Chapter Fifty-Four: River Mud Is a Wonderful Thing

The village chief Zheng was particularly invested in the matter of reclaiming wasteland. Wei Renshi had only told him last night how to prepare, and by early the next morning Zheng had already hired people to set up fences.

Wei Renshi was up at dawn, already having prepared breakfast, while the other two were just rising. As soon as they stepped outside, Lin Sumian smiled at Wei Renshi and said, “Wei, you truly have remarkable skills. The wine we drank yesterday was the strongest I’ve ever tasted, yet today I’ve awoken without a headache!”

Liu Yuxi chimed in, “After tasting your wine yesterday, I fear I may never be able to stomach any other.”

Wei Renshi laughed and replied, “That’s easily solved. Soon enough, you’ll be able to buy this wine in Luoyang. Perhaps one day, even in Chang’an.”

As he spoke, Wei Renshi took out several sheets of paper and handed them to Liu Yuxi.

Liu Yuxi reached out to take them, and upon looking down, his face was immediately filled with astonishment. “These… these are designs for a plough!”

“Indeed,” Wei Renshi nodded. “When you return, have someone forge these according to the drawings, then assemble them. You’ll have a new plough.”

“May I have a look?” Lin Sumian asked eagerly from the side.

Liu Yuxi glanced at Wei Renshi, who nodded. Liu Yuxi handed the designs to Lin Sumian.

While Lin Sumian studied the drawings, Liu Yuxi asked, “You’ve given me these designs, but what price do you ask?”

Wei Renshi thought for a moment and smiled. “Just invite me for a meal.”

Liu Yuxi was momentarily stunned. “Wei, you are truly noble!”

“Wonderful! Marvelous!” Lin Sumian slapped his thigh and exclaimed, “How did you ever think to improve the plough?”

Wei Renshi looked at him. “True knowledge comes from practice. Only through experience do we realize what tools are needed. It’s in using them that we discover their shortcomings, and then we improve and refine them.”

Lin Sumian, visibly excited, stood up. “Now I’m even more eager to see the device that waters the fields without human effort!”

“We’ll see as we go,” Wei replied.

Leading the two outside, Wei Renshi explained as they walked, from the bamboo pipes at the field’s edge, to the reservoir on the back slope, and finally to the waterwheel by the Daoyuan River. Lin Sumian and Liu Yuxi carefully examined everything.

“Your ingenuity astounds me,” Liu Yuxi said after viewing the rudimentary drip irrigation system. “If this method were used in the river plains, the people would reap great benefits. For example, in Weinan, the land is like a reversed tile—flat in the middle, so this could irrigate the fields. But on both sides, where there are plateaus, this method wouldn’t work.”

“Agriculture is about adapting to local conditions. Changgu and Weinan are different, so naturally the methods differ,” Wei Renshi smiled. “If you want the people of Weinan to grow better crops, perhaps teach them how to build dams and silt up the fields.”

“Building dams and silting up the fields?” Liu Yuxi asked in confusion. “What method is that?”

Wei Renshi laughed as he walked. “If I remember correctly, Weinan usually isn’t short of water. Just the major rivers—the Yellow River, the Wei River, and the Luo River—pass through. Not to mention many others: Qianhe, Qishui, and so on.”

“That’s true,” Liu Yuxi nodded. “You’ve never been to Weinan, have you? But droughts in summer and floods in autumn are major threats to farming there.”

“The water from the Wei River carries plenty of silt, doesn’t it?” Wei Renshi asked, recalling information about the river.

It seemed the term “Yellow River” began in the Eastern Han, as the river became known for its muddy waters. Even in the Spring and Autumn period, texts noted the river’s turbidity; in the Zuo Commentary, Zisi of Zheng quoted an old poem: ‘Waiting for the river to clear, how long can one live?’ The river’s muddiness was thus well known. During the mid-Western Han, the Jing River was also famous for its muddy flow, and in the time of Emperor Wu, ‘one stone of Jing water contained several dou of mud.’ The Wei River is the largest tributary of the Yellow River, and the Jing River is its biggest tributary. These regions were among the first to be developed for agriculture on the Loess Plateau. With development came deforestation, erosion, and worsening turbidity, becoming prominent by the Eastern Han and giving the river its ‘yellow’ name.

Liu Yuxi nodded. “Correct.”

Wei Renshi was reassured; he recalled that the Yellow River began carrying silt very early, especially in the Wei and Jing river basins.

“River silt is a wonderful thing,” Wei Renshi said to Liu Yuxi. “It’s fertile, perfect for farming.”

Liu Yuxi stared at him. “You mean…”

“That’s what I meant by building dams and silting up fields,” Wei Renshi smiled. “But let me keep you in suspense a bit longer—we should go somewhere first.”

Liu Yuxi grew anxious, picking up his pace.

After nearly half an hour, Wei Renshi led them onto the official road, and after another half hour’s walk, they arrived at the post station.

Because it was near Luoyang, the road from Fuchang was busy, and the post station was naturally full of people.

Wei Renshi entered and immediately spotted a tall waiter—over six feet, very conspicuous inside. He recognized him at once: Sun Old Man’s nephew.

Wei Renshi chose an empty table near him, and Sun’s nephew quickly came over.

“You gentlemen have come at just the right time—it's midday, and you must be thirsty and hungry,” Sun’s nephew said with a smile, setting out bowls and pouring water. “Have a drink first to moisten your throats; this water is drawn from the old well behind the station, nice and cool, perfect for quenching thirst.”

“Thank you,” Wei Renshi replied with a smile.

While Wei and his companions drank, Sun’s nephew turned to another table, asking the guests who had just finished their water, “What would you like to eat? The meals here are filling and delicious. How would you like it?”

“We’re just rough men on the road—just something filling. What dishes do you have?” one of them asked.

“Certainly!” Sun’s nephew listed several dishes, and the group ordered accordingly.

By the time they finished ordering, Wei Renshi’s group had finished their water. Sun’s nephew returned, “What would you gentlemen like? Shall I list the options?”

“Go ahead,” Wei Renshi nodded.

He listed several dishes, different from the ones he’d just recited.

“This meal is on me, Wei,” Liu Yuxi said. “Just order whatever you like.”

“Don’t compete with me!” Lin Sumian laughed. “This trip has opened my eyes: the stove and utensils, the seating in the hall, even the revolving table... The plough, the watering device, the waterwheel—all these will give me much to ponder when I return. I ought to be the one to treat Wei.”

“We’ll decide after the meal,” Liu Yuxi smiled.

Wei Renshi casually ordered a few dishes, and Sun’s nephew went to relay them to the kitchen.

“This waiter is quite interesting,” Wei Renshi remarked.

“That other table clearly wasn’t wealthy, so he offered them filling, inexpensive dishes. When he came to our table, he recited the pricier options,” Lin Sumian laughed. “He’s attentive and perceptive.”

“Never mind the waiter for now, Wei,” Liu Yuxi said anxiously. “Even if you came especially to see him, wait until you’ve explained what building dams and silting up fields means!”