Chapter Nineteen: All Roads Lead to Chang'an

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After seeing Jiao Haiqing off that afternoon, Wei Renshi watched his rotund figure recede and found his mind swirling with countless thoughts. The Tang court could no longer keep control over the Western Regions, and the Arabs had cut off the land trade routes. With overland commerce stifled, maritime trade had begun to flourish.

He knew he would eventually go into business. If he ever managed to gather enough capital, there were quite a few ventures he could try. At that time, opening new markets would certainly depend on maritime merchants. It seemed that saving Jiao Haiqing had been the right thing to do; had he not intervened that day, he never would have had the chance to come into contact with this line of work.

Indeed, doing good did bring its own rewards!

“Uncle Zheng, the items I gave the blacksmith yesterday—when will they be ready?” After sending Jiao Haiqing off, Wei Renshi turned to ask Zheng Lizheng.

Zheng Lizheng was still marveling at how Wei Renshi had befriended the young master of the Jiao family, and how the latter seemed to obey Wei Renshi in everything. Hearing the question, he replied, “They’ll be ready by tomorrow.”

“Then it’s time for the next step,” Wei Renshi said.

Xi’er had already taken some lamb broth and ribs home for the Matron to taste, using the excuse that they were gifts from Zheng Lizheng. Thus, Wei Renshi had to clean up by himself. Fortunately, Li He’s servant boy, Li Rong, was there to help, which made things much easier.

Once the cauldron was scrubbed and dried, a fire was kindled beneath it. Wei Renshi tossed in Sichuan peppercorns, seasonings, and spices, stirring them briefly in the residual heat. Next came slices of ginger and a generous pour of water, and then he set the cauldron to boil on high heat.

After the time it would take to drink a cup of tea and then some, Wei Renshi brought over the wine he had purchased, opened the jar, and began pouring wine into the cauldron.

This kind of wine wasn’t distilled and had a low alcohol content, making it ideal for use as cooking wine.

Once the wine was added, he let it simmer a little longer, then unwrapped a paper packet to reveal yellowish-brown cane sugar.

Staring at the sugar, Wei Renshi suddenly recalled that the “Heavenly Creations” described methods for refining white sugar and rock sugar, something called the ‘yellow clay water decolorization method.’ He might try it someday, if he could manage it.

For now, though, that was out of reach. Sugar was expensive, and he didn’t have the funds.

He poured half the packet of sugar into the cauldron, stirred well, let it cook a little longer, and then drew the firewood from under the pot.

As the cauldron cooled, Wei Renshi fished out the various spices and poured the amber liquid into an empty wine jar, sealing it tightly once more.

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The homemade cooking wine was finished.

After resting overnight, it would be ready to use the next day.

His experiment with lamb that day had gone well enough. The next day, he would try it with pork to see whether the homemade wine could tame the gaminess of uncastrated pork. If so, there would be a real treat in store.

Leaving Zheng Lizheng’s house, Wei Renshi and Li He walked side by side, while Li Rong led the donkey behind them.

Li He was silent for half the way. Only when they neared Wei Renshi’s home did he suddenly ask, “Renshi, how is it that you suddenly know so many things? I hardly recognize you anymore. You weren’t like this before.”

“Oh?” Wei Renshi smiled. “So, Changji, do you think I’ve changed for the better, or for the worse?”

Li He shook his head. “I can’t really say, but I suppose it’s for the better.”

“In the past, all I ever thought about was studying for the imperial examinations, entering officialdom, and fulfilling the ambitions my grandfather and father never realized,” Wei Renshi said, looking at Li He. “But later I had an epiphany. I realized there isn’t just one path in this world; everyone’s journey is different. I don’t have to keep banging my head against the wall. Sometimes, when one path is blocked, you can simply choose another. There’s no need to walk a single road into darkness. Try another way, and you might find boundless horizons. All roads lead to Chang’an, Changji—remember these words.”

He spoke as much for himself as for Li He.

Wei Renshi hoped that his childhood friend would remember this one day, and not despair when one path was closed, as if there were no other roads in the world.

“All right, I’ll remember,” Li He said, nodding with the earnestness of youth. He had yet to experience hardship, and for now, he simply took Wei Renshi’s words to heart. Then he asked, “So… does this mean you’re not planning to keep studying?”

“Not necessarily. We’ll see how things go,” Wei Renshi replied with a smile. Noticing they had reached his door, he added, “It’s getting late. If you don’t head home, your aunt will worry. I won’t keep you any longer. Remember, tomorrow at noon—come to Zheng Lizheng’s house again. I’ll let you try a few more delicacies.”

“Great!” Li He nodded excitedly, then headed home with his young servant.

Wei Renshi lingered outside, letting the wind blow over him. He sniffed his sleeves and, satisfied that there was no smell of alcohol, turned to knock at the door.

Xi’er opened it and, glancing furtively inside, signaled to him with her eyes.

“She’s angry?” Wei Renshi whispered.

Xi’er shook her head.

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Wei Renshi was relieved and entered the house, heading straight to the main room.

“Mother, why aren’t you asleep yet?” he asked.

“Today, Zheng Lizheng sent over some meat broth and cakes. I had Xi’er tidy up. Now that you’re home, I’ll have her heat it up for you,” the Matron said when she saw he had returned.

Wei Renshi was touched. “Mother, I’ve already had some. On my way back from Changji’s house, I ran into Zheng Lizheng, who invited me in for a drink. That’s why I’m late. Let Xi’er heat it up for you instead.”

After a pause, he ventured, “Mother, when Grandfather and Father failed to pass the civil service exam, did it never occur to them to try something else?”

The Matron frowned. “Why do you ask such a thing out of the blue?”

“Today I heard a saying: ‘All roads lead to Chang’an.’” Wei Renshi sent Xi’er to heat the lamb broth, then sat down and said, “Having heard this, I realized there are so many ways to live in this world. Why insist on following a single path until the bitter end?”

“The Wei family has always been devoted to scholarship. Studying, advancing, and entering government are what every son of the Wei clan must do!” the Matron replied. “Though our branch is of humble birth, we cannot forget our ancestral precepts.”

“Not even when survival is at stake?” Wei Renshi pressed.

She fell silent for a moment before saying, “But things haven’t come to that yet. Enough—what’s come over you these days? The way you speak and act, you’re nothing like your old self. Sometimes, I feel as if you’ve become a different person!”

Wei Renshi sighed and said no more.

But inwardly, he thought: judging by her attitude, he would have to keep his activities secret for a while longer.

So be it. Once he had made a name for himself, he would no longer need to worry about her objections. By then, the deed would be done—her opposition would mean nothing.

With that thought, he couldn’t help but look forward to tomorrow’s experiment with pork, wishing the night would pass quickly so morning would come sooner.