Chapter 12: The Land of Abundance

After a long day of work, Chen Fan brought home some leftover rice from his meal.

Yue Rou and Yue E hadn’t eaten rice in a long time.

This thought suddenly struck him while he was drinking porridge.

The original owner of this body ate rice at every meal, but Yue Rou and the others only ever ate wild vegetables or kudzu root.

Chen Fan noticed that each of his colleagues only ate three bowls of porridge per meal, and he did the same.

But he only drank half of his portion, pouring the rest into a bowl to bring home for Yue Rou and Yue E.

Dragging his weary body back home, he saw Yue Rou and Yue E sitting on the bed, chatting and laughing.

“Ahem, ahem!”

“The head of the household is back!”

Both of them rushed over, each taking hold of one of Chen Fan’s arms.

Chen Fan lifted the bowl in his hand, momentarily unsure whom to give it to first.

So he fetched two bowls, divided the porridge evenly, and handed one to each of them.

“Have some more food before you go to sleep.”

“Head of the household! Did you bring this especially for us?”

“Head of the household! Are you eating enough? You still brought food for us.”

“You brought so much back. Won’t your colleagues say something?”

“Today, we heard from the female workers at the government office that you only eat three bowls of thin porridge per meal.”

“Drinking more than that would be dangerous.”

“The porridge you brought us looks so rich; you must have been drinking mostly the broth!”

“Head of the household! If you’re not eating enough, neither my sister nor I will eat!”

“I’m just afraid you’ll starve to death!”

“This morning, I asked you to help the female workers at the government office so you’d get to know more people.”

“Get along with them well. Maybe they can help you find work in the future.”

“I wanted you to eat with my salary, but I was afraid you’d be reluctant to spend that money.”

“You don’t have a proper place to cook anyway, so I just thought I’d bring you a little something to fill your stomach since I can’t be with you.”

“The female workers in the kitchen kindly lent us their kitchen after seeing us help them all day.”

“We really wanted to save you some grain rations, but your salary only covers rice.”

“So we just cooked some porridge.”

“Are you full?”

“Yes, I’m full!”

“Yue E, are you full?”

“Yes, I’m full!”

“Tell the truth! Yue Rou, are you full?”

“Head of the household, Yue Rou really is full!”

“Is that the truth?”

“The truth!”

“Damn it!”

“Head of the household, we really are full!”

Yue E went to fetch the rice sack and showed it to Chen Fan.

Chen Fan noticed the sack was indeed lighter.

He took it and estimated it weighed about 15 jin [approximately 7.5 kg].

A woman would typically consume about 300 to 500 grams of rice per day.

But Yue Rou and Yue E were so thin and malnourished that they needed more nutritious food.

Eggs and fish, for example, are rich in protein.

They also needed fruits to supplement vitamins.

At most, the rations would last seven more days.

Chen Fan opened his mouth to tell them they must finish the food within seven days.

But then he thought of their frugal nature, and how many things they surely already possessed.

“All right, finish this porridge first.”

“Tomorrow, we’ll add some dishes—eggs, vegetables. I’ll bring some for you.”

“You always eat just rice; sooner or later, your health will fail.”

“I suppose your sister died from this very reason.”

“I feel deeply guilty about their deaths and hope you won’t suffer the same fate.”

“Head of the household, we don’t blame you. We know you’re treating us well now.”

“We can feel it!”

“Did they pay your salary?”

“150 wen. It’s under the bedsheet.”

“All right, let’s wash up and sleep! You two wait for me on the bed.”

While the two sisters busied themselves, Chen Fan began writing.

He read quickly and had finished the county records.

He was now well acquainted with the county’s situation over the years.

He planned to draft some policy proposals for the county magistrate and the advisor.

These were simple matters for him, coming from 21st-century Earth.

He had studied vast amounts of history and law and knew how to apply the right remedies to governance.

The county, and indeed the whole country, had only one core problem—poverty.

The king saw the dwindling population and unplowed land.

Qu Yuan recognized the shortage of talent and vigorously cultivated it.

But neither realized these hardships were driven by a lack of money and food.

The king believed that securing the borders and protecting the people would restore the nation’s prosperity and win their hearts.

But if the king grasped the true situation, he would realize he was only ruling a corner of the world.

Qu Yuan worked hard to cultivate talent, hoping someone could turn the tide.

Yet he had not found a fundamental solution.

That was why he spent day and night reviewing policy proposals from students at the local academy.

The reason the nation had few fit adults was a shortage of labor.

To maintain such a vast country with limited labor, there was only one way: increase productivity.

Use as few resources as possible to gain the greatest return.

Achieving this required technology.

Technology is the primary productive force.

In ancient times, harvesting grain with sickles meant dozens of people working all day could only harvest less than a hundred acres.

But with a harvester, just a few people could harvest hundreds of acres in a day.

This is the power of productivity and technology.

Chen Fan felt that the county’s yearly reliance on supplies from the prefecture was not sustainable.

They had to first achieve self-sufficiency before addressing other matters.

To do that, they had to develop the economy.

The county government’s expenses were reimbursed by the prefecture.

But the government needed its own industries, which he learned from the county records was allowed.

The county ran some taverns and markets, but most goods came from nearby counties and prefectures.

The county only profited from the price difference.

He noticed meat consumption was heavy; both officials and commoners loved meat.

The surrounding mountains were full of wild animals.

But inexperienced women mainly did the hunting.

Experienced, skilled archers were recruited into the army.

Chen Fan decided to teach the women hunting skills, which he had learned in the military and had plenty of experience with.

At the same time, he planned to find ways to purchase game from hunters to supply taverns and markets.

This way, the government would profit, the people would have money, and they wouldn’t have to depend on external aid.

The government wouldn’t lose out on middlemen’s prices either.

Chen Fan also planned to teach tavern chefs how to cook better.

He had learned cooking while rotating through the army’s kitchen to prepare meals for comrades.

Though it might require many seasonings, they could trade with game meat.

“It seems the king has preserved a fertile land for the common folk’s dawn!”

Yue Rou and Yue E grew impatient and began urging Chen Fan to rest.

“Head of the household! Get some rest early!”

Unwilling to keep them waiting too long, Chen Fan washed up, got into bed, and held Yue Rou close.

Yue Rou nuzzled him vigorously, but he remained unmoved.

His body was weak; if he indulged, they might not survive.

So he held her tightly, restraining her. Unable to escape, she eventually fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, after Yue Rou slept, he turned and embraced Yue E.