And so, just before dark, Song Xia and Shen Chunming dragged two large bundles of firewood back home.
The moment Song Xia stepped through the door, she announced that she was far too exhausted today. As for dinner, everyone would have to fend for themselves. There seemed to be some pastries left, so they could just stave off their hunger with a bit of water and a bite to eat.
Shen Chunming agreed. The two of them were surprisingly in sync today; after greeting each other, they each returned to their respective rooms to lie down.
Seeing them so worn out, Shen Huaijing thought it over, poured a cup of water for both Song Xia and Shen Chunming, and delivered them to their rooms. Along the way, he went to check on their harvest for the day.
It was a huge pile of dead branches and fallen leaves.
Shen Huaijing was thoroughly puzzled. Why did she gather so many dead branches? There was no need to stockpile so much at home.
Just as Shen Huaijing was wondering what Song Xia intended to do, he saw her rushing out of her room in a panic, muttering to herself, “Oh no, oh no!”
“What’s wrong?” Shen Huaijing stood up and asked her.
“Oh no, oh no, I forgot to bring in the wheat! It’s already night—the wheat must have gotten damp!” Song Xia’s eyes were filled with anxiety.
Soon, however, Song Xia noticed that the spot in the courtyard where the wheat had been drying was completely clean, with no grain spread out anywhere.
“I brought it in for you. I remembered what you said about drying the wheat, and when I saw the sun wasn’t as bright this afternoon, I gathered it for you.” Shen Huaijing’s clear, pleasant voice came from behind Song Xia. Seeing her standing there in silence, he asked with a touch of uncertainty, “I didn’t do it wrong, did I?”
Song Xia had not expected Shen Huaijing to remember a casual remark she had made at the dinner table. Hearing his question, she quickly replied, “How could you! You brought it in just in time! If the wheat had stayed out like that until now, it would have been ruined! Thank you so much!”
“It was nothing. After all, we are family,” Shen Huaijing said after a brief pause.
Hearing Shen Huaijing say this, Song Xia smiled. “That’s right, we are family!”
The next day, Shen Huaijing and Shen Chunming finally found out why Song Xia needed so much of that stuff.
Early in the morning, Song Xia moved all the branches to a slightly more open area nearby. Combining them with what she had gathered over the past few days, she lit a fire and set them ablaze!
“Sister-in-law, what are you burning?” Shen Chunming had no proper duties to attend to every day anyway, and after going up the mountain with Song Xia yesterday, she felt closer to her. So she followed behind Song Xia like a little shadow.
Besides Shen Chunming, Shen Huaijing also came out to watch the excitement.
“Ahem, ahem… I’m making plant ash…” Song Xia choked on the smoke, coughing repeatedly.
Seeing that Song Xia was standing right downwind with the smoke billowing straight into her face, Shen Huaijing reached out and gently pulled her aside, preventing the fire from growing too large and burning her.
“Why are you burning this?” Shen Chunming asked like an overly curious child.
“To add fertilizer to the field, ahem…”
Over the past few days, Song Xia had already gotten a general sense of the condition of her household’s land. Lacking professional equipment, she could only estimate the basics. She discovered that the soil in this plot was actually slightly acidic. The simplest and most accessible way to improve it was to apply plant ash or lime to the field. After inquiring about the price of lime, Song Xia decided to burn and make plant ash herself.
Making plant ash was actually very simple: it just required burning all kinds of dead branches, fallen leaves, weeds, and crop stalks until they were completely consumed. The remaining grayish-white ashes were the plant ash.
In her past life, Song Xia had also made plant ash, but back then the main material had been corn stalks. Now, Song Xia realized that the people here had no idea what corn was, so she could only find ways to gather dead branches and leaves herself.
The thoroughly dried branches burned easily. Soon, the small flame turned into a soaring bonfire.
Black smoke billowed straight upward, sparking lively discussion among the villagers.
Sister-in-law Xing’er was the first to come out to see what was going on.
“Xia’xia, what are you all doing?” Sister-in-law Xing’er had thought Song Xia’s house was on fire. Seeing the black smoke, she rushed over to check, only breathing a sigh of relief when she saw the three members of the Shen family standing around a large fire in an open space.
Thank goodness it wasn’t a house fire—her house was the closest to Song Xia’s!
“Sister-in-law Xing’er, why did you come out? We’re burning some plant ash.” Song Xia’s face was covered in soot and ash. Seeing Sister-in-law Xing’er, she greeted her cheerfully despite looking like a smudged cat.
“Look at all that smoke!”
“Oh dear, I completely forgot about that. Sorry to make you worry.” Song Xia felt a bit embarrassed after hearing that. She had forgotten to give a heads-up beforehand; after all, a fire was a serious matter!
“Why burn this now? Wow, and so much of it!” Sister-in-law Xing’er was startled by the scale of the fire.
“Well, I plan to use it on the field. Since our household started cooking late, we haven’t accumulated much ash from the stove,” Song Xia explained.
Once Sister-in-law Xing’er understood what was going on, she urged the three of them to keep a close eye on the fire and make sure it didn’t ignite anywhere else.
After giving her warnings, she went home to cook dinner with peace of mind. On the way, she met several warm-hearted villagers who had come to check on the smoke, and she explained the situation to them, assuring them that everything was fine.
And so, through nearly half a month of effort, Song Xia finally accumulated enough plant ash for her plot of land.
Song Xia checked the date and decided to apply the plant ash right away, plow the field once more, and then it would be time to plant the wheat!
“My goodness, you need this much for such a small plot of land!” Song Xia went to Sister-in-law Xing’er’s house again to borrow tools. Seeing that Song Xia wanted to borrow the wheelbarrow, Sister-in-law Xing’er couldn’t help asking in surprise.
“Ah! I saw in an old book that it’s needed, so I thought I’d give it a try first.” Song Xia didn’t know how to explain it to her, so she simply blamed it all on ancient texts.
Sister-in-law Xing’er looked at Song Xia, hesitating as if she wanted to say something.
Song Xia could tell that Sister-in-law Xing’er probably wanted to advise her, but she could only pretend not to notice. Song Xia knew that Sister-in-law Xing’er meant well, but if she didn’t make changes, the wheat yield for the year would remain the same, and there would be no point in farming the land herself.
Farming was not the ultimate goal; cultivating superior wheat seeds was.
After Song Xia hurriedly borrowed the wheelbarrow and left, Sister-in-law Xing’er said to Shen Danu with some worry:
“Watching Xia’xia farm makes my heart jump into my throat. Whenever you’re free, keep an eye out for her so she doesn’t spend a whole year tossing things around and end up harvesting nothing.”
“Mm.” Shen Danu nodded silently.
Song Xia had no idea that Sister-in-law Xing’er was already worrying on her behalf. She was happily pushing the wheelbarrow trip after trip, transporting the plant ash to the field.
Just as she finished setting everything down, she saw Shen Hu coming from the other end with his son, carrying a hoe on his back.
“Brother Shen Hu!” Song Xia raised her hand cheerfully and greeted him.
Shen Hu responded with a faint hum, then took his hoe down into the field. His son, on the other hand, called out politely, “Sister Xia’xia,” before going to work.
Song Xia chuckled softly to herself. Ever since she found an opportunity to return the wheat seed IOU to Shen Hu and solemnly thanked him, Shen Hu acted as if he didn’t know her whenever he saw her. He no longer grunted in annoyance, but he didn’t offer a smile either, treating her like a total stranger.
Song Xia couldn’t figure out what was going through the mind of this peasant farmer, so she simply proceeded at her own pace.
On her final trip, Song Xia still dragged Shen Chunming along.
Shen Chunming looked completely reluctant, but under Song Xia’s overbearing presence, she dragged half a sack of plant ash to the edge of the field and began dumping it out.
“Hey! Pour it out slowly! Spread it evenly! Don’t pour a lot on one side and so little on the other!” Song Xia watched Shen Chunming work clumsily and guided her patiently from the side.
Shen Chunming pouted and shouted impatiently, “I got it!”
With two people working together, the speed was noticeably faster. In a short while, half of the field was done.
Just as Song Xia was about to fetch the last two bags, Shen Hu suddenly appeared and spoke to her in an unfriendly tone.
“Plant ash isn’t a case of ‘the more, the better’! You’re pouring way too much!”
“Brother Shen Hu, I know what I’m doing.” Song Xia had not expected Shen Hu to offer advice on his own initiative, so she replied with a smile.
“You don’t know the first thing about farming!”
“Brother Shen Hu, it really is fine. Since I said I’m going to farm, I will definitely take good care of it!” Song Xia said.
“Hmph! I shouldn’t have given the land back to you! You’re completely ruining it!” Shen Hu was actually quite angry. He now felt that this was just a delicate young lady who knew nothing and was causing blind trouble, and he shouldn’t have returned the land to her in the first place!
To think he had thought Song Xia looked somewhat capable while working a few days ago—today she was just acting recklessly!
“When all the wheat in your field dies, don’t blame me for not warning you!” Leaving behind these final words, Shen Hu turned and walked away.
Seeing Shen Hu like that, Song Xia realized he probably didn’t want to bother with her anymore, leaving her feeling utterly helpless.
She had tested this land! It really was slightly acidic!
However, Song Xia also knew that no matter what she said, Shen Hu wouldn’t listen. Right now, she appeared like a stubborn young mistress who knew nothing yet refused to admit defeat. She could only farm properly this year; when harvest time arrived, Sister-in-law Xing’er and Shen Hu would understand.
Thinking up to this point, Song Xia silently cheered herself on in her heart: Song Xia! You must grow this season’s wheat well! Otherwise, your advisor’s lifelong reputation will be ruined by you!
Holding onto that determination, Song Xia finished applying all the plant ash, then dragged Shen Chunming along to hoe nearly half the field. Finally, the two of them dragged their half-dead bodies back home.
Shen Huaijing watched with amusement as the two supported each other while entering the courtyard.
“Why are you back so late today?” Shen Huaijing thoughtfully poured water for both of them and handed it over.
“It’s all because of my sister-in-law! She insisted on hoeing the field! I think that land was perfectly fine!” Shen Chunming gulped down the water in one breath and pointed at Song Xia in complaint.
“What do you know? A field can never be hoed too much—the more you hoe it, the better it gets. Besides, this depth still isn’t enough! I need to think of a way to craft a tool.” Song Xia finished her water as well. Just as she was about to pour another cup, Shen Huaijing naturally took the cup from her hand and poured her a refill.
“Um, thank you.” Song Xia took the water and thanked him with a slight hint of bashfulness.
“It’s nothing. What kind of tool do you plan to make?” Shen Huaijing let out a soft laugh and asked Song Xia.
At the mention of this, Song Xia perked up again, her eyes curving into a smile.
“That’s a secret~”
Shen Chunming was utterly exhausted today, so she went to sleep without dinner once again. Song Xia, on the other hand, found herself unable to sleep after telling Shen Huaijing about her plan.
It was the middle of the night.
She simply went to the kitchen, picked up a charcoal strip of suitable size, lit a lamp, and began drawing diagrams in her room.
Song Xia didn’t know how to use a calligraphy brush, nor was she good at drawing. Even using the charcoal strip, she struggled for a long time, only to feel that what she drew looked neither like one thing nor another.
Just as Song Xia was about to give up and wipe away all the drawings on the wooden board in frustration, a gentle knock sounded at her door.
In this house, only Shen Huaijing knocked on doors so softly.
Song Xia froze for a moment, wondering why Shen Huaijing was still awake at this hour.
“Song Xia? May I come in?”
Song Xia hurriedly draped a coat over her shoulders and called out, “Coming right now!”
When the door opened, sure enough, it was Shen Huaijing. He looked like he had just gotten out of bed as well; like Song Xia, he had only lightly draped a coat over his shoulders, and his hair was slightly loose. Seeing Song Xia’s eyes wide with surprise, a hint of a smile appeared on his handsome face.
“May I come in?” Shen Huaijing asked.
“Oh? Oh! Hurry and come inside!” Song Xia snapped out of it and quickly pulled Shen Huaijing into the room. It was almost October, and the night air was already very cold.
“Why aren’t you asleep so late? Are you feeling unwell?” Song Xia gently placed the back of her hand against Shen Huaijing’s forehead, then touched her own forehead. No fever.
Shen Huaijing only felt a cool, soft little hand gently brush against his forehead before pulling away, causing him to narrow his eyes slightly.
“No, I just couldn’t sleep thinking about the secret you mentioned.” Shen Huaijing’s voice was gentle and clear.
Hearing this, Song Xia felt a bit embarrassed. “I was just joking; it’s not really a secret.”
“Look, I’m drawing a blueprint right now. It’s just a pity that I’m not good at drawing, and this writing tool isn’t easy to use either.”
“Oh? May I take a look?” Shen Huaijing asked with curiosity.
Song Xia felt somewhat embarrassed. After a brief hesitation, she picked up the wooden board she had placed face-down on the table and handed it to Shen Huaijing.
“Here. I really feel like I have zero talent when it comes to art, sigh.”
Shen Huaijing carefully examined what Song Xia had drawn. Having never farmed himself, he knew nothing about agricultural tools, and since Song Xia’s drawing was truly quite abstract, he looked at it for a long while before offering a tactful remark: “Your drawing style is quite different from ordinary people’s.”
Song Xia blushed slightly. What “different drawing style”? What she drew was basically a stick-figure sketch!
Song Xia snatched the board back and said, “Forget it, forget it! I’ll just find a carpenter and describe it to him verbally!”
“I can give it a try.”
“What?” For a moment, Song Xia didn’t understand Shen Huaijing’s words.
“When I was young, I studied traditional painting for a few years. Though I neglected it later, ever since I fell ill, I’ve drawn a few paintings now and then to relieve my loneliness. If you trust me, I can draw it for you,” Shen Huaijing said softly.
“Yes, please!” Hearing this, Song Xia instantly grew excited. So a true master was right by her side all along!