Traveling through time as a peasant girl to turn things around

The village had crafted over twenty plowshares. Anyone with oxen could bring them to the Chai family and use them. The Chai family's oxen were so effective that they could pull over twenty of them daily, pulling loads and plowing the fields. This greatly reduced labor, speeding up the autumn harvest and accelerating the pace of planting. Fifty households planted wheat, with the smallest family having five mu of wheat, enough for the family to eat and more. But there were always those three or two women who, for a whisper, would be scolded by their husbands. "You're starving, you're being fed up, and look at the clothes I'm giving you—they're no better than the ones your family wears! If you don't behave properly, I'll divorce you! Don't corrupt my children! You're ungrateful!" The men scolded him harshly, and that was enough. The villagers were kind-hearted. They had little contact with the outside world to begin with, and Sun Gui was constantly preaching. Now, every man and woman was required to attend school. Age didn't matter. You didn't have to be able to read, but you had to understand reason and learn how to be a good person. Sun Gui managed the village well, thanks to his being a scholar. There were very few scholars in the whole Yan Kingdom who could become village chiefs!! Sun Gui was very insightful. When he was discussing marriage with Zhang Qing, he had taken the exam twice. He had no choice but to become an official. Finally, he made up his mind and came to Taohua Village to live a semi-secluded life. Because of Zhang Qingshan's protection, there were no outsiders looking for trouble. This village is lucky! There are three or two elderly and infirm families. Sun Gui led people to help harvest corn and plant wheat early in the morning. The people who look after the farm are the elderly and weak families taken care of by the villagers, and they do the small chores slowly by themselves. There are now five people working on the farm, and the scale of the farm is large, with pigs, chickens, cows and sheep. Every day, the whole village has to cut grass and deliver it to the farm, and then to their own homes. The village chief said, "Everyone has to mow grass. Otherwise, the villagers won't be able to enjoy the village's benefits. Don't make a fuss if we don't give you anything! Besides, the fodder isn't free; there's always money to be made." The old man at the farm looked at the size of the fodder bundles and recorded payment every two weeks. Large fodder was marked with thicker strips, smaller fodder with thinner strips, and larger fodder with slightly shorter and thicker strips. Children were given three cents, two cents, and one cent for each fodder they received, and there were plenty of them every day. Even five-year-olds were given two cents, or even one cent, for their fodder. Even the worst mothers treated their daughters well.

That night, Sun Gui rang the school bell, and everyone knew that a village meeting was going to be held. After dinner, they walked to the school in twos and threes. After a while, Sun Gui shouted loudly, "Everyone, be quiet!" People from the capital also gathered around the stage, listening to the village chief's meeting, as if they regarded themselves as part of the place.

Sun Gui said, "The autumn harvest is drawing to a close, freeing up some manpower. Li Guang's family has begun weaving straw fans and baskets. Why start with straw fans? Some may ask, but here's what I want to tell you. Summer and autumn offer plenty of vegetables, but in the harsh winter, vegetables are scarce. Dried vegetables and wild vegetables disappear over time, so what do we eat? That's what I want to talk about tonight. Building greenhouses, growing vegetables, and straw fans are essential for staying warm. The young people are starting to make bricks, and the elderly are joining the weaving groups. And there's good news: women have work now. Anyone who wants to make clothes can earn twenty wen a day, and as they become more skilled, their wages increase! At Chai Ping'an's house, they can go anytime. Any unfinished farm work should be done quickly. In the months after autumn, leading up to the Lunar New Year, anyone who works hard will earn money. And, by the Lunar New Year, every household can wear new clothes." That's all I have to say. I'll leave.

Then someone asked, "How do we build a greenhouse?" My family wants to grow some vegetables. We can grow more and sell more if we can't eat it all! Someone else said, "Forget it, just grow some vegetables. It's good enough for us to eat. There are so many jobs in our village that can make money. Why sell vegetables?" "That's right! I'll go to the village chief and sign up my son. He's really interested in making bricks." His son made a lot of money making bricks last year and often went to the Chai family for dinner. His son said that he wanted to be a member of the Chai family. The food was so good that he would wake up laughing in his dreams.

Sun Gui sat at the table, writing down the details. Twenty people were needed for the brick-making, five for the evening, and fifteen for the clay-pulling. The builders were all middle-aged men, though older men would do. There were skilled builders from the capital, and Sun Gui was ready to discuss the project with them, asking them to help direct the construction and teach his fellow villagers. Chai Zhen had also outlined how many houses he wanted to build, and the two men decided to build the Chai family first. Jia Le's house wasn't finished yet, so they decided to start there first. Chai Zhen then said, "The hemp stalks are growing well by the river. With the cold weather, we need to pull them up." Sun Gui smiled and said, "There's plenty of work, so everyone will have something to do." Zhang Bingquan, Qin Han, Zhang Ziwu, and several other elders came over to discuss the work to be done after autumn. The skilled workers who would be involved in the construction of the houses were finalized, totaling twenty. Sun Gui wrote down the list and decided that Chai Dong would continue to oversee the brick-making, Chai Xin would oversee the clay-pulling, and the Ministry of Works would oversee the overall construction, with Xue Zhi, the Right Vice Minister, in charge. This would increase the manpower of the construction team. Considering Wang Min's need to take care of the children, Chai Zhen suggested that Zhang Qing take charge of the garment-making work, and Sun Gui agreed. ... The lumberjacks brought in another twenty people...