Chapter 7
Rather than inventing, many outstanding makers are good at refining and integrating, such as integrating structures discovered by many people, replacing overly complex parts, and ultimately forming practical tools.
For ordinary people struggling to survive, anything that could ease their labor or keep them fed would spread like wildfire. Perhaps the nobles would stubbornly object out of pride, but that wasn't the case here. It was simply that many things were too expensive for the vast majority to own.
Seeing that Wen Yi was fiddling with something again, Shu didn't bother her too much. He just took advantage of the warm afternoon to take other dead branches to other people's homes to exchange for similar wood so that she wouldn't have to worry about raw materials.
From Shu, Wen Yi learned that when he was doing labor service before, there were already many advanced machines in the city, such as spinning wheels and pedal looms, but ordinary people naturally could not afford them.
"Is that so..." Wen Yi leaned on the mat.
She wasn't wearing a leaky linen dress, so her odd posture wouldn't be indecent. Sitting sideways on a mat, her left hand resting on her cheek, Wen Yi pondered what she needed most. Although she felt like she was lacking everything, she couldn't think of what to do first.
After thinking for a while, Wen Yi lay down in distress, tilting his head to ask Amu who was standing beside him:
"Amu, what do you think is the most difficult thing to do?"
Amu was weaving rabbit fur seriously at this time. When he heard this question, he stopped what he was doing, thought carefully for a while, and pointed to the pottery jar filled with grain in the corner.
"this."
Wen Yi looked in the direction of her finger, his eyes fell on the unshelled millet inside, and he couldn't help but nodded.
Amu's explanation couldn't be more true. The primary reason most people would rather endure oppression than leave was land. Land annexation wasn't widespread these days, but the difficulty of reclaiming wasteland and the burden of taxes were immense. Unless there was war, no one would choose to leave their homes. The vast majority of soldiers were also willing to fight to the death for a share of land—those were Qi's exact words.
Wen Yi propped himself up, shook his head, shook off the rabbit fur that had accidentally drifted onto his body, and loosened his stiff joints.
In an era of food scarcity, farming is the most important thing. It turns out that those stories from the past were not false. We still have to start by making more labor-saving agricultural tools.
But unlike those guys who have plenty of manpower, it seems like I have to do everything myself.
After determining the direction, Wen Yi tried hard to search for some vague information. Fortunately, he had read a lot of miscellaneous things in the past, and he also liked to make some small gadgets with bamboo strips and wooden pieces, otherwise it would probably take him a long time to try.
Based on the information he had inquired about, Wen Yi planned to first make wooden models of the plow cart and the curved plow. Although they did not have any cows at the moment, these two things could save some effort and they would not have to bend over and work again and again.
Yes, oxen are very precious. If an ox loses weight or is injured during each assessment, the people in the entire area will be implicated. However, animal power is really attractive, and there is still a shortage of supply outside the cities.
Without adhesive, it would be extremely troublesome to make the mortise and tenon structure alone. It's not that there are no nails, but considering the price, Wen Yi chose to do it himself.
The first thing Wen Yi made was the most common three-legged plow cart in later generations, which could simultaneously complete furrowing, sowing, and finally covering with soil, and could complete planting on finely cultivated land.
After all, it's just a small model. The plowshare, which should have been metal, was temporarily replaced with a stone slab, and a small piece of straw was used to replace the cylinder. Each part can be disassembled, and if the straw or other parts are damaged, they can be replaced, like a small toy.
Wen Yi carefully pulled the mini version of the plow to conduct experiments on the land in the yard, constantly adjusting the angle of the funnel and the connecting cylinder below, and took a handful of fine sand to simulate seeds and put it in.
Fine sand flows out from the holes in the funnel and falls into the ditch along the hollow grass stalks. The stone tied with a thin hemp rope behind the plow foot covers the turned over soil again.
Amu watched with great interest. Seeing her interest, Wen Yi gave her the little toy to play with and started making the curved plow himself.
While a plow can be made of straight wood, the most important feature of a curved-beam plow is its curved beam. Even though many years have passed, Wen Yi still remembers the force analysis and gained a firm understanding of the curved-beam plow's greater labor-saving potential.
Since we had decided to do it, we naturally went all out, choosing a curved-beam plow instead of a straight-beam one. While making the parts, we discovered that this small plow could simultaneously lift and turn the soil, adjust the depth and width of the tilled field, and rotate the plow disc. It truly was a tool refined through long-term practice.
However, after failing to bake it many times, Wen Yi finally used a piece of already bent wood as a plow shaft. As for how to make the actual object, he left it to the craftsmen who were good at carpentry.
After making three or four of each, Wen Yi selected the best set and put it in his own box. Then he completely relaxed and began to spend the long winter in a warm place.
When the second snow fell, a traveling merchant passed by again, but it was not the two people he had met before. Wen Yi was a little disappointed.
In winter, traveling merchants often carry low-quality rice bought at low prices. Many families will exchange the good grains they grow themselves for more old rice and grains to get through the days when food is scarce. Merchants will then transport these fine rice and grains to cities and sell them at high prices to make a profit from the difference.
They would also collect some dried meat, furs and other rare items, which would be easily sold once shipped to Xinyi.
Seeing Wen Yi slumped on the mat in disappointment, Shu smiled and added more charcoal to make the surroundings warmer, and also boiled some water.
"Be careful not to get cold." She put a small roll of twine aside and continued to try to make something else with the knitting needles.
Wen Yi turned over from his limp position, holding the processed rattan and bamboo strips in his hands, and tried to weave a small rattan ball, stuffing it with fragrant plants to repel insects.
Shu and Amu both changed into woolen clothes, and even Wen Yi, who struggled to say that he was not too cold, was put in a vest.
At first, they were a little uncomfortable with the pants, but they were indeed much warmer than before, and after getting used to them, they actually felt quite good. This was especially true for their leg joints. They had originally expected to feel the same dull pain as in previous years, but until now, there hadn't been the discomfort they remembered.
They wore linen outer garments, and even if they were bulging underneath, others would mistake them for furs. They even had the illusion that this winter was exceptionally warm, but every once in a while, when they went to help out at the nursing homes, they discovered that this wasn't the case. Many people were still shivering under their furs, which had become smelly and stiff.
After Shu and Wen Yi discussed it, they registered the furs that had become a little hard in previous years but were still usable for tax purposes and handed them over to the head of the village, finally alleviating the urgent need.
Shu and others were helping inside. Wen Yi came out and walked towards the person standing not far away.
The village head looked at the snow-covered ground, his face still grimacing. Seeing Wen Yi approaching, he forced a smile, but perhaps because it was too cold, the smile was a little stiff.
"Ayi, right?" Shan's hair, perhaps stained by snow, had turned a few stray strands of white into a gray. He sighed, set the dry, hard biscuit aside, and said, "Farmers work their entire lives, hoping for nothing more than enough to eat and wear warm clothes. But when faced with natural disasters and man-made calamities, even these hopes are luxuries."
"The war is still going on. Once a city is captured, the enemy will likely burn, kill, and loot. Even remote villages will not escape this fate."
Wen Yi looked at the headman, who usually did more than he talked, with some surprise, not knowing what he meant by this. But before she could speak, the voice rang out again:
"I have no other wishes in my life except that my neighbors can survive this chaos. Even if life is a little difficult, we can always get through the difficult times by keeping our belts tight."
"Although our area is remote and the mountains make it difficult to get in and out, it's precisely because of this that we've been able to survive." This is why, after so many generations, everyone still trusts him as the village head. Over time, he has become everyone's pillar of support, never showing any anxiety or fear even in the face of difficulties.
"I know you are a capable person."
"If something does happen, take those who are willing to leave and go to the mountains."
Wen Yi turned his head, trying to discern from the headman's face whether he was testing him or had some other intention. But after a long look, he still only looked worried, as if he really did think so.
She shook her head and did not directly agree to this request that seemed to have no restrictions on her. Instead, she asked:
"The current situation is not that bad. Why does the headman say that?"
Wen Yi never made promises lightly, let alone taking responsibility for the future of others. Moreover, she had no responsibility to do so in the first place. She was willing to work hard for Shu and Amu because of the feelings they had for her.
"Something has happened in Pingyi."
"What?"
Even though her understanding of this era was limited to the isolated news, Wen Yi's heart skipped a beat when she heard this, "What do you mean?"
Her knowledge of the surrounding cities was limited to the nearest Xinyi and the not-too-far Pingyi. But if something really happened in Pingyi...
The village head smiled bitterly and was about to say something, but a cough interrupted his words. It took him a long time to calm down.
Without the need for the village head to explain, he quickly reviewed what had happened in the past in his mind, and finally settled on the most ominous speculation:
"The army... was defeated?" Wen Yi's voice was filled with many complicated emotions.
"Ahem...yes."
The village head picked up a ceramic bowl from the side, took a few gulps of some cold water, and finally suppressed the cough and itching in his throat.
Wen Yi returned home with a worried look on her face. She did not ask where the head of the village got the news, nor did she ask why he stayed here and refused to temporarily avoid the disaster even though she knew what was going to happen next.
Although he had been here for over half a year, Wen Yi still felt like he had completely integrated into this land. It was more like he was treating life here like a game, which gave him a special concern for Shu and Amu.
It’s like a character full of labels suddenly becomes a living person at some point.
However, it is very rare for troops to be sent out in winter, unless they are stationed outside to besiege a city. At least they are safe until spring.
But the silent pressure became heavier as more and more refugees came with their families and braved the wind and snow. Even the most resilient guys noticed that something was wrong in the atmosphere.
At the beginning were the nobles with carriages, even carrying cartloads of belongings; behind them came the wealthy with carts, and finally the common people and refugees carrying backpacks. Traveling in winter without warmth was like a slow march to death, but no one chose to stop here. They all rushed towards Xinyi as if being pursued by something.
In the next few days, I put all the things hanging out to dry into the box, and divided the important money into two parts, one to keep close to me, and the other to put in the box.
"You can't take this thing off your body, and don't let others see it, understand?" Shu took the time to sew three cloth bags and put one on each person. In addition to copper coins, there was also bacon wrapped in cloth.
Wen Yi and A Mu both nodded, indicating that they remembered it.
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