Chapter 658: Shen Zhi, Shen Yaohe [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
"No matter how novel it is, it is not a sustainable solution."
Lin Feng carefully put the cotton seeds into the box.
Luan Xin then asked her, "Then how can it last?"
"As the Registrar of Household Affairs, my duty is naturally to impart the best seeds and methods to the common people under my jurisdiction." The young man spoke with a kind and calm gaze, seemingly imbued with a compassionate Buddhist nature. "My lord often said, 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.' The older one gets, the more one understands the weight of these words. Even the most accomplished scholars who have reached the pinnacle of literary achievement dare not speak of immortality. People will die, and after a hundred years, they will be nothing but a handful of dust, but the hope of passing on the torch will not be easily extinguished."
Even if Lin Feng alone could ensure that the common people under the lord's rule were well-fed and clothed, and spare them the troubles of life, how long could this state be maintained? At most one generation, but countless descendants would still need to live on, and there is only one Lin Feng in the world!
so--
"Be like Hou Ji! Learn from Lei Zu!"
"A fine ambition!"
Luan Xin immediately clapped his hands in praise.
Gu Chi also subconsciously curled his lips.
They don't even consider how many people taught Lin Feng.
At this time, she was only six or seven months older than Shen Tang, who had been exiled years ago, and had just turned 12. If an ordinary person of the same age had such ability, they would not only be arrogant and conceited, but would also inevitably become complacent and self-satisfied, and some might even lose their true self and become restless.
Lin Feng, however, was as calm and composed as an old monk in meditation, and at such a young age, he had already grasped the essence of the way of the scholar.
In this situation—
The day when literature and scholarship reach their peak is just around the corner.
To truly achieve the goal of "the student surpassing the teacher".
"It's all thanks to the excellent teaching of my teachers and lord. I'm just repeating what others have said, which makes Luan Hucao laugh at me." Only at times like this would Lin Feng show a little shyness and embarrassment, but he would quickly smooth it out and return to his usual composed demeanor.
Since the cotton seeds were discovered in the household register of Sibao County, Lin Feng invited Luan Xin to go with him to see the lord, so that they could share the credit. Luan Xin declined, saying, "Without the discerning eye of Lin Feng, how could this thing have 'seen the light of day' again?"
Lin Feng naturally wouldn't choose to go with the flow.
She was young, but she knew a lot about human relationships and social customs.
Luan Xin's status is special; if things aren't handled properly and leave a grudge, causing a rift between him and the lord, then it would truly be a loss. Moreover, the other party did indeed deserve some credit for this matter. The three of them went to the prefectural government office, where the lord was still engrossed in writing, with no end to his shift in sight.
"Why are you three here? Are you short-handed?"
Shen Tang was worried that these three people were there to ask for manpower.
Even if she had three heads and six arms, she couldn't conjure them up right now.
Neither Lin Feng nor Luan Xin were willing to speak first, so Gu Chi took the initiative without hesitation: "Naturally, I've come to congratulate the lord."
"Congratulations? What brings you this joy?"
Shen Tang was completely baffled. These past few days had been grueling; she'd been almost overwhelmed by official duties, working in the office with her eyes open and working even in her dreams with her eyes closed, her brush practically smoking from writing. She guessed, "Could it be that there's some income again?"
The "income" he mentioned was the money he was supposed to use to redeem himself from slavery.
She still has a few prisoners she hasn't sold off.
Gu Chi shook his head. Seeing that she couldn't guess correctly, Shen Tang looked at him with a suspicious look: "Wang Chao, are you really not kidding me?"
He would never try to trick his lord, not in his entire life, and he didn't want to be sacked by Qi Shan and the others. Gu Chi wanted to keep them in suspense, but Shen Tang wouldn't cooperate with the guessing, so he lost interest: "Why don't you open it and see what's inside, my lord?"
Shen Tang opened it with some skepticism.
Inside the box lay quietly the plump seeds.
She immediately understood: "What kind of grain is this?"
"The seeds of white cypress were discovered today by Lingde and Gongyi in the treasury of the Sibao County Household Department. Lingde used his literary energy to encourage the growth of several plants, and it is estimated that they can be harvested once a year..." Because Shen Tang's expression froze after hearing this, Gu Chi did not continue.
He asked softly, "My lord?"
Shen Tang was brought back to her senses by his call: "You mean rosemary?"
Gu Chi and the other two nodded in unison.
Lin Feng was uneasy, fearing that a good thing would turn into a bad thing, and whispered, "My lord, is there something wrong with this thing?"
[Smack!]
A loud bang came from under Shen Tang's palm.
Luan Xin stared at the clearly dented five-finger mark on the table, his lips twitching almost imperceptibly, as if he were experiencing a phantom pain in his right hand. The next instant, he saw Shen Tang abruptly stand up, blurting out, "Holy crap, isn't white cotton just cotton?"
The magical artifact she had been longing for finally arrived?
"Cotton?" Gu Chi murmured.
He had a very good memory and remembered that the word "cotton" was frequently on his lord's lips—at that time, his lord was still struggling with silk quilts. Although she finally managed to cover herself with them, the high cost and outrageous efficiency made her dislike them.
So he kept saying how nice it would be if there were cotton.
"Is this the cotton that our lord spoke of?"
"Yes! Although most cotton varieties haven't been improved and the yield may not be high, it's warm, at least much better than summer clothes made of hemp and ramie." Summer cloth, as the name suggests, is a cloth made of hemp and ramie fibers used to make summer clothes.
This thing is okay to wear in the summer, but it's a nightmare in the winter.
The poorest families could only stuff their clothes with reeds, poplar catkins, and willow fluff, making them extremely vulnerable to the cold. Those slightly better off, who kept livestock, could collect duck, goose, and chicken feathers; the even better could use animal hides like pigskin and sheepskin. Although earthen beds (kang) have been widely promoted in recent years, and heating costs are low, there are still unfortunate people who die of cold in their homes every winter. Even Shen Tang, as the head of a prefecture and holding the imperial seal, could not escape their suffering from cold and hunger.
Now that cotton is being delivered to our door, isn't this a godsend?
Shen Tang gave Lin Feng two big bear hugs.
One was for Lin Feng, and the other was for Luan Xin, but it wouldn't be appropriate for her to give Luan Xin a bear hug, so she had Lin Feng do it instead.
Overjoyed, she exclaimed, "My dear Lingde, you are destined to be remembered for generations to come!"
"Cough cough cough—"
Lin Feng felt a little dizzy from being patted by her.
When her lord got too emotional, he lost control of his strength, so Lin Feng quickly pretended to beg for mercy: "If my lord keeps hitting me, I'm afraid I'll die prematurely." She knew that cotton seeds could save the people, but she didn't have a concrete image in her mind, so even if she was happy, it didn't feel real.
However, Shen Tang's bear hug and a few slaps made her understand a bit more—her lord was a person who could remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of her, and had seen all kinds of grand occasions. If something could make her so excited that she lost her composure, then it must truly benefit all people!
Shen Tang then released Lin Feng.
The good news swept away her fatigue from the whole day.
"Wangchao, go and tell Yaohe to come here!"
Gu Chi bowed and accepted the order.
"Yaohe" is none other than Shen Zhi, whose courtesy name "Yaohe" was given to her by Bai Su. Unlike Lin Feng, who is exceptionally talented and specializes in agriculture, Shen Zhi is older and less talented. She has cultivated for a long time before barely opening her dantian, and is still far from condensing her literary heart.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, there is no hope for the rest of my life.
Although her literary talent was meager, it still had a stimulating effect. However, due to the limitations of her talent and age, no matter how much she cultivated, the accumulation of her literary talent was as slow as a tortoise crawling.
Disheartened, she realized that while she lacked literary talent, she was more than capable of tending to flowers and plants. So, accepting reality, she devoted herself to the preparation of rouge and floral dew, spending her days working with flowers and plants.
Bai Su and others who were on good terms with her also helped her collect flower seeds. Over time, the small courtyard was filled with the fragrance of flowers all year round.
One day, she was holding her daughter in the courtyard, basking in the sun.
In a dream, she received a magical word: a mature, graceful woman with a unique fragrance knocked on her door, and she instantly woke up.
When I awoke, the garden was full of spring colors.
Thousands of petals weighed down the branches, and thousands of colorful butterflies, seemingly from nowhere, fluttered among the flowers. The butterflies danced gracefully, their fragrance vibrant. Then, a warbler sang sweetly, landing lightly on her shoulder. Watching this scene, Chen Zhi felt an unprecedented sense of openness and ease, as if her physical body had shrunk by a third. Chen Zhi was completely absorbed in the moment, while her daughter, still innocent and unaware, rested her chin on her mother's shoulder, giggling incessantly.
Shen Zhi was awakened by an extremely faint cracking sound. At that moment, she saw all the flowers in the courtyard gathering with the vortex, and she, or rather her dantian, was at the center of the vortex. As for the garden full of butterflies? There were no butterflies at all; they were all transformed from flower petals.
So inexplicable—
A deep and unpolished mind gives rise to literary talent.
Wenxin's rank is low, only the lower middle of the eighth rank.
With such limited literary talent, even cultivating a single flower bud is a struggle.
But that was genuine literary talent!
Her way of cultivating her literary mind was peculiar, and even more peculiar was that after waking up from her dream, she also awakened to the way of the scholar—[Springtime in the Garden].
Once activated, the flower seed will frantically absorb the energy of heaven and earth, regardless of the season or any sense of shame, and will bloom on the spot!
(ω)
I went to see The Wandering Earth for the second time today.
Ugh, before, there was only one IMAX screening a day, and it was scheduled for the early morning, which was too late for me to get up, so I never got to see it. After the lockdown, the only five IMAX screenings were all for The Wandering Earth. But watching on a giant screen is really awesome! The long shot of the space elevator gave me goosebumps, and the space station crash scene was so oppressive (if you can afford it, definitely watch on a giant screen, the experience is amazing).
P.S.: You should be able to guess the power of words that Chen Zhi dreamed about, right?
(End of this chapter)
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