Great Tang Idyll

Book 1: Chapter 56

Leaves of the big locust trees on both sides of the river began to sprout, and flowers by the paths began to put forth their blossoms.

___

The ice and snow were gradually melting,

The spring breeze was kissing people's faces.

Clouds were floating and the sun was shining.

The river set the residual cliffs off to advantage.

Yesterday people looked forward to the rain in the Waking of Insects (3rd solar term).

In the next morning, villagers began to be busy with farm work.

Thanks to two consecutive showers of rain, the people in the Tuqiao Village were finally relieved. Since the end of the Spring Festival, they had been suffering from lack of water. Without the rain last night, the present water storage was not enough for the spring ploughing.

In Zhang's yard, looking at the farmers preparing for the spring ploughing, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan gave a silent smile to each other and nodded at the same time.

"It seems that there will indeed be drought this year. Fortunately, another pool has been dug, which can deal with the drought for a while. Shall we have the poultry sent to there? If we really should do that, enough food should be prepared for them."

Wang Juan, with half a steamed bun in his hand, said to Zhang Xiaobao worriedly.

While, Zhang Xiaobao were holding a bowl of milk, drinking it calmly. Then he said, "Take it easy. We can take action when the poultry grows older. Now it's just the beginning of the drought, and the grasshoppers haven't come out. Even if this thing must be done now, we two villages should not take the lead on this issue. Instead, we need to visit County Magistrate Cheng in Sanshui County and give the opportunity of making contributions to him. Also, we can inquire about the matter that the government of higher level has sent someone to check the field."

"Well, the Curved Ploughs arrived the day before yesterday. Shi Liu, ask some servants to send them to our farmers; as for the cattle and horses we have bought, just distribute them according to the arrangement made in last autumn harvest."

After responding to Zhang Xiaobao, Wang Juan turned her head to Shi Liu next to her and said.

Shi Liu got the order, and then turned away. Of course, she knew the matter of the autumn harvest last year. Instead of reaping their own crops respectively, the two villages reaped all crops of two villages together. So they would conduct spring ploughing together.

The servants in the yards of the two villages were asked for helping to plough. Usually, it was menservants who were sent out for farm work.

Arriving at the place where the Curved Ploughs designed by Zhao were placed, Shi Liu asked, "Is there anyone here", and then immediately two menservants came.

"Find a cart to carry what little master and Lady Juan made. Send them to farmers with me."

As the servant girl of little master, Shi Liu also put on airs. As the two menservants prepared the cart, they looked curiously at those things which looked like ploughs, but they had never seen such a plough.

When the cart arrived, one of them could not help but ask, "Sister Shi Liu, what are these? Are they for ploughing?"

"Hm!" Shi Liu made a reply with her nose, and then she said, "Of course. Little master thinks that farmers plough a little slowly. So, he made the new ploughs. With it, ploughing will be several times faster than usual."

In fact, Shi Liu did not know whether this thing was so useful like she said just now. But she believed little master and Lady Juan, because everything they made was the best.

The two menservants nodded. In their mind, no one could take the place of little master and Lady Juan. Without the order of keeping all things about little master and Lady Juan secret, they would have bragged to others about these things.

These curved ploughs were carried by the two menservants to the cart. When it was filled, they drove the cart out. Sitting on the shaft and looking ahead, Shi Liu were thinking how useful the thing named curved plough would be.

One of the menservants who was driving the cart turned his head back and asked, "Sister Shi Liu, it's little master who paid for these ploughs?"

"Of course," Shi Liu answered with two words.

"I knew it! Since little master and Lady Juan can speak, our farmers have had a better life than the farmers anywhere else. Perhaps in the whole Tang Dynasty, there was never such a great master." When it came to this, both of the two menservants were proud.

Rolling on the muddy road, both wheels of the cart were stained with dirt when they got to the field. The farmers were tilling with the former ploughs in the field. Suddenly, they saw a cart coming, with Shi Liu sitting on it. The people close to the cart thought there was something needing them to do. So they immediately put down their work and went to the cart.

Without waiting for the farmers to speak, Shi Liu first said, "Folks, these are new ploughs made by our masters. You can try to see if they are better than what you are using now. And some cattle and horses have been bought for you. And our little master has said that the way of the spring ploughing is same with that of the last autumn harvest. The two villages will work together."

As soon as these farmers heard that there were new ploughs on the cart, they became curious. In recent months, everything little master had done helped them a lot. So, they guessed that the new ploughs should also be great.

But the last two things Shi Liu had said made them pleasant the most. After all, with the help of the cattle, horses and the joint cultivation, it would be an easy thing for them to do spring ploughing faster.

At present, having called other farmers who were still working, they helped unload these new ploughs from the cart together. They gently touched the new things with their hands, feeling that little master were considerate and so kind to them.

Some impatient people had put the new plough on the farm cattle. At first, they were not used to it. After a while, someone could not help cheering,

"Look, it's so fast! Unbelievable! It's several times faster than the plough we used before. Come on, go to put it on your cattle! Sister Shi Liu, what is this plough called?"

"This is called Curved Plough. Don't worry. There are still a lot. Later on, the horses and cattle which are quite strong, will be sent here too." Hearing that someone had praised the plough, Shi Liu was very happy.

Having found that the new plough was so amazing, all of the farmers began to remove the original ploughs and put the new one on their own cattle.

"Folks, just a moment, please. Allow me to say something. This curved plough is given by our little master. We must make sure that it wouldn't be stolen by others."

Seeing the new plough, an old man said loudly to the people around him. After hearing it, all of them nodded. Of course, they did not want the good things made by their little master to be stolen by others.

With the curved ploughs, the cattle and horses, people began to work together, according to the autumn harvest, no matter who the field belonged to. In the evening, they found that what they had done today could almost equal what they had farmed in the previous days.

Seeing that, they seemed not to feel tired. While they were putting away their tools and going home, Shi Liu appeared again. She said,

"Folks, food have been made in the yards of Zhang and Wang. Although it's spring, it's still cold. And we also prepare some wine for you. Now go to your own masters' yards to enjoy the food and drink."

As soon as these farmers heard this, they cheered up and headed to their masters' yards respectively.

...

At sunset, having worked for a whole day, farmers of Ge Village planned to go home. And some people close to the river incidentally glanced at the fields of Zhang Village and Wang Village. Then he was struck dumb with astonishment by what he saw.

Before, the farmers of Wang Village did not plough the field from the side of river to the inside. Instead, they ploughed from a reverse direction. So, people of Ge Village didn't know how fast they ploughed. Until the evening, they had ploughed so many fields, which usually took them three days at least. The farmer of Ge Village didn't expect that he could faintly see the fields which had been ploughed.

Surprised farmer didn't want to go home right now. He hurriedly ran across the bridge to the land belonging to Wang Village, trying to look at the situation carefully. Then, what he found shocked him again. Actually, farmers of Wang Village had ploughed the land in a day, which should have taken them a few days.

Driven by curiosity, the man stopped a farmer of Wang Village who walked behind.

"Brother Qiu Shu, is that ploughed by you in a day? Or you have found someone else to help you?" the farmer of Ge Village wanted to find out what was wrong.

The man called Qiu Shu squared himself. Then he smiled and said, "Oh, my little brother Sun, it's you! Is your work done today? Go back to have dinner, or the dish will be cold. Sure, all of these fields are ploughed by us. Large number of people made us work fast. We didn't find anyone else, which was a waste of time. Everyone is busy during the period of the spring ploughing. I'm gonna have dinner, which has been prepared by our little master. When it comes to our little master, we feel so grateful. Considering the cold weather in the spring, our little master has prepared the wine for us. I'm gonna have a drink. See you later."

When speaking, Brother Qiu Shu dumped the dirt on his feet, walking to the house of his little master.

Watching Brother Qiu Shui going far, the farmer of Ge Village still stood there. Until a gust of wind came with the smell of soil, he shivered, tightly wrapping his clothes around himself. Then he slowly turned around, with his head down and his waist bent. He sighed from time to time.

At night, the news that farmers of Wang Village had ploughed the land, which should take a few days, in a day spread. At first, some people of Ge Village did not believe it. Someone who was curious went to find out the truth with torches in the middle of the night. After he saw it, he went back to tell others. Then an uproar was caused.

Of course, Ge Yingxi also heard the news at night. But he didn't believe it, so he asked the butler to make it clear.

The next morning, the farmers got up again. Having eaten breakfast early, Ge Yingxi took the butler to go out. When he came to the side of the bridge which belonged to him, he stopped and watched the other side. Then, he was amazed.

He wondered where the farmers of Wang Village got so many horses and cattle to plough. There were still a lot of people pulling the ploughs on his land.

"Master, look! It seems that the farmers of Wang Village plough together like the way they used in last autumn harvest. Besides, the ploughs they are using are different from those we often use," Ge's butler pointed to the other side and said to Ge Yingxi.

With his eyesight not as good as his butler's, Ge could not see exactly what the plough was like but the way of ploughing together. Thinking for a while, he said to the butler, "Ask our farmers to plough together. I will go there and have a look at the plough."

The butler said "yes" and left. Ge Yingxi walked across the bridge as if he was seeing the scenery. As he went on his way, he stared at the plough, trying to see more clearly as he approached.

Before he could see it clearly, a person came to him, greeting him in the distance. "Head Ge, how is it going recently? Why are you free today to come here?"