Learning the Craft

Being of humble origin is not a disgrace; being able to bend and stretch is what makes a man.

Since things have come to this, there's no need to say more. Just humble yourself, keep to your place, nurture your Essence Flame, and wait for the right time. There will always be a day to rise.

"Steward Liu, I'll be going now." The donkey-faced man bowed obsequiously to the middle-aged man, then took Meng Yuan and the other two out the door. His back straightened. "I'm the Manor Head of Pasture Manor, my surname is Li. You'll be following me from now on!"

Old Man Jiang quickly said a few pleasant words, then got into a donkey cart. The driver was a young man carrying a knife.

The five of them left the gate, didn't enter the city, but instead went around the long city wall and headed west.

The wheels crunched on the snow. Seeing that Manor Head Li was indifferent, Meng Yuan and Old Man Jiang didn't venture to strike up a conversation.

"Stop the cart!" After walking for a while, Manor Head Li suddenly shouted for them to stop. He got out of the cart and scooped up a handful of steaming dung balls from under the donkey's rear end, carefully placing them on the cart. He also scolded the young driver, "Li Dabiao! How did I give birth to such a wasteful thing like you? If I hadn't seen it, wouldn't this dung have been wasted?"

Meng Yuan and Old Man Jiang exchanged glances, and even the little girl Jiang Tang was utterly bewildered.

The north wind was strong, and the ground was slippery with snow. After traveling about forty li, it was already getting dark when they finally arrived at Pasture Manor.

The manor was vast, with several pens. The biting cold wind carried the smell of fermenting manure. From time to time, there were the bleating of sheep and the calls of deer.

It was just time for dinner, and all three of them got a bowl of hot gruel.

The three were arranged in the former residence of the old veterinarian, next to the cattle pens. There was a wattle fence yard, and the two dilapidated thatched huts were filled with farm tools.

The bedding was old, filled with dry grass. Although it was a bit prickly, it was warm enough.

"Manor Head Li wants to check your skills tomorrow morning, so be prepared. Also, don't go out at night if there's nothing to do. The dogs aren't tied up at night." The big-headed man who led Meng Yuan and the other two was called Zhao Datou. He was very honest and also lived next to the cattle shed.

"Thank you for telling us." Old Man Jiang started chatting with Zhao Datou, asking about the master of the house.

It turned out that the Princess Consort had several manors, all part of her dowry and private property, and Pasture Manor was one of them. Pasture Manor had vast pastures and two large mountains, making it very extensive.

The Princess Consort was also very benevolent. Villagers near Pasture Manor could go into the mountains to collect firewood and hunt, and they weren't charged for breeding services at the manor.

The reason Meng Yuan and the other two were able to enter the manor was mainly because the old veterinarian at Pasture Manor had been gored to death by a deer.

Meng Yuan and Old Man Jiang felt much more at ease after hearing this, knowing that they were indispensable.

After fleeing for a long time, they had finally settled down.

In the two dilapidated thatched huts, Jiang Tang stayed in one, and Meng Yuan and Old Man Jiang stayed in the other.

Old Man Jiang was now relaxed and began to talk to Meng Yuan about the art of castrating livestock. "Why do we castrate these animals? If you don't, the males will either fight or butt butts; the females will pee smelly urine, making a mess. They'll only think about breeding and won't grow any meat. But as long as they're castrated, the meat won't smell, they'll grow faster, and even their temperaments will become docile."

As Meng Yuan listened, he couldn't help but feel that the displaced people who were bought and sold at will were like those who had been castrated. But if there were more displaced people, that force would grow fiercely and sweep across the land.

The next day, at the third crow of the rooster, Meng Yuan and the other two had just gotten up when Zhao Datou came looking for them.

They had expected to start working immediately, but instead, they went to the dining hall to eat first. And it was thin gruel and pickles, a treatment that ordinary tenant farmers didn't even get.

"The Princess Consort came to the manor once before and saw how hard the manor residents worked, so she set up the three-meal system. Manor Head Li might deduct some, but he wouldn't dare to skip a meal," Zhao Datou whispered.

After eating, Zhao Datou took Old Man Jiang and Meng Yuan to the pigsty.

The manor mainly raised cattle, sheep, and deer for sale. There were also some chickens and ducks, whose produce was for the Prince's Mansion. Not many pigs were raised; they were for the manor residents to eat during festivals.

Arriving at the pigsty, Zhao Datou took out a worn leather pouch, which was the old veterinarian's tools.

Opening it, there was a circle of thin thread and two needles. The most conspicuous were two knives, both about a palm's length. One had a narrow blade, and the other was slightly wider.

"The small knife is for castrating chickens and ducks. You need this one for pigs and sheep," Old Man Jiang said, sharpening the knife with water while teaching Meng Yuan.

After sharpening the knife in a few strokes, they entered the pigsty.

The pigsty was divided into several pens, but not many pigs were raised. This time, two sows had farrowed together, totaling seventeen piglets.

Old Man Jiang took Meng Yuan and walked around the pigsty, even picking up two small piglets to look at, which angered the old sows.

"It's best to operate at about half a month old. If it's over a month or two, you might need stitches," Old Man Jiang was very experienced. He told Meng Yuan to fetch a basin of clean water and bring it in, and then went to get some firewood.

After a while, Manor Head Li and his son Li Dabiao arrived. Only then did Meng Yuan light the firewood, and Old Man Jiang put the castration knife on the fire to sterilize it.

Meng Yuan grabbed a small black piglet from the pen, then sat on a stool and, as Old Man Jiang had taught him, held the piglet upside down by its hind legs, clamping its head and front legs with his knees, exposing its rear end.

Old Man Jiang felt the piglet's rear end, held the bulge with one hand, then made two fingernail-sized incisions with the knife. Immediately, he squeezed, and the testicles slipped out. He pulled them out a bit and cut the spermatic cords.

The two testicles were thrown into the basin of clean water. Old Man Jiang grabbed a handful of plant ash and smeared it on the piglet's wound, then patted it twice, and it was done.

His knife work was steady and fast, and his movements were fluid. The piglet only squealed three or four times before it was castrated.

"You really have some skill!" Manor Head Li, who had been managing the manor for years, clearly knew a thing or two. As soon as he saw Jiang Shuanyou's knife work, he knew he was a skilled hand. He then pointed at Meng Yuan and said, "Kid, you haven't finished learning yet, but you can't be idle. You have to go to the cattle shed to work! Datou, you arrange it!"

"You only get food if you work! Understand?" Li Dabiao glared at Meng Yuan.

After speaking, Manor Head Li and his son didn't look any further, got up, and left.

Seeing that the Manor Head approved, Jiang Shuanyou felt a little uncomfortable. He looked at Zhao Datou and whispered, "Our Manor Head seems to have a decent character."

Zhao Datou spat on the ground, not saying anything, yet it was as if he had said something.

Meng Yuan grabbed another piglet. This time it was a small sow, and the method of castration was different. Old Man Jiang's knife work was equally steady and fast, and he explained it carefully to Meng Yuan as he went.

It was clear that he was genuinely teaching.

In less than two quarters of an hour, fifteen piglets were castrated, and the remaining two were kept for breeding.

"Done!" The clean water in the basin had long turned into bloody water, with strings of things floating in it. Old Man Jiang was very satisfied.

According to the rules of castrators, after doing the work, in addition to receiving some hard-earned money, the removed testicles also belonged to the castrator. However, since they had been sold to the manor, asking for money was naturally out of the question, but they could keep the testicles.

After washing his hands, Old Man Jiang scooped the testicles out of the basin, threaded them onto a bamboo skewer, and roasted them over the firewood.

They were ready in a moment. He handed the sizzling, oily roasted testicles to Meng Yuan, smiling as he said, "Eat what you need to replenish. You're young, eating these will help you grow more, and you're guaranteed to have many children in the future. Eat them while they're hot!"

It had been a long time since he had tasted meat. Meng Yuan took them, and although he found the smell extremely fishy, he still took a bite.

Without salt for seasoning, the fishiness was even stronger. He closed his eyes and forced himself, not daring to chew carefully, swallowing them all in one go.

Meng Yuan immediately felt a thread of nourishment being absorbed by the Essence Flame after these things entered his stomach.

The Essence Flame, which had been like a candle wick, actually grew slightly stronger.

It seems I still need to eat meat... When my body recovers, and the Essence Flame absorbs more nourishment, it will grow faster. What will happen then? Meng Yuan thought silently.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed, and it was already deep winter.

Because Old Man Jiang taught him diligently, Meng Yuan learned the skill of castrating animals extremely quickly and could now perform the operation himself.

Meng Yuan did not suffer from cold or hunger. Although he hadn't eaten much proper meat during this time, he had eaten quite a few sheep and bull testicles.

His body had recovered significantly, and the Essence Flame within him was slowly growing stronger, already the size of a washbasin.

He was also becoming more energetic. Not only had his strength increased significantly, but it also seemed inexhaustible.

Meng Yuan, who was already good-looking, became even more popular. Coupled with his diligence, capability, and easygoing demeanor, everyone in the manor, except for the livestock who didn't give him a good look, was willing to chat with Meng Yuan for a few sentences. The wife of Manor Head Li's son, Li Dabiao, even secretly winked at Meng Yuan.

Before the chickens crowed, Meng Yuan was already up at dawn, fetched well water, and wiped his body to wash away the heat.

"In another two years, it will be good when Tang'er grows up," Old Man Jiang also woke up. As an experienced man, he clearly wanted to solidify the marriage.

Just then, Jiang Tang knocked on the door from outside, then pushed open a crack, poked her head in, leaving her body outside, and said, "Grandpa, I'm already grown up! Brother, why are you taking a bath again in the morning? Be careful not to catch a cold."

The girl was still a bit thin, but after a month of being cared for, her face was gradually becoming more rosy, and her eyes were very lively.

Meng Yuan taught her to read whenever he had free time, but the girl only wanted to do needlework and didn't study seriously. Meng Yuan then said he didn't want to marry someone illiterate, and only then did she start to apply herself.

Jiang Tang looked at Meng Yuan at this moment and said happily, "I've washed the clothes you changed out of for you, and I've also mended your socks. They're all under your pillow."

Meng Yuan glared at her, and the girl quickly closed the door and ran away.

Meng Yuan had no interest in such a young girl. However, after being in the manor for a long time, he was becoming more and more interested in the Princess Consort.

The Princess Consort was Prince Xin's second wife. She had been married for eight years and had not given birth to a single child. She was only twenty-four years old now. It was said that the Princess Consort was a beauty of unparalleled charm, of noble birth, and should not have been reduced to being a second wife; it was the Emperor who had arranged the marriage.

"I castrate testicles for the Princess Consort every day, but I haven't even seen her face," Meng Yuan sighed.