Chapter 1: I Did Not Come Here to Farm

Outside his own courtyard, he saw a strong man in his late twenties or early thirties standing at the entrance. He wore a coarse brown garment and a sunshade hat, and his face was rough, evidently a result of years spent in farming under the sun and wind. Regarding this person, Fang Yingwu naturally recalled relevant information: Name: Fang Qingtian, Occupation: Farmer, Title: Uncle

This scene is recorded in the "History of Ming: Biography of Fang Yingwu"—when Yingwu was young, he once stood by the field and exclaimed: "Is my ambition truly confined to the paths of the fields?"

Upon reviewing memories, he first recalled his father in this life. His surname was Fang, and his given name was Qingzhi. Eight years ago, in the fifth year of the Chenghua era, he passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. However, he failed to pass the provincial examinations in the seventh and tenth years of Chenghua. Consequently, two years ago, he went out to study, and to this day, there has been no news of him, and he can temporarily be regarded as a missing person

Thinking of this, Fang Yingwu, a talented individual with a somewhat arrogant nature in his past life, felt quite uncomfortable and was too lazy to continue digging into his memories, so he got up, left the bed, and took a stroll outside.

Although Fang Yingwu was stopped, Fang Yingyuan entered the school without any hindrance. Seeing this, Fang Yingwu thought to himself that the tuition fee was represented by the stipend, which had always been delivered by their uncle for both him and his cousin. Could it be that this year, the uncle only delivered the stipend for his cousin and overlooked his own?

Then I ... ... '' do not want to be disheartened by Fang Yingwu's lack of respect.

If I remember correctly, his uncle asked him to complete the workload of half an acre today, which is quite a heavy task. Fang Yingwu anxiously wiped his sweat, feeling for the first time how intense the sunlight in April can be

The mountainous area is narrow, which is not conducive to the settlement of large villages; instead, there are many scattered small villages and fields distributed in the flatter areas. There is a river running through the mountains, named Huaxi, which is a tributary of the Xin'an River in western Zhejiang, hence the names of the villages: Upper Huaxi Village, Middle Huaxi Village, and Lower Huaxi Village

Reluctantly, Fang Yingwu was forcibly dragged down the hillside by his uncle, arriving at the edge of a rice field at the foot of the mountain, where several rows of seedlings had already been planted in some areas of the field

Upon thinking of the Wang family, for some reason, Fang Yingwu felt a dull pain in his head, as if he was extremely reluctant to recall anything. Before Fang Yingwu could uncover any insights, they had already arrived at the entrance of the Social Studies Institute

Fang Yingwu could not help but shake his head; what a truly irresponsible father. He simply packed up and left, leaving behind nothing but a note. What use is that? He is merely a fifteen-year-old boy; what can he possibly manage in the affairs of the family? Moreover, there are currently no affairs of the family that need managing.

He lay motionless on the bed, utterly bewildered by the situation. He was originally an orphan from the 21st century, who worked hard to become a distinguished master's student in the History Department of Zhejiang University, specializing in the Ming and Qing dynasties. But why, after falling into the water while traveling at Qiandao Lake, did he transform into this young man with the same name and surname from the Ming Dynasty during the Chenghua period

Facing the rice fields with one's back to the sky, agricultural labor? I apologize, I have only seen it on television, but it has never been an option in his real life

However, my father can be regarded as a model of "being oblivious to the affairs outside the window, wholeheartedly devoted to studying the teachings of sages." For many years, he has lived a solitary life in the county school, dedicating himself to academic pursuits with a singular focus on self-improvement. Even when he did not travel far for studies in the past, he seldom returned home.

This social school is sponsored by the government, but it also relies on students' tuition and donations from wealthy families for its maintenance. It is said that last year's primary sponsor was the Wang family, a prominent household from Zhonghuaxi Village. The Wang family holds two distinctions: they are the wealthiest among the impoverished villages along both banks of Huaxi, and the most renowned beauty from the Huaxi area was also born in their household

Sometimes, the county magistrate would even refuse to accept any litigation requests from the people in April, citing the reason that it could not delay the farmers' agricultural schedule. This is referred to as the period of litigation suspension

Half an acre may sound light and insignificant, but it could mean working on that half acre every day until the farming season ends. Moreover, transplanting rice seedlings is a laborious and exhausting task; it can break one's back and cause one's feet to become sore and blistered, and there are leeches in the water. How could Fang Yingwu possibly endure all of this

The Fang family possesses a total of 8 acres of farmland, all of which are inherited family property. Currently, the two brothers, Fang Qingzhi from the first branch and Fang Qingtian from the second branch, have not divided the family estate, and therefore, there is no detailed delineation of property rights; it is merely considered jointly owned by the two families

A few crowing roosters sounded outside the window, and the sky was dimly lit. In the village of Shanghuaxi in Zitong Township, Chun'an County, Zhejiang Province, under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty's Zhejiang Provincial Government, the villager Fang Yingwu opened his eyes from his slumber

How could one call a thirty-year-old man "father"? Fang Yingwu felt that this posed a significant psychological barrier. Fortunately, his father was still missing, allowing him to temporarily avoid this awkward situation

At this moment, the uncle handed him a bundle of seedlings and impatiently urged, "The farming season is tight; you start transplanting the seedlings here while I go to another field." The eight acres of the Fang family's land were not concentrated in one piece but were divided into two sections.

Something happened in the courtyard of the house. The west wing belongs to my uncle's family, while the east wing is occupied by the family of the eldest branch. Currently, only he resides there

Upon thinking of this, Fang Yingwu opened the cabinet. Inside, aside from a few coarse cloth garments, he surprisingly found several books. Most interestingly, there was a piece of paper tucked within one of the books.

Is this a reincarnation with memories, or has the soul taken over another's body? Moreover, Fang Yingwu's mind is filled with countless fragmented pieces of information, all originally belonging to that young man from the Ming Dynasty. Or rather, they now also belong to him, as the two versions of Fang Yingwu from different time spaces have merged into one.

Making a scene in social studies is of no use; Fang Yingwu turned around and retraced his steps to confront his uncle. Before long, he returned to Shanghuaxi Village, following his memory.

As he continued to delve into memories of his father, Fang Yingwu could not help but be astonished. This father of his was actually only fifteen years older than him, and this year he was merely thirty!

Uncle was holding farming tools at the gate of the yard, seemingly preparing to head to the fields. Fang Yingwu approached and asked, "Uncle, why did you not inform me about the discontinuation of the gift of money for my studies? It left me quite perplexed for a while."

Fang Yingwu sighed and re-entered the east wing of the house. He saw that the room contained only three major items—a rickety wooden bed, a chipped wooden cabinet, and a wooden table covered in a layer of dust. As for the stool, it was nowhere to be found. Observing the age of these belongings, Fang Yingwu suspected they were all made over a decade ago when his father got married.

In his previous life, he was a student who relied on his academic performance to navigate the campus. Although his status as an orphan prevented him from being completely dependent on others for food and clothing, he still upheld the admirable tradition of being unaccustomed to physical labor and lacking knowledge of basic agricultural practices.

Fang Yingwu suddenly felt a surge of frustration. It is well known that in today's society, where it is esteemed that "all pursuits are inferior, only reading is exalted," the inability to pursue education effectively closes the door to advancement. From then on, one can only return home to farm, or, if one has capital, engage in business. For someone like him, a former top student, this was certainly not a desirable outcome

Fang Qingtian seemed to know what his nephew was about to say. With a glare, he cut off his words, half scolding and half threatening: "You lazybones, how many years have you been slacking off? If you continue to be lazy, you won't even have dinner tonight!"

This voice should belong to his cousin Fang Yingyuan from his uncle's family, who is two years younger than him and is probably here to call him to school. Fang Yingwu set aside his worries and responded, then followed his cousin, as if it were an instinct.

The servant explained: "It is now April, and you have yet to deliver this year's tuition, nor have you made any appeal to the teacher. The teacher stated that this is disrespectful; without courtesy, there can be no grace, thus you are unable to enter and attend the lectures."

Do I really want to become a farmer and cultivate the land? Or should I force myself to work in the fields as a laborer? Fang Yingwu, momentarily taken aback, seemed to hear something unbelievable, disregarding his continued doubts about his uncle preventing him from attending school while still sending his own son there.

As for his own mother, Fang Yingwu had no specific impression of her; he only knew that she had died during childbirth. This was quite lamentable. He vaguely knew that her surname was Hu and that she seemed to be from another village in the same hometown.

While I was brooding, I heard someone outside calling: "Elder brother! Are you going to the social study?"

Upon realizing this, Fang should have raised his tightly clenched fist holding the seedlings and could not help but emit a resounding voice of the era: "I am not here to farm!"

April can be considered the busiest time for farmers in this county. At the beginning of the month, they must harvest the spring flower fields and plant rice, while at the end of the month, they need to transplant seedlings. In an era where agriculture is paramount and hunger can truly be a threat, nothing is more important than farming.

Qiu Ge'er is Fang Yingwu's childhood nickname, likely due to being born in the autumn season, which is why he has had this nickname since he was young. Later, someone jokingly remarked to the *Tushu* person: "If you marry the young lady from the Wang family in the neighboring village, you will surely enjoy a life of luxury and indulgence, and you won't have to toil like us common folk, will you? What a pity, what a pity."

Such living conditions are truly unbearable... Fang Yingwu sighed deeply once again. He stood in the room, feeling utterly bored; it was almost as if the place was completely bare. If there were any possessions left, they would only be found in that peeling cabinet.

Just as he was about to step inside, a social studies assistant suddenly reached out to stop Fang Yingwu, and with a hint of reluctance said: "The instructor in the hall has issued a notice; starting today, you need not come anymore"

What a pity? With the young lady of the Wang family? Just thinking of this name, Fang Yingwu's head began to ache again, still that subconscious playing tricks.

As his eldest nephew came of age, Fang Qingtian began to devise his own plans—southern rice fields are not comparable to those in the north; they require meticulous cultivation, and eight acres of land necessitate the labor of two workers. In the past, it was just the two of them working the fields, but this year he had set his sights on his eldest nephew.

Indeed, according to the order of scholars, farmers, workers, merchants, soldiers, craftsmen, cooks, and the lowly, farmers certainly occupy the second position, regarded as high-ranking citizens who are greatly valued on official documents, if the concept of citizenship even exists in this era

Thus, Fang Yingwu had been mooching off his uncle's household since childhood, rarely seeing his father. This inevitably led to a few complaints and grumbles from his uncle and aunt about his "free-loading." Living under someone else's roof is generally like this, and the bitterness of it is hardly worth mentioning to outsiders

Upon entering, one sees that the courtyard wall is merely a fence, and the house is constructed of thick yellow earthen walls, with a roof made of dense thatch. In this village located on a hillside, most of the houses of the dozens of families are of this style; those that can afford bricks and tiles are undoubtedly considered the wealthy households in the mountain village

At that moment, only a few passing neighbors happened to hear Fang Yingwu's resolute voice refusing to submit to fate, and they all laughed together, saying: "What nonsense is Qiu Ge'er talking about? If you don't want to farm, what else can you do? Unless you follow in your father's footsteps and also become a scholar, but that is even harder than farming!"

Fang Yingwu stood dazed by the edge of the rice field, still clutching a handful of seedlings in his hand. The bright April sunlight shimmered on the water's surface, casting a flickering reflection of his handsome figure. However, his status was no longer that of a top student from the History Department of Zhejiang University, but rather that of a second-class senior citizen in the Ming Dynasty

My father has two brothers. Although my father became a scholar, my uncle still makes a living through farming. However, after both my grandfather and grandmother passed away, my father and uncle did not separate their households, and both families continued to live in the same courtyard.

From the age of eight, Fang Yingwu began his studies here, learning to read and write. Over the course of seven years, he memorized the "Hundred Family Surnames" and the "Thousand Character Classic," studied the "Four Books" and the "Five Classics," and also learned about parallelism and metaphorical expressions. He even copied several essays in the eight-legged essay format.

It has been done, yet it was not clearly stated. Only today, when I was stopped, did I realize this. This truly reflects a disparity in treatment and the underhanded actions that hinder one's future

Fang Qingtian was already prepared and immediately replied: "This matter is something I forgot to mention to you. When I remembered it today, you had already gone to the community school. Seeing that you are gradually growing up and have not made much progress in your studies, you should naturally help the family with its burdens. Therefore, starting today, come and work in the fields with me!"

As Fang Yingwu's nephew grows older, he becomes increasingly capable of eating more, rendering the need for him to study unnecessary. He is already fit to serve as a laborer. If Fang Yingwu were to start using his strength to farm, his wife would no longer need to toil in the fields, allowing her to fully dedicate herself to silkworm rearing and silk production, thereby earning more money and saving on educational expenses, which would be a win-win situation

Fang Yingwu was slightly taken aback and asked in confusion, "What is the reason for this?"

In fact, the three villages are very close to each other; they are merely separated by the terrain, which prevents them from gathering together. The social school that Fang Yingwu's cousins are going to is located in Zhonghuaxi Village, utilizing a dilapidated temple as the schoolhouse.

Upon unfolding it, I realized that this note was written by his father before embarking on a long journey for study. It stated: "As my son is growing older and has begun to understand matters, all affairs of the family will be handled by him, and I can be informed afterward. I hope that relatives will lend their support in this regard, as this serves as a letter of trust."

Chang Fangqing has been relying on the county school for his livelihood, temporarily not needing to depend on farmland. However, the second branch, consisting of three family members plus Fang Yingwu, totals four people, and their life fundamentally depends on these eight acres of land, along with some income from sericulture, making their situation quite strained