Chapter 175: This is Clearly a Picture Book
March arrived, and with life blooming anew, it should have been an excellent season for sowing. Everything was perfect, save for the heavens withholding their rain.
Fortunately, while the heavens withheld their rain, the Heavenly Lord bestowed it.
Gao Yiye whispered to the villagers that the Heavenly Lord had, once again, seized the Dragon King by the neck with his mighty hand, compelling him to unleash the rain.
The villagers of Wangjia Village began sowing sorghum.
It was only then that Li Daoxuan truly understood how farmers in these nearby villages sustained themselves during normal years. They typically sowed sorghum in March for an autumn harvest, then planted winter wheat in September, which would be harvested the following May or June.
If the wheat harvest ran late, sorghum planting would be postponed until June...
The farmers operated on their own rhythms, constantly adjusting their timing to plant the most suitable crops.
This practice, seemingly straightforward yet intricately complex, was second nature to a rural child. Yet, for a city-dweller like Li Daoxuan, he wouldn't necessarily grasp it even after intense observation.
If he couldn't comprehend, he just enjoyed the simple pleasure, content to share the villagers' naive joy.
Gao Chuwu escorted her to the village entrance but dared not speak much. He was still steeped in the guilt of having "taken advantage of her vulnerability" when she was injured, and hadn't yet emerged from it.
This meant the 'Gossiping Heavenly Lord' hadn't managed a proper gossip session lately, leaving him quite dejected.
Still, it was fine. Xing Honglang would use Gao Family Village as her long-term base of operations from now on; she would always return after a trip. There was still plenty more of this love story to witness.
These past few days, Gao Family Village had gained a remarkably conspicuous figure: Ma Tianzheng.
This Daoist priest wandered around the village every day.
He didn't look for work; he just collected his relief rations daily, then meandered through the village, observing everything. His main focus was always on the various 'divine objects'.
For instance, the Solar Car. The Daoist priest studied this invention daily, but given his knowledge, no matter how much he pondered it, he remained convinced it was the chariot of the Sun Star Official, Mao Ri Xing Guan. There was no mistaking it.
He also studied the millstone-sized Divine Rice, and the result of his research was, without a doubt, that it was celestial Divine Rice.
However, after this fellow finished his research into the 'celestial Divine Rice,' he suddenly had an idea.
Li Daoxuan saw him pull aside an old villager from Gao Family Village, one of the original 42 members, Gao Laba. Gao Laba's specialty was making pottery jars, and he also worked as a patrol guard on the city wall, often twirling a bow on the ramparts. When Padi Tu first arrived at Gao Family Village, it was Gao Laba who greeted him.
Incidentally, when Xing Honglang first came to Gao Family Village, Gao Laba also greeted her.
He was a genuine social butterfly!
It wasn't his turn to work today; instead, he was relaxing lazily at home, but he was quickly cornered by Ma Tianzheng. After all, Ma Tianzheng also preferred talking to social butterflies and wasn't keen on conversing with quiet types.
Ma Tianzheng inquired, "Good sir, how did you previously consume the celestial Divine Rice? With such enormous grains, you couldn't possibly cook them whole, could you?"
Gao Laba chuckled foolishly, "Of course, we chip away at it with a chisel. We chip off a piece and boil it into porridge."
Ma Tianzheng exclaimed, utterly distraught, "What a squandering of a divine gift! How can such a miraculous food be consumed so carelessly?"
Gao Laba wondered, "Then what do you suggest we do?"
Ma Tianzheng said, "When this poor Daoist traveled in the south, I was fortunate enough to learn a method for processing rice. Southerners would soak, steam, and press the rice into strips, eventually making a food called rice noodles. This method is perfectly suited for the colossal celestial rice. This poor Daoist will simply teach you this method."
Gao Laba, in turn, became interested and busied himself experimenting with Ma Tianzheng.
Li Daoxuan was also amused. "Making rice noodles, huh? How fun! I've always just ordered takeout rice noodles, but I never knew the process. A good chance to watch and learn."
However, the very first step, soaking the rice, took a long time. Li Daoxuan, disinclined to watch a drawn-out, static process, turned his attention elsewhere and completely forgot about the matter.
Several days later...
On Gao Family Village's commercial street, the first shop opened for business.
A bookstore!
San Shier personally stepped in as the temporary shopkeeper, hiring two assistants to help. Festive red decorations were displayed, preparing for a grand opening.
When the bookstore opened, the villagers of Gao Family Village found it amusing.
What kind of place was this?
A place teeming with illiterates! Even though it already boasted a population of over a thousand, fewer than a hundred could read. What on earth was the purpose of opening a bookstore here?
The villagers couldn't understand it.
But their lack of understanding didn't stop them from flocking to watch the spectacle.
On the day of the bookstore's opening, the entrance was swarming with onlookers, packed in layers. Almost all of the original 42 Gao Family Village residents were present, immigrants from Wangjia Village, Zhengjia Village, and Zhongjia Village also arrived in full force, and a large crowd of temporary workers from the Short-term Workers Village gathered as well.
Everyone was whispering among themselves, "This bookstore will probably close down in a few days, won't it?"
"Only a few scholars and a dozen or so children can read. But the children's books are provided by the Heavenly Lord; they don't need to buy books at all.'"
"What exactly is Steward San up to?"
Amidst the buzz of chatter, Mr. Wang stepped forward. The slender Mr. Wang was usually very low-key, rarely venturing beyond the 'School Well.' Aside from teaching the children to read and write, he spent the rest of his time reading.
Thus, everyone tended to overlook his presence. However, to their surprise, Mr. Wang today abandoned his usual reserve. He stood at the very front, waved a hand at the chattering crowd, and loudly declared, "Silence, all of you!"
Everyone still held scholars in high regard. At his reprimand, they immediately stopped their discussions and stared at him with strange expressions.
Mr. Wang said, "Just because you can't read, do you intend to make sport of the bookstore? Hmph! Without books, there is no cultural inheritance, and this world would be ruined. Steward San established this bookstore to 'revive the lost wisdom of the ancient sages.' I will certainly give my full support. Once the bookstore opens, I will be the first to enter and buy a book, to contribute my humble efforts and ensure it never closes down!"
Hearing him speak thus, everyone was filled with reverence and no longer dared to speak ill of the bookstore.
Just then, the bookstore's doors swung open. San Shier walked out, smiling broadly, and declared loudly, "The auspicious hour has arrived! I announce that Gao Family Village Bookstore is officially open! And here, I shall grandly unveil the very first book published by this establishment..."
Cheers erupted!
Mr. Wang was overcome with excitement. "What wonderful book is it?" he exclaimed. "I'll pre-order a set right away!"
San Shier held up a book with both hands. It had a blue cover, featuring a mounted general carrying a spear horizontally. Next to it, a line of vertically printed characters formed the title.
The common folk, being illiterate, stared blankly at the title.
Mr. Wang recognized the title at a glance. "The Yang Family Generals: Blue Blood and Clear Skies!" he exclaimed. "Excellent book, excellent book!" No sooner had he spoken than San Shier, facing the crowd, opened to the first page.
No words, not a single character. Only a drawing. He turned the page, and there was another drawing. He turned yet another page, and still another drawing.
Mr. Wang: "!!!"
The common folk cried out, "Wow! We understand! The Yang Family Generals are slaying the Liao soldiers! What an excellent book, truly excellent!"
Mr. Wang shrieked, "Ah, ah, ah! This isn't a book at all! This is clearly a picture book!"
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