Chapter Seventy-Three: The Price of a Meal

Zhang Yue and Guo Lin were about to enroll in the county school.

The day before, Guo Lin arrived, carrying bundles and bags. Zhang Yue had expected Scholar Guo and his wife to come see him off, but they didn’t appear at all.

So Guo Lin came alone, burdened with so many belongings. Seeing this, Zhang Shi felt sorry and said, “Why did you bring so much? If you need more clothes or bedding, just take some from here. Third Brother has some clothes left; treat this place as your own home. Look, winter’s already passed, yet you’re still bringing winter clothes.”

Zhang Yue laughed and said, “Senior Brother, there’s no need to be so polite with me.”

Guo Lin smiled as well. “Thank you, eldest young master, junior brother. I’ve stayed here so many days already, I feel I’m imposing.”

Zhang Shi replied with a laugh, “You’re too bound by rules. Maybe take a page from Sanlang’s book.”

Guo Lin nodded, “My junior brother is generous in spirit. I haven’t seen as much of the world.”

Zhang Shi shook his head again.

Madam Yu made hot soup for Guo Lin, who then went to bathe.

“So many jars of pickled vegetables—he’s not thinking of living off those, is he?” Zhang Shi couldn’t help but comment.

Zhang Yue nodded, “The county school only gives rice to a hundred senior students; the rest get nothing. We also have to provide our own ink, paper, and brushes.”

“So what do you eat then?” Zhang Shi asked.

“There’s the dining hall. I heard meals are divided into first, second, and third grades. First grade comes with some vegetables and meat, but costs twenty cash a meal. Second grade offers vegetables—no meat—at ten cash. Third grade is just steamed eggplant and millet rice, with no vegetables, for three cash a meal.”

Zhang Shi was silent for a moment, then said, “Your senior brother can’t just eat pickled vegetables and eggplant every day.”

“It’s no use,” Zhang Yue replied. “Senior brother admires Chancellor Fan the most. When Chancellor Fan was young and poor, he’d make porridge, divide it into portions, and eat only one meal in the morning and one at night. When classmates offered him better food, he refused, saying he was so used to plain porridge that he couldn’t stomach anything richer.”

Zhang Shi hesitated. “I’d set aside some money for you to eat first-grade meals, but now your senior brother is like this, what can we do?”

“Brother, you’re not serious, are you?” Zhang Yue said quickly. “How much money do we even have left?”

Zhang Shi answered, “We received a lot of congratulatory gifts recently, but ever since everyone learned your second brother returned the imperial decree and refused the degree, the gifts stopped coming…”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue thought, how utterly snobbish.

Everyone said that since second brother refused the decree because his performance at the palace examination was not better than that of his nephew, he’d embarrassed the emperor and ruined his career. Now, he’d have to start over from the local exams, and the chances were slim.

But Zhang Yue, relieved, felt that at least now they didn’t need to worry about waiting for letters from second brother. Let it go.

Zhang Shi sighed, “Luckily, old friends didn’t ask for their gifts back. But the three hundred strings of cash we put into the food shop likely won’t last. There are so many expenses—tightening our belts is inevitable.”

Zhang Yue couldn’t help but say, “Brother, when you heard second brother was a jinshi, you spent freely, but there’s no need for all these return gifts. Now, the family hasn’t saved anything. Don’t you realize you should always plan for lean days during times of abundance?”

Hearing his younger brother criticize him, Zhang Shi grew annoyed. “Are you saying I’m not a good head of the house?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Fine, Third Brother!”

Fuming, Zhang Shi stormed downstairs.

“Brother, don’t forget to close the door.”

Halfway down the stairs, Zhang Shi, still angry, came back up and slammed the door.

Zhang Yue lay in bed for a while before hearing his brother call from outside, “Third Brother, don’t worry. As soon as the food shop turns a profit, life will be easier. For now, let’s make do with second-grade meals and not splurge on first grade.”

“I’m going to sleep, Brother. Let’s not talk anymore.”

“All right. Sleep well, Third Brother.”

Footsteps echoed down the stairs.

A moment later, Zhang Shi came back up. “Third Brother, I’ll walk you both to the county school tomorrow.”

“No need. Senior brother and I can go ourselves.”

A while passed before Zhang Shi called out again, “Third Brother, are you hungry? I can make some noodles for you and your senior brother.”

“I’m going to sleep, Brother.”

Zhang Shi stood downstairs with hands on hips, sighing, then began counting on his fingers: “Second-grade meals are ten cash each, two meals a day makes twenty cash, so five hundred eighty cash a month, excluding the first and fifteenth. If it were first-grade meals, it’d be 1,160 cash a month—truly unaffordable.”

The next day, Zhang Yue and Guo Lin got up and washed.

Zhang Shi pulled Zhang Yue aside and slipped a string of a thousand cash into his bundle. “I’ll give you one string a month. If you’re hungry between meals, buy some pastries. If you need anything, you don’t have to wait until the first or fifteenth—just tell me.”

Zhang Yue’s expression finally eased.

The word “pastry” originated in the Song dynasty. The Song people referred to the stomach as “heart and bone,” so “pastry” meant something to comfort the stomach. Typically, Song people had two meals a day—morning and evening—so “pastry” referred to snacks to appease hunger at noon.

For a family as well-off as Zhang Yue’s, three meals a day had long been the norm. Only after the family’s decline following the second brother’s broken engagement did they switch to two meals. Most people, even wealthy landlords, still had two meals a day out of thrift. Even the emperor of the Song, with all his grandeur, only had two meals; there was no official lunch, only snacks.

In terms of schooling, one string of cash a month was enough—far better than life back in Wuxi.

Zhang Yue asked, “Is everything sufficient for Sister-in-law Xi’er?”

Zhang Shi smiled, “Of course. We’re just a bit tight for now. Once our shop opens, you’ll be able to eat whatever you like.”

Zhang Yue nodded in satisfaction.

That day, Zhang Yue and Guo Lin went to the county school by themselves, declining Zhang Shi’s offer to accompany them. Still, Zhang Shi worried and saw them to the bridge, repeatedly instructing, “Third Brother, look after your senior brother. Help him carry things.”

True enough, Guo Lin’s numerous bundles left Zhang Yue with quite a load to bear.

When they arrived at the county school, they were directed to the dining hall to pay for their meals.

The county school was like a public school—no tuition, but meal fees were the biggest expense.

Although the theoretical cost was 580 cash, in practice, “full hundred” meant only 447 cash sufficed. Yet Zhang Shi had given Zhang Yue a whole string—a thousand cash—leaving plenty to spare.

“Second-grade meals for Zhang Yue,” the official said, glancing up at him. “Are you the top scorer in the county school’s entrance exam?”

Zhang Yue smiled, “Indeed. I hope I haven’t made a spectacle of myself.”

“Full marks! Remarkable!”

Zhang Yue was pleased, thinking the official recognized him because of his second brother. But it was for his own achievement as first in the county school entrance exam.

When it was Guo Lin’s turn, the official announced, “Third-grade meals for Guo Lin!”

He emphasized “third-grade meals” and looked Guo Lin up and down.

For a moment, Guo Lin wished he could disappear.

Without missing a beat, Zhang Yue said, “Sir, this is my senior brother Guo. I owe much of my learning to his guidance.”

The official brightened, “Even more remarkable!”

Ps: Much of the knowledge about Song dynasty cuisine in this book is drawn from Mr. Li Kaizhou’s “Eating in the Song Dynasty.”