Chapter 20: The Li Family Excitedly Tries the New Plow, Deeply Astonished

When Li Su arrived at the smithy, it was not just the blacksmith Hu inside; everyone was busy, and at a glance, there were a dozen people or so.

Blacksmith Hu saw Li Su and hurried over, saying, “Young Master Li, you’re here. This is your plow, I’ve finished it.”

“Thank you,” Li Su replied.

Hu quickly said, “No need to thank me. Does this plow have a name?”

“Curved Beam Plow,” Li Su answered.

“Good, that’s a fine name, very fitting!” An old man with white hair clapped his hands approvingly. “Xiao Hu, is this the young master you spoke of who gave you the blueprint?”

Hu treated the white-haired old man with respect. “Yes, Master.”

The old man spoke politely to Li Su as well. “If you have any other ideas in the future, you can always come to us for collaboration.”

Li Su nodded slightly. The next thing he wanted to make was a wheelbarrow, so he would need a carpenter, not a blacksmith.

Hu had already produced a batch of curved beam plows. Once Li Su took his plow home, many people would come to buy one, since only his shop had them; no other smithy carried them.

Thinking of that scene, Hu couldn’t help but grin with delight.

Li Su loaded the curved beam plow onto the ox cart. The uncle driving the cart asked in surprise, “Su, did your family forge a new plow? This looks a bit different from the ones we use.”

“This is a curved beam plow. Look at its structure—it saves more effort and makes steering easier,” Li Su explained casually. The uncle’s eyes widened.

He had heard the rumor circulating in the village. “Is this the improved plow you mentioned?”

Li Su nodded. “Yes.”

“Amazing!” The uncle marveled. Without setting foot in the fields, Su had managed to invent an improved plow.

He wondered whether the results would be as good as Su claimed. Even if they weren’t, just coming up with an improved plow was impressive.

The uncle couldn’t help glancing repeatedly at the plow. If it really worked as promised and wasn’t too expensive, he’d like to buy one for his family.

Li Su carried the plow into the house. “Oh my, what are you lugging in?” Feng Cuicui asked in surprise.

It looked like a plow, but not quite.

“Mother, this is the improved plow I talked about. I’ll teach you all how to use it.” That way, his family would have an easier time in the fields tomorrow.

“Father, come quickly, come quickly! Xiao Si made some oddly-shaped plow and says he’ll teach you how to use it!” Feng Cuicui called excitedly into the house.

Li Su: ... What odd-shaped plow? It has a proper name—curved beam plow.

Li Daping, Li Zhengyi, and Li Zhengqiang hurried out, followed by the women and children, their curiosity piqued.

The Li family had a few plots in the courtyard for vegetables and scallions, convenient for cooking. Half a plot was currently empty, ready to be loosened and seeded. It was the perfect spot to try out the new plow.

After Li Su explained, the Li family looked intrigued. Was it really so miraculous? Could one person pull it, and would steering be easier?

“Try it for yourselves and you’ll see. Father, Big Brother, you go.” Hearing is one thing, seeing is believing.

Li Daping and Li Zhengyi excitedly carried the plow into the field and, following Li Su’s instructions, managed to pull it easily.

Li Zhengyi was thrilled and astonished. “It really works! And it’s easier than having two people pull!”

“And you can steer freely—changing direction is so easy. Look, I can switch directions with barely any effort!” Li Daping said, demonstrating for the women.

Li Zhengqiang became eager. “Big Brother, let me try!” He rushed to Li Zhengyi’s side, wanting to take over.

Li Su: ... This was the first time he’d seen someone fighting to pull a plow.

Li Zhengyi reluctantly handed it over. Li Zhengqiang grabbed the plow and exclaimed, “I feel like I could pull this all day!”

Li Su was at a loss for words, but he respected their enthusiasm.

The women watched with excitement. This meant they could work more easily. Their gazes toward Li Su were full of warmth and admiration for his abilities.

For the first time, the Li family looked forward to the next day’s labor, eager to show off their new plow.

Li Su read until drowsiness overtook him, then went to bed. Early the next morning, he went to the academy. It felt much like modern student life—early rising, late sleeping, and cramming books.

Li Su thought to himself that he’d never worked so hard on exam material, not even before the college entrance exam; back then, he was reading miscellaneous books.

The next day, he went to the county early and sought out a carpenter to make a small business cart with wheels and a spot for a stove.

He didn’t have enough money to buy a shop in town yet, nor was it necessary for now. He’d test the market first. If business was good, he could buy a shop later.

In Li Su’s mind, even if each transaction earned little, a brisk business could rack up earnings quickly.

The carpenter studied the blueprint for a long while. “I can make it, but it will take several days. You’ll need to pay a deposit of one hundred coins.” Since the design was complex, he decided to collect part of the payment up front.

He wondered to himself. Lately, there were many people with odd ideas. Not long ago, he’d heard that a blacksmith on a nearby street had bought a blueprint and called in his whole master’s guild.

Today’s blueprint was unusual too, but he had no intention to buy it; he hadn’t enough silver, and although it looked useful, not many would need it.

Most food vendors already had their own shops. Those without shops might not want to spend extra money on such a cart.

Li Su swiftly paid the deposit and hurried to the academy. His days were filled and busy, with no time for leisure reading—only study materials for the exam.

He had never imagined he would work so hard for study and exams.

But, thinking it over, if he wanted to compete for first place against scholars who had studied for years, effort was essential.

Li Su’s mood was quite good. He had a loving family and was willing to do things for them. He had clear goals and enjoyed his current life, though there was some pressure.

He had never really been a goal-oriented person before; reading and studying had simply been ways to pass the time.

...

Back at the Li household, everyone was excitedly carrying the new plow to the fields, faces alight with anticipation.

This was the plow Xiao Si had made for them! Out of concern for their hard work, he had put his mind to improving the plow, making it more efficient and less laborious.

They were proud to have such a talented son or brother.

Now, the villagers knew about the Li family’s glorious encounter with the Wang family, and those who used to gossip behind their backs had become much quieter lately.

If the Li family came knocking, they couldn’t handle it.

It was rumored that the youngest Li son even knew the county constable—making them even less likely to be provoked.

“Old Li, is that a plow you’re carrying? I’ve never seen one like it,” an uncle familiar with Li Daping asked.