Chapter 39 has landed

  "Wonderful! Truly wonderful! Haha...!" Yuan Fang couldn't help but burst out laughing as he looked at it. He spread the drawing paper flat on the table, pointing to the three small objects and exclaimed: "Just by adding these three simple things, you can control how deep or shallow the plow digs into the earth, wonderful! How come nobody thought of something so simple before?"

  Liu's eyes lit up in front of him, and he could see so many things from a single picture. It seems that Yuan Fang still has the possibility to make a curved plow.

  Yuan Fang carefully put away the drawing paper and looked at Liu Yitiao with admiration, saying: "Mr. Liu, this drawing of yours is really exquisite. According to the drawing, the plow head made will be two to three times more useful than Wei's plow, let alone the straight-shafted plow! Moreover, it doesn't require much material, just a bit more intricate in structure, which will take some effort to make. But I'm confident that I can make a pair in three days!"

  "Really?!" Liu Yitiao was overjoyed and respectfully said to Yuan Fang, "I'd be grateful if Old Man Yuan could trouble himself to make twenty copies for me. The price is not a problem, just name whatever you need."

  Yuan Fang waved his hand and said, "Mr. Liu only needs to provide the necessary wood and plowshares for me, as for the labor costs, I won't take a single cent, I'll make twenty pairs for you for free. However, I have one condition..."

  "Oh? Old Yuan, please go ahead and speak." Liu Yitiao said solemnly: "As long as it's within my power, I will definitely comply without exception."

  "Hehe, it's not that serious," Yuan Fang smiled and said: "The old man just loves this picture of a plow very much, and wants to ask Mr. Liu to give it up to him."

  Liu let out a sigh of relief and said, "If Old Man Yuan likes it, he can just take it. This painting is not suitable for me, and having it here would be like hiding a pearl in the dark, it wouldn't serve any purpose."

  "Alright, I won't be polite then." Yuan Fang smiled and tucked the painting paper into his bosom. Then he said to Liu Yitiao: "It's a bit late today, Mr. Liu can go collect some willow trees tomorrow. Let's say thirty for now. Remember, the tree trunks must be straight, not too thick, and about ten years old. After collecting them, send them here. Also, please order twenty plows from an ironwork shop at your convenience. The style should be similar to that of a straight-shafted plow. Once all the materials are ready, I and Pei'er will make it for Mr. Liu in the shortest time possible. We won't delay the spring planting."

  "It's a trouble for Old Man Yuan and Uncle Yuan." The matter had come to an end, and Liu Yitiao's heart also settled down. Seeing that the sky was already late, he got up and bid farewell to Yuan Fang and his son, saying: "The sky is getting late, I won't disturb you anymore."

  Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, and in the evening, every household must worship their ancestors, so it's not convenient to keep guests. Therefore, Yuan Fang and his son didn't say anything to retain him, but politely sent Liu Yitiao out of the door and saw him off as he left.

  Liu Yitiao returned home, and the family members had already gotten up. Liu He's wife was cooking in the kitchen with Liu Xiaohui, while Liu Laoshi and Liu Ertiao were feeding the oxen in the courtyard.

  When he saw Liu Yitiao return, Old Liu asked: "Yitiao, where have you been? You've been gone for a whole afternoon and nobody has seen your shadow?"

  "Oh, I went to Xia'er Village." Liu Yitiao replied: "To ask Old Man Yuan to make a few plows for opening up the wasteland. It's already been agreed upon, and tomorrow we'll send some materials over to him."

  "Is it Yuan Fang?" Old Liu nodded, saying: "This is what should be done. The ten new cows at home don't have matching plows, and we really need to prepare a few sets. Hmm, and there's also the cultivator, hoe, pickaxe, and sickle that need to be prepared. Let's go to the county town tomorrow to purchase some."

  "Hmm." Yī Tiáo responded with a murmur, then turned to Yī èr Tiáo and said: "èr Tiáo, tomorrow Wang Xiāng will be promoted to Cháng'ān. You come with me to see him off. He's your teacher now, so make sure to show some warmth."

  "Mr. Wang has been promoted?!". Liu Er Tiao's eyes widened in surprise and delight.

  "Ah, Zhong Shangshu's history, sixth rank. Liu Yitiao said: 'This afternoon, Wang Daren came over, but at that time you were all sleeping and didn't let me call you. He just said a few words and left.'"

  Old Liu interjected, "Since Master Wang is leaving for a promotion, you should all go early tomorrow to see him off. Bring more gifts and pay your respects, so as not to appear unenthusiastic and disappoint the teacher."

  "Got it, Dad, we'll be careful." Liu Yitiao replied. This matter was something that Old Liu didn't need to say, he also knew what to do.

  After a while of busy work, Liu Yitiao drove Liu Ertiao into the house. Children should focus on their studies and not always be fooling around behind the cow's buttocks.

  Looked up at the sky, it's not completely dark yet. Taking advantage of the remaining time, Liu Yitiao took out the leftover bamboo from yesterday and cut them into long strips as thick as fingers in the courtyard. He started weaving a basket for cattle.

  A bamboo-made tool used to restrict cattle from eating crops, similar to a horse muzzle, woven with bamboo, worn on the cow's mouth while plowing, preventing them from biting crops and eating grass freely. There is an idiom describing a good field: "a cow's mouth with a bamboo muzzle - can't open its mouth". This is a practical small tool that can improve the efficiency of cattle farming.

  Lao Liu saw that Liu Yitiao was again fiddling with some new gadget, and hurried over. From treating intestinal obstruction to piercing the noses of oxen for plowing, Old Liu had complete faith in their family's skills.

  Look at Liu, a strip of bamboo strips was woven into a small basket-like thing. Old Liu asked curiously: "One strip, why do you weave such a small bamboo basket? It can't hold too many things."

  Liu Yitiao smiled and didn't answer, but instead walked to the front of their family's little yellow cow, put the woven muzzle on the cow's mouth, just fitting its upper and lower jaws, very suitable. Patting the cow's head, Liu Yitiao turned to Old Liu and said: "Dad, you also saw that this is for cows, it doesn't need to be too big, as long as it can fit the cow's mouth."

  "What...?" Old Liu's face was full of question marks, what was he doing putting a cow muzzle on?

  Xiao Huang didn't understand, so Liu Yi Tiao grabbed a handful of dry grass and put it to Xiao Huang's mouth. Xiao Huang was delighted and leaned in, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the grass into his mouth because the bamboo tube on his beak kept getting in the way. After several attempts, Xiao Huang gave up and looked at Liu Yi Tiao with a pair of big, watery eyes, looking rather resentful.

  Old Liu finally understood a bit when he saw this. He started nodding non-stop. With this small basket, in the future when farming, he won't have to worry about the ox looking around for food to eat again.

  Then Liu Yitiao brought some ropes and taught Lao Liu to tie a rope around the neck of the plowing cow.

  From the cow's nose ring, through the lower jaw, over the horn, and then around the forehead, forming a triangular inner pants shape with the cow's nose as the base point. With this, it can effectively protect the cow's nose and prevent injury during traction.

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  There is still one more chapter at noon, and some modifications need to be made to the previous chapters tonight, thank you for everyone's opinions and support.