Chapter Six: The Reeds Have Roots and the Mulberries Bear Fruit (Part One)

The so-called tithe mentioned by the farmer should be the initial tax on land learned from the State of Lu

What is the nature of the current era? The records in historical texts only document the lives of the nobility and their schemes, yet ultimately, the great trends of the world must be grounded in the essentials of clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

Thinking that I will often come here in the future to understand the situation, or to prepare for the future establishment of the Mo family at the grassroots level, this is indeed a good starting point

Reed flowers

It opened a precedent, hence the use of the character '初', which carries the same meaning as in '初夜' (the first night)

After carefully examining the surrounding land, it seems that the heart has gained a sense of measure, assessing the difficulties and technical level of planting land at this time

Everyone expressed their gratitude in unison, as these individuals could only resign themselves to fate due to their ailments. Having just witnessed those bizarre methods that resembled slaughtering pigs and dogs, they were astonished to see that the person who had fainted actually showed signs of regaining consciousness, prompting them to sit down and listen attentively.

After pondering for a while, I asked: "What is your name?"

One can easily deduce that ox plowing has not yet become widespread, for if it were to be widely adopted, the oxen would need to turn after every hundred paces, resulting in wasted time and low efficiency; whereas when relying on human labor for farming, a distance of one hundred paces is just right to reach the field's edge and take a brief rest.

The young girl nodded earnestly and said: "Since the young man only acts for a great cause, I do not know what that great cause is, but I feel that if in the future someone faints from the heat and you use your means to save them, that would also count as your act of righteousness. Some people love to be thanked with money; since the young man loves righteousness, I suppose the only way I can express my gratitude is through acts of righteousness."

Although the Moists represent the lower class, they ultimately rise too high. It is unlikely that there will be Moists paying attention within the well-field villages, and there is little fear of being exposed in the short term

The questions were appropriate yet not overly difficult, and before long, a general idea emerged.

Although at this time he was so poor that he had to rely on his brother and sister-in-law for a living, he harbored ambitions and certainly would not turn this gratitude into a few pounds of millet, the only form of gratitude that the village farmers could offer.

Lu Hua carefully noted the instructions, expressed gratitude once more, and went to watch over her father under the tree

Looking at this petite girl, without much thought, I smiled and asked: "Do you want to learn?"

At this time, one step consists of one step with each foot, while stepping out with only one foot is called a half step. Therefore, one step is approximately 1.2 to 1.3 meters. An acre is about 140 to 150 square meters, which is equivalent to one third of an acre in later generations

If one understands poetry and prose, then one is like the reeds by the riverbank

In a secluded village community, it is rare to encounter such individuals

He is neither a noble nor does he possess that bag of seeds; this understanding must be established

Upon thinking of this, he then asked: "What taxes are you currently paying, and do you still need to work on the public fields? How is the distribution for military service arranged? Do the charioteers have small parcels of land? Are you required to cultivate the land for the charioteers? How are the oxen and horses for the war chariots collected?"

To be able to speak such words, one must be exceptionally wise, yet they have merely not seen much of the world while spending their days among the village communities

The concept of righteousness, for us of the Mo School, is akin to a person who enjoys food and drink savoring lamb and drinking sweet rice wine; it is like a sovereign acquiring a city... You offer your treasures as thanks, which we do not desire, so why bother?

Quantification: six feet is one step

As farmers, what resonates most with their hearts are the matters of spring planting and autumn harvest.

One stone is a unit of capacity, and upon reflection, at this time, one stone is equivalent to one hundred liters

Upon careful calculation, it is a rather alarming fact that when planting corn, after removing the seeds, one can only harvest thirty to forty jin per mu, which is approximately one harvest for every three planted.

This initial character is used exceptionally well

The reasoning is quite simple; whether it is the earlier well-field system or for the sake of convenient management, land is mostly square in shape according to the current level of geometry, facilitating the calculation of land area

The farmers nearby who were watching the commotion did not leave, perhaps out of curiosity about the Moists, who seemed so distant yet were right beside them, or perhaps because they rarely encountered such a young man well-versed in the arts of witchcraft and medicine. They all took their time and sat down to chat instead of rushing back to their work in the fields

The little girl who had just been crying listened for a moment, looked at her gradually awakening father, felt grateful, and quickly expressed her thanks

The people nearby are still praising him, or expressing their gratitude, or perhaps wanting to inquire about some supernatural matters

The hair is styled into two topknots on the crown of the head, exposing the forehead, with the braids loosely tied with burlap in a very simple manner

The harvest can only be described as satisfactory. Last year, one mu of land yielded one shi after deducting the seeds. There are a total of seven people in the family, with one hundred and twenty mu of land. There has been no war in recent years, and there are currently no land taxes, only a tithe. Life is still manageable.

Hearing this, Shi cast a curious glance at the little girl, thinking to himself that it was truly rare to hear such words by the fields and edges of the land

He picked up a stick and casually drew a little figure on the ground, saying: "When it gets hot, one starts to sweat. Sweat has a salty taste, which naturally contains salt. Adding salt can accelerate sweating, allowing the heat to dissipate. Do not add too much salt; two fingers' worth of salt for a jar of water is sufficient"

Seeing that the crowd was still gathered around, I felt that this was indeed an opportunity to understand this era

I remember when I was a child, I enjoyed eating sour berries, while other children preferred sweet fruits. I believed that these sour berries were a good thing, but others did not share the same appreciation.

One cannot help but feel that the ink masters, who once seemed so distant, have drawn much closer, as if they are not so far away, but rather quite near.

Goodbye to this young girl, who is poised and graceful. Just now, she was flustered yet composed, able to hold back her tears until her loved one awoke. There was no awkwardness imposed by the moral teachings of later generations. She is truly a living person, not a piece of wood that can be bought and sold as merchandise. I cannot help but feel a certain fondness for this era.

The name is quite common

At this time, one liter would be approximately two hundred milliliters in later generations

At this time, there is no tea, nor is there a thermos; the practice of drinking boiled water seems to be a tradition that has not yet become widespread since ancient times in various regions. Drinking boiled water is to prevent people from contracting infectious diseases such as typhoid fever during this period, while adding salt is truly intended to prevent the occurrence of heatstroke and death.

The little girl was momentarily taken aback, but she quickly understood the meaning of what was appropriate

After thinking for half a day, I still do not know if it is possible to buy hot gypsum in the city now. The only thing I can think of is reed root, and whether it will be effective is left to fate.

The person beside him pondered over this statement, slowly savoring its meaning, yet thought it quite strange that the followers of Mozi would indeed adhere to such reasoning. People eat corn, dogs love to eat feces; if you offer corn to a dog, it may not even be willing to eat it.

He did not know what everyone was thinking, he just looked up once more at the little girl.

It simply discussed the matter of adding salt to boiling water and mentioned some simple remedies for heatstroke, not seeking to understand the underlying reasons, but rather hoping to save a few more lives

The ancestors of the Zhou people primarily consumed a type of large yellow millet, which can later be used to make yellow steamed buns and sticky bean cakes. Thus, one grain of large yellow millet was considered one unit, ten grains made one inch, and ten inches constituted one foot. At that time, the foot was also shorter, and the stride was correspondingly limited

For example, a foot, for example, an acre

Furthermore, upon returning, mix the wood ash with water, clarify it, and then sun-dry to produce another type of salt, which can also be added in small amounts to the earthenware jars. Since everyone lives nearby, we can take turns; today at my house for clarifying the wood ash, tomorrow at his house, and so on in rotation, benefiting each other without interfering with daily farming activities

It is appropriate to want to know the general situation at this moment. First, a few jokes were told, followed by discussions of the daily hardships, which led to the topic of conversation.

Reflecting on what was just said about universal love for all people, I suddenly raised my head and asked, "Could you teach me the methods you used to treat the illness, young gentleman of the Mohist school?"

One mu of land is generally a strip that is one step wide and one hundred steps long. Under the well-field system, each household of farmers is allocated one hundred mu of land, which forms a perfect square measuring one hundred steps long and one hundred steps wide, making it quite easy to discern.

He shamelessly claims to be a scholar here, and he is not worried at all

Sitting comfortably on the ground with legs spread apart, leaning against a tree at the edge of the field, he said: "The weather is hot today, and heat-related ailments are common. Noble young masters often rely on the coolness of winter ice at this time, while you all, being poor, cannot avoid labor. Today, I will share a method to prevent heatstroke; when you return home, please inform your relatives and neighbors as well."

Everything originates from labor, and the essence of many things, when dissected, reflects the level of productivity at that time or embodies the aspects of clothing, food, housing, and transportation

The fields originally cultivated by commoners were exempt from taxes, only subject to labor obligations.

When asked about the harvest, the farmers shook their heads one by one and sighed, clearly expressing their dissatisfaction

After a moment of hesitation, he nodded and said: "What you say makes sense. I will come to teach you in a few days. These are all rudimentary methods, and if you truly wish to learn, it should be done quickly. For today, let's not start learning. You should go take care of your father first. After you return, dig up some reed roots and boil them in a clay pot to drink..."

The increase in acres signifies the widespread adoption of oxen and horses for farming, indicating that the old measurement units are no longer suitable for the new methods of cultivation

The person beside, having witnessed the earlier methods, did not inquire further, but simply committed these small techniques to memory.

It was not that Shang Yang, decades later, simply decided that 240 paces constituted an acre; rather, it was that the oxen, pulling the plow, could cultivate exactly 240 paces, which was the limit and required a moment to catch their breath

If one cannot clarify these fundamental matters, then it is impossible to discuss establishing oneself in this era, let alone those ambitions

With an air of nonchalance and generosity, he waved his hand and said: "I have said that there is no need for gifts of thanks. Others may express their gratitude with what they consider treasures, such as grains, jewels, or fine cloth, and that is commendable. However, in my school of thought, we value righteousness as our treasure, and do not regard jewels or money as valuable."

However, even though the area is small, an output of slightly more than 1 shi per mu is indeed not high

From the length of the land, it can be inferred that ox plowing has not yet become widespread in the Song state, or rather, it has not been adopted by smallholder farmers

However, he is not satisfied; he wishes to learn more about the teachings of the Mohist school, connecting concepts such as the bright ghost and heavenly will with scientific explanations.

Fortunately, the stories of waiting by the stump for a hare and pulling up seedlings to help them grow are merely jokes; the farmers of the Song state were not that foolish

Simple methods to ensure sodium-potassium electrolyte balance are not an issue. Using this alternating assistance approach to roughly explain the benefits of mutual aid is also not a significant error

Gathered in a circle, it is suitable to sit in the middle, where there are no patients inside, and there is no fear of being stuffy. Only by sitting closer can we discuss matters of interest.

The young girl appeared to be around fourteen or fifteen years old, still not fully grown. She wore a simple linen garment, and her nails were filled with black dirt. The traces of tears on her face remained amidst the grayish-black smudge, but her pair of eyes was particularly clear, slightly reddened at that moment

Those who enjoy vinegar consider it the most exquisite flavor in the world. However, if those who dislike sourness secretly add vinegar to their corn rice, it would instead be a form of mockery