Chapter 107: Horse Treasure

Corvée labor is always grueling—digging canals, paving roads, chiseling stone, and breaking mountains… all are arduous tasks.

But mining? That is both grueling and dangerous.

There is always the risk of cave-ins. The enclosed spaces, the heavy workload, and the overseers who only know how to bark orders to keep digging, hauling, and digging again.

A month of work there would take half a person’s life. And if one were sold to the mines, their life would be as good as over.

“We wanted to go to Guanzhou instead of Xizhou precisely to avoid mining labor,” someone explained, even though the road between Leshan Prefecture and Xizhou Prefecture was much easier to travel.

“Oh? So Manshan, you’ve heard about Guanzhou? Tell us about it.”

Liang Manshan chuckled. “I have a senior brother who traveled to Guanzhou for scholarly pursuits. Later, he moved his entire family there. We still exchange letters from time to time. He told me that although life in Guanzhou is tough, Prince Ying, who rules over the fiefdom there, is wise and cherishes the common people.”

“If Prince Ying is so good, then why is Guanzhou so tough?”

“For three reasons: First, it’s cold. Second, the land isn’t very fertile. Third, the barbarians beyond the pass frequently raid the region, causing endless trouble.

Although Guanzhou has no mining labor, all citizens under its rule are responsible for defending the land.

Truth be told, among the major prefectures surrounding Leshan, only Qishan Prefecture offers a decent life. But unfortunately, it has been hit by drought, making it an unviable option.” Liang Manshan sighed.

“The wells in our village have dried up. We couldn’t find a water source along the way until we entered Leshan Prefecture. There, in the mountains, we found a small, shallow stream and rested for several days…”

Yan Lao’er recounted their journey, and Liang Manshan, in turn, spoke of the chaos on the official roads.

“Besides mountain bandits, there are also thieves who rob others of their water and food. The elders in your village are very worldly-wise. Even I, having traveled, wouldn’t dare assume that everyone has a good heart. Caution is the best policy.”

“Since we’re on this topic, let me be frank with you, Manshan,” Yan Lao’er said seriously. “You have no livestock, no cart. Instead of trading for cooking utensils, why not share with a few families? It saves the trouble of carrying them back and forth.

We don’t have waterskins, but we do have bamboo tubes. I’ll give you two, which should be enough.

I advise you to find a way to make do in these mountains. There are plenty of wild vegetables and medicinal herbs—so long as you’re not lazy, you can gather some daily. If you need anything, trade with us instead of carrying heavy water every day. That stuff is heavy.”

Liang Manshan sniffled, deeply touched.

“Thank you, Brother Huai’an. We had a donkey cart when we left home, but we ran into bandits… They slaughtered the donkey for meat. I still haven’t fully accepted it, but you’re right. At this point, we should travel light. There’s no place for luxury anymore; sharing meals with neighbors is the way to go.”

“Brother Huai’an, are wild vegetables and herbs easy to find in these mountains?”

Yan Lao’er patiently explained, “Not bad.

This mountain is much better than the outside. There’s plenty to fill one’s stomach—it’s just a matter of taste. Watch what the mountain folk pick, and follow their lead. You won’t go wrong.”

He thought to himself: If luck is on your side, you might even find wild chickens or rabbits.

If you don’t go into the mountains, you get nothing. But if you do, there’s always a surprise waiting.

“But if I keep coming to trade, others might start following suit…” Liang Manshan hesitated.

“No worries. We decide what to trade and what not to trade,” Yan Lao’er said plainly. “If we have extra, it’s fine. But if we don’t even have enough for ourselves, how could we possibly offer anything?”

“As long as we’re still in Leshan Prefecture, with these vast mountains, at least we won’t run out of water.” He gestured to the surrounding greenery.

“Then there’s the wild game we catch. With this heat, if we don’t eat it quickly, we have to make jerky. And jerky requires salt.”

Yan Lao’er thought to himself: With my scouting cat, finding water and prey is effortless.

Come and trade, come and trade!

As long as I have what they need, the silver will come running to me on its own.

With silver, we can settle in Guanzhou.

Right now, even if the entire village pooled their money, they probably wouldn’t have much.

Huh?

Thinking about it this way, could it be that Old Yan had foreseen this all along? Is that why he was so generous with his silver—because he knew they’d earn it back?

“Earlier, I saw someone…” Liang Manshan recalled the sight of meat hanging to dry.

A man had been carefully cutting meat when they passed by. He had even greeted Brother Huai’an with a smile, saying he would bring some over later.

Just as he spoke, Luo Laosan arrived with the meat.

Several people helped carry bowls and hold the meat.

Knowing that Yan’s family prepared food meticulously, Luo Laosan didn’t mind the extra effort, carefully sorting the portions.

Bones were placed separately from meat, and the organs were set aside.

Horse meat is red meat—its muscle fibers are coarse, its fat is of higher quality than beef, mutton, or pork, and it’s rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals.

It’s best boiled rather than stir-fried, as stir-frying makes it taste unpleasant.

Yan Lao’er noted this silently.

“Yan Lao’er, I’ll leave it here. No rush to return the bowls—we’re heading off!” Luo Laosan called out.

Seeing that Yan Lao’er had guests, he didn’t linger.

The men set down the meat and left.

“This is…” Liang Manshan speculated. Could it be that Brother Huai’an was also distributing meat to everyone?

“This horse belonged to a mountain bandit. My family’s ox gored it to death.”

Liang Manshan: …

So this was a horse?!

And the entire thing belonged to Yan’s family?

He turned his gaze toward the leisurely resting yellow ox, eyes full of astonishment.

This was an ox that could earn back its entire worth and more!

“Yan Lao’er! Yan Lao’er!” Cui Langzhong came running. “Horse treasure! Do you have any horse treasure?”

Yan Lao’er blinked. Thank goodness you’re not asking for gallstones, or that would have caused a misunderstanding…

“Brother Cui, don’t rush. I haven’t touched it yet. What do you need? Find it yourself.” Yan Lao’er spread his hands, indicating he hadn’t disturbed anything.

But Cui Langzhong sniffed the air and shook his head. “No, no, no! I won’t touch it. You check the stomach and intestines for any hard objects.”

Liang Manshan interjected, “He must mean something like a stone, which can calm the mind and resolve phlegm.”

Cui Langzhong nodded eagerly. “Yes! Exactly!”

Yan Lao’er sighed and began rummaging through the intestines.

So Brother Cui, your medical skills are just average, but you sure know all about rare medicinal materials, huh?

“Horse treasure” indeed. He’d eaten horse meat before but never knew horses could have such things. He only knew about ox bezoars and dog bezoars. It was just a gallstone, but they made it sound so fancy.

“Horse meat replenishes energy and strengthens bones, but in this heat, Brother Huai’an, don’t eat too much,” Liang Manshan kindly reminded.

Yan Lao’er knew that already. Not only should he not eat too much, but he also couldn’t eat it with rice, beef, pork, ginger, or cocklebur.

He carefully felt around and—sure enough—found something.

Yan Lao’er called for his nephew to bring a knife and cut out an oval-shaped stone.

After a quick rinse, before he could get a good look—

Cui Langzhong eagerly took it and left.

Yan Lao’er looked at his hands, washed them twice with scented soap, and finally felt clean again.

Naturally, Liang Manshan noticed this remarkable soap.

He thought: This is the difference!

The gap between a scholar and a student.

“Brother Huai’an, if your family can’t finish all this horse meat, would you be willing to sell me some?” Liang Manshan asked hopefully.

He wanted to nourish his family.

These past days had been harsh, and their health had suffered.

Especially his father—when they found the elderly in the chaos of the official roads, he had been barely breathing.

Had it not been for his lingering thoughts of his unfilial children and grandchildren, he might not have survived to see this day.