Though they knew the seasons revolved, they could not tell when the farming seasons came early or late: when to soak seeds and urge them to sprout, when to transplant seedlings into the fields, or when to harvest the ears and bring them into storage. Shen Nong therefore carried the Gnomon and Sundial up a mountain to measure shadows, observed the stars and the Big Dipper, gauged the wind and tested the dew. After several years, he revised the seasonal divisions based on Fuxi's old calendar, established the Twenty-Four Solar Terms, divided the lengths of day and night, determined the waxing and waning of the new and full moons, clarified the direction indicated by the lunar mansions, and designated the Winter Solstice as the beginning of the eleventh month. From then on, spring sowing no longer missed the frost season, autumn harvests no longer violated the time of falling dew, the five grains ripened abundantly, and the granaries gradually filled.
As each new policy was implemented, the Human Race's days grew better with every passing day: thatched cottages were gradually replaced by rammed-earth walls, music and laughter joined the bonfires, children could run and leap, and the elderly could sit and chat. The vitality withered by the Witch-Demon War flowed back like spring water, quietly filling them once more. Shen Nong treated the people like his own children. He never imposed harsh punishments or severe laws. Before decrees were issued, matters were already settled; before weapons were raised, his authority had already been established. The Vassal Lords competed to pay court, the ministers bowed their heads and obeyed, and the common people felt as though they were seeing a spring breeze and looked up to him as they would the morning sun.
Seeing the streets and alleys of Chen Capital