Thirty Years of First Rank, Two Grinding Plates

Chapter 50: Thirty Years of Waiting, Two Millstones

Who would have thought that after walking out for only a short while, he would helplessly scratch his head and return, saying, "Sigh, the old man is still in Meng City."

Right now, the old man was still in Meng City haggling with the clan elders, bickering over a few pieces of jade, and incidentally helping the Prefect consume his fine wine and meat.

Zi Bofeng now understood that these clan elders were not to be trifled with. If Lower Yan Village had a reserve, how could the other villages not have one? Even an immortal would not be as shrewd as these old foxes; one shouldn't expect them to easily hand over or cough up what they held in their hands. As they bickered, who knew what they were really thinking?

"I wonder when the old man will be able to return..." Zi Bofeng said, feeling a bit discouraged.

"For this kind of thing, there's no need to find the old man." Zi Jian set down his pestle with a calm expression, clapped his hands, and walked away with his hands behind his back, saying, "I'll go find Shi San."

Shi San was the third in his family and a stonemason. In a place like Lower Yan Village, where people relied on the mountains for their livelihood, how could there not be a stonemason? In fact, a village was a self-sufficient little society where everyone possessed various skills. For instance, Zi Jian was the village's repairman and furniture maker. As for masons, when people's houses had issues, they mostly patched them up themselves.

To say nothing else, the stone mortar in Zi Bofeng's home had been chiseled by Shi San.

"I'm coming too!" Zi Bofeng hurriedly followed, acting just like a lackey.

Zi Bofeng felt quite excited and comforted in his heart. His father not only supported him but was also taking personal action, intending to win over a key figure first. This feeling of true father-son unity was something Zi Bofeng enjoyed immensely.

"I'm coming too!" Little Stone couldn't be left behind and took off running. The two puppies followed behind, wagging their tails and wobbling as they walked. These two puppies were growing at a truly delightful rate; they were already clingy, and Little Stone insisted on holding them while he slept, requiring Yan Wu Shi to carry them out of the bed every night.

Whenever Zi Bofeng had free time, he would secretly write a few strokes in the air to nourish their growth, so these two puppies grew much faster than their siblings. Zi Bofeng occasionally used the Monster Raising Art to nourish the others as well, but perhaps there really was such a thing as innate talent in this world; the other puppies didn't respond well to the Record of Raising Monsters, and over time, Zi Bofeng stopped wasting his energy.

Zi Jian led Zi Bofeng and Little Stone a few steps until they reached Shi San's house. Shi San was, of course, also surnamed Yan and a son of the Yan Family, and the stone statue in the Ancestral Shrine was actually the handiwork of Shi San's ancestor.

Because he was a stonemason, Shi San lived closer to the great mountain. Upon reaching the entrance, one could see all kinds of large stones placed outside; some already had a rough shape, while others were still raw boulders. Shi San was sitting in the courtyard, chiseling a stone that had already begun to take the shape of a mortar.

"Third Brother, I've come to discuss something with you." Zi Jian entered the door and got straight to the point.

"Ah, Old Jian, oh, the Scholar is here too!" Seeing them enter, Shi San hurriedly stood up.

"Third Uncle, Third Uncle, me too." Little Stone quickly tried to curry favor.

"Good, Little Stone is here too." Shi San smiled, patting Little Stone's head.

Zi Bofeng also sized up Shi San. In truth, Shi San was a rather reclusive person who rarely left his home. He was about forty years old; his eldest son was already over twenty, and his youngest son, who was twelve, was one of Zi Bofeng's students.

As fellow craftsmen in Lower Yan Village, Zi Jian and Shi San had a good personal friendship.

"Today, Bofeng told me he wants to build a water-powered mill here. Take a look." As his father reached out, Zi Jian's lackey-like son presented the design drawing. Shi San leaned in to look, then nodded and said, "It's drawn well."

Before Zi Bofeng could feel proud of the praise, he heard Shi San add, "But it's a bit amateurish."

Zi Bofeng immediately felt discouraged again.

"Ah, it was drawn by the Scholar..." After saying this, Shi San noticed Zi Bofeng's gloomy expression and hurriedly tried to make amends. However, this man was as hard as stone and truly clumsy with words; he couldn't come up with anything pleasant to say.

"Third Brother, do you think it's feasible? If it is, we'll start organizing the construction," Zi Jian said.

He was using practical action to support his son. After all, a water mill was just a wood and stone structure; with a carpenter and a stonemason, they could completely handle it. At worst, it would just cost some money and effort.

There was no need to be stingy when it came to benefiting the village, and there was still plenty of money left from the Prefect's reward.

Recently, Zi Jian's mindset had indeed changed quietly; his horizons had broadened, and his thoughts were no longer the same.

"For a water mill, we'll need a good stone," Shi San said. "I think that Big Blue Rock on the mountain is quite good. If we could haul it down and chisel it..."

"No! Absolutely not!" Zi Bofeng shouted in alarm.

"Don't worry, your Third Uncle won't chisel your precious rock." Zi Jian smiled at Zi Bofeng. He understood Shi San; when a stonemason saw a good stone, it was like a scholar seeing a good book—how could he not be tempted?

Zi Bofeng looked up at the Big Blue Rock—it was growing larger by the day. Recently, Blind Granny had even started burning incense and praying near the rock, causing many village women to start worshipping the Big Blue Rock deity as well.

Shi San also glanced at Zi Bofeng. A stonemason's eyes were the most knowledgeable about stone. He could tell at a glance that the rock was growing larger every day, and Zi Bofeng, who was always writing and drawing on it, was the most suspicious.

Can I no longer hide it? Zi Bofeng felt full of resentment; the way these people looked at him was different than before.

It seems Third Uncle Shi San is no ordinary person either; he is someone who possesses great wisdom disguised as folly, unlike the common, ignorant folk. Hmm, those who follow the path of technology really do have high IQs.

"Then come and see if these will do." Shi San led the two into the backyard. As soon as they entered, they saw two massive, round millstones, like coins magnified ten million times, sitting in the yard. One was placed on a stone base and used as a table, while the other stood against the wall, leaning against a pile of stone materials.

"Eh..." Zi Bofeng opened his eyes wide. "Third Uncle Shi, you had these prepared long ago?"

"Sigh..." Shi San sighed and said, "It's not that I prepared them; my grandfather did. These two large millstones were chiseled by my grandfather during his lifetime, bit by bit, taking a full year of effort. Look at this stone; my grandfather found sixteen strong men back then and it took them six days just to transport it out of the mountain. Aside from the Big Blue Rock, I've never seen any stone with this kind of texture; it wouldn't wear down even after decades. Look at this craftsmanship—it's as smooth as a mirror, not even a white speck to be found. When I was learning my trade as a child, I helped polish these millstones, and I would spend all day polishing them..."

Zi Bofeng also looked at the millstones. They were perfectly round, even more so than a cartwheel. The surface of the millstone was so smooth it looked as if it had been polished by a machine. Standing there, it could faintly reflect a person's shadow. On the grinding surface, the spiral grooves were incredibly fine. Zi Bofeng traced them with his finger; every line was a golden ratio curve.

"More than thirty years ago, our Lower Yan Village planned to build a mill using oxen and donkeys. My grandfather spent several years searching before he finally found a good stone, but then the harvest failed. Before my grandfather passed away, he never saw the mill completed... I didn't expect that thirty years later, we would finally be building a mill again. If my grandfather knew in the afterlife..."

Shi San sighed with deep emotion.

"Third Brother, let's go to the riverbank this afternoon to take a look and choose a good spot," Zi Jian said. He then stepped forward, spread his five fingers, and measured the dimensions of the millstone, instantly grasping the size in his mind. These old craftsmen who had been immersed in their trade for years were all masters when it came to professional standards.

After measuring the width and thickness, he already knew how thick and long the timber needed to be, how much wood was required, and what kind of wood to use.

The Zi father and son took their leave of Shi San and turned to go to Yan Lao Wu's house. Although Yan Lao Wu was not there, his sons were. If nothing unexpected happened, the clan elders would be chosen from his sons after Yan Lao Wu. They already held great prestige, and his several young sons had all gone into the mountains, leaving the eldest and second eldest to hold down the fort. They had just finished offering sacrifices to their ancestors at the Ancestral Shrine and were still excited. Seeing the Zi father and son arrive, they expressed their gratitude once more. These older-generation farmers valued bringing honor to their ancestors above all else, and now they finally saw a glimmer of hope.

"A water mill? Is this the Scholar's idea?" Upon hearing this, Yan Da didn't even hesitate and said, "Fine, I'll go gather the men right now. Let's get the building up first."

A mill needed a mill house, after all.

"Big Brother, let's go look at the location this afternoon. It won't be too late to gather the men after we decide on a spot," Zi Jian said.

"I'll go tell them first. Those who have men will provide men, and those who have strength will provide strength. The little brats in the family can also learn how to build a house." A mill was just a single room and wasn't for living in, so the requirements weren't high. Once the foundation was laid and the beams were raised, it could be built in two days.

"Then I'll head back and come over again this afternoon," Zi Jian said.

"Don't go!" Since Zi Jian had delivered himself to his door, how could Yan Da let him leave? "And the Scholar, since you're here, how can I let you go? Come, let's drink!"

"I'll pass on the drinking; I still have to go check the land and get to work this afternoon." Zi Jian did not stand on ceremony. He felt proud; this respect, this honor, this status that would make anyone look at him with high regard—it was all earned by his son.

It was decided just like that? It was all settled? Zi Bofeng was a bit bewildered; this... was it not too fast?

Zi Bofeng looked at his father with some surprise. Zi Jian's drive and execution were truly astonishing. Yet, it was hardly a surprise; if he hadn't been decisive and efficient, how could he have played the roles of both mother and father to raise Zi Bofeng? How could he have survived two years of fleeing, and how could he have nurtured Zi Bofeng into a scholar?

Setting aside such intangibles, with a son like Zi Bofeng who possessed a photographic memory, how could Zi Jian's own genes be anything but exceptional?

Looking at him from behind, Zi Bofeng noticed that the graying hair at his father's temples had turned somewhat black, and the deep crow's feet at the corners of his eyes had faded. His vitality and spirit were countless times better than when Zi Bofeng had first laid eyes on him. Gone was the heavy sense of hardship and the cautious, tentative manner of the past; instead, he had become spirited and full of vigor.

Record of Raising Monsters