The mountain has trees, and the trees have seventy-eight branches that spread out flatly.

  Xuanping County Houfu

  In the small courtyard study, Zhang Yan was reading a book under the open window.

  "Miss," said the servant, knocking on the door, "Zhang the manager asks to see you."

  Zhang Yan took a sip of tea, put down the book and said, "Hmm, let him in."

  In the sixth month of Han 12, Zhang Yan returned to Xuanping with her father. Princess Ru Yuanzhang stayed in Chang'an for another one or two months due to concerns about her mother. The Hou Mansion was without a mistress, and both Xia Ji and Shen Ji hoped to take over the management of the inner courtyard from Ru Yuan. Unexpectedly, Zhang Jiao suddenly said, "Let Ah Yan do it."

  "She will eventually get married anyway, now she's learning and getting skilled at it, so in the future she can be more at ease."

  "What...?" The old steward was tongue-tied. "But the young mistress is still young, and," letting his daughter manage the inner courtyard of his father's house, "there is no such precedent."

  "It's not without precedent." Zhang Ao said calmly, "When Empress Lü had not returned, Emperor Gao entrusted all the palace affairs to Princess Chang, who was dignified and prudent, with a good sense of order. The previous emperor considered her wise."

  In the room, Zhang Yan asked the steward Zhang Da to sit down. Fang Xiao asked, "Is there something on your mind, Steward Zhang?"

  "It's like this." Zhang Da bowed and said, "Our family just returned from Chang'an. To ask Lang Niangzi, how should the monthly allowance for each of you madams be distributed?"

  "This," Zhang Yan thought for a moment, then asked, "What about the old example from before?"

  "In the past, when we were still in Zhao's territory, Mrs. Ji's monthly allowance was one hundred and eighty taels. Since Master Hou lost his position, they have all been reduced by forty percent. Among them, Xia Ji and Shen Ji, both ladies' rooms still have young masters, so each has an additional twenty-five taels of silver." Zhang Da explained.

  "But that's not right." Zhang Yan looked at the account book of the Hou Mansion. "I see that the two ladies, Xia and Shen, have more than 100 to 110 taels in their rooms, but compared to them, Zhao Ji's monthly allowance is actually only 110 taels, why is that?"

  "This...". Zhang Da was embarrassed and speechless. In fact, on days when the main mistress, Ru Yuan, was not in the mansion, Master Hou would often stay overnight in either Xia or Shen's chambers. It was only natural that he would follow this established custom. However, facing this young girl who had yet to reach adulthood, Zhang Da's old face turned red, and he truly couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.

  Zhang Yan was not a child who really didn't understand the ways of the world. Seeing this expression, she blinked and quickly grasped the key point, and also felt slightly embarrassed. She smiled it off, "Then, I used to only take care of expenses. But I never asked, how much is my monthly allowance?"

  "This is a good answer," Zhang said with a sigh of relief, speaking crisply. "The mistress has an allowance of 150 taels every month. However, the master has instructed that if she doesn't have enough to spend, she should just go to the accounting room to withdraw some."

  She was taken aback and hadn't expected that her own monthly expenses would be more than someone else's rent.

  Zhang Yan pushed the account book on the case to one side and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Zhang. Everything will be done as it was in Chang'an. There's no need to reduce anything, whether there's business or not. Please ask the housekeeper to discuss this with me within two days." Zhang Da nodded in agreement.

  The land price in Xuanping is much cheaper than Chang'an, and Zhang Yan's residence is much larger than before in Chang'an. The second floor of the main house has an east wing set up as a bedroom and a west wing used for daily activities. There is also a small side room left for Lian Qiao and the new maid Jie You.

  Jie You is a local girl from Xuanping, eleven years old, slightly older than Zhang Yan and slightly younger than Liu Mei. It's said that she has a younger brother at home, but due to poverty, they can't even afford to cook meals. Her parents, in order to raise their son, sold her to the Hou household as a slave, with an ironclad contract.

  That day, Zhang Yan saw Jie You for the first time at her father's place. She looked at her standing in the hall, about the same height as herself, wearing a white cotton dress that had been washed many times, with sleeves and trousers that were not long enough, revealing that she had worn them for a long time. Her figure was slender, but her face was lively. Then she glanced at the grass in the hall and smiled, "I'll give you a new name, how about Jie You?"

  The girl was taken aback for a moment, her right hand pressing on her left hand, and she bowed with a sleeve, "Thank you very much, Zhang Niangzi, for giving me the name 'Jie You'."

  Jie You's meaning is to dispel people's worries, and Jie You indeed has more than a few tricks up her sleeve. Holding a plate of sliced water pear, she comes in and stands by, stealing glances at herself. Zhang Yan occasionally raises her head, curiously asking, "Jie You, what are you looking at?"

  Jie You smiled and said, "I'm looking at the lattice windows made by my wife's tailor. They're indeed much better than regular windows. I heard that many wealthy families in Xuanping County have recently started making this type of window."

  Because Zhang Yan loved books, he specially set up a study in the watchtower and collected various books. The Qin dynasty's burning of books and burying of Confucian scholars was only a few decades ago, and many rare editions were lost in this disaster. In the Han dynasty, they learned from the lessons of the Qin dynasty's downfall and relaxed their laws, but except for the time when Liu Bang entered Guanzhong and promulgated the three chapters of law, the law against hiding books has not been abolished to this day. Books are scarce, and most transmitted editions were written on bamboo slips, which are cumbersome and can fill up an entire bookshelf with just a few volumes.

  The study must be dry first, and the second is to have good lighting. At this time, all the windows were straight frames, and when the wind and rain came, they could directly penetrate. If it was winter, people would be ordered to fill them with mud to keep warm. Zhang Yan remembered the ancient movable windows in her memory, so she discussed with the craftsmen and made a movable window that could be opened and closed. The top was covered with light-colored oilcloth, which could be propped up on sunny days and closed when it rained. Placing a desk under the window, brewing tea and reading books, if there was a snowy night, it would be a great pleasure. So it became Zhang Yan's favorite place to stay during her leisure time.

  Zhang Yan covered her mouth and smiled, "This is just a small thing, it doesn't count for much."

  Jie You smiled and said, "Although it's a small thing, just like millet rice and rape oil, no one else but my wife can think of it."

  (Note: Rongshu refers to peas, while yuncai refers to rape)

  Zhang Yan could only smile wryly.

  In her past life, Zhang Yan had an unresolvable fussiness about food and drink. In the past when she was in Chang'an, the imperial court's affairs were changing rapidly, and she didn't have time to pay attention to anything else. Moreover, under everyone's watchful eyes, she couldn't even move freely in the kitchen. Adding to that, the dishes in the palace and the marquis' residence were already delicious enough, so she just got by like that for all these years.

  Until now back to Xuanping, there were countless eyes staring at her body. She then ordered someone to set up a small kitchen in the south courtyard, invited a chef, and was eager to study delicious food.

  The housekeeper carefully selected in the county and brought a local cook in her 40s. Her husband's surname was Cen, so she was called Cen Niang.

  Cen's daughter and Ao Zhi had a good relationship from the start. On the day she arrived, she made a dish of Ao Zhi, put it in a food box and brought it up. Zhang Yan tasted it and immediately felt that the flavor was rich and beautiful, the soup was fresh and thick. The aftertaste lingered in her mouth, so she asked Cen's daughter to stay.

  At that time, the diet was much more advanced than Zhang Yan imagined. They had already learned to extract animal oil, and animals with horns on their heads were called "fat", while those without horns, such as dogs, were called "grease". With these cow fats and dog greases, roasted meat dishes became delicious and flavorful. In this era, plant oils were mainly used for lubrication, such as tung oil for lubricating cart axles, and edible plant oils were still rare. Therefore, boiled vegetables were either too oily or too bland.

  That day, Zhang Yan found the celery in this era, squeezed out the vegetable oil, and used it to cook rice with millet. She put them together in a steamer and steamed them over high heat. When the hot steam softened the millet, she added diced venison and made a millet dish that was unexpectedly refreshing and fragrant, filling the air with aroma. As soon as she picked up the dish, all the maids around her couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

  Suddenly someone curiously poked his head in at the gate and hesitantly shouted, "Sister, what are you doing?"

  Zhang Yan turned back to look, but it was her two half-brothers, Zhang Zhi and Zhang Shou.

  It turns out that these two younger brothers are only a year or so older than themselves. Thinking of this, Zhang Yan can't be calm and peaceful, and also because of the mother's teachings, the three siblings have never been particularly close.

  At this time, smelling the fragrance of millet rice, Zhang Yan's mood was still harmonious. After returning to Xuanping, perhaps the mountains and rivers of Xuanping really broadened one's mind. Zhang Yan took a deep breath, beckoned with a smile, "Want to try some? Come over."

  Zhang Zhi was overjoyed, he was born to be a bit more robust and straightforward, and hurriedly came over, smiling as he served him rice. He used his chopsticks to pick up food, eating with gusto, and only after a long while did he lift his head and say, "I didn't expect that millet rice with added Job's tears would taste especially good."

  Zhang Yan smiled and took a bite, saying, "The millet is slightly sticky, the adzuki beans are sweet and crisp, and when put together, the mouthfeel is very good."

  She looked at Zhang Shoudong's evasive eyes and asked, "What's wrong, Ah Shou doesn't like this military porridge?"

  "Ah?" Zhang Shou's face turned slightly red, and he put down the bamboo fan. "Brother doesn't dare. He just heard that sister has a special study room here, with many volumes of books stored inside."

  "Hmm." Zhang Yan nodded, "It's just much worse than Father's study."

  "Uh," Zhang Shou muttered, lowering his head, "I wouldn't dare enter Father's study." He slightly raised his eyes, casting a sideways glance at Zhang Yan, his expression expectant and gentle.

  Zhang Yan burst out laughing, "If you can appreciate the books in my room," she said with a straight face, "you're welcome to come and visit me occasionally."

  Zhang Shou was overjoyed and stood up to bow, "Thank you, sister."

  After several months, Zhang Ao invited Xun Yu to his mansion.

  Sun Yu Zhen was originally a royal physician in the palace, with exceptional medical skills. He had repeatedly asked to resign from Emperor Xian, but Emperor Xian couldn't bear to part with his medical expertise and never approved it. After Emperor Xian's death, the new emperor pitied Sun Yu Zhen's loneliness and finally allowed him to retire. However, by then he had been away from home for decades and was afraid of returning to see his relatives in decline, so he extinguished the idea of returning home. Since his wife who passed away in middle age was from Xuanping, he planned to visit her hometown to reminisce about their life together. He accompanied Marquis Zhang Jue of Xuanping on the journey and chose a residence near the marquis's mansion to settle down.

  "Is Zhang's wife still having a headache?" Chunyu Yun asked, stroking his beard.

  "It's been a long time since I've felt pain." She unconsciously touched her forehead, still feeling a lingering fear.

  "That's good," said Chun Yu Zhen, "You're a clever child. I'll give you a prescription, take it for another half month and it will be beneficial to your body. Women should nourish themselves when they are young, otherwise they will suffer later."

  "Thank you, Master Chunyu."

  "I heard," Chun Yu Zhen said with a smile, "that the rape oil was Zhang's daughter-in-law's idea?"

  "Yes."

  "Haha, that's a good thing. Used in moderation in cooking, it can harmonize the yin and yang of food, benefiting people greatly. I'll take this opportunity to thank Mistress Zhang on behalf of everyone."

  Zhang Yan curiously asked, "Does Chunyu Yiren also have a good understanding of food nature?"

  "Nature is also a kind of therapy."

  "Then," Zhang Yan stood up and bowed, "I would like to ask Master Chunyu to instruct me in the Way of Food."

  "Are you, as the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's household, with such a noble status, necessarily learning about culinary arts?"

  "After all," Zhang Yan thought for a moment, "I hope that in the future when serving his parents by their bedside, he can truly exert himself to the best of his abilities and have a sense of security in his heart."

  The art of dietetics is profound and has a long history. The Book of Rites states: "In spring, food should be warm, in summer, soups should be hot, in autumn, sauces should be cool, and in winter, drinks should be cold." This means that staple foods should be warm, soups and stews should be hot, sauces should be cool, and beverages should be cold. Furthermore, when preparing and cooking food, one should pay attention to its nature and flavor, and combine it with the characteristics of the four seasons. In spring, sour flavors nourish the liver; in summer, bitter flavors nourish the heart; in autumn, pungent flavors nourish the lungs; and in winter, salty flavors nourish the kidneys. Using smooth and sweet ingredients to adjust the dish can also nourish the spleen and stomach.

  Food has its own yin and yang properties, such as the sorghum used to steam millet rice, which is sweet in taste and neutral in nature, belonging to the spleen and stomach meridian. Eating it benefits the middle qi, relieves oliguria and dissipates swelling, mainly treating beriberi, spleen and stomach discomfort. Its stem and leaves are cool and refreshing, clearing summer heat.

  If you overindulge in a certain type of food, it can lead to the production of disease. In terms of the cooling and heating properties of food, oily and fried foods, spicy and fatty plants such as sesame (sesame), celery belong to heat, while most aquatic plants and shellfish belong to cold. If you eat too many raw and cold foods, you can damage your spleen and stomach yang energy, leading to internal cold and dampness, abdominal pain, diarrhea; while overeating oily fried foods with rich flavors can easily lead to intestinal heat, dry mouth, bloating and pain, carbuncles.

  Under the scorching sun, wandering in the midst of various delicious foods, I can surprisingly calm down and feel no heat.

  Do you like thrilling waves or gentle streams?

  Rough waves have their thrill, gentle waters have their serenity.

  Xuan Ping's time slipped away quietly, Zhang Yan occasionally managed the household, occasionally cooked, and occasionally played with her two younger brothers in the entire Xuanping County town, carefree.

  In the past, in Chang'an, she still knew to pretend to be a boy, but with Emperor Xianping's high heaven and distant emperor, no one was in charge, so she simply didn't want this bit of face anymore. Although there was no one blocking the front door, she insisted on climbing over the wall, her hair tied up in a loose bun, slowly falling down, and she even walked barefoot in the fields with her shoes upside down, mud staining her face, being ridiculed as a flower cat, the laughter clear and bright, not a bit of ladylike image left.

  So-called ladies have always been pretending.

  Even the most elegant and virtuous woman has a kind of madness deep down, yearning for that carefree naturalness of stretching out in the golden wheat. The difference lies only in whether she can find the time and space to indulge.

  Everything, the old family members expressed their worries to Xuanping Hou, in the study, Zhang Jue just smiled lightly and said, "It's hard for this child recently, this is not Chang'an, let her be."

  The late sunset glow slants over, stretching the shadows long and projecting them onto the wall, a faint yellowish hue casting a vast silhouette.

  This chapter is actually an extra chapter.

  Look far ahead. Clenching fists, I want to refuel as soon as possible and send Ah Yan back to Chang'an.