Poor but talented scholar

Chapter 38 Starting the Cultivation

Early morning in Liutang Village.

Just as dawn broke, the hillside behind Lujia Village, which had been abandoned for decades, was awakened by the resounding clang of shovels.

Led by Lu Deshou, more than twenty strong men, each with a machete at their waist and a gleaming shovel in their hand, trudged into the withered branches and fallen leaves.

"Listen up, everyone!" Lu Deshou stood on a protruding bluestone slab, his voice echoing in the empty valley. "Chuan'er said that this land wasn't dug haphazardly. The Master established the method of investigating things and cultivating the land in his book. Anyone who dares to be lazy and cheat, breaking the Master's rules, don't blame me, Lu Shouye, for not showing any consideration for fellow villagers."

"Uncle, you can rest assured!" Lu Dashan waved the shovel in his hand, his eyes gleaming with greed. "The scholar's prescriptions are all here. Anyone who turns down money is either out of their mind or their ancestors' graves are not smoking."

They first stretched a long rope to divide the entire slope into squares of equal length and width, and nailed sharpened red willow stakes to the four corners of each square.

"Dashan, this rope needs to be tightened. If it's even an inch off, it won't work!" Although Uncle Liu didn't go to the fields himself, he leaned on his cane and patrolled back and forth between the ridges of the field.

He held a thin bamboo pole specially made by Lu Chuan, with three striking black lines engraved on it, representing the depth of the soil being turned.

"With each shovel stroke, the soil must be turned up to this second line, which is six inches deep." Uncle Liu tapped the bamboo pole, his voice loud and clear. "Chuan'er instructed that Pinellia ternata prefers shade, but its roots must be deep. If the soil is not turned up deep enough, the medicinal properties cannot be locked in."

"You bunch of bastards, if any of you dare to turn an inch less, you can skip lunch today."

The men chuckled, but none of them dared to be careless.

The sound of shovels hitting the ground was continuous, a sizzling sound as the blades cut through the roots of wild grass.

The black humus soil that had been neglected for years was turned up. When Lu Dashan shoveled down, he also unearthed a nest of small snakes that had just woken up from hibernation. He didn't even blink and casually pushed them aside.

After turning over the first layer of soil, the real show is just beginning.

According to the manuscript, although the soil on this barren slope is fertile, it is too hot and burning, and planting medicinal seedlings directly will easily burn the roots.

So, the women and elderly people in the village were also mobilized.

Dozens of children, carrying bamboo baskets, ran wildly through the woods, their task being to collect the rotten leaves and pine needles that had rotted all winter.

Meanwhile, the able-bodied men carried loads of wood ash that had been accumulating at the village entrance for several years up the mountain.

"Time to scatter the ashes!"

With a shout, fine wood ash, like a wisp of black smoke, was evenly spread across the turned-up black soil.

In his manuscript, Lu Chuan strictly prohibited the use of raw fertilizer and insisted that fallen leaves, wood ash, and spring water from the mountains must be mixed in a specific ratio.

"Maintaining the business, this scholar's method is truly ingenious." Lu Dashan squatted on the ground, looking at the thin layer of wood ash, and asked in confusion, "You're saying that mixing this ash with rotten leaves into the soil can really make the medicinal herbs grow better than those bought in the county town?"

Lu Shouye wiped the sweat from his face and looked at the neatly arranged medicinal field that was beginning to take shape: "Chuan'er said that our back mountain used to be overgrown with weeds, which was wildness; now that it's been arranged according to rules, it's spiritual energy. With enough spiritual energy, the medicinal properties will naturally be stronger."

In truth, Lu Shouye knew nothing about spiritual energy; he only knew that whatever his son said was law.

In just a few days, the mountain behind the village has undergone tremendous changes.

When Lu Chuan stepped onto the hillside to take a look, he was also somewhat shocked by the scene before him.

This is hardly a wasteland.

The farmers' execution ability was brought to its fullest potential.

"Chuan'er, look, everything has been done as you... no, as the Master said." Lu Shouye walked over, his trouser legs covered in dried mud, but he looked radiant.

Lu Chuan squatted down, grabbed a handful of soil mixed with wood ash and humus, and gently rubbed it between his fingertips.

Moist, soft, and with a slightly warm, fermented feel.

Lu Chuan stood up and gazed into the distance.

"Dad, look at this stone embankment." Lu Chuan pointed to a newly built low wall at the bottom of the slope. "Stone can stabilize the soil and retain warmth. At night, the heat from these stones will protect the roots of the medicinal seedlings."

Lu Shouye listened, completely stunned.

"Chuan'er, your uncles were just talking about it." Lu Shouye rubbed his hands together and smiled憨厚ly, "They said that after this land was turned over, it felt very comfortable to look at, even neater than the paddy fields at home."

"We used to think that clearing land was a tough job, but this time everyone is really motivated, and we feel like there's gold popping out of this soil."

Even now, the hillside is still bustling with people.

Not far away, Lu Dashan was leading a few people, using specially made wooden rakes to repeatedly level the soil mixed with leaves and ash fertilizer.

Their movements were slow and rhythmic; with each raft stroke, they made sure to break up the clods of earth and leave no large gaps.

"Be careful, everyone." Lu Deshou's voice echoed through the mountains.

He, the village head, has now become the supervisor of the project.

He held the manuscript in his hand, memorizing every command:

Firstly, the soil must be left to stand for three days and nights after being turned over in order to dissipate the fire.

Secondly, the water supply to each plot must be drawn from the clear spring at the entrance of the village; stagnant water from the pond is strictly prohibited.

Thirdly, anyone entering the medicinal herb field must wash their hands and feet thoroughly and is not allowed to bring in any weed seeds from outside.

Lu Chuan walked on the compacted path, looking at the red willow stakes nailed to the four corners of the grid.

Each wooden stake is engraved with a simple number—"A1", "A2", "B3", and so on.

"Uncle Deshou, please remember these numbers." Lu Chuan walked to Lu Deshou's side and gently instructed, "Which plot of land is being cultivated well, and which plot has been infested with insects? Just by checking these records, we can find out who is in charge. In the future, the allocation will be based not only on labor but also on these land registration records."

Those who cultivate top-quality Pinellia ternata will receive a larger share of the profits.

Lu Deshou's eyes revealed an unprecedented fervor. "Alright, we'll do it your way. Whoever is in charge of which piece of land, they'll sign their name in the ancestral hall's ledger."

Lu Chuan squatted down one last time and plunged his hands deep into the soil.

"The first step, cultivating and stabilizing the soil, is now complete."

He silently calculated in his mind. Next came the most crucial step—introducing the species.

Lu Chuan squatted by the edge of the field, but his thoughts drifted back to the time when he had a holiday last month.

There, they dug up a basket of wild pinellia tubers of excellent quality, each one round and plump like a pearl.

"Father, do you remember the basket of Pinellia ternata we secretly sold in the county town last month?" Lu Chuan stood up, brushed the dust off his hands, and looked intently at Lu Shouye.

"How could I forget!" Lu Shouye lowered his voice, glanced around to make sure the men were all working hard, and then leaned close to Lu Chuan's ear, "I thought it was poison at the time, but you insisted it was herb. It turned out to be true, and it sold for a high price."