Free Web NovelChapter 417: Chapter 220: Small Path
Qingmu was happy to see him arrive. It was dreadfully dull with so few people planting the rice seedlings. He smiled and said, "You’re here just in time. Mother and I have already planted several rows, but when you look out, there’s still this huge empty patch of field. It’s really demoralizing to look at."
Zhang Huai laughed. "That’s just because there are so few of us. If you had a dozen people in the field at once, with each person taking a row, more than half the field would be finished in one go. That’s why it’s better to plant seedlings as a team. Otherwise, it feels like there’s no end in sight."
Up ahead, Mrs. Yang laughed. "The Liu Family always has so many people. They have a lot of hands to trade for labor, so when it’s their turn to plant, a dozen people show up at once. They’re finished in just two days."
Qingmu chuckled. "Even without trading labor, Sanshun planting seedlings by himself is as good as two people. I have no idea how he can look so chubby but work so darn fast!"
Zhang Huai laughed. "What’s being chubby got to do with it? It’s all in his nimble fingers. When you watch him plant, you’ll see his fingers separate the seedlings incredibly fast. He picks out a bundle, and SWISH, it’s in the water. By then, he’s already got another little cluster ready in his hand, without a moment’s pause."
Qingmu shook his head with a wry smile. "I can’t compare to him. How come Yangzi is out in the fields this year?"
Zhang Huai said, "He wanted to come out to the fields himself. Said he wanted to experience the hardship of farming. I figured it would be good to let him toil for a few days. Otherwise, what’s the use of being born into a farming family if you don’t know the skills and experience of farming, or understand the hardships of this life? What’s the point of reading a bellyful of books then? He’ll just end up a book-smart fool."
’On this point, he had his own views. He deeply disliked the saying, "All pursuits are lowly; only scholarship is noble." In his opinion, every trade and profession had its necessary place in the world. For the same reason, he also disliked the phrase, "A gentleman keeps his distance from the kitchen."’
’His teacher always said that the principles of economy in books all originate from life—they are the insights gained by the sages of old from their own experiences. If future generations become detached from real life and merely study the words on the page, what’s the use in learning any of it?’
’Even Juhua said that the great principles of the world are all interconnected. Farming is the foundation of all industries; it’s the very first thing one should understand. As a boy born into a farming family, if Yangzi can’t even appreciate the life right in front of him and, through that, gain a thorough understanding of the lives of the common folk, then even if he earns an official title in the future, how could he possibly use his knowledge to govern the people?’
Qingmu had discussed this topic with Huai Zi before. Both of them, influenced by their teacher, had a strong dislike for scholars who only engaged in empty, high-minded talk. Thus, he said, "That’s for the best. Let him suffer a little. I imagine that when he becomes an official someday, he won’t govern recklessly."
Zhang Huai nodded. "We all started working the fields around the age of ten. Now that he’s a scholar, my parents and I don’t want to distract him too much, which is why we don’t usually have him do much work."
Qingmu smiled and changed the subject. "Huai Zi, how are your wood ear mushrooms coming along?"
Zhang Huai happily grabbed a handful of seedlings. With a SWISH, he flicked them backward to shake the water from their roots. He untied the straw rope and, while continuing to plant, replied, "Not bad at all. I followed your method and sprinkled crushed, dried wood ear mushrooms on the logs, and they’ve all started to grow. They’re just tiny right now. I’m afraid it’ll take a few months for them to get big enough to harvest."
After a moment’s thought, he added, "I saw a dead locust tree at the village entrance, so I hauled it back and sprinkled some of the mushroom spores on it too. I also chopped off some poplar branches, buried them under a haystack to let them rot, and I’ll try planting on them as well. I figure I should experiment with all these different trees so I have a better sense of what works."
Qingmu nodded. "That’s the right way to go about it. You go ahead and experiment. I’m too busy to bother with something like that."
Juhua felt a little embarrassed just sitting around while Mother and Qingmu were working so hard. Just then, she spotted some wild scallions on the bank of the paddy field and decided to gather some to take home for a fried egg dish.
’Actually, the scallions and garlic from their own vegetable garden were much more fragrant and flavorful than the wild ones—after all, they were grown with pure farm manure, no chemical fertilizers. Still, she had a particular fondness for wild things. She always loved foraging for wild vegetables and was especially partial to wild bamboo shoots and mushrooms.’
She spent a good while hunched over, searching along the bank and gathering a good amount of wild scallions. Overhearing Zhang Huai, she chimed in, "Meizi’s family got a bunch of logs too. She seemed so excited about it that I just gave her the wood ear to manage. Brother Changming is tending to it so carefully, checking on it every single day. He says he’s determined to make them grow. With so many people putting their minds to it, we’re bound to figure out the nature of these things. I, for one, am starting to miss the mushrooms on the mountain. We should free up a day to go up and gather another batch."
