Chapter 96: It Was Indeed Much Less Effort.

Of course, some people had also noticed the odd plow that the Wen brothers had carried over, and many were whispering in private that even their plow was unlike anyone else’s.

The Wen family, however, did not care what anyone said. They only wanted to try this new curved-shaft plow and see whether it truly worked.

Out in the field, Big Yellow stood quietly, while Big Head circled around him, now and then tugging up a few strands of dry grass to feed him. Big Yellow opened his mouth and ate without complaint.

Wen Xiuyi led his two brothers in fitting the harness.

Wen Yao moved close to Big Yellow, stroked him, and whispered, “Do a good job!”

While the rest of the Wen family were not paying attention, Wen Yao took a milk candy from her hidden store and fed it to Big Yellow.

The change was plain to see: Big Yellow’s eyes lit up, and he even called out twice to Wen Yao.

Once the plow was harnessed, Wen Xiuyi stood behind it, holding it steady, whip in hand. The Wen family naturally spread out, and Old Man Wen himself took Big Yellow’s lead rope, patting him as he said, “Come on, little fellow. Let’s see what you can do.”

Big Yellow snorted and lifted a hoof to move forward.

With that first step, the resistance behind him made him pause slightly, but he quickly gathered his strength and pressed on, determined to struggle against the drag behind him.

And so, before everyone’s eyes, Big Yellow moved ahead while Wen Xiuyi steadied the curved plow behind him. Beneath their passing, the soil slowly turned over grain by grain.

Wen Xiuzhu and Wen Xiuqing hurried up to follow, then called out in delight, “Father, it really works. It turns the earth so much deeper.” Much deeper than they could have dug by hand.

The brothers were overjoyed. Following behind with rakes, they shook the straw loose and broke apart the larger clods of earth. They worked with great energy, and their pace was more than several times faster than before.

Madam Luo, together with her two daughters-in-law, also came down to help. Wen Xiuyi, still guiding the plow, called out, “Mother, don’t throw the stalks about. Heap them all together. They’ll be useful.”

Madam Luo had been ready to scold him, but when she saw Big Yellow and the curved plow, the reprimand died in her throat. Instead, she and the two daughters-in-law gathered all the uprooted wheat stalks into one pile.

As for what they would be used for, she did not ask. Since the eldest had said so, there must be a reason. She only had to do the work.

With Big Yellow’s help, their labor became more efficient and far less tiring. In just one morning, they had cleared more than an acre of land, something they had never even dared to imagine before.

Old Man Wen was afraid of wearing Big Yellow out, so every so often he brought him water, or else some dry grass to nibble.

Yet Big Yellow’s head kept turning now and then toward Wen Yao. Old Man Wen could not make sense of it and simply assumed the animal was not yet used to things and was fidgeting.

Since the work was now much easier, Madam Luo had no need to stay in the fields all the time. After working for a while, she left the old man, her sons, daughters-in-law, and a few grandsons behind, and led her granddaughter and youngest grandson straight home.

There was still a house being built there. Truly, there was nowhere one could leave unattended.

The fields beside the Wen family’s land were also full of laborers. In just one day, word spread throughout Ancient Fir Village that the Wen family’s ox had been pulling a plow and working at remarkable speed.

By afternoon, the ridge by the Wen family’s fields was packed with onlookers. Hearing was not believing; seeing was believing. Everyone was stunned by the efficiency, and even the village head had come.

After all, his household had once been the only one in the village with an ox. Now that the Wen family had one too, his sense of superiority vanished in an instant.

And when he looked again, the Wen family’s plow was working even faster than theirs. On the way over, he had already heard several people say they wanted to borrow the Wen family’s ox and plow.

“Uncle Wen, busy as ever?” the village head called from the ridge.

Old Man Wen had no choice but to stop, and Wen Xiuyi also looked up.

The old man lowered his head and muttered to him in a low voice, “He saw that we bought an ox. He’s anxious, that’s all.”

Then he lifted his head again, his face already wearing a polite smile.

“So it’s the village head. What wind has brought you here? You can see this field is muddy, so I won’t come over. What is it you need?” Old Man Wen did not move, simply speaking to him from the field.

The village head looked at their plow. It was indeed different from the one in his own house. He had originally wanted to ask how they had made it, but with so many people around, how could he bring himself to say it?

After thinking for a moment, he said, “Nothing much. I just heard the plow your family made is rather useful, so I came to take a look.”

Old Man Wen’s smugness now showed more clearly than when Wen Xiuyi had passed the scholarly examination.

“Oh, you mean this? Our eldest thought it up himself. We only just had a carpenter make it, and we wanted to try it in the field to see whether it worked. But it really is quite good. Look at this land—it’s turned over beautifully.” With a sweep of his hand, Old Man Wen pointed to the ground behind him, every inch the man showing off the great work of his son.

There was a villager standing beside the village head, and seeing this, he said, “Village head, his family’s plow really is excellent. Look how deep and how fast it turns the soil. Why don’t you ask Uncle Wen how it’s made and have yours replaced too?”

What he did not say was that it was far more useful than the one your household has.

The village head glanced at him. Of course he wanted to. But Old Man Wen had just said the thing had been made by Wen Xiuyi—what if they refused? Thinking of that, the village head’s brows knit slightly. Over the years, because his household had an ox, whenever anyone in the village was truly overwhelmed, they would come to borrow it, paying either a rental fee or in grain, and he had always helped when he could.

A person lives his whole life for these few acres of land. Now that there was something more advanced, he naturally wanted one too. Yet he was, after all, the village head; it was not easy to open his mouth. What if the Wen family thought he was coveting their property? Would he still have any face left?

Old Man Wen was still grinning with satisfaction when Wen Xiuyi straightened up and said, “Village head, would you like to try it yourself?”

As soon as he heard that, the village head went straight down into the field.

Old Man Wen did not even have time to stop him.

Once he reached the side, Wen Xiuyi personally taught the village head how to use it, then stood by to direct him.

“Father, you can keep leading Big Yellow.”

Old Man Wen shot his son a furtive glare, then resignedly took Big Yellow’s lead rope and continued forward. Big Yellow also lived up to expectations; perhaps because he was being watched by so many people, he worked with extraordinary vigor.

The village head walked behind him, one hand on the curved plow, feeling with complete clarity the difference between this and the straight-shaft plow his household used, and delight spread openly across his face.

“It really does save a great deal of effort,” he said, stroking the plow beneath his hand.

Wen Xiuyi smiled. “It does. This is called a curved-shaft plow. It takes less effort than the straight one we used before, and it also cuts deeper.”

“Good, very good.” The village head was reluctant to let go of it. He wanted to change his own, but did not know how to begin.

After helping for a while, he finally asked, “Brother Wen, you made this yourself?”

Wen Xiuyi waved it off. “I don’t have that kind of skill. I only drew a design and made some improvements, then had someone build it. If the village head wants one, you can go to the dock—there’s a Zhang family carpenter’s stall next to our family’s stall.”