"Hey kid, why are you starting to till the land at your place so early? Isn't that a bit too early?"

"That's right. Rice is planted in March or April, and the land is plowed in January. By then, the soil will be hardened."

There were those who genuinely cared and inquired, and there were those who spoke ill of them and mocked them.

Fan Qian felt a pang of bitterness when he saw his younger brother, who didn't have to dig the field himself but only needed to hold the plow and let the oxen and donkeys pull the weight.

His words were laced with sarcasm: "Have you gone stupid from reading too much? Who starts plowing the land now?"

Besides, you have oxen and donkeys, what's the rush? Even those of us who toil with hoes aren't in a hurry, so why should you be?

Then, in a voice loud enough for everyone around to hear, he said, "No wonder he keeps failing the imperial examinations. It would be a miracle if he could pass with his brains!"

Fan Jin was in the field and couldn't hear what his elder brother said next, but he could read his expression and knew his brother's character well. He knew that based on past experience, it wouldn't be anything good.

They had already separated and were living their own lives. Their own lives were gradually getting better, and he didn't want to have a pointless argument with his older brother. He simply replied to the person who had asked him in a friendly manner earlier, "Does everyone remember that last year when Shuiqing found a round food in the woods?"

Normally, no one would remember, but that day was the first day of exchanging water chestnuts for rice. Who could forget the pure white rice?!

Moreover, several households in the village were arguing and demanding a refund that day, causing quite a commotion. It wasn't until Shuiqing returned with a basket of dark, unremarkable things that some people joked that they would need some seeds to grow them.

Someone immediately asked, "Is that thing edible?"

"You've managed to grow them?"

"Is it good? How does it taste?"

Fan Jin didn't try to hide it—since they lived in the same village, it was impossible to hide anything.

He said briefly, "The taste is hard to describe, but my family and I really like it, so I thought we should grow more."

One of the interested men asked, "How do you plant it? Do you know how to plant it? How much will you harvest?"

Fan Jin shook his head and said tactfully, "We're not very good at it either; we just planted it based on our experience from last year's vegetable garden."

Because the crops could have been harvested in April last year, Shuiqing and I discussed it and decided that if there was a major flood in the summer, planting now might allow for a harvest then. However, whether there would be a harvest at all, and how much, we didn't know.

He can't say whether it tastes good or not, nor can he talk about his planting experience, let alone how much the harvest will be. Otherwise, what if they plant according to his instructions and it doesn't meet their expectations?

It will only cause unnecessary gossip and trouble.

Even after saying that, some people are still willing to try planting it. Even if it doesn't work out, they can't blame their family, since everyone is feeling their way across the river.

Fan Qian scoffed: "You're my own brother, what else can you do besides studying? What do you know about farming?"

If we can't even grow rice and wheat properly, how can we expect to grow things we've never grown before? Isn't that just wasting the land?

I told them, "If you don't want to grow rice, sell your land to me. It'll save you from wasting it!"

Aunt Zhang, who was at the back of the crowd, was already thinking of following in Fan Jin's footsteps and planting this thing. She was just about to hear what happened next when she heard Fan Jin's sarcastic mockery.

She was even more furious than Fan Jin, and preemptively retorted loudly, "Tell me, as the older brother, why can't you stand to see your younger brother doing well? Your words are so awful!"

Besides, is this field yours? Did they ruin your land? Do you have the right to tell others what to plant?

Fan Qian blushed with embarrassment after being spoken to, but when he turned around and saw that the person who came was Aunt Zhang, who was older than him and a woman, he felt that it was not honorable for him to win the argument.

And you might not even win the argument!

He immediately flung his sleeves and said angrily, "What if the villagers follow suit and plant these kinds of crops? They'll work hard for months, only to have no harvest at all. Who will be responsible then?!"

Aunt Zhang curled her lip and snorted, "Whoever wants to plant it can take responsibility! You're not a three-year-old child who can't make your own decisions. Since you're an adult, can anyone force you to plant it?"