Chapter 48: The Liu Family's Plow

  The county government pays 8 cents to each night fragrance officer every month. After Liu Yitiao took over, he added 1 cent on the original basis because he had to send the night fragrance to his own land. Each person gets 9 cents, and there are 38 night fragrance officers in the county. Calculating for a month, Liu Yitiao needs to pay 342 cents.

  Liu Yitiao calculated in his heart that in a year, he would have to pay thirty-eight nights of fragrance for four taels and one hundred seventy-six coins, one hundred fifty-eight households for nearly nineteen taels, plus the annual taxes to be paid to the imperial court, he would roughly spend thirty taels.

  Thirty mu of land, two harvests a year, about 40 to 45 wen per mu, and in good years there will be more. Calculating three thousand mu, the annual income is at least one hundred and twenty guan. Moreover, with the continuous nourishment of farm manure, the land will become even more fertile, and the yield of crops will increase again. In two years, it's not impossible for one mu to reach 180 guan.

  One hundred and eighty taels may not be a lot, but it's enough for Lao Liu to save up over several decades.

  "One year of sitting at home without moving can earn 180 taels, being a landlord is indeed promising." The corner of Liu Yitiaos mouth slowly curled up, no wonder so many people want to be landlords, the profit from land is quite considerable. Especially in this era where agriculture is the foundation.

  Liu Yitiao went directly to Xiamen Village's Yuan Fangjia after returning from the county.

  Now he has everything ready, only lacking a curved beam plow. Whether or not the curved beam plow can be made directly affects whether his spring cultivation can proceed smoothly. As time is getting closer and closer, in just over a month, when the weather warms up and the ground thaws, it will be possible to start cultivating. To remove weeds from the wasteland, turn over the accumulated soil, apply fertilizer, and then sow seeds, a good plow is essential.

  In the backyard of the Yuan family, Liu Yitiao saw Yuan Fang who was intently carving a plow frame.

  The plow frame already has a basic model. The plow beam, plow bed and plow tail have all been framed, and Yuan Fang is now carving the most complex part of the curved plow, the plow build, plow evaluation and plow arrow. These three places are the most different from other types of plows, and also the most difficult to carve. The three components fit together perfectly, forming a small mechanism that can be adjusted manually. With just a touch, you can adjust the depth of the plow blade's descent.

  Liu Yitiao was watching from the side, although he didn't understand carpentry, but he had seen the shape of the curved share plow. With him by his side, he could remind Yuan Fang from time to time. After all, he was the only one in this era who knew the approximate structure of the curved share plow.

  The main person making the plow was Yuan Fang, with Yuan Pei assisting him on the side. There wasn't much to do anyway. So he took on the task of accompanying Liu Yitiao instead. This time, Liu Yitiao was their host, and although Old Yuan had said it was free for Liu Yitiao, Yuan Pei knew in his heart that this time, making the plow would bring more benefits to the Yuan family than just a few days' wages.

  As a carpenter who often makes furniture and farm tools for farmers, Yuan Fang and Yuan Pei could see the value of curved-share plows. This is a kind of plow that is more advanced than all current plows. It is made with precision, cultivates quickly. More importantly, its production materials and labor costs are only twice as much as those of ordinary straight-share plows, but its cultivation speed is two to three times that of straight-share plows.

  If such a plow were to be put on the market, there would certainly be many farmers willing to pay for it. As the only family of carpenters who can make this kind of plow, the future of the Old Yuan family is easy to imagine.

  Yuan Pei brought over a chair for Liu Yitiao, gesturing for him to sit down and watch. Yuan Fang began working, and generally wouldn't stop to rest until one or two hours had passed. Normally, if someone stood by watching, they would get tired after a long time.

  But Liu Yitiao was a rustic fellow who had practiced the inch punch, standing on one leg was child's play for him, let alone standing on the ground. Moreover, letting the older Yuan Fang and Yuan Pei stand while he sat down was very impolite behavior. So he shook his head and refused.

  Yuan Pei saw Liu Yitiao not willing to sit down, nodded and smiled: "Since Doctor Liu doesn't want to sit now, let's wait until he's tired before sitting. Hehe, don't worry, with my dad taking action, the Liu family plow will be made soon."

  "Liú's plow?" When did you start calling me that? Liú Yītiao was taken aback: "Uncle Yuán, why are you addressing me like this?"

  Yuan Pei smiled and explained, "It's precisely because everyone doesn't know what this plow is for, so it's very inconvenient to call it. Therefore, my father used the surname of Liu Shenyi as its name. After all, it was Liu Shenyi who brought the production drawings of this plow here. This title is quite appropriate."

  "This doesn't seem quite right, does it?"

  "It doesn't matter, it's just a name between us. Mr. Liu shouldn't mind too much." Yuan Fang put down the engraving knife and stood up. "Wait until later when you know the true name of this plow, then change it if you want to."

  "Mr. Yuan," Liu Yitiao stepped forward and bowed, handing over the chair beside him, saying: "Mr. Yuan has had a hard time, please sit down and take a rest."

  "It's all right," Yuan Fang waved his hand and said, "Wait for me to assemble these parts together, and the frame of the Liu plow will be formed. Soon Mr. Liu can see the whole picture of the Liu plow."

  "Really?!" Liu Yitiao exclaimed with joy: "Didn't they say it would take three days? How can it be so quick?"

  Yuan Pei explained to Liu, "The three days I mentioned earlier was a conservative estimate. When my father actually started making it, he found that the structure of the Liu family's plow was not as complicated as imagined, so it was finished ahead of schedule."

  "Pei'er, go get the plowshare from home." Yuan Fang instructed Yuan Pei at this time, laughing and pulling Liu Yitiao, pointing to his newly installed curved beam plow: "Mr. Liu, please take a look, this is the frame of the Liu-style plow depicted in the picture. Once the plowshare and handle are attached, it can be used directly for farming."

  "My family has a ready-made plow cow, harness, and once it's all set up, Mr. Liu can try it out in the backyard." Yuan Fang said confidently: "I can guarantee that the Liu-style plow will be at least twice as fast as the current one, if not more. It will definitely meet Mr. Liu's requirements."

  Liu Yitiao walked around the plow frame twice, secretly praising that Yuan Fang's craftsmanship was indeed unparalleled. The plow head he made, whether it was the large frame or the small parts, was almost identical to the curved yoke plow. He truly deserved to be the best carpenter in several nearby villages. He bowed to Yuan Fang and said: "Old Master Yuan's craftsmanship is superb! This plow looks almost exactly like the one drawn on the picture. I admire it greatly!"

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