Chapter 346 - Chapter 303: Faint Hope

The shift away from the collective work of the production teams created problems come harvest time. The threshing machines of that era were heavy and cumbersome, and came with numerous small, fiddly accessories. Moving one required at least three or four people, which was a huge struggle for households with few able-bodied workers. Furthermore, each production team only had two threshers, and they weren't sold to individuals; villagers had to draw lots to determine who could use them. If each family fended for themselves, the reaped rice couldn't be threshed and brought home promptly. Leaving it in the fields overnight meant it could be ruined by rats and wild birds, or a significant amount would be lost as grains fell into the dirt.