Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 215, Section 214: What I Saw and Heard on the Road
In September, all corvée labor was temporarily suspended throughout the country, and countless laborers were sent back to their hometowns.

It is now the time when soybeans and millet are ripe for harvest. The Qin state is mainly engaged in farming and warfare, and when not at war, people are engaged in corvée labor.

However, corvée labor should not delay the harvest, otherwise how could the Qin granaries be so abundant?
Therefore, people began to return to their hometowns one after another at this time.

But the long-oppressed people did not seem to feel any joy.

Because these strong men and women were conscripted for corvée labor, and their families only had women, children, and the elderly in their fields, even if they had good land to cultivate, they could not cultivate it carefully, so how could they have a good harvest?
People returned to the city in groups according to their registered residence. As they left Xianyang, it seemed as if they could hear people discussing the Queen's benevolence...

Everyone was stunned.

"Sir, has our Queen of Qin bestowed any reward upon you?"

If they weren't being rewarded, why would they boast about it everywhere in the countryside?
The old man, however, was overjoyed:
"Our queen ordered a new type of plow to be made. My wife and I can pull it and plow even the worst fields."

"If we plant millet again next year, we'll probably harvest another two or three bushels!"

His deeply lined face was beaming with joy, and his thin body couldn't contain the satisfaction of being well-fed.

It was as if the queen had sent not a plow, but granaries full of grain.

But the abundance of grain in granaries can leave these farmers at the bottom of society feeling bewildered and helpless. The tools they need to cultivate the land better, deeper, and more meticulously are more like teaching them how to fish than teaching them how to fish.

At the same time, there are places even closer to Xianyang.

A middle-aged man helped his white-haired teacher off the boat to the ferry, where they saw vast stretches of reeds still swaying in the autumn wind.

The group of teachers and students were taken aback.

"Has everyone here been conscripted for corvée labor? How come it's already autumn and no one has picked the reeds yet?"

For poor families, winter was a struggle to survive. They had nothing but tattered hemp and scraps of cotton to stuff their clothes. They mostly used reeds and wild grasses.

But the wild grass on the riverbank was lush and the reeds were swaying in the breeze, clearly indicating that no one had harvested them yet.

“In recent years, I have observed that corvée labor has become increasingly heavy. Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, I heard that there was a notice in Xianyang City to suspend some corvée labor. Now it seems that it was just empty talk.”

"I know that there was a rumor that the King of Qin wanted to build an Epang Palace in Shanglin Garden, but the corvée labor was stopped before it was even started, and those people went to build the imperial highway instead..."

"The harsh laws and severe punishments of Qin are all imposed on ordinary people. I heard that a queen has been appointed. If the queen gives birth to children and the rule of Qin continues stably, then the people will suffer even more harsh punishments..."

"If this continues, within a few decades, war will break out again, and the world will soon fall apart."

The crowd murmured amongst themselves. The elderly man, his back hunched, slowly looked around at the reeds, then at the vast expanse of river and field, before taking a step forward:
"A thousand words are not as good as seeing, hearing, and asking for yourself."

"Hear it, see it, know it, and do it."

"What good is it for you to just sigh? Don't let down your master's lifelong principles."

When the teacher mentioned their grandmaster who had passed away 10 years ago, everyone fell silent, their expressions tinged with sadness.

Even though the teacher was famous throughout the seven kingdoms, the Qin state now unified the world.

The Qin state only employed Legalists.

Even renowned Confucian scholars who went there only became doctors of little use.

He is only in charge of historical matters, books, and regulations. Although he participates in important affairs of the court, he has not yet been given a significant position.

Throughout their lives, they dedicated themselves to teaching and imparting knowledge, like fireflies, able to emit only a faint glimmer of light in the darkest of places.

When will the world be able to see their radiant glory?
Further on, after passing through a shrubbery area, we saw many people digging up the heavy yellow mud.

Why is this?
Not just digging.

They also parked some strange-looking wheelbarrows by the roadside.

The cart has a large cargo box at the front, which looks like it can hold quite a lot of items, but underneath it only has one wheel and two handles, showing that the craftsman used extremely frugal materials.

"Won't it tilt when pushed with only one wheel? Even if you want to save some wood, you shouldn't do it in a place like this."

Some of the disciples murmured among themselves.

However, they kept their master's teachings in mind. Although they had doubts, they did not speak rashly. Instead, they stopped by the roadside and watched for a while longer.

One of the women, dark-skinned and thin, was carrying two loads of yellow mud, walking barefoot and slowly making her way forward, before emptying the mud into the cart.

A woman digging in the mud with her asked her, "Spring, will you come again?"

The woman shook her head: "I'm not coming anymore. This is my second load of mud, and I can't afford to buy much coal powder. If I'm frugal, this will be enough."

As she spoke, she tightly wrapped a kudzu vine around the two handlebars, then hung it around her neck and wrapped it behind her shoulders.

He turned his body upside down, put his hands behind him, and actually dragged the wheelbarrow forward.

Everyone was shocked!

This wheelbarrow was loaded with a full load of yellow mud, and this woman was actually able to push it!

and……

"It only lacks one wheel, yet it looks so convenient?"

Their route was not an official road, but just a country lane! If a two-wheeled cart had no tracks, it would surely be severely worn and extremely difficult to use.

But this wheelbarrow is truly a brilliant idea!
In this late autumn season, why are they digging up so much yellow mud? Is it perhaps to make the house even less drafty?

The crowd unconsciously surrounded the teacher and walked forward. The woman noticed that someone was following her, turned around and saw a group of people dressed in fine cloth. She knew that they were of noble status, but not officials.

So he turned slightly to the side and walked towards the edge of the country road.

The elderly man slowly raised his hand, stopping his disciples in their tracks, and then beckoned forward:

"Old woman, we have come here to study, but we see everyone here digging in yellow mud. We wonder why?"

The woman, hearing his somewhat awkward speech, could only catch her breath: "Our Queen has sent people to promote these coal briquettes; those with money can simply buy honeycomb briquettes."

“For poor families like mine, we can just buy coal powder and mix it ourselves.”

“If you can’t even afford coal dust, you can exchange five cartloads of yellow mud for one cartload of coal dust. My family has already exchanged three cartloads, which is enough.”

Everyone was stunned again.

What kind of coal dust? How can you use yellow mud to replace it?
The old woman couldn't understand, so she asked frankly, "What are you going to do with this coal dust? Is there a place for you at home? I'd like to ask my disciples for a drink of water."

There were more than a dozen people in the crowd. The woman who had been calling for love hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed.

"You must verify the talisman first."

If you travel to an unfamiliar place and arrive in a rural area, you are likely to be arrested if you do not have your credentials verified at the post station.

The old man smiled and said, "Of course."

But then the woman became smug again: "My children are very strong, and I have honeycomb briquettes. You're lucky to have come this far; at least you still have hot water to drink, so you don't get sick if you get infested with bugs."

He was clearly very proud of this.

Of course, hot water also requires coal to heat it.

The woman was so generous because two strong men had already come over to help take over her cart.

Since this patch of yellow clay could be freely dug by many people, it must be quite far from the village.

The woman led the group for another two or three miles, and they happened to pass by a post station. While waiting for people to verify the talisman, two men helped her push the wheelbarrow forward.

They were discussing whether to push forward or pull backward, and the ingenious use of the wheelbarrow on this country road. Without this wheelbarrow, the woman would have to carry yellow mud for several miles back and forth, making countless trips a day, and still not carrying much.

"The person who came up with this method must have come from a poor family and done hard labor, which is why they understand the importance of valuing human resources!"

They discussed it loudly.

The woman, however, said blankly:

"What, didn't you go to the post station to attend classes and collect millet? The wheelbarrow was also the Queen's idea."

Everyone was greatly surprised.

What, what... they've heard that the Queen is of noble birth?
“You don’t understand,” the woman said mysteriously.

“I have a relative who is serving in Xianyang. Now that he has returned, I have heard that the Queen is a celestial messenger from Kunlun.”

She cheered up again: "If it weren't for that, why would they care about us so much? We should offer incense to all the gods during the New Year."

Everyone was quite bewildered.

They also heard that the queen came from a very noble family, and that the Ba family had presented her with a crystal tree. Although the queen did not say anything, her maid said that it was only fit to be used to decorate the windows of Ganquan Palace...

This wheelbarrow, the yellow mud, and the coal dust—it's all so different from the Crystal Tree!

After walking another mile, they finally arrived at the woman's house.

There was a sparse fence outside the courtyard, and some vegetables were growing inside the wall. A young man was vigorously turning over a pile of yellowish-black things on the ground.

Upon seeing this, the woman hurriedly stepped forward before she could even greet them:

"Hey, you can't do it if you haven't been to the post station to attend the lecture! That important person instructed me that you absolutely must not be greedy for too much yellow clay, otherwise the coal powder won't burn, the smoke will be too much, and it won't be usable, it'll be like throwing money away!"

As he spoke, he found a winnowing basket and added two baskets of coal dust into it before he was done.

Then he realized what was happening and pointed to the group of people outside the courtyard: "They helped me push the cart on the road. According to the talisman, they are scholars. Now they want to come to my house to ask for a cup of hot water."

The man's smile then became warm and genuine.

“I just returned from my military service this morning. Chunxin is very kind to me and won’t let me push this cart… Thank you all so much.”

"You want to drink hot water?"

He warmly invited everyone to the simple hall.

As soon as the door was pushed open, a faint warmth wafted out.

The old man at the front was startled again.

But inside the house was a strange three-legged earthen stove with a pottery urn on top.

Lift the lid, and you'll see steaming water inside.

The man became somewhat hesitant again: "I don't have that many ceramic bowls at home..."

Everyone hurriedly took out their bags and then found their water bottles and water bags, feeling quite strange.

If you say this family is poor, then they really are.

The soldier's clothes were tattered and worn, clearly almost rotten from washing. It was late autumn, and he was dressed lightly, hardly looking warm.

You could say they were wealthy; even before winter arrived, they were willing to use such methods to heat their homes and boil water.

This small stove can't possibly hold firewood; it must contain rare charcoal!

The old man asked, "Is this the coal dust?"

The man immediately became smug:
"Exactly! Chun worked hard to manage the household and earned all this. Now that we have a fire, we just need to burn it slowly. We have two meals a day, hot water is always available, and we only need about six coal briquettes a day!"

He was a little embarrassed: "I added too much yellow mud before spring, otherwise, according to her, three pieces would have been enough for daytime use only."

"I have a woman in my family who is about to give birth, otherwise I would only need to cook, and one yuan a day would be enough..."

He kept talking and talking, but his hands never stopped moving as he deftly and carefully filled everyone's water bottles and water bags.

Looking at the huge water vat, the old man knew it was for the women in the family; otherwise, there would be no need to worry about the water bags for the dozen or so people.

A young man in the group asked, "This shouldn't be cheaper than firewood, right?"

The man smiled wryly: "It is a little more expensive, but this is warmer. And making coal briquettes only takes some effort; the rest of the time, we can farm or do other work, which is more cost-effective."

They are close to Xianyang, and the surrounding mountains all belong to the king.

The larger groves were all fenced off to support the towering trees, and people were prohibited from going up there.

Therefore, the withered branches and fallen leaves used for cooking were all collected bit by bit from the fields and villages, and not a single bit was wasted.

This skill isn't tiring, but it's incredibly time-consuming. If you don't accumulate enough energy in a day, you can't start a fire that day.

Before the harsh winter arrives, they need to prepare even more supplies. They also need to hurry and sew more reeds and grass leaves onto the clothes for their homes…

The wealthy have leisure time all year round, while the poor are constantly struggling to survive.

The old man seemed to be deep in thought.

The water was boiled, and then the stove's vent was sealed to slowly lower the temperature. The group stood in the courtyard enjoying the cool breeze while watching the woman skillfully form coal briquettes.

"I've heard you mention honeycomb briquettes before, why is it called that?"

The woman was taken aback. Before she could speak, a boy of about ten years old came in from outside the yard. Hearing this, he carefully picked up a stack of cylindrical coal briquettes from his hands.
"It has holes on it, like a honeycomb, so it's called honeycomb briquette."

The group quickly gathered around to take a look.

Chun asked curiously, "Where did you get this from?"

The boy laughed and said, "I went to the craftsman's place. He said the village head wanted to make another curved plow, so ours would have to be delayed for another day. As compensation, he gave me three extra pieces of coal."

“Mother, I agree.”

The woman thought for a moment and said, "We should agree! Your father has just returned from his service. Let him rest for another day, and we'll go back to the fields to plant barley the day after tomorrow."

This barley is not wheat, but a type of grass used for livestock breeding in later Europe. It grows like millet, grows quickly, is cold-resistant and can thrive in poor soil, and is easy to store.

It's just coarse and not as filling as millet.

But it can also be eaten, and it can be sold to nobles to brew wine.

For farmers, although planting at this time is a little late, it is enough for the women who do not have many acres of land.

He added with longing, "Yesterday I saw the headman plow the best fields in his household with that curved plow; they were so deep and fine. I heard he's going to plant wheat there, and that a certain kind of steamed bun is popular in Xianyang..."

But that fine food was too far out of reach for them.

The woman said with satisfaction, "Although we don't have an ox, your father can be used as one, and he will surely be able to cultivate the fields very well."

The whole family was delighted to hear this: "The Queen truly lives up to her reputation as an immortal from Kunlun; she is so kind to us!"

"Not hearing is not as good as hearing, hearing is not as good as seeing, seeing is not as good as knowing, knowing is not as good as doing. Learning ends with doing. Doing is understanding." - Xunzi

Xunzi advocated the use of both Confucianism and Legalism. I don't have much political insight, but I just think this is more appropriate.

By this time, he had been dead for many years, so let's just create a fictional world around one of his disciples (his two disciples, Li Si and Han Fei, were truly remarkable, but I can't forget the characters from Nine Songs of the Sky, so I won't write about them!).
During the Qin Dynasty, rural women were simply referred to as "old women" or "young women" without any derogatory connotation; in fact, people often referred to themselves this way. Among acquaintances, they might use their husband's surname, such as "Zhang Fu" or "Li Fu."