Five Thousand Jin per Mu

Seeing how concerned his sister was about the farmers plowing their fields, Ye Tian helplessly followed after her.

Hu Liena hesitated for a moment, then finally took off her expensive shoes and followed behind Ye Tian barefoot into the fields.

Faced with Bibi Dong's question, the farmer who had been plowing stopped his work and looked up. "You are...?"

"She's my sister," Ye Tian, who had caught up, explained.

When the farmer looked up and recognized Ye Tian's face, his expression changed drastically. "Oh my, Young Master, why have you come to the fields? This place is dirty and messy—you shouldn't be here..."

Ye Tian cut him off with a light chuckle. "Don't forget, I personally taught and promoted all these farming techniques. It's not as if I've never been to farmland before. Besides, I don't think getting dirt on yourself counts as dirty or messy. It's one of life's pleasures."

The farmer looked at Ye Tian, his face filled with gratitude.

Last year, flooding had struck the coast, and many people had starved to death.

Only they had escaped the disaster.

The farmers on the estate were able to live warmly clothed and well fed entirely because of Young Master Ye Tian.

The farmer turned to look at Bibi Dong again. This stunning beauty was actually Ye Tian's sister—she truly looked like a fairy descended to the mortal world.

Her smile was gentle. As expected of someone from the same family as Young Master Ye Tian, she did not put on airs at all.

Since she was Ye Tian's sister, there was nothing to hide regarding the plowing. The farmer explained frankly:

"We plow quickly not because the oxen are especially strong."

"The secret lies in the plowshare." The farmer smiled and patted the curved plowshare.

Bibi Dong bent down to inspect it and quickly noticed what was unusual. "This plowshare is curved."

"That's right." The one who spoke was the farm steward, Chen Jian. He explained to Bibi Dong, "This is called a Curved Shaft Plow, invented by Young Master Ye Tian. Changing the curvature of the plowshare saves the greatest amount of effort possible. Naturally, plowing with this kind of plowshare is much faster, and it can turn the soil deeper as well."

After hearing Chen Jian's explanation, Bibi Dong looked at Ye Tian in surprise. "I never expected that you would not only have a head for business, but also such unique talent in agriculture."

Ye Tian merely smiled without speaking. He had only replicated the Curved Shaft Plow from Earth's history. There was nothing particularly technical about it.

After seeing the Curved Shaft Plow, Hu Liena could not help asking, "There doesn't seem to be much difference between a straight plowshare and a curved one. Why does using a Curved Shaft Plow save effort?"

A smile spread across farm steward Chen Jian's wrinkled face as he explained, "Some things are hard to distinguish on the surface, but the actual difference is enormous."

"Take lifting a bucket of water, for example. If you lift it with your arm perpendicular to the ground versus parallel to the ground, do they take the same amount of effort?"

"Obviously not," Hu Liena blurted out.

Chen Jian chuckled. "The Curved Shaft Plow works on the same principle. As Young Master Ye Tian puts it, when the point where force is applied differs, the useful work done differs as well."

Hu Liena was startled, her eyes widening slightly. "Useful work? What kind of term is that?"

"Young Master Ye Tian says it is called 'physics.' I only understand a little of it myself," Chen Jian said.

"Physics?" Even Bibi Dong became interested upon hearing the term, and her beautiful eyes turned toward Ye Tian.

Ye Tian said seriously, "Physics is the principles of all things. I can't explain it clearly to you in just a few words. However, when I had nothing to do a year ago, I wrote a few textbooks on physics. They are in the villa. Sister, you can look through them when you have time."

Of course, he would not say that the textbooks had not been written by him, but were gifts the system had given him during a holiday.

"The principles of all things?" Bibi Dong nodded slightly and committed the word physics to memory. When she returned, she would definitely read through those books carefully.

Then a hint of probing flashed through Bibi Dong's heart. She stared at Ye Tian and said, "Little brother, such a useful tool must be kept hidden. We cannot let outsiders know about it."

Ye Tian gave a soft snort. "Sister, your outlook is too narrow. Such a useful tool should be promoted. Only by letting more farmers use it can it bring out its greatest benefit."

It seemed his sister had truly been frightened by poverty. Keeping the Curved Shaft Plow secret would indeed allow his farm to earn more money.

But that was not the kind of money Ye Tian wanted to make.

Besides, the secret of the Curved Shaft Plow was too simple.

So simple that anyone only needed one look to remember it and replicate it.

Rather than guarding the secret, it was better to announce it openly and win people's hearts.

This answer caused a flash of surprise to pass through Bibi Dong's eyes. She had not expected Ye Tian to be not only clever, but also deeply principled.

She had been the Pope for many years, yet she had rarely seen someone as principled as Ye Tian.

"You've already promoted it?" Bibi Dong suppressed her surprise and asked.

Ye Tian sighed softly. "Yes and no. Across the East Sea Coast, only one-third of the farmers are using my Curved Shaft Plow."

Hu Liena, standing to the side, was surprised. "Since the Curved Shaft Plow can improve efficiency, why are only one-third of the farmers using it?"

Ye Tian explained, "Everything takes time. I'm not the ruler of the East Sea Coast, so I can't force the farmers to use the Curved Shaft Plow."

"I see." Hu Liena revealed a regretful expression. "Even in a small place like the East Sea Coast, promoting it is so difficult. If it were to be promoted across the entire continent, who knows how many years it would take."

"Exactly." Chen Jian agreed deeply. "It is truly a shame that such a useful tool cannot be promoted across the entire continent."

Bibi Dong said with a smile, "What if there were forces pushing it from behind? For example, the Two Great Empires, or Spirit Hall?"

Hearing his sister's words, Ye Tian gave a derisive snort. "How could that be possible? Would the Two Great Empires and Spirit Hall pay attention to a tiny place like the East Sea Coast? Would they precisely discover the invention of the Curved Shaft Plow and then promote it? That would be like looking for a needle in the ocean!"

Hearing this, Hu Liena covered her mouth and laughed.

Ye Tian stared at Hu Liena's profile. "Nana Meimei, what are you laughing at?"

"Hm? Was I laughing?"

Hu Liena looked perfectly sincere as she denied it.

This Ye Tian actually said right in front of the Pope that Spirit Hall would never notice him.

It was simply too funny.

Suddenly, her attention was drawn to a cart on the road.

The cart was piled high with round, yellow-skinned things.

She had never seen such a plant before. Turning to Ye Tian, she asked, "Brother, what are those round plants?"

"Those are potatoes." Ye Tian had nothing to hide and answered directly.

"Potatoes?" Even Bibi Dong was drawn in by the unfamiliar term. She had never heard of such a crop.

Seeing Bibi Dong and Hu Liena's confusion, Chen Jian's wrinkled face immediately lit up with delight. He explained to Bibi Dong, "Eldest Miss, it is only natural that you do not know what potatoes are after being away from home for several years."

"This is a crop Young Master Ye Tian discovered deep in the mountains. Its yield can reach five thousand jin per mu."