Volume One, Chapter 23: In Later Generations, No One Used Oxen to Plow the Fields Anymore!

Soon, Old Zhu and his family followed Jiang Lin to the vegetable garden in the backyard. This farmland had been specially cultivated by Jiang Lin after he obtained some crop seeds from a mystery delivery box.

“Jiang Lin, where are the potatoes?” Old Zhu asked, looking at the field with some confusion.

Jiang Lin stepped into the field, grabbed a bunch of what looked like weeds by their roots, and pulled hard.

With a rustle, a large cluster of potatoes came up with the roots—more than a dozen, each about the size of two fists.

Old Zhu stared in astonishment at the potatoes in Jiang Lin’s hand, involuntarily gasping.

Any lingering doubts vanished completely upon witnessing this with his own eyes.

One plant could produce so many! A yield of twenty shi per mu might not be impossible!

If this were promoted nationwide, the people of the Ming Dynasty would never go hungry again.

Old Zhu turned to Zhu Biao. “Biao’er, the seeds Jiang Lin gave you earlier…”

Hearing this, Zhu Biao immediately responded earnestly, “Father, rest assured. Yesterday I already ordered everyone to plant the seeds. Once harvested, we can gradually introduce them to every farmer’s field.”

“As expected of my Biao’er—he acts faster than his old man!” Zhu Yuanzhang patted Zhu Biao’s shoulder with satisfaction.

At that moment, Jiang Lin emerged from the field holding the potatoes. “Alright, we can head back now.”

Old Zhu kept admiring the potatoes. “These are truly an omen of great fortune for the Ming!”

“Father, Jiang Lin told me yesterday that these potatoes not only have high yields but are also very easy to grow. Once they sprout, you can just bury them in the ground and they’ll grow,” Zhu Biao explained as he walked beside Old Zhu.

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Biao in disbelief. “What? Such incredible potatoes—truly the luckiest of omens.”

“Brother, how do the potatoes taste?” Zhu Yourong also came over to Zhu Biao’s side.

Zhu Biao teased with a smile, “Yourong, when has your husband ever brought anything less than perfect?”

Hearing this, Zhu Yourong blushed and gently tapped him in a shy manner.

“Brother, what are you saying?”

“What husband? Jiang Lin and I are just…”

Before she could finish, Zhu Yourong’s cheeks flushed bright red. She ignored Zhu Biao and looked at Jiang Lin ahead with a sweet smile.

After returning indoors, Jiang Lin went to the kitchen and began preparing the meal—first the ingredients, then the hot pot.

Before long, the five of them sat around the table, the hot pot steaming gently.

The aroma in the air made Zhu Yourong’s mouth water.

“Slurp~ This hot pot smells amazing!”

“Smell it all you want, just start eating. Put your favorite ingredients into the pot, cook them, and eat as soon as they’re done.”

Jiang Lin explained while dumping a plate of beef into the spicy broth.

Zhu Biao, sharp-eyed, suddenly exclaimed, “Brother Jiang, did you just put beef in there?”

“Do you know that under Ming law, it’s illegal to slaughter cattle privately? Even if the ox is old or sick, you must report to the authorities before killing it.”

Judging by the freshness of the beef, Zhu Biao doubted it came from an old or sick ox.

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned deeply, displeased, and said slowly, “Jiang Lin, since you come from the future and don’t understand Ming law, I will let it slide this time.”

“But remember, don’t do this again, or I won’t show mercy and will punish you.”

Old Zhu was a just man. Although he liked Jiang Lin, he was displeased with the private slaughter of oxen.

At that moment, the beef was cooked. Jiang Lin picked some up with chopsticks and took a bite.

Seeing Jiang Lin’s expression of pure enjoyment, Zhu Yuanzhang was even more upset. As a farmer himself, he knew how important oxen were to peasants.

Yet this fellow not only slaughtered an ox secretly but ate it with such relish.

“Hmph! Even if I starve, I’d never eat a bite of…”

Before Old Zhu could finish, Jiang Lin stuffed some beef into his mouth.

After chewing a few times, Zhu Yuanzhang’s eyes lit up. “Mmm, this beef is really delicious!”

“How… how did I end up eating beef?” Old Zhu looked regretful.

Jiang Lin smiled and explained, “Your Majesty, rest assured, what you ate wasn’t an ox used for farming.”

“Have you seen an ox around my home? Or a cowshed where I might raise cattle?”

Old Zhu was stunned. Thinking carefully, he couldn’t recall seeing any cattle at Jiang Lin’s house. Even if an ox had been slaughtered, there should be a cowshed or some such facility.

Zhu Biao asked, “Brother Jiang, where did this beef come from?”

“Of course, from the future!” Jiang Lin replied honestly.

Some time ago, he had taken a large piece of freshly slaughtered beef from a mystery delivery box. He used part of it for a spicy stir-fry and stored the rest in the freezer.

Zhu Yuanzhang’s frown remained. “Even if it’s beef from the future, so what? Does that mean the future allows the private slaughter of oxen?”

“Of course it does!” Jiang Lin nodded and continued, “In the future, oxen aren’t used for plowing anymore. Beef is simply food on the table.”

“To eat more beef, people built farms just to raise cattle for meat.”

“What? If they don’t use oxen to plow, do they pull the plows themselves?” Zhu Yuanzhang asked skeptically.

Jiang Lin nodded. “More or less. In the future, people actually operate the plowing machinery themselves.”

“We invented a machine called a rotary plow, which, combined with tractors, can handle plowing and harrowing. And tractors are operated by people.”

“Besides those, there are also seeders and harvesters for agriculture.”

“You can tell from their names that these machines are for sowing seeds and harvesting crops. They freed farmers’ hands and greatly increased agricultural productivity.”

“Take harvesters, for example—they can harvest nearly 2,000 mu of grain in a single day.”

These words made the four others widen their eyes in unison.

What?! Did they hear that right?

Farmers harvest less than one mu a day.

And this machine’s daily workload matched that of a whole month’s labor for farmers.

Unbelievable!

People of the future really have such miraculous tools!

“Jiang Lin, is there any way to bring such wonders to the Ming ahead of time?” Zhu Yuanzhang cautiously asked.

Jiang Lin nodded. “It’s possible, but it’s complicated. First, we need to develop the steam engine…”

“What’s a steam engine?” Zhu Yuanzhang looked puzzled again.

Jiang Lin explained, “Simply put, a steam engine is a machine powered by burning coal that can replace manual labor. Britain started its industrial revolution because of it…”

As he spoke, a thought formed in Jiang Lin’s mind.

Since any future item could be obtained from the mystery delivery box, perhaps blueprints for the steam engine could be obtained as well.

With the steam engine, the Ming could enter the industrial age earlier than the West, greatly strengthening the nation and possibly changing history.

No longer would the Qing Dynasty suffer the humiliation of being invaded by Western powers…

…