How Much (money) is a Dou of Rice
Finally, Ran Yan woke on the third day.
Seeing Wan Lu lean on the bed still carrying the medicine trunk gave her a warm feeling. Though she had been unconscious for these past days, she was also sometimes aware of what was happening. Coincidentally she heard Wan Lu’s methods to keep Wu Xiu He.
Now that the reality of being in the Tang Dynasty has been set in stone, she felt sorry for Xing Niang and Wan Lu when she saw them worry day in and day out. She became determined to not think about it anymore and put living well here in the present as priority.
A faint clamor could be heard from outside. Quietly putting on clothes she got off the bed, not waking Wan Lu. When she got to the veranda, she put on shoes, straightened out her clothing, and followed the sounds.
Coming out of the courtyard, Ran Yan saw that the Ran estate she stayed at was more than just the small courtyard. Outside the courtyard was a big flower garden. The flowerbed contained weeds making it seem as if was not frequently managed. Along the roadside there were also a few houses. Black tiled roofs and white walls, simple to the point that they couldn’t even compare to her courtyard.
Moving along, the noise from outside became clearer. Within the noise, one can faintly distinguish the meaning of a few words all spoken in soft Wu dialect. Even the man’s voice carried a gentle tone. In the past Ran Yan only knew Mandarin, but hearing the soft accent, she could actually understand.
“Great Doctor Wu, you must accept these chicken innards!”
“Great Doctor Wu, these are our family’s radishes, please do not take offense la.”
……
Ran Yan suddenly recalled that Wan Lu and Xing Niang did not speak in Wu dialect. Thinking carefully, she then realized that Ran family could be traced to Ran Yong from the Lu State (722-481 BC). Afterwards in the Wei and Jin dynasties there was also a Ran Min. During the time of the Sixteen Kingdoms established Ran Wei’s political power. Ran Yan’s family descended from Ran Min’s son Ran Yin’s offspring who lived in the ShanXi province originally. Later they moved North and developed there and only recently establishing in the South.
Ran Yan was still thinking as she unconsciously approached the location of the noise.
The racket outside the front entrance abruptly stopped when Ran Yan appeared. Villagers trying to stuff things into Wu Xiu He’s hands looked at Ran Yan and momentarily forgot what they were doing.
Under the sunlight, a relaxed satin cover draped over Ran Yan’s floral dress. Hair draped loose, her delicate but pale face contrasted with her ink-black hair. She was truly beautiful but like a dark marsh, gave onlookers an unbearably cold feeling.
Seeing Ran Yan, Wu Xiu He’s wrinkles softened on his old face. He ordered the post at the door to accept the items and thanked each of the villagers before turning to observe Ran Yan and said, “There is slight improvement.”
“Your (formal) healing hands and kind heart saved my life. Currently I do not have much so I cannot offer thanks, but in the future it will surely be repaid!” Ran Yan knew that Wu Xiu He was a pragmatic person. Thus, it was best to give him an honest promise than to confess one’s devotion and gratitude.
Wu Xiu He stared at her for a bit and touched his beard smiling from ear to ear said, “I gave my best effort to treat you for two years, the heavens will not disappoint a person who gives his utmost effort. Now you are as good as completely healed.”
This arrogant expression as if he was seated high above others, if she were the original Ran Yan, she would certainly be scared. But that Ran Yan was already dead.
“Niang Zi!” Wan Lu rushed out while still holding the medicine trunk. After giving Ran Yan a look-over she let out a breath and said, “Niang Zi, this is the South and is different from the North, there are lots of customs! If your current appearance is seen by strangers it might have consequences!”
Ran Yan really wanted to say, others have already seen her and not just one person. But seeing Wan Lu’s incessant chatter, she was afraid that there would be no end. Swallowing her words she looked down to give the impression that she was benefiting from the advice.
Wan Lu saw her expression and laughed out loud, “In the past, if servant talked too much, Niang Zi would not want to listen. But today Niang Zi seems adorably obedient.”
Adorably obedient? Ran Yan blinked a few times, it has been quite a few years since anyone has called her that!
Seeing Ran Yan was not depressed and sad all the time like her former self, Wan Lu was also very happy.
After they both bowed to show respect to Wu Xiu He, Wan Lu returned his medicine trunk and they went back into the garden.
Wan Lu glanced around. Seeing that there was no one else around she felt reassured and said, “Niang Zi, the hairpin has been sold for fifteen Liang silvers. Spent less than one Liang for rice grain that will last us almost half a year. Making up the prescription took two Liang which were all good quality supplements.” Following that she said with a sour expression, “Servant also decided to buy the Great Doctor Wu some good quality medicinal herbs since he really only likes that stuff.”
Ran Yan nodded, “We ought to.”
After carefully pondering it over, Ran Yan still had no concept of how much fifteen Liang (Liang = 50 grams) of silver was worth and couldn’t help but be disappointed. The original owner was one who did not know anything about the world. She couldn’t stay like this if she wanted to survive and thus asked, “How much rice can one Liang purchase?”
Wan Lu was pained by this. Originally, if her Niang Zi still lived at the main estate, she would have learned to manage the estate. But in the current state of things she didn’t even know how much a Dou (measurement) of rice cost……
Though she felt sorry for her, Wan Lu still attentively explained to Ran Yan, “One Liang is the same as one Guan, which is one thousand Wen. A Dou rice is five Wen. Ten Dou of rice is one Shi, one Liang silver can buy twenty Shi of rice grain. This is normal years but if harvest is plentiful and since we live in in Jiang Nan region where the three grains are produced, four Wen for a Dou is also common.”
Ran Yan nodded, one Shi rice is about fifty nine kilograms. She knew this but didn’t make this connection—one Liang in the Tang Dynasty can actually buy over one thousand kilograms of rice grain!
At the same time she also lamented that the lives of nobility in the olden times was too extravagant. A single hairpin could exchange for so much rice grain!
“Niang Zi’s health is not good so servant bought green stalked rice which is produced in He Bei. Since it is not local it cost forty Wen for a Dou.” Wan Lu sighed, green stalked rice is mostly sent to Chang An so less is sent to other places. Merchants readily ship it to influential official residences to gain favor so it is not only expensive but also difficult to come by. Wan Lu put great effort into wheedling and bugging to only get twenty five kilograms.
“Tsk tsk, such a pity.” Wan Lu sighed.
Ran Yan gave her a questioning look.
Wan Lu said, “The jeweled hairpin came in a pair. Selling it separately decreased its value significantly. If Niang Zi also pulled out the other one from Shi Ba Niang’s hair at that time, we could have sold them for forty Liang!”
Ran Yan couldn’t help but laugh, “You are truly ruthless!”
“So what if ruthless! Servant is merely at ease from holding someone else’s money, Niang Zi was the one that greatly used her powers and for once became a tyrant!” Thinking about the Ran Yan from a few days ago, that “expression that wouldn’t change even if the Tai Mountain collapsed in front of her” imposing attitude, Wan Lu’s eyes lit up.
Ran Yan smiled and allowed Wan Lu to chatter beside her. Coming into the yard, they took off their shoes in the veranda and walked on the wooden floors with only socks on, similar to the Japanese style that was adopted from the Tang Dynasty.
Her livelihood problems were solved and Ran Yan’s illness was improving each day. Both these things together helped add a cheerful vibe to the yard.
For some reason Wu Xiu He suddenly decided to not leave anymore. Food and drink were provided so he no longer went to work in the town clinic. Once in a while he went up to the mountain to pick some herbal medicine to add to his stash and so his life was excellent.
The few other servants that resided in the estate were there to look after the village and did not serve Ran Yan. Thus, Xing Niang and Wan Lu were busy day in day out with no leisure time.
Only Ran Yan was idle to the point she could grow grass. She was once a workaholic but now in the Tang Dynasty there were no bodies for her to examine so she was bored to the point where the framework of her mind had already toppled over and she appeared sluggish. Despite Xing Niang and Wan Lu’s ideas, reciting poetry and painting were not what she liked to do and so she was still at a loss as to what to do next.
Holding a writing brush she wrote a well-featured “Jing” (calm, quiet, and peaceful) on a piece of paper. Ran Yan was lost in thought again. Not only had she inherited the original owner’s memories, she also inherited skills. As for how good she was, Ran Yan was quite uncertain. She only knew that the word she wrote was well-featured and graceful. From her perspective, she only needed words to be passable and did not ask for more.
“Wan Lu, I want to take a walk outside.” Ran Yan put down her brush and looked at Wan Lu who had been busy all morning.
“The Great Doctor Wu said your health is recovering well so walking is good.” Wan Lu was a straightforward person so yes meant yes and there was no deeper meaning. As she said this, she quickly got up to get a cloth cover for Ran Yan.
People thought that the Tang Dynasty saw plump chests and buttocks as beautiful, open and fiery, but it was not so. At least the early years were not this way. Women needed to cover up somewhat when they left the home and could not casually reveal their face to strangers.
The cloth cover was a type of bamboo hat surrounded by black muslin, with it on it covered the whole body. The head cover that showed up later on in history originated from this cloth cover—Ran Yan thought this was quite fascinating.
The time was early morning and the heat had not yet risen. The summer breeze that carried a slight cooling temperature felt very good.
Ran Yan stood on a small dirt mound that overlooked the village, roads raised and connected, chimney smoke gracefully spiraling, and occasionally there was the sound of dog barks. A sheet of low rising houses immersed in the orange glow of daybreak seemed both tranquil and lively. The joy of being a person in the world again flooded her for the first time.
Ran Yan breathed deeply, feeling this clean earth. Suddenly she was flooded with thoughts, the Ran Yan that rebuked the forensic investigator field was already dead. The murderer that killed her would soon be punished according to the law.
Ran Yan was always cautious. Her office contained a good number of secret documents so she secretly installed surveillance cameras in the room that would certainly be detected during the police investigation. Assistant Zhang took that document so there would be documentation. In addition, the document in the safe had his fingerprints. Just these two pieces of evidence would put him on the major suspect list. Plus with Captain Li’s ability, she would not die unjustly……
What needed concern was her current unfavorable situation. She must carefully plan out her future survival in the Tang Dynasty.
Be a coroner? Ran family’s elders would probably rather she die before letting her, right? Besides, she didn’t even know if women were allowed to hold posts in the early years of the Tang Dynasty. Even if they could become coroners, her future would be like her past life and no man would want to marry her! Even though she ardently loved the job of forensic investigator, she still had to think about all this objectively.
Left alone in the Tang Dynasty, Ran Yan suddenly yearned for the warmth of family.
Favorable circumstances gave her another chance so Ran Yan did not want to go down the same road. Recalling that she still had medicine as a trade, she felt that she could develop this. But if she learned the art of healing all of a sudden, it would raise suspicion so it would be better to first ask Wu Xiu He to be her teacher……
Ran Yan thought that this idea was pretty reliable. About a quarter of an hour after making her decision, she heard the village women start to come out of their homes one after another calling their children home for breakfast.
“Niang Zi, let’s also?” Wan Lu said.