Chapter Nine: Striving for Survival
While the chili pepper business was in full swing in the village, Shen Zhiyi's mind was focused on the peanuts in the mountains, and she spent most of this time in the mountains.
Because of the incident of returning food to the squirrels, she subtly became "friends" with them, to the point that they can now sit by the peanut field, eating the nuts and snacks that the squirrels brought her.
The temperature in the mountains was higher than she had expected, and with her diligent fertilization, she was in excellent condition!
Seeing the plants begin to turn yellow, Shen Zhiyi was already eager to plant more seeds. She hoped that once the plants were planted on a large scale, she would have the opportunity to extract oil and promote a major event, which was enough to excite her so much.
"Zhiyi! Zhiyi!" Tang Huaya shouted as she entered the mountain, looking towards the peanut field, and repeatedly said, "The magistrate, the magistrate, Lord Lu, Lord Lu is here!"
"What? Why is the county magistrate here?" Shen Zhiyi asked in surprise, and quickly went over.
"Grandpa Village Chief went to the county early this morning to submit the list of people to be reclaimed for farming, and then the county magistrate came along with him." Tang Huaya said anxiously, pulling Shen Zhiyi towards the outside of the mountain. "Besides you, no one else dares to talk to Lord Lu. You have to hurry over there."
Shen Zhiyi suddenly thought of that azure figure. He was clearly a gentle person, so why did he become difficult to talk to in their eyes?
After hurrying down the mountain, Shen Zhiyi saw a man who stood out from the crowd. He was dressed in a green scholar's robe, and the edges of his moon-white brocade boots were still covered in mud. His skin was so fair that it seemed to glow.
This comparison can indeed make those around him feel ashamed.
However, to Shen Zhiyi, the other person was just a little good-looking.
She walked naturally to the man and said, "Lord Lu, what brings you to our village?"
"Girl, don't be rude, this is Magistrate Lu!" the village chief quickly interjected.
“Village Chief Li, it’s alright,” Lu Jingbai said. “Miss Shen and I have something to discuss. Everyone else, please go about your business.”
The village chief immediately gave a wink to the other villagers who had followed him, but he stayed behind. How could he feel at ease if he didn't stay here and keep an eye on things?
"According to what Village Chief Li said, was it the young lady who persuaded the villagers to reclaim the land in Xiaba Village?" Lu Jingbai asked bluntly, but his gaze was fixed on the fields, as if he was trying to avoid suspicion.
"Yes." Shen Zhiyi said frankly, thinking of the notice from a month ago that she had only heard the beginning of. Could it be that someone was having trouble persuading others to clear land and came to her for advice?
"What method did that girl use?" Lu Jingbai asked, not ashamed to ask.
"Chili peppers," Shen Zhiyi said frankly.
Hearing this, the village chief's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly added, "My son picked this up from the mountains. We didn't know what it was, let alone that it was a seed, so we just let him handle it and mess with it. Who knew that Shen would look at it for a while and then discover that the white granules inside looked like seeds? She tried planting one and it actually grew!"
"Over time, it's come to be called chili pepper, but it doesn't really have a proper name. If Lord Lu doesn't mind the trouble, please give it a name," the village chief said sincerely.
Upon hearing the origin of the chili pepper from these words, Shen Zhiyi couldn't help but scratch her hand. Did she really look that honest?
“The name ‘chili pepper’ is quite good,” Lu Jingbai said gently. “So how did you use chili peppers to persuade people to cultivate the land?”
Shen Zhiyi received a signal from the village chief and put away her "making friends" mentality. She spoke in the manner of reporting to a leader: "The reason why we were able to use chili peppers to promote the reclamation of our village is because you, Lord Lu, bought chili peppers. That's why the wealthy gentlemen and the restaurant bought them later."
“With a market, everyone can make money, and naturally they will be motivated to cultivate new land,” Shen Zhiyi said meaningfully.
Lu Jingbai was no ordinary man; he naturally understood the deeper meaning behind it. His silence was more of a reflection.
“I recently finished reading all the county annals, and if I’m not mistaken, the Great Cold will begin next month,” Lu Jingbai said slowly, his gaze filled with pity as he looked at the withered wheat husks. “If we can’t find a way for the people to survive, who knows what will happen.”
"Next month is the Great Cold... If this is true, wouldn't something terrible happen!" The village chief was shocked and could only say in a low voice.
"Regardless of the outcome of the guess, it will be a tremendous test." Lu Jingbai said, then turned and looked intently at Shen Zhiyi. "Therefore, I implore Miss Shen not to hold back. If there is anything I can do to help, I will certainly do my utmost!"
Shen Zhiyi didn't avoid eye contact. She saw determination and sincerity in those clear eyes; her current perspective was built upon the shoulders of giants. Now, she felt like a "giant" in this era. If she were to become complacent and stagnant because of this, what bright future for humanity could there be?
After a moment of silence, Shen Zhiyi said in a deep voice, "Okay!"
The village chief opened his mouth, but couldn't utter any words of advice, and finally let out a sigh.
"To think you can turn the tide in a month is wishful thinking," Shen Zhiyi said seriously. "It's cold-resistant and has a fast growth cycle. There are only cabbage seeds available, and every farmer will plant them in their yard. At least it can withstand the cold weather."
“When it’s cold, the most important thing is to keep warm.” Shen Zhiyi said, noticing that Lu Jingbai was listening attentively, and the slight hesitation that had flashed through her mind completely disappeared. “If there were something like a stove that could be heated with just a little firewood, and if it were made into the shape of a bed, then you wouldn’t be cold when you stay indoors.”
"What you're talking about is..." Lu Jingbai said, looking around as if searching for something. His gaze fell on a rock that was half-buried in the mud, and he squatted down to start digging at it.
It was like witnessing an immortal fall to earth, so impactful that the village chief only reacted at this moment and hurriedly said, "Sir, you mustn't do that, I'll do it, I'll do it."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Lu Jingbai, his once clean hands now filthy, picked up a stone and began drawing something on the ground with it, asking, "Is this how it's supposed to be? But where does the smoke from the burning firewood go?"
Shen Zhiyi subconsciously reached out to Lu Jingbai, and the slightly warm stone landed in her palm. Without hesitation, she began adding things to the neatly arranged "pattern," explaining as she did so: "The principle is to utilize the residual heat from cooking on the stove. Through this kind of laying, and then..."
Lu Jingbai looked at it very carefully, and began to make changes on the soil with his hands, saying, "Wouldn't it be better if it were like this?"
“We can give it a try.” Shen Zhiyi’s eyes lit up. In the basic diagram of the kang’s interior, she had only used the conventional S-shape. She hadn’t expected the other party to be able to think of other internal structures. It seemed that they really understood the basic principles, which was why they were able to develop new ideas.
"Would it work if we used adobe bricks?" Lu Jingbai asked eagerly.
“Sure, it’s not as sturdy as bricks, but it’ll last for a while,” Shen Zhiyi replied. Seeing Lu Jingbai deep in thought, she added, “Why don’t we try it out at my house first? Once we have experience, we can teach others. It’s perfect that the people in our village can learn first!”
“Yes, our whole village supports this! And we have plenty of strength; we can make as many adobe bricks as we need!” the village chief said.
“Village Chief Li is so righteous, I will not refuse.” Lu Jingbai said solemnly, taking a step back and respectfully bowing to the village chief and Shen Zhiyi as a disciple. “Thank you.”
The village chief immediately pulled Shen Zhiyi aside from the formality, and bowed, saying, "You flatter me, sir."
"I'll take my leave now and go back to prepare. I'll come back tomorrow morning," Lu Jingbai said, turning and leaving without saying another word.
Only after the figure disappeared did the village chief leisurely say, "Lord Lu is truly a good official who serves the people."
Shen Zhiyi knew this sigh was unusual, but it seemed rather easy to come from something that was only about the heated kang bed, which hadn't been put into practice yet. She couldn't help but ask, "Hmm? Did Lord Lu do something else?"
“You’ve been up in the mountains all this time, so you don’t know that Lord Lu…” The village chief paused slightly, lowering his voice, “He’s been traveling to various villages, searching for talented people. Even if he hears that a beggar has a solution, he’ll personally go to find him and ask him.”
“That was indeed very dedicated,” Shen Zhiyi said slowly.
“I’ll go get a few people to make adobe bricks. Girl, you’ve been…” The village chief noticed a few brittle branches stuck to the back of Shen Zhiyi’s head. He hadn’t noticed them at the time, but thankfully the magistrate didn’t blame him. “Go into the mountains less often and keep yourself clean.”
"Huh?" Shen Zhiyi was surprised. She looked down at her straw sandal with half of her little finger sticking out and seemed to understand what it meant.
After she sells her second batch of chilies, she needs to buy some cloth to keep for the cold wave period. Even if there is no cold wave, she can still use it when it's cold!
Just as Shen Zhiyi looked down at her straw sandals, the village chief took the opportunity to reach out and remove the brittle twig that was stuck in her hair.
"The peanuts in the mountains will be ready for harvest soon," Shen Zhiyi said, her voice lacking confidence, yet carrying the endearing naiveté of a junior. Though she didn't refute, her meaning was clear.
"What? Those wilting leaves, they weren't badly planted, or..." The village chief realized he was speaking too loudly and quickly lowered his voice, "...new seeds?"
Shen Zhiyi carefully recalled the origin of peanuts. According to historical trends, they appeared around the 16th century, but now she was unsure and could only nod in agreement.
"Come on, take me to see!" The village chief, on the contrary, was eager to walk towards the mountain path.
Shen Zhiyi quickly caught up and teased, "Hey, didn't you say you were going to get people to make adobe bricks? Are you telling me to stay out of the mountains?"
"You silly girl..." The village chief couldn't help but chuckle. The fear that had been building up in his heart vanished like smoke when he saw her. "We can make mud bricks later! Your peanuts are more important!"
Peanuts are a sun-loving crop, and although the sandy loam soil in the wasteland was suitable for planting, the temperature was low at that time, making it difficult for them to survive. After finally finding this patch of loose loam without any shade, they were killed by rabbits, leaving only three plants alive.
Fortunately, Shen Zhiyi took good care of them afterward, and they all grew up healthily.
"These leaves are all turning yellow, will it still work?" the village chief asked uncertainly.
"The yellowing indicates that the peanuts in the ground are ripe. Once the first yellow leaf falls off, it's time to harvest," Shen Zhiyi said. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew by, and the main peanut plant, unable to hold back the yellow leaves, fell to the ground.
Both of them stared at the leaf falling into the mud, and Shen Zhiyi asked, "Are we still making adobe bricks today?"
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