Chapter 38: The Crooked Plow Handle

  Liu Yitiao returned to the house, looking at the thin book in his hand, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

  Now we have the money and the people.

  All that's left is the curved plow.

  As for Guan Yu's plow, Liu had already thought of a plan in his heart. So today he wanted to visit someone, that is Yuan Fang who used to diagnose cattle diseases for him.

  Liu Yitiao had never thought that Yuan Fang, apart from being a farmer, was also a carpenter. And it's the high-end kind. This was mentioned unintentionally by Old Liu. In several neighboring villages, including their own, almost every practical piece of furniture came from Yuan Fang's hands.

  Last time when he visited the doctor, Liu Yitiao had a good relationship with Yuan Fang, so this time he wanted to take the opportunity to visit him. To see if Yuan Fang can make a curved beam plow based on the drawing he made.

  After packing lightly, Liu Yitiao brought some gifts and headed out. The destination was the Yuan residence in Xia'er Village.

  The person who opened the door was a middle-aged man, Yuan Fang's son Yuan Pei, whom he had met once when he came to deliver cattle. Yuan Pei immediately recognized Liu Yitiao and loudly called out "Liu Shen Yi, Liu Shen Yi" as he invited Liu Yitiao into the house.

  Liu Yitiao also followed the example of Wang Zhihong's earlier visit to their home, first offering a stick of incense to the ancestors of the Yuan family and bowing his head in respect.

  After Liu Yitiao sat down in the living room, Yuan Pei went to call Yuan Fang. Liu Yitiao took the opportunity to examine the furniture of the Yuan family. The bright red table and chairs, the tall brown door, and the intricate carvings on them made even Liu Yitiao, an outsider in carpentry, see a sense of heaviness and cleverness. Practical yet aesthetically pleasing, Yuan Fang had good hands.

  "Mr. Liu has arrived, and I'm afraid we didn't welcome him from afar, which is truly impolite." Just then, Yuan Fang hurried out of the inner hall, his clothes still not properly adjusted.

  Liu Yitiao, seeing him like this, couldn't help but feel a little moved in his heart. He stood up and hastily paid respects to Yuan Fang, saying: "Elder Yuan, I'm Liu Yitiao, I've come uninvited and disturbed your rest."

  "Ah, Mr. Liu, this is my humble abode, I'm glad you could come. Old man that I am, I'm delighted to have you here." Yuan Fang walked into the main hall, and said to Liu Yitiao: "Mr. Liu, no need for formalities, please take a seat. My old man's house doesn't have many rules, just make yourself at home."

  "Yes, Doctor Liu, my father hates those trivial formalities. You don't have to be polite in our house." Yuan Pei also chimed in from the side.

  "In that case, I won't be polite." Liu Yitiao found a seat and sat down, took the tea handed over by Yuan Pei, took a sip, and put it on the side table.

  Yuan Fang smiled and nodded, saying: "Mr. Liu has come to find Xiao Lao Er, I'm afraid there's something to discuss. It doesn't matter, just speak directly, as long as it's something Xiao Lao Er can help with, he will definitely not stand by idly!"

  Since the last time Liu Yitiao willingly returned the cattle and repaid the agreed-upon money, Yuan Fang had felt a sense of gratitude towards him. He didn't care about the one or two taels of silver, but what was important was that he saw Liu Yitiao's character through this matter: sincere, kind-hearted, and also very capable. This time, the county quickly found an effective remedy for treating the cattle, others might not know, but Yuan Fang knew clearly in his heart that the prescription was provided by Liu Yitiao.

  Apart from him, Zhang Chuyin might also be able to guess some of it. Because when their oxen were returned, the strong garlic and wine smell in the cow's mouth was almost identical to the medicine sent down by the county. This situation is something that even a fool could figure out, and the county's prescription was likely contributed by Liu Yitia. So from then on, Yuan Fang began to regard Liu Yitia as a respectable person in his heart.

  Liu Yitiao watched as Yuan Fang was so direct and generous, and he no longer made polite conversation with him. He directly took out the painting paper from his bosom and handed it to Yuan Fang, saying: "Yuan Laobo, please take a look at this. This is an unintentionally obtained plowing picture. It looks very different from the commonly used straight-shafted plow nowadays. It seems to be more convenient and easier to use than the straight-shafted plow. So I thought of making it out for trial use. Yuan Laobo is a master in this field, do you think you can make one according to the picture?"

  Yuan Fang took over the drawings, looked at them for a moment, and said in surprise: "Isn't this Wei Chui?"

  "Hmm? No," Yuan Fang looked carefully for a while, saying: "Wei's plow is straight shaft, but this one is curved shaft. And the structure of this plow head seems to be more delicate and complex than Wei's plow. Hmm, interesting..."

  Yuan Fang's words also shocked Liu Yitiao, what is that? Does it look like a curved share plow? Why haven't I heard of it before?

  "Old Yuan, what is that thing called a 'wei li'? Does it look like the plow head in this picture? Why haven't I seen anyone use it before?" asked Liu Yitiao.

  Yuan Fang shifted his gaze away from the blueprint and said, "The Weili plow is a new type of plow that's much more useful than the current ones. A few years ago, I tried making one myself, and the lower part of the Weili plow looks similar to the plow head in your drawing, both having a rotatable plow disc for easy turning and movement. Hmm, just some minor differences in the size of the plow disc. Upon closer inspection, it seems like the Weili plow is missing something compared to the one in your drawing. Hmm, interesting - if this plow head were made, it should be even more useful than the Weili plow."

  "How to do it, hmm, should first make the top frame, make a curved axle, yes, a curved axle will be more labor-saving than a straight axle, why didn't I think of it before. Hmm, then again..." Yuan Fang muttered to himself.

  Yuan Pei saw this and somewhat apologetically said to Liu Yitiao: "Liu Shenyi, don't mind him. My dad always gets like this when he sees something new. Just ignore him, he'll come around once he thinks it through."

  Liu Yitiao smiled understandingly and said, "It's okay, an extraordinary person does extraordinary things. Mr. Yuan's great achievements in carpentry must be related to his focus."

  After finishing, Liu Yitiao looked at Yuan Pei and asked: "With the guidance of Old Man Yuan, I think Uncle Yuan's skills in carpentry are also remarkable. I have some doubts and would like to ask for your advice."

  Yuan Pei smiled and said: "Is the divine doctor Liu going to ask about this Yu Li matter?"

  Seeing Liu nodding, Yuan Pei explained: "Just now my father said that Wei Li is a new type of plow, very practical and easy to use, but not many people can afford it. Making a Wei Li, whether it's labor or materials, roughly calculated, costs more than five taels of silver, almost as expensive as a head of cattle. So ordinary families can't afford it at all. Not many people use it, so you haven't seen one before, which is normal."

  "But what's even more surprising is the plowing diagram of Dr. Liu, which seems to be much lighter and more agile than the usual plow. Is it a new type of plow head?" Yuan Pei asked Liu Yitiao: "May I ask where this diagram comes from, Doctor Liu?"

  "This," Liu Yitiao said with a difficult expression, "concerns some secrets that are inconvenient to mention. Please forgive me, Uncle Yuan!"

  Yuan Pei saw this and smiled, saying: "Never mind, I was just curious for a moment. If it's not convenient to say, then forget it. For a good carpenter, having the blueprint is enough."

  Yuan Pei's words made Liu Yitiao overjoyed, and he excitedly asked: "As Uncle Yuan said, then what can this plow head do?!"

  "I don't dare say for others, but as for my dad, he will definitely be able to do it." Yuan Pei replied proudly.