Winter gave way to spring

Days passed, and the snow began to melt. Icicles hanging from the eaves dripped water under the sun. The snow on the ground became soft, crunching underfoot.

That morning, the leader of the Jianshi gathered everyone in the square.

"The snow has melted, the ground will soon thaw," he exclaimed. "We should prepare for spring planting!"

The crowd immediately buzzed with excitement. After a winter of rest and study, everyone was eager to get started and make a big splash.

Wang Yan walked forward, holding several wooden boards with drawings on them.

"This year we're going to plant a thousand acres," he said, pointing to the map on the wooden board. "This is the terrain of our valley. These areas marked with grid lines are where we're going to turn them into paddy fields."

A gasp of astonishment rippled through the crowd. A thousand acres! This was an unprecedented amount of land.

"We have a lot of people now," Wang Yan continued, "So we'll divide into ten teams, each responsible for one hundred mu. The team leader will have a number sewn onto their sleeve, from one to ten, so they'll be easy to identify."

This was an inspiration he drew from the text. Using numbers to number things makes management much easier.

Next, Wang Yan showed everyone some newly made farm tools.

One is an improved plow, sturdier than last year's, with a plowshare made of Yingmu wrapped around sharpened stone blades.

"This plow can be pulled by one ox," Wang Yan said, "And it's much faster than a person digging the ground."

Another tool is a rake, made of wood with a row of short wooden teeth nailed to it, used to smooth the plowed land.

What intrigued everyone most was something called a "seed drill." It was a wooden frame with wheels and three hollow wooden legs that could evenly scatter seeds onto the ground.

"Use this to sow seeds," Wang Yan demonstrated, "Walk around and shake it, and the seeds will fall into the soil by themselves."

The elderly people gathered around the new farm tools, touching this and looking at that, marveling at them.

"Young people these days are really capable," an elderly villager exclaimed. "Back in our day, all we knew was to poke a hole with a stick and scatter seeds."

Jianshi begins assigning tasks:

"Teams one through five are responsible for preparing, fertilizing, and leveling the 500 mu of land cleared last autumn."

"Teams six through ten will continue to cultivate an additional 500 mu of land."

The Hunting Team split into two groups: one group was responsible for hunting to ensure a meat supply, and the other group helped with land reclamation.

"The Women's Team was responsible for delivering meals and water, and also preparing seeds."

Everyone understood their tasks and was eager to get started.

Wang Yan specifically instructed the clansmen in charge of raising livestock, "The livestock are most tired during the spring plowing season, so make sure they are well-fed and have the energy to work."

The leader of the Jianshi personally drove the strongest ox and pulled the first plow. The sharp plowshare plunged into the thawed earth, turning over the moist soil.

"Let's start plowing!" the people cheered in unison, their voices echoing through the valley.

Immediately afterwards, all seventy-odd oxen went to the fields. Behind each ox was a person holding a plow, and the land was turned over piece by piece.

Even those who weren't using oxen weren't idle; they used stone hoes to tidy the field ridges and clear away Shitou from the ground.

At noon, the women brought lunch. They had specially prepared rice and stewed meat today so that everyone would be well-fed and ready to work.

"Look at our team!" a young man said proudly, pointing to the land they had prepared. "We've cleared ten acres in just three days!"

The other team retorted, "We'll definitely beat you tomorrow!"

This competitive spirit makes the work progress exceptionally fast.

The newcomers to the tribe worked exceptionally hard. They had never experienced such organized spring plowing before.

Shangen and several people from the same tribe were assigned to the same team. During breaks, they sat at the edge of the field and chatted.

"Back where we used to live," Shangen said, "We'd just plant whatever we could in the spring, and harvest whatever we could."

"Yes," another added, "Unlike here, the ground is so finely prepared, and there are so many good tools."

They all felt that coming to the Fire Tribe was the right decision. Here, as long as you are willing to work, you can live a good life.

He noticed that a piece of land wasn't level enough, so he taught them how to use a rake to level it.

"The flatter the ground, the more evenly the water will flow when irrigating," he explained patiently, "And the better the crops will grow."

He also taught everyone how to identify soil types. "Black soil is the most fertile, yellow soil is a little less so, and if you see whitish soil, you need to fertilize it more."

These are all the knowledge he accumulated in his previous life, and now he is teaching them to everyone little by little.

When work ended in the evening, Wang Yan recorded the progress of each team on a wooden board. He used numbers and simple words to record it clearly.

Jianshi was very satisfied. "This is great! You can tell at a glance who did more and who did less."

The sun had set, and people were carrying their farm tools back home. Although they were tired, everyone had a smile on their face.

After a winter of learning, everyone is now more organized and methodical in their work. The new farm tools have greatly improved efficiency, and the division of labor has allowed everyone to play their part.

Wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys, carrying the aroma of dinner. Children ran and played in the open space, reciting the words they had just learned during the day. "Field... cow... person..."

Standing at the edge of the field, looking at the vast expanse of land being cultivated, Wang Yan's heart was filled with hope.

This thousand acres of land is the future guarantee for the Fire Tribe. As long as it is managed well, it will surely yield a bumper Fengshou.

By then, the Fire Tribe would have truly established itself.