Chapter 16

Despite this little interlude, nothing could stop the group’s determination to clear new land.

Li Cunxin’s rice and wheat had not only nourished their bodies but also made their hearts and spirits slow and complacent. They had nearly forgotten the desperation of alternating between hunger and barely getting by. The abundant stores here allowed Yunxiu to fully exercise her talents, making their palates picky. They’d almost forgotten that, before, eating was merely about filling the stomach, regardless of what the food actually tasted like.

Now, seeing Yu Muyang’s wretched state, everyone remembered. An inexplicable chill ran down their spines, along with a creeping sense of crisis.

Yu Muyang—dizzy, faint, with a distended belly and listless expression—every inch of him drove home the truth of the mantra: ‘With grain in the barn, the heart does not panic.’

They had to open more fields. Much more!

Originally, everyone except Yunxiu, who stayed to cook and watch the house, was to go clear land. But with Yu Muyang’s sudden arrival, Li Cunxin also had Xia Qing stay behind to do some carpentry.

Li Cunxin led the donkey, Yan Baiyu led the ox, and Xu Yin and Zhao Penglai carried two plows as they headed toward the fields.

With the weather warming, the vegetation had exploded in growth. The field banks were a lush, oily green, and the long grass blades brushed against their arms, causing a prickling itch.

Zhao Penglai remarked, “This grass is growing way too vigorously. Should we pull it out while we’re at it?”

Li Cunxin said, “Ignore the grass on the ridges. Once we finish plowing, we’ll pasture the ox here and let it graze.”

The four of them reached the edge of the paddy field. Li Cunxin directed, “Uncle Xu, you start plowing from this side. Baiyu, help Uncle Xu by picking out any rocks and branches from the field.”

Yan Baiyu climbed down into the field and began clearing stones, while Xu Yin started fitting the ox yoke onto the water buffalo.

Li Cunxin paced off measurements, counting silently in her head as she led Zhao Penglai to the other end.

Once in position, she said to Zhao Penglai, “You start plowing from this end.”

The black donkey was far from cooperative. Under Zhao Penglai’s whip, it either flopped down and played dead or kicked wildly.

Zhao Penglai couldn’t even keep the plow handle steady against the donkey’s struggles, let alone plow forward in a straight line.

Li Cunxin took the whip from him and switched places.

She grasped the plow handle, landed a crack of the whip on the donkey’s rump, and let out a sharp yell. Immediately, the donkey obediently pulled forward. The plowshare split the hardpan earth like an icebreaker cutting through ice.

Zhao Penglai watched the donkey behave so docilely in Li Cunxin’s hands. Person and beast worked together seamlessly.

The flat, tightly packed pale soil was sliced open into a furrow. Dark, rich earth was overturned and piled along both sides of the ditch.

“Huh? How come it moves for you the moment you take over?” Zhao Penglai couldn’t resist asking. He had also led the black donkey to his own camp to carry supplies; its temperament wasn’t unruly. It had cooperated perfectly well back then. Why was it rebelling now?

Li Cunxin said, “You have to yell out commands, give it instructions. You also need to keep the plow handle steady and properly loosen the soil sideways. Otherwise, the resistance is too great, and it’s too hard for it to pull. You can’t just whip it. Of course it won’t be willing.”

Zhao Penglai smiled and shook his head. “We’ve barely started, and already plowing is a whole field of study.”

“Every profession has its specialty; everyone has their own strengths,” Li Cunxin said, laughing.

“That’s the truth of it,” Zhao Penglai agreed, nodding deeply.

Li Cunxin taught Zhao Penglai how to work alongside the black donkey, how to conserve energy. After that, she went back to check on Xu Yin and found that the man-ox team wasn’t cooperating very happily either.

The ox was plowing a field for the first time and simply refused to exert itself. The man was plowing a field for the first time and was far from skilled.

Li Cunxin sighed. “I was hoping to plow all eight-plus mu today. Looks like even two mu will be a struggle.”

Xu Yin was already sweating before he’d finished the first furrow. He seemed to be in a battle of wills against this ox and this earth. “First time is rough; second time, it’s familiar. Once we get the hang of it, you won’t need to come along. Just focus on raising the seedlings at home. We’ll guarantee to get this whole field opened up for you before the wheat harvest.”

Li Cunxin’s grin spread from ear to ear. “That much isn’t necessary. If we open too much, we won’t be able to plant it all. It’ll just go fallow again. Plus, we need to save some energy to dig the irrigation canals.”

On this first day of land clearing, Li Cunxin didn’t push for too much. Seeing the sky grow late, she let the ox graze for a while, then called it a day and went home.

Xia Qing was at home preparing the threshing buckets they’d need for harvesting rice in autumn. Day in and day out, she shaved and planed boards until she felt numb.

For convenience, Xia Qing sat right on the stacked lumber in the courtyard.

Yu Muyang sat obediently to one side. He was still dazed, but thankfully looked a bit more spirited than before.

Xia Qing didn’t dare give him any heavy work. She feared that if he tried to lift a log, his bones might simply snap. So she just let him sit nearby and help pass things over.

Seeing the returning group, Xia Qing stood up and smiled. “You’re back! How did the land clearing go?”

Li Cunxin smiled. “Not bad.”

Xu Yin and Zhao Penglai said nothing, expressions sullen.

Xia Qing said, “I’ll go tell Yunxiu to get dinner ready.”

Yu Muyang stood awkwardly by the pile of lumber. From the moment Xia Qing said ‘You’re back,’ he’d been in a bit of a daze.

Li Cunxin looked Yu Muyang up and down, squinting and frowning, thinking for a moment. Yu Muyang grew even more tense.

“Uncle Xu!” Li Cunxin called out. Yu Muyang flinched in fright.

Xu Yin had already put the farming tools away and stuck his head out from the house. “What’s up?”

“You and Penglai grab a basin and take him to the pond for a bath. He’s too filthy. Those clothes need to be taken off and washed properly too.”

Xu Yin walked up to Yu Muyang. One of him was the size of two Yu Muyangs. Yu Muyang shrank aside, a bit resistant.

Li Cunxin thought he didn’t want to bathe and said sternly, “Even in the wild, you have to keep your body clean. Having lice is a minor issue. What if you get a skin disease, sores, or something? You’ll scratch yourself raw getting rid of the itch. And you’ll have to separate from us.”

Yu Muyang’s miserable face crumpled, his eyes reddening again. He choked out, “This… this is the only piece of clothing I have.”

Li Cunxin thought for a moment and said, “Uncle Xu, give him your fur hide to wear for the night. If we wash his clothes today, they’ll be dry by tomorrow.”

“Done.”

“Bring some soap pods, and have him scrub his hair too.”

Xu Yin took a basin and, together with Zhao Penglai, led the man toward the pond.

Li Cunxin shouted after them, “Wash outside the pond! Don’t let the dirty water flow back in!”

“Got it.”

“Now that had the true air of a Village Chief,” a voice came from nearby, from behind.

Li Cunxin turned to see Yan Baiyu returning after leading the ox back to the cowshed. Li Cunxin touched her own ear. “Really?”

“Keep up the good work, Village Chief.”

“How come you’re calling me Village Chief too, just like Xia Qing?”

“They can call you that, but I can’t?” Yan Baiyu let out a soft, questioning hum from her nose. “Hm?”

Li Cunxin broke into a bright smile. “It’s just… it feels strange.”

The two of them chatted as they headed to the kitchen to wash their hands.

Zhao Penglai returned with Yu Muyang’s T-shirt and pants and draped them over the lumber pile. He laughed. “Guy took a bath and practically changed color.”

He handed Xu Yin’s fur hide back. Before long, Xu Yin and Zhao Penglai brought the man back.

Cleaned up, Yu Muyang looked much more presentable.

That night, they arranged for Xu Yin to sleep in the newly built adobe hut, while Yu Muyang and Zhao Penglai shared the storehouse.

Yu Muyang took a small wooden stump and sat at the storehouse doorway, grinding notoginseng to apply medicine to the wounds on his feet, watching Li Cunxin wash clothes.

Li Cunxin was using the clay basin Yu Muyang had bathed in to soak the dirty clothes. She tossed in a few soap pods and trod on the clothes barefoot. As she stomped, she heard a sobbing sound coming from beside her.

Li Cunxin followed the sound and saw Yu Muyang huddled in the doorway, whimpering again.

“Why are you crying again? Even Yunxiu and Xia Qing don’t cry as much as you. And you, with your tattoo sleeve…” Li Cunxin muttered.

Once Yu Muyang had bathed, the tattoos covering his right arm and left leg, previously hidden under mud, were fully exposed. She had a bit of a stereotype: people with tattoos, especially large ones, were tough, cold types who wouldn’t easily shed tears in front of others.

But then she reconsidered: long-term starvation weakens not just the body, but the spirit. If his mind was now so fragile, it was understandable. So she comforted him: “Don’t cry anymore. You won’t go hungry now.”

Yu Muyang wiped his eyes and, with a tearful voice, said, “I was thinking of my mom. Back when it was summer, she used to wash clothes just like this.”

“…” Li Cunxin.

Great. Another one.

Yu Muyang wrapped himself in Xu Yin’s fur hide, his emaciated body with little fat shrinking into it. “Xia Qing said you’re the Village Chief.”

Li Cunxin smiled a bit self-consciously. “Sort of.”

“I saw you have a horizontal kiln next to the house.”

“There is one. What about it?” A sense of anticipation stirred in Li Cunxin’s heart.

“You all seem to have… that thing, like skill points in a game. I also have one. Mine is ‘Ceramics.’ Right now, I can’t do heavy labor. But I can fire some bottles, bowls, vats, teapots, cups… Can I use that horizontal kiln?” Yu Muyang asked.

Li Cunxin’s expression flickered between disappointment and pleasant surprise. At first, she felt a tinge of regret that this Talent wasn’t the most urgently needed, the most scarce. But then something occurred to her. “Does that mean you can also fire bricks and roof tiles?”

Yu Muyang nodded. Li Cunxin’s mood lifted immediately. As expected, there were no useless Talents.

With fired clay roof tiles, who knew how much lighter and more convenient their roofs would be?

Before her joy could go far, a confused look crossed her face. “How did you end up picking this Talent?”

Yu Muyang: “…”

Li Cunxin then learned that this world didn’t just have the phenomenon of ‘hand slipping.’ There was also ‘thought slipping.’ Yu Muyang had originally meant to choose the Hunting Talent just above, but his brain twitched and he accidentally picked Ceramics.

This Talent had been absolutely no help in finding food. He also had zero experience surviving in the wilderness. Starting a fire, for starters, was a monumental challenge. That was how he’d ended up in such a miserable state.

At dinner, Zhao Penglai learned that Yu Muyang could fire bricks and tiles. He was so invigorated he slapped the table. “This is a crucial brick, a vital tile, for our infrastructure cause! Turns out the Village Chief’s decision to light the beacon fire was absolutely correct!” He, too, had caught on to the habit, following Xia Qing and the others in calling her Village Chief.

After much deliberation, the new house site was still chosen right next to the adobe house. At the table, they discussed whether the new structure should be primarily timber-framed, or built with brick, tile, and cement.

A timber structure seemed easier. They were surrounded by tall, sturdy timber, making materials easy to acquire. Bricks and tiles, on the other hand, required vast amounts of clay, a stone mine to quarry, and the firing and stockpiling of binding materials for the blue bricks. It would be much more laborious and time-consuming.

The problem was, Xia Qing lacked tools and helpers. As the saying goes, “A workman must first sharpen his tools if he is to do his work well.” She had no plane, no saw. Processing planks of wood was difficult and terribly slow.

Right now, short on people and energy, neither wooden panel doors and windows nor blue brick walls were easy to achieve.

Zhao Penglai was too impatient, trying to take a stride too large. When he carefully analyzed the situation and suddenly realized the scale of the obstacles, the gap between vision and reality left him deeply dejected.

The more he thought about it, the more disheartened he became. Only one person, Yu Muyang, had arrived in several months. At this rate, how many years would they have to wait to build a village?

“Don’t worry, don’t worry,” Li Cunxin said, tapping her bowl. The clear sound rang out. Zhao Penglai’s dimming eyes turned toward her.

Li Cunxin smiled. “We don’t have to go to work. We don’t have to go to school. After the farming is done, in a twenty-four-hour day, summer gives us over a dozen hours of daylight, winter maybe nine or ten. Besides eating, all of it can be used for work. What we have the most of is time. Plane the boards slowly. Fire the bricks and tiles slowly. Stack them one by one upward. Someday, we’ll finish building that wall.”

Zhao Penglai opened his mouth, and after a long pause said, “…You’re right.”