Fertile soil
The explosive growth in population and the reorganization of its fighting forces brought unprecedented order and cohesion to the Fire Tribe. But both Jianshi and Wang Yan knew that all of this rested on whether they could feed those seven hundred hungry mouths clamoring for food. Stockpiling fish for winter was only a stopgap measure. In the long run, they had to vigorously develop agriculture and keep their food supply firmly in their own hands.
At Wang Yan's suggestion, the tribe committed a great deal of manpower to a sweeping land reclamation effort around their source of life-the stream and the fishponds.
Downstream, beside the fishponds, they selected a flat area with easy access to water. Men and women, young and old, all joined in, leveling the ground and building field ridges and irrigation channels. Strong youths such as Yingmu and Shugen became the main force in clearing the land, swinging plows fitted with stone blades to turn over the compacted soil. The women and elderly were responsible for clearing away grass roots.
In just over ten days, more than twenty mu of neatly laid-out paddies had begun to take shape. Though the area was still small, the field ridges were straight and the channels connected throughout, the fresh mud gleaming wetly in the sunlight. The two farming masters became the busiest people of all, moving along the ridges as they instructed the tribespeople on how to refine the soil further and set aside seedling beds.
"Once spring comes, this plot needs to be flooded first, then trampled repeatedly by cattle or people until the mud is thoroughly churned up. That's called 'puddling the field,'" one farming master explained, pointing at the paddy as the tribespeople gathered around.
"When the weather warms up, we'll mark out a small seedling bed over there and sow the seeds thickly in it first. Once the seedlings grow, we'll transplant them one by one into this main field," a farming master added, explaining the transplanting process.
As Wang Yan listened, he understood. This was the most primitive method of raising and transplanting rice seedlings. Though time-consuming and labor-intensive, it could greatly improve survival rates and yields. He had already planned for these twenty-odd mu of paddies to serve as the Fire Tribe's experimental fields and seed-producing fields. After the first rice harvest in summer, all the grain would be kept as seed, and they would race to plant a second crop at the turn of summer and autumn. He had calculated that, if everything went smoothly, by next autumn they could have four or five hundred mu of rice! Then, for the first time, the tribe would truly achieve partial self-sufficiency in grain!
Besides the paddies, the tribe also cleared around two hundred mu of dry fields on sunny slopes near the settlement to serve as vegetable plots. These would mainly be planted with short-growing wild vegetables collected from various places, as well as tuber crops. Qingye would direct the women of the gathering teams in managing them.
Meanwhile, Wang Yan also had people dig plenty of planting holes in advance in the planned "orchard area." They only had to wait until next spring to transplant the various fruit-tree saplings traded for at the small market and autumn market. He could almost see the scene a few years from now, with groves of fruit trees surrounding the tribe and fruit available in every season.
Time slipped quietly by amid their busy labor. Wang Yan welcomed his first winter in this world. Ample nutrition and sustained exercise had made him shoot up like bamboo shoots after spring rain. He was now nearly 1.65 meters tall, no longer short among the tribespeople, his build well-proportioned and full of strength.
From discovering how to catch frogs, making pottery, finding hemp, and refining salt, to planning defenses, proposing the reorganization of the army, and now directing agricultural reclamation... every single undertaking displayed wisdom and foresight far beyond his years. He had long since ceased to be a child who needed protection and had become an indispensable adviser and one of the tribe's decision-makers.
Now, whether it was Chief Jianshi, the adviser Jianya, or the valiant warriors Dali, Dazhuang, and Dabang, they all naturally sought Wang Yan's opinion when discussing major tribal affairs. His analyses often struck the nail on the head, and his plans always looked to the long term. In everyone's mind, his words carried tremendous weight.
While guiding agricultural production, Wang Yan also pushed through a seemingly insignificant reform with far-reaching consequences-building public toilets and making compost.
He noticed that, as the tribe's population grew denser, people had begun relieving themselves wherever they pleased. Not only was this unhygienic and liable to cause disease, it was also a tremendous waste of resources. He immediately ordered simple but practical public toilets built in several corners of the settlement and required everyone to use them.
At first, this provoked considerable resistance and ridicule.
"I have to run that far just to take a shit?"
"Even our ancestors never had a rule like this!"
But Wang Yan remained firm, and Chief Jianshi issued an order making compliance mandatory. At the same time, Wang Yan had those responsible for cleaning collect the waste from the toilets together with the tribe's livestock manure, plant ash from the hearths, and rotting weeds and fallen leaves. They piled it all into designated compost pits far from water sources and living areas, turning it regularly to let it ferment naturally.
"Yan, what are you messing around with all this stinking stuff for?" Even Dali was somewhat puzzled.
Wang Yan explained with a smile, "Uncle Dali, these things may look filthy and smell foul, but they're 'fine food' for the soil! Once they've fermented properly, they become 'fertilizer.' Next year, when we plant crops and vegetables, we'll spread this fertilizer over the fields, and the crops will grow stronger and produce more grain and fruit! This is called 'making gold grow from dung and dirt'!"
This explanation amazed everyone. Turning filth into treasure that could increase yields? It was practically a miraculous spell that turned stone into gold! Though they remained doubtful, their enduring trust in Wang Yan meant that the composting work was carried out diligently nonetheless.