Times Have Changed

Lily Evans explained for quite a while before everyone finally understood: these things could help the fields grow more—and tastier—grain!

Since ancient times, the issue of grain has been a major headache for every ruler.

If farmers can't fill their bellies, the common people will suffer, and in serious cases, they might even revolt, threatening the regime.

According to Lily Evans, if everyone started using these things brought back from the West, the yield of one mu of land would be more than five times what it is now!

Originally, one mu of land could feed five people for a year.

With the new seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, one mu could feed at least twenty-five people!

With numbers like that, just the West River Plains alone could produce enough grain in a year to feed the entire population of the Kingdom of Qin!

If these methods were spread nationwide, then in just two years, the Kingdom of Qin could stockpile enough grain for the next ten years!

In an agrarian civilization, grain reserves are the bedrock of a nation.

Only with ample stores of grain can a country muster the strength to develop everything else.

Put another way, if the Kingdom of Qin had soldiers and weapons at the ready, and a surplus of grain, then expansion—even annexing Jin and Chu—wouldn’t be out of reach.

But right now, Lily Evans wasn’t thinking about conquest. With so much left in ruins, her hope was to rebuild and strengthen Qin, not to go to war just because there was a little extra grain and silver.

The crowd was full of anticipation for the new seeds, fertilizers, and farm medicines, their faces alight with hope. Yet Edward, watching the crowd, couldn’t hide his concern: "Your Majesty the Queen, I don’t mean to dampen spirits. But the methods for using these seeds, farm medicines, and fertilizers are extremely complex. The quantities, the timing, the techniques—all have to be precise, or you might accidentally scorch the young crops. Teaching so many farmers who can’t read how to use them properly is no easy task; it’s a huge undertaking. To be honest, I fear that without literacy, many simply won’t be able to learn."

Farmers who can’t read have no idea how to use these things, and relying solely on word of mouth to teach them is as hard as reaching for the sky.

But what Edward didn’t realize was that the era when most farmers couldn’t read was already history!

Lily Evans grinned and patted Edward on the shoulder. "Mr. Edward, your impression of Charleston is old news. These days... well, times have changed!"

Now, in Charleston and across the West River Plains, a sweeping Literacy Movement is underway.

The simplified script taught in the Literacy Movement is much easier to learn than traditional characters. These days, you can walk into any village near Charleston, call out to a toothless old granny, hand her a sentence written in simplified script—and she’ll read it out loud for you!

Now, after hearing Edward's words, everyone present turned to look at Lily Evans, their hearts filled with immense admiration.

Previously, most people didn't fully understand why Lily Evans was so determined to promote literacy.

In their minds, most common folk had always been illiterate, yet life went on as usual—so why insist on making everyone literate?

But now, everyone finally understood Lily Evans’s true intention: once the people could read, it became much easier to spread new ideas and practices.

Take the use of pesticides and fertilizers as an example: simply print easy-to-understand instruction booklets, and hand them out when selling the products. Those who can read will be able to follow the instructions themselves.

Then, with a teacher assigned to each village to answer questions and give guidance, basically the whole village could master the new methods.

At times like these, being able to read and understand written instructions truly shows its importance—new knowledge and technologies can quickly spread throughout the land.