Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 227 Just click and stop
The autumn air is clear and crisp, and the red leaves on the distant mountains are like clouds.

Looking at the snow that never melts on the mountaintop behind Liuyu Academy, and against the backdrop of red leaves on the mountains, Chen Xuan looks a bit like the "Red Beauty Drunk" at the Yipinxian Restaurant in Mocheng.

Hongyanzui is a dish at Yipinxian Restaurant, or you could say it’s a drink. It’s neither tea nor wine, but a cold smoothie made from frozen fruit juice.

The styles are diverse and colorful, just like the ever-changing beauty of a young girl.

But the most famous one is the red and white one, red on the bottom and white on the top. The two different colors of fruit smoothies are brightly colored, and a bite of them in the summer is sour and sweet and refreshing.

Throughout the summer before, Chen Xuan had the opportunity to eat there several times with Xiao Gao and his friends. It was extremely expensive, costing twenty dollars per serving. It was better to make it yourself. However, the taste of the food you made yourself was not as good as theirs, as if they had a unique recipe.

Before we knew it, summer had passed and that delicacy had gradually disappeared from the market. It was not because people were tired of the old and loved the new, but because diet also changed with the change of seasons.

Just like a couple who have been together for many years, it’s not that they get tired of each other, but that the way they get along with each other changes over time...

Beside the fields that the academy had allocated to the agricultural cooperative, Gao Jingming, dressed in coarse clothes, squatted on the edge of the field, wanting to cry but unable to.

Chen Xuan retracted his gaze and suppressed his longing for Hongyanzui. He could still eat it next year, so he might as well keep some good expectations.

He looked at Gao Jingming and said with a smile: "Master, we are done. Let's go back and say hello to the cooperative. By the way, write a summary report. This year's agricultural cooperative activities are almost over."

Half a year ago, the Xiaogaojia Academy Agricultural Society did not muddle through like most other people, but actively participated in various activities of the society. Well, to put it bluntly, the main activity was farming. After a busy year, it was time to harvest.

Xiao Gao remained unmoved. He pointed at the bags of harvested crops and said dejectedly, "Ah Xuan, we've been busy for half a year, and this is all we've harvested?"

"What else?" Chen Xuan blinked to indicate that this was not normal.

Gao Jingming felt uncomfortable and said, "What do you mean by 'otherwise'? Look, look, we've been busy for so long, and out of three mu of land, we've only produced less than 80 kilograms of rice in husks, less than 40 kilograms of beans, and less than 50 kilograms of sorghum. Is that reasonable?"

After joining the agricultural cooperative, Xiao Gao was also allocated a piece of land. Originally, one acre was just a token of his gratitude, but at the beginning he was very active and planned to perform well, so he took the initiative to apply for three acres of land. The agricultural cooperative was very happy and wanted to give it all to him. They approved it with a wave of their hands and also distributed seeds and farm tools.

Then Xiao Gao planted beans, rice and sorghum on three acres of land, one acre each. Whenever he had some free time after studying, he would drag Chen Xuan to work in the fields. Anyway, Chen Xuan was happy to accompany him as a way to pass the time.

Now it’s time to reap the rewards, but the harvest is seriously disproportionate to the effort put in.

Chen Xuan looked around and nodded affirmatively: "Very reasonable, very reasonable"

"What's reasonable about it?" Gao Jingming asked with an expression that said, "Ah Xuan, do you think I'm a fool?"

Pointing around, Chen Xuan analyzed to him, "Look, young master, our harvest is quite good. Look around, the crops planted by other members are not taken care of at all. The weeds are more lush than the crops. They are considered impressive if they can get half as much as us. So we have harvested so much, what else are you dissatisfied with?"

"How can they be the same? They just threw the seeds on the ground and left them there. We put in the hard work, weeding, watering, and if they missed any of them, this is the result?" Gao Jingming glared in dissatisfaction, as if you are insulting me by comparing me with them.

Shrugging his shoulders, Chen Xuan simply squatted beside him and said with a smile: "So, what do you want to say, Master?"

After pondering for a moment, Gao Jingming simply walked onto the grass and looked at the beautiful sunset sky. He said sadly: "Are we not cut out for farming? I tried my best, but in the end it was almost all in vain."

So, there are some things that you have to experience personally to have a personal feeling. Knowledge gained from books is always shallow. Reading a book a thousand times is like doing it yourself.

Chen Xuan teased him deliberately and said, "Young Master, why take it so seriously? We don't make a living from farming, so just do it for your own good."

"Axuan, you haven't said this all along. You have been encouraging me," Gao Jingming turned over and glared.

Can't you see I'm teasing you? Chen Xuan said indifferently: "So, Master, are you really putting your heart into it?"

Hearing this, Gao Jingming was speechless.

Indeed, compared with other members, he can be said to have done his best, but is this really the case?
I looked at the crops I had planted and harvested, and then at the fruits of labor of other members. They were sparse and overgrown with weeds, and even a dog would shake its head at the sight of them.

He immediately laughed and said, "It seems that we are relatively good. We are more diligent than others, so we will naturally gain more. We get what we put in. It is fair, isn't it?"

"Of course not. We have traveled back and forth to Mo City so many times. The crops grown by farmers in the fields we have seen along the way are at least three or four times more than ours. The reason for this is that they have been working hard in the fields when we haven't seen them, getting up early and working late, sweating profusely, regardless of wind or rain, so naturally they have reaped a bountiful harvest," Chen Xuan said with deep conviction.

Lowering his head slightly, Xiao Gao reflected deeply: "So, what I think of as hard work is just what I think. After all, I don't rely on farming to make a living. I can even say that I just do it for fun. In fact, I don't take it seriously from the bottom of my heart."

Chen Xuan did not respond to this, thinking that the boy was teachable and good at summarizing and reflecting, which in itself represented a kind of progress and growth. Chen Xuan would not interfere with Xiao Gao subjectively, and at most he would guide him silently from the side.

To be frank, Chen Xuan only had a wealth of theoretical knowledge, but he didn't have much practical experience. He only knew which direction was right, but couldn't provide much help during the process. Looking at the harvest he had been busy with for half a year, Xiao Gao shook his head and sighed, "The harvest from three acres of land only added up to a little over a hundred kilograms. If we were farming for a living, we would have starved to death long ago."

That's not the case.

He had understood the suffering of the people from his own experience, so Chen Xuan wanted to add fuel to the fire and said with a smile, "Young Master, you are taking it for granted. You only consider the harvest we have been busy working for half a year. From the perspective of the farmers, it is true that their harvest is several times more than ours, but they have to rely on the harvest from the land to support their entire families."

As he spoke, Chen Xuan counted on his fingers and said, "The harvest from the fields is their main source of income, accounting for at least 80% of a family's income. They rely on the fields for food, minor illnesses and disasters, and for catering, clothing, food, housing and transportation. They also have to pay taxes. So, even though they earn a lot, they still don't make as much as us."

For some reason, Xiao Gao felt a little blocked in his heart after hearing this, even though he knew that what Chen Xuan said was true.

"Year after year, generation after generation, this is how we've all lived," Xiao Gao muttered to himself with his head down.

Chen Xuan didn't say anything, just squatted beside him to keep him company.

This kid has an amazing understanding of knowledge and will gain something from every experience. Chen Xuan doesn't disturb his train of thought so as not to affect his normal performance.

After another moment, Xiao Gao looked up at the fields that only real farmers would see, filled with grief, and said, "If the basic conditions can't be changed, how can we live better?"

"Master, don't you already know the answer?" Chen Xuan asked back.

He shook his head and said, "Not enough, far from enough. As we all know, effort and reward are directly proportional. Can you get more harvests just by working hard? Hard work does yield a lot more harvests, but what about the physical damage caused by long-term fatigue? Isn't it true that as long as you are willing to endure hardships, there will be endless suffering? It goes on and on, with no end in sight."

It has already risen to this level.

Surprised, at this point, Chen Xuan didn't mind giving him some inspiration, saying, "It's useless to just work hard. It won't get better, and it won't get worse either."

"Why do you say that, A Xuan?" Gao Jingming seemed to understand something.

Chen Xuan pointed to the fields where they had been busy for half a year and had already harvested the harvest and said, "Young Master, look, although it seems normal for us to farm, sometimes we also take shortcuts. For example, when we are lazy, we will use our martial arts advantages to speed up the progress. This is taking shortcuts."

"Take advantage of the situation?" Xiao Gao had a vague inspiration.

Chen Xuan thought about it and decided to give him some more ideas. He said, "Yes, you can use tricks. You can use tricks on the basis of your original diligence. You can use tricks on irrigation, you can use tools more smoothly and efficiently, and you can also use tricks to make the crops grow better. There are many ways to use tricks."

"What are the details?" Gao Jingming seemed to have grasped the key point.

Chen Xuan suddenly waved his hand and said with a smile: "Hey, Master, why don't you take it seriously? I just said so. How would I know if you ask me?"

Everything depends on yourself, little brother. If you rely on me for everything, what else can you do? I believe in you, you can do it.

Anyway, Chen Xuan just stopped there. Whether or not he can make a "breakthrough" is Xiao Gao's own business.

Chen Xuan felt that all this was a bit too much. As the saying goes, you should eat your food one bite at a time. If you take too big a step, you may easily tear your balls.

Many things also need to be combined with reality. Being too advanced will do more harm than good. These are enough to be "digested" for a long time, maybe in years.

"A Xuan, you're here again, it's always like this," Gao Jingming said with a resentful look on his face.

Chen Xuan smiled without saying anything. He only raised questions but did not solve them. Xiao Gao never let him down most of the time.

Tsk, this feeling of silently raising an account is actually quite refreshing.

Exhaling, Xiao Gao stood up and said, "Let's go back and continue next year. Next, I'll think about the trick you mentioned, Xuan, and implement it next year. I'll see. I should be able to apply for the position of president of the agricultural cooperative next year. The current president will resign next year, and we'll be looking for a sucker to take over. I'll be that sucker."

Although Xiao Gao was not told explicitly what to do, everything was guided subtly.

But Chen Xuan believed that such an experience would only benefit him and not harm him. In the future, he would take the imperial examination and become an official. Even if he could not make a name for himself in the academy, he would definitely avoid many detours in governing the people's livelihood.

The reason why Chen Xuan didn't force things to happen wasn't because he didn't want to, but because the timing and conditions weren't right. He was still a student, and if he came up with too many good things, it would just be a favor to others. There was no need to do that, so he could just let it go.

When Xiao Gao truly matures, everything will depend on him. As for Chen Xuan, he will just live his life as a nobody in the world...

(End of this chapter)