Chapter 14: Magistrate Zhou Zheng

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Lu Chuan listened carefully and nodded.
“No problem. Once I finish drawing the blood, I’ll cut you a piece of meat!”
The village chief had often looked after him, and two pounds of meat wasn’t much to ask. Lu Chuan wasn’t going to be stingy about it.
The village chief, after chuckling awkwardly, cautiously pulled out a string of coins from his pocket.
This string was 200 coins!
“Just weigh out two pounds for me later!”
Although in the town the general price for meat was about 100 coins per pound, going back and forth to get it was troublesome. Moreover, in this era, meat was somewhat of a luxury. Sometimes, when you went to the market, there simply wasn’t any for sale.
The root cause was the underdeveloped livestock industry.
Most butchers couldn’t secure a steady supply of meat.
The relatively stable sources were monopolized by the major taverns and inns, ensuring their operations could continue smoothly.
While busy at work, Lu Chuan struck up a conversation with the village chief.
The chief’s name was Sun Zhi. He had some schooling but never passed the imperial examinations.
Still, he knew quite a bit about affairs in the county town.
“By the way!”
Suddenly, Lu Chuan remembered something and asked, “Do you know Zhou Tong?”
“Zhou Tong?”
Sun Zhi paused for a moment, then pondered: “The name sounds familiar.”
“The constable who escorted the woman into the village earlier!”
Sun Zhi suddenly realized.
“Oh him, I do know. He’s a nephew of the county magistrate of Hongtu County and holds a minor post in the government. He’s arrogant and overbearing, acting recklessly without regard for others!”
“I know the county magistrate; we once studied at the same private school, but we’re not close.”
Sun Zhi said awkwardly.
Then, curiously, he asked, “Why do you suddenly ask about him?”
“Nothing much.”
Lu Chuan smiled but grew wary inside.
Zhou Tong was indeed a troublesome figure.
“May I ask, who is the county magistrate of Hongtu County?”
Lu Chuan inquired again.
Inside the room, Bai Siyu also listened attentively.
“The county magistrate’s name is Zhou Zheng,” Sun Zhi nodded.
At that moment, Lu Chuan finished drawing the blood.
He cut off some meat from the pig’s hind leg, about five pounds, and handed it to Sun Zhi: “Village chief, here’s your meat!”
“...”
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Sun Zhi’s mouth twitched sharply.
“Pork, pork...”
“Yeah, your pork!” Lu Chuan repeated.
Sun Zhi took a deep breath, constantly reminding himself that the other was just a rough farmer and not worth arguing with.
Still, he awkwardly said, “This is... quite a lot.”
“We’re all from the same village, and you’ve always taken care of me. Take the rest home to eat. After all, you have four or five people in your family!” Lu Chuan said cheerfully.
Sun Zhi opened his mouth, as if to refuse, but in the end, he shook his head with some disappointment, took the meat, and silently headed down the mountain.
Lu Chuan watched Sun Zhi’s departing figure, his heart filled with complicated emotions.
Honestly, the old man felt a bit unwilling, or rather, still held onto hope. But this world would not show him the slightest kindness. People like him, who never made it through the examinations, would likely remain stuck in this fate for life.
“Master!”
“I know this Zhou Zheng!”
At that moment, Bai Siyu stepped out, her gaze heavy. She continued, “This person is quite peculiar.”
“Peculiar?”
Lu Chuan asked in surprise, “How so?”
“In the entire officialdom of Bingzhou, from top to bottom, many officials have changed over the past ten years.”
“Zhou Zheng is an anomaly. He is a county magistrate who has had several chances for promotion but refuses to advance. Over more than ten years, he’s served as magistrate in many places in Bingzhou but has no ambition to climb higher.”
“Every time he moves, it’s to another county.”
“And he works diligently, without greed or corruption.”
“He’s a rare breed in the Bingzhou bureaucracy.”
Bai Siyu shook her head slightly: “But my father once said that Zhou Zheng is deep and secretive, hiding something. So he must never be underestimated.”
“Hmm...”
Lu Chuan’s brows furrowed lightly.
He sensed something was off.
“I understand.”
He then said to Bai Siyu, “Bring me a basin of cold water!”
“All right!”
Bai Siyu hurriedly nodded and brought a basin of cold water.
Lu Chuan took two clean sticks and slowly poured the cold water into the container holding the pig’s blood.
Then he said to Bai Siyu, “Add a little salt too.”
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As he added the salt, he stirred continuously.
The pig’s blood gradually cooled.
Lu Chuan breathed out deeply. Next, they would wait for the blood to coagulate. Once solidified, it could be eaten or sold in the town.
This was also a kind of craft.
By now, the sun had just set.
Lu Chuan first prepared a simple meal.
Then he busied himself in the courtyard.
He fetched two baskets and brought up some yellow earth from down the mountain. Taking advantage of the fading light, he went into the forest to gather pine needles and other coarse fibrous plant down.
“Master!”
Su Ruan watched this and showed a trace of surprise in her eyes before asking, “What are you doing?”
“I plan to build a brick kiln and fire some bricks to repair our house.”
In this era, there was no cement or reinforced concrete; only yellow clay and bricks could be used.
Of course, wealthier families might use stone slabs, wood, and lime!
“A brick kiln?”
Su Ruan asked, astonished, “You know how to do this?”
“I know many things!”
Lu Chuan smiled, “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Su Ruan’s cheeks flushed slightly. Then, with some anticipation, she asked, “Master, could you make me a bow? Just the kind you use!”
“I... don’t know anything else. After thinking it through, it’s best to just go hunting with you!”
Su Ruan said earnestly.
“All right!”
Lu Chuan agreed without hesitation and pointed to the bow behind the door: “From now on, it’s yours!”
Su Ruan froze on the spot, as if unable to believe her ears.
After a moment, she screamed aloud!
“Ah...”
“Master!”
“Are you serious?”
In the past, even a finely crafted bow would not have impressed her much, but times had changed.
Moreover, she had seen the bows Lu Chuan made, which were no worse than the finest military bows!