Ever since Father Ye improved the field according to Su Ran's method, the rice seedlings have been growing better day by day. In just a few days, the difference was immediately apparent from the edge of the field—the leaves were greener, the ears of rice were fuller, and even the color was different from the surrounding fields.
The villagers saw this but said nothing, though they were already starting to think about it. Some squatted by their own fields, looking at their rice seedlings, then at the experimental field, looking back and forth several times.
For the first two days, only Father Ye and Shitou followed Su Ran to work. On the third day, someone finally came carrying a hoe. The man stood on the edge of the field and called out, " Little Su, I'd like to turn over my plot of land too, could you help me take a look?"
Su Ran straightened up, glanced at it, and said, "Okay, I'll come over after I finish breakfast."
The man nodded, shouldered his hoe, and went back first.
When Su Ran finished breakfast and came out, she could see people busy in several fields. Some were turning over the soil, some were tidying up the field ridges, and others were busy mixing grass ash into the soil. They were all doing what they could in their own way.
No one told them what to do; they simply observed the changes in Old Ye Ye's experimental plot and knew where to begin. Farmers know best what the land needs.
Su Ran stood on the edge of the field for a moment and suddenly felt that this kind of life was very fulfilling. He had been in the academy for a long time and had become accustomed to the chasing, competition, and improvement among Soul Master. Every day felt like he was on a journey.
But these people are different. They are not in a hurry to prove anything. They just keep their heads down and farm the land day after day, entrusting their hopes to the land and time.
They also have their worries—they worry when the harvest is bad, and they worry when no one buys their grain. But most of the time, they are quiet and steady. It's not the dramatic life of Soul Master, which makes me a little envious.
Su Ran withdrew his gaze and went to the field of the family who had called him that morning. The man was already waiting in the field. Su Ran squatted down, turned over the soil, checked its dryness, and told him which patch to start turning and how deep. The man listened, nodded, and immediately picked up his hoe.
Su Ran then walked back to Uncle Ye's experimental field and bent down to continue turning the soil.
Shitou Tou followed Su Ran as he turned the soil. After a few days, his movements had become much more skilled than at the beginning. The hoe landed more accurately and at roughly the same depth.
He didn't ask too many questions, but he remembered everything Su Ran said and would revise it accordingly the next time he looked at it.
As the sun rose higher, someone straightened up, wiped their sweat, and said, "It's so hot today." The person next to them echoed, slowing down their work. Su Ran also felt his back was soaked with sweat, but he didn't say anything and just continued flipping through the pages.
Just then, the sound of a zither drifted from Old Ye Ye's courtyard. The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, very light, like the sound of wind passing through the eaves.
The melody was neither hurried nor slow, with no obvious rhythm, but it still brought a sense of calm to the listener.
Working in the hot weather can easily make people irritable, but the sound of the piano seemed to calm that restlessness, allowing people to breathe more evenly.
The person tilling the land stopped to listen for a couple of breaths, then continued bending over to work, their movements slightly smoother than before.
Su Ran straightened up and glanced back at the direction of the courtyard. Ye Qingyu was sitting on the stone steps at the entrance of the courtyard, with Wind Zither on her lap, playing it with her head down, not looking at the direction of the fields.
She wasn't playing for anyone in particular; she was just playing her own tune. But the melody drifted on the wind and landed on the people in the fields, like water seeping into the dry soil.
Shitou stopped and listened for a while without saying anything, then lowered his head and continued rummaging. He didn't recognize the tune, but the rhythm was a bit more steady when the hoe struck.
In the afternoon, Su Ran made a special trip to the field of the family at the east end of the village. That family's land had been abandoned for two years, and the weeds were taller than a person's knees.
Su Ran squatted down and parted the grass roots to look at the soil underneath. The soil quality wasn't bad, but it had been neglected for too long, and the surface layer had hardened.
"First, clear away the grass, turn it over, let it dry for two days, and then mix in the grass ash," Su Ran said.
The man stood by and listened, then squatted down, scooped up a handful of soil, examined it, asked nothing, and started pulling weeds.
When Su Ran finished work in the evening, she squatted on the edge of the field to wash her hands. The water in the ditch was muddy and took a while to clear up.
Shitou squatted down next to him and also put his hands in the water to rinse them. Water splashed all over his trousers, but he didn't care. He just shook his hands and stood up.
" Shitou."
The Shitou stopped and turned around.
How are you feeling today?
Shitou thought for a moment and said, " My Soul Power has finally been able to seep in a little, and it's circulating more smoothly than before. Also... I feel like my Soul Power has increased a little bit compared to before."
Su Ran nodded. "You've already taken the first step by being able to penetrate it. This exercise isn't just about letting you feel the earth; more importantly, it's about cultivating your own Soul Power Soul Power —making it smoother and more stable."
Your Martial Soul is an earth-type plant, but you won't be able to see exactly what it looks like until your Soul Power is more stable. Now that you can feel your Soul Power seeping in, that's enough. You still need to practice more."
Shitou listened attentively, nodded, and said, "Okay, teacher." Then he ran back to the Ye family's courtyard.
Su Ran squatted by the ditch for a while longer. The mud on her hands was washed off, but dirt was still stuck under her fingernails.
He didn't rush to stand up, but watched the water in the ditch flow slowly, its muddy color gradually clearing up after a while, revealing the pebbles and sand at the bottom.
The water reflected the sky, darkening it slightly; it was already dusk.
When she returned, a lamp was lit in the courtyard. Ye Qingyu was sitting at the stone table, with a book open on it, as if she had been reading it for a while. The page she had turned to had been there for a long time, and there wasn't even a crease from the page turning that had been pressed down again.
Seeing Su Ran come in, she didn't stand up, but simply closed the book and placed it beside her, saying, "The food is on the stove, still warm."
Su Ran went to the stove, lifted the pot lid, and saw that the food was still there, steaming hot.
He filled a bowl and carried it to the yard, sat down next to her, ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice, and then put down the bowl. "The piece you played today made everyone's work much easier."
Ye Qingyu glanced at him and said in a flat tone, "It's good if I can be of help."
Su Ran didn't say anything more and continued eating with his head down. Ye Qingyu sat beside him for a while, then got up and went to the stove to bring over a plate of pickled vegetables and placed it next to his bowl. She then sat back down at the stone table, neither urging him nor speaking, but simply quietly keeping him company as he finished his meal.
After a while, Ye Qingyu looked at him and said, "You look more energetic than before."
Su Ran swallowed the last bite of rice and said, "I used to be busy and tired, but I didn't know what I was busy with. Now it's different; even if I'm tired, it feels worth it."
Ye Qingyu didn't ask any more questions. She stood up, cleared away the empty bowls and plates in front of Su Ran, took them to the stove, washed her hands, and came out, standing at the door saying, "The water's boiled, wash up and go to bed early."
Su Ran hummed in agreement, stood up, and went to the stove to fetch water.
The next day, several more households in the village started tilling their land. When Su Ran walked to the edge of the field, she could see people bending over and working in several fields. Some people were talking to each other, and she couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but their tone was much more relaxed than before.
He crouched down and placed his hands on the freshly turned soil. The soil was moist and loose, carrying the scent of grass ash and the smell of being turned over. He felt a steady warmth emanating from the soil, not a strong vibration, but a simple, genuine response—as if the land was telling him: Thank you for your efforts, you are on the right path.