After the shooting was finished, Yun Er announced Lin Yinan's shooting results: all hits!
The soldiers were greatly shocked by the result and rushed forward to check.
Some people even picked up Shi Han's heavy bow and tried to draw it.
Only then did they realize that their city lord was terrifyingly powerful!
Looking into those eyes that yearned to become stronger, Yun Mo said, "A Nan, say a few words to them."
Lin Yinan cleared his throat. "We train for a thousand days to use them for one. The purpose of our daily training is to be able to face a sudden enemy one day. We train hard to protect our homeland and defend our parents and loved ones!"
"We swear to defend Longtan to the death! To defend our homeland!"
The soldiers shouted in unison.
This competition greatly inspired the soldiers' fighting spirit, prompting them to continuously surpass themselves and improve their abilities.
There were already fixed targets on the field, but in actual combat the targets moved, so Lin Yinan also suggested to Yun Er that they be built mobile targets.
Then, she looked around the entire horse farm again.
The five newly arrived mares were leisurely grazing in the enclosure.
Led by Yun Mo, Lin Yinan took another stroll around the horse farm before leaving.
Before descending the mountain, she went to see three more mares that were about to give birth.
The mare's condition was relatively stable, and it wasn't time for her to give birth yet. Lin Yinan didn't have time to wait, so she said goodbye to Dr. Lin and went down the mountain.
Not wanting to spoil her mood, Yun Mo comforted her, "I've already told the guards to report any news promptly."
Lin Yinan nodded. With Doctor Lin and the horse handlers around, she wasn't worried.
When she came down the mountain, she chose to take another path, the same path she had taken last year to lead the villagers of Dongwang Village up the mountain to avoid danger.
The two rode their horses to the foot of the mountain and found someone rummaging through the dead leaves in the woods.
Lin Yinan pulled on the reins and stopped. The people working in the woods also saw the two of them.
"Lord City Lord, what are you doing here?" a woman exclaimed in the woods, her voice filled with undisguised joy, clearly surprised by their appearance.
Lin Yinan couldn't figure out who the person in the woods was until the woman came out, and then she could see who it was.
It turned out to be Zhou Yongniang from Dongwang Village, and she had a smile on her face.
"Aunt Zhou, we just happened to be passing by." Lin Yinan greeted her and nodded slightly.
Before she could ask, Zhou Yongniang raised the rake in her hand, which was used to rake leaves.
“The fields in the village have already been harvested and planted quickly, so I’ve come here to rake some dry leaves to take back and compost.”
In ancient times, without chemical fertilizers, people relied on manure and compost made from weeds, garbage, ash, and wood ash to grow crops.
If you want crops to grow well, you have to spread these composts on the ground and mix them with the soil before planting.
"Are you getting used to living in the newly built house?" Lin Yinan asked.
Zhou Yongniang's face was beaming with a bright smile, and the wrinkles around her eyes and brows revealed her kindness, simplicity, and drive; you could see right through her.
"You're welcome! The newly renovated house is spacious and bright. Why don't you come over for a meal before you go back?"
Lin Yinan was touched by her enthusiasm and waved her hand repeatedly, "I'll definitely go next time if I have the chance. It's getting late, so we'll head back now."
"Okay, then please drive carefully!"
Before leaving, Lin Yinan glanced one last time at the cleaned-up woods. Beneath the surface layer of red soil, she could vaguely see white—kaolin?!
"What's wrong?" Yun Mo glanced in the direction she was looking, his whole body tensing up, thinking she had discovered something.
Lin Yinan murmured, "That's white soil."
Zhou Yongniang immediately understood what she meant and explained, "Oh, the clay under that red mud is Guanyin clay."
"It's the Guanyin clay that the village elders used to talk about, which could fill their stomachs. In years of famine, people would grind it into fine powder, mix it with chaff and wild vegetables to make cakes. Many people survived because of this. However, if you eat too much of this, your stomach will swell up and you won't be able to defecate, which can be fatal."
Zhou Yongniang spoke with a sorrowful expression.
Kaolin, also known as Guanyin clay, is a type of clay product and a raw material for making ceramic products. Many exquisite ancient porcelains were made using this material.
Guanyin clay is fine and smooth. It expands rapidly when it comes into contact with water and then solidifies. The human digestive system cannot digest or absorb this substance. If too much is consumed, it will accumulate and solidify in the intestines, leading to constipation.
Lin Yinan had read in a book that in the past, during times of famine, there were many people whose bellies swelled up like drums after eating Guanyin clay, and many more suffocated to death.
In modern times, kaolin clay is not only used as a main ingredient in some antidiarrheal drugs, but it is also widely used in the production of pottery and porcelain.
"I want to dig some up and take them back." Lin Yinan looked at Yun Mo with clear eyes.
Yun Mo: "Okay, don't move, I'll go dig for you."
As he spoke, he pulled a cloth bag from his horse, jumped off, and Lin Yinan followed suit.
Zhou Yongniang thought Lin Yinan had never seen it before and was curious. She cleared a spot with a rake and said, "Come dig here. I'll go get the hoe."
Lin Yinan picked up a branch about the thickness of a finger and squatted down to dig.
The area is low-lying and prone to flooding when it rains. Although there has been less rain this year, the area is surrounded by forests and the soil is not too dry.
"Let me do it, be careful not to hurt your hand."
Seeing how hard she was digging, Yun Mo took the branch from her and started digging himself.
Without the right tools, no matter how strong Yun Mo was, he could only dig small holes in the ground.
At this moment, Zhou Yongniang brought over a hoe.
"You all step aside, let me dig."
Yun Mo stepped aside, while Zhou Yongniang, who was used to farm work, was very strong. With one stroke of her hoe, she turned over the surface mud.
It didn't take much effort for her to dig out the clay from underneath.
Lin Yinan knocked off the top layer of red soil, filled two cloth bags with the clay, and then stopped.
"Auntie, the bag is full, you don't need to dig anymore."
Zhou Yongniang then stopped. "It's not enough. I'll go back and get another sack. You can pack more to take back."
Although she didn't know what Lin Yinan intended to do with it, she was certain it would be useful.
"Thank you, Auntie, this is enough."
Lin Yinan thanked her, and Yun Mo tied the two bags of Guanyin clay to the horse. The two of them rode away in the sunset.
As they walked, Yun Mo's gaze shifted from the two bags of kaolin clay hanging on the horse to Lin Yinan's face.
He couldn't help but whisper, "Anan, these Guanyin soils have a strong, fishy smell, are very salty and astringent, and are hard to swallow. They don't taste good at all."
"You've eaten it?" Lin Yinan asked him curiously.
Yun Mo nodded, making no attempt to hide anything from her, “I have eaten. One winter, the imperial grain was delayed. To avoid going hungry, the army’s chef came up with a solution: he dug up some clay and mixed it with a small amount of grain. We endured this for half a month before the imperial grain supply finally arrived.”
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