Early morning light had barely stretched across the land when the village was already alive with movement.
Inside the study space, the young master could not hide the sly grin creeping across his face. He leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice as if guarding some heavenly secret.
"I did not read much," he said, eyes glinting. "I only sneaked a quick look. But just that little bit…" He paused for effect, then chuckled. "It felt like the whole world changed in front of me. Everything I saw afterward was different from before."
He leaned back, clearly enjoying himself.
"That book is the real divine scripture of the heavens. It explains all the mysteries of the world. If we learn it…" He rubbed his hands together. "We will truly become unbeatable under heaven."
The young girl's eyes lit up instantly.
"Then we have to finish elementary mathematics quickly," she said, almost bouncing with excitement. "After that, we will not need to sneak looks anymore. We can read it openly."
The young master nodded with a grin.
"Only one lesson left. Let's push through."
Above them, Li Dao Xuan watched the scene with quiet amusement. Seeing two half-grown children so motivated stirred a sense of satisfaction in him. His thoughts turned rapidly.
The young master would likely become the first person in Gao Village Family to step into the world of physics. Once that happened, the role of "physics class representative" would naturally fall to him. And knowing how things worked here, that also meant he would soon be teaching others.
That was where the problem appeared.
He was still just a boy. Teaching both mathematics and physics at the same time would put too much weight on his shoulders. Even a prodigy had limits.
So the solution was obvious.
If the young master took physics, someone else had to take mathematics.
Li Dao Xuan's gaze drifted toward the young girl.
Twelve years old. Still very young. And more importantly, a girl.
In this era, girls were not expected to stand in front of others and teach. Even if they were willing, society would not let it slide easily. The so-called virtues would come crashing down on her, and the criticism would not be light.
If she stepped forward, she would face pressure.
Real pressure.
Li Dao Xuan thought for a moment, then made up his mind.
If she was willing to do it, then he would support her. If anyone dared to criticize her, he would simply issue a decree in the name of Dao Xuan Tianzun and let the entire village clap back at them.
Simple and effective.
Decision made.
He shifted his gaze away from the classroom and toward the fields outside the village.
And immediately noticed something unusual.
There was a gathering near the wheat fields.
A large portion of the original forty-two villagers of Gao Village Family had gathered there. Even the old village chief, who had recently embraced a leisurely retirement lifestyle, had made his way out.
The villagers surrounded him as he slowly bent down, his thin hand reaching out to touch a wheat ear. He plucked a grain, placed it into his mouth, and chewed carefully.
A moment later, his face lit up.
"It's ready," he said.
He raised his walking stick high, his voice ringing out with excitement.
"Three years. Three whole years. Gao Village Family has finally grown grain again. Children, tomorrow we begin harvesting."
"Tomorrow we harvest!"
The original villagers erupted into cheers.
Soon after, the people from Zheng Family Village joined in, their voices just as loud.
"Our wheat is ready too!"
It was mid-May in the first year of Chongzhen.
The two villages that had first received rain from the "Dragon King personally dragged here by Dao Xuan Tianzun" had finally entered harvest season.
The atmosphere of celebration spread like wildfire.
Nearby, the second group of villagers who had planted sorghum after receiving later rainfall clenched their fists, their eyes filled with anticipation.
You celebrate now. When autumn comes, it will be our turn.
As for the refugees, the hired laborers, and the people from Qingjian County, they watched with complicated expressions.
There was envy, yes.
But after that came determination.
We earn wages now. It is not worse than farming. Why should we feel inferior?
In Gao Village Family, there was no exploitation by officials. Only the protection of Dao Xuan Tianzun.
With our own hands, we will live better.
The next morning, before the sun had fully risen, both Gao Village Family and Zheng Family Village surged into the fields.
Men, women, elders, children, all bent their backs and swung sickles in unison.
Gao Sanwa, naturally, had skipped school.
He clutched a sickle, enthusiastically cutting wheat alongside everyone else.
Unfortunately for him, peace never lasts long.
A certain teacher stormed into the field, ruler in hand.
"Gao Sanwa, you little rascal, get back to class!"
The shout echoed across the field.
Gao Sanwa shrieked and darted through the tall wheat like a startled rabbit, using the stalks as cover.
"Teacher, do not hit me," he cried while running. "I am helping my family. If the harvest is delayed and rain ruins the crops, our whole year will be wasted."
The teacher's beard trembled with anger.
"Are you a fool? When was the last time it rained on its own? If Dao Xuan Tianzun had not dragged the Dragon King here, would you even have crops to harvest? What rain are you afraid of? Leave the work to your parents and get back to class."
Then he turned sharply toward Gao Sanniang.
"Sanniang, control your child. Studying and learning will give him a future. Letting him waste time in the fields now is harming him."
Gao Sanniang shivered under the scolding, then immediately rushed forward, grabbed Gao Sanwa by the collar, and handed him over like a captured chicken.
After that, she sprinted toward the laborer area.
"Our family needs to hire someone to harvest the wheat. Payment can be discussed."
Meanwhile, on another side of the village, Cheng Xu was conducting roll call for the militia.
Halfway through, he frowned.
"Where is one of the three idiots? And where is that new recruit from Zheng Family Village, Zheng Gouzi? Who knows where they went?"
Gao Chuwu raised a hand.
"Instructor, who are the three idiots?"
Flat Rabbit immediately chimed in, full of confidence.
"That must be the three dumbest people in the unit. Zheng Daniu and Gao Chuwu are definitely included. As for the third one, it cannot possibly be me. I am clearly the smartest."
Everyone turned and looked at him in silence.
At that moment, Zheng Daniu came running over, panting heavily.
Seeing him, Cheng Xu's expression improved slightly.
"Good, the three idiots are complete. Now where is Zheng Gouzi?"
Zheng Daniu stood straight and reported loudly.
"Reporting to Instructor. Zheng Gouzi was called back by his father early this morning to harvest wheat in Zheng Family Village. I delayed him for a while trying to persuade him to return for training."
Cheng Xu's face darkened instantly.
"No report. No leave. And he dares to skip training for farm work. Does he think discipline is a joke?"
He raised his hand sharply.
"All units, turn right. Double time. We are heading to Zheng Family Village to deal with that idiot."
Over a hundred militia members immediately broke into formation, forming a long line as they ran toward their destination.
At that very moment, Li Dao Xuan was enjoying a bowl of preserved egg and lean meat porridge.
Watching the scene unfold, he shook his head slightly.
Zheng Gouzi really stepped on a landmine this time.
Skipping school like Gao Sanwa was one thing.
But leaving the militia without permission was a completely different matter.
The militia might not yet be a formal army, but it would become one in the future. Discipline like this could not be tolerated.
Let's see how Cheng Xu handles it.
Adjusting his perspective slightly, Li Dao Xuan followed the group.
Six li of cement road meant nothing to a trained militia unit. In no time at all, they arrived at Zheng Family Village.
There, in the fields, they spotted Zheng Gouzi immediately.
The young recruit was hard at work, swinging his sickle and helping his parents harvest wheat, completely unaware of the storm about to descend on him.
Cheng Xu's voice exploded across the field.
"Zheng Gouzi! You dare abandon your post without permission. Do you know your crime?"
The shout froze the entire field.
Zheng Gouzi stiffened.
His hand stopped mid-motion.
He turned his head slowly.
The moment he saw Cheng Xu, his face went pale.
The sickle slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a dull thud.
[Historical & Cultural Context]
The harvest scene captures a profound Ming agricultural reality: after years of drought, a successful harvest represented not just food but restored cosmic order. Peasants perceived crop failure as "heaven's displeasure" (天怒); bounty signaled divine favor. Old Village Chief's emotional declaration—"three years!"—references actual Shaanxi droughts from 1627-1629 that killed over half the population in some counties.
Teacher Wang's conflict between education and farm labor reflects Ming social mobility tensions. While Confucian tradition valued scholarship above manual labor, famine conditions forced pragmatic compromises. His insistence that "literacy brings greater prospects" echoes late Ming debates about practical versus classical education—a tension Li Daoxuan's curriculum uniquely resolves by blending both.
The militia's disciplinary response highlights evolving military norms. Ming peasant militias often dissolved during planting/harvest seasons—farmers first, soldiers second. Cheng Xu enforcing year-round discipline represents a professionalization trend seen in late Ming "household troops" maintained by gentry like Qi Jiguang, who insisted soldiers remain separate from agricultural cycles.
Zheng Gouzi's predicament embodies the farmer-soldier identity crisis. His name "狗子" ("Dog-child") reflects rural naming traditions (using humble animal names to ward off evil spirits), yet he now inhabits a role requiring discipline antithetical to traditional village flexibility. His dropped sickle symbolizes this clash between old and new loyalties.