his complexion was slightly ruddy, in Wu Qing's opinion, it was absolutely malnourished.

  If nutrition is poor, it will lead to poor intellectual development, poor physical growth, and short stature. In this era where appearance is highly valued, it's a very embarrassing thing. Not to mention becoming an official, even finding a wife would be difficult. Just like in later generations, "short, ugly, and poor" has no market value, only "tall, rich, and handsome" can get the attention of "beautiful and wealthy" women. Of course, those so-called "delicate and tender" types will also easily fall into his hands. As for those "black wood ears", Wu Qing would unhesitatingly reject them because he had been hurt before!

  When it comes to nutrition, Wuqing's first thought is milk. I remember a report saying that in Japan, the government requires every child to drink a cup of milk every day to strengthen their physique, and the real intention is that Japanese people are too short.

  Of course, Wu Qing didn't think of milk because of this message. As a graduate from the chemical engineering department, he knew something about the effects of milk, and as a child, he often drank it. There's no doubt that milk does have a role in enhancing physical fitness. If someone offered him milk to drink, Wu Qing wouldn't refuse, but somehow it felt too evil.

  In the Tang Dynasty, apart from the nomads on the grasslands who drank various types of milk, only the people living in the border areas of the Great Tang Empire drank milk. Fortunately, the Great Tang Empire was rich in products and trade was flourishing, so some high-ranking officials and nobles liked to add milk to their tea or wine. Wenshui County is not far from Taiyuan City, and after Emperor Gaozong of Tang accompanied Empress Wu Zetian on an inspection tour of Bingzhou in the fifth year of Xianqing, trade in Wenshui also became prosperous. Cattle and horses from the grasslands as well as furs appeared here, and jade stones, gold, silver, and other goods from the Western Regions also emerged in Wenshui.

  Wu Qing arrived at the specific location of Niu Ma Shi Kou, and soon came to this chaotic market, with a strong smell filling the air, and people's voices ringing out, forming a stark contrast with the main street. This place perhaps reflects the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty's commerce to some extent.

  Wu Qing watched as the grassland traders and Western merchants in their strange attire and different skin colors haggled with the Han people, spitting and arguing until their faces turned red and their necks thickened. He couldn't help but feel a deep sense of emotion, thinking that no matter what era it was, such scenes would always exist.

  Yazi and Jiangke didn't look for Wuqing, which made Wuqing very helpless. Was it just because he was a child? Wuqing had no choice but to take a look himself first.

  Soon he saw a young Westerner with his head down and squatting on the ground, Wu Qing walked over.

  The man from the Western Regions felt someone approaching him and let out a sigh after seeing it was just a Tang Dynasty boy, then lowered his head again.

  "Friend, is there anything you need to sell or exchange?" Wu Qing asked very seriously.

  The Westerner lifted his head again, and on a dark red face, the eyes seemed to stare at Wu Qing for a long time as if looking at a monster, then said in half-fluent Tang Dynasty language: "Excuse me, little friend of the Tang Dynasty, what do you want to buy?"