Smoke from Nandu Cooking: a Small Corner in Troubled Times

The Song Dynasty and the Qi Dynasty alternated, and the north and the south faced each other. The war burned thousands of miles of fields, and the refugees were like tides, and their lives were like grass. Shen Yan, a modern agricultural technician, became a refugee in Nandu as soon as he opened his eyes. He had nothing but half a bag of brown rice, a broken hoe, and a head full of solid farming skills. With no golden finger by his side and no historical memory to rely on, he gave up the impetuousness of his modern identity and just wanted to find a place to live in this troubled world. The desolate dock by the river became a glimmer of light in a desperate situation. Shen Yan used compost to improve the barren soil, planted early-maturing millet and potatoes, built sheds to store grain, and single-handedly planted life in the barren land. On the way, he rescued Su Ning, a concubine of the Wang family in Langya who was abandoned by her family, Zhou Laotie, a veteran who bore a blood feud, and Ahe, a clever and shrewd orphan girl from the market. Four people with very different circumstances became entangled in their struggle for survival. They worked together in division of labor, reclaimed wasteland, built dock walls, fired pottery, and brewed rice wine. Smoke gradually rose from the waste dock and became a "smoke dock" for the homeless. However, there is no room for stability in troubled times. Wang Yan, the prefect of the Langya Wang family, covets this fertile land that has been revitalized. He has repeatedly led people to create difficulties, hoping to drive out the refugees and annex the fertile land. Shen Yan does not rely on power to fight, but only relies on his farming wisdom, handicraft skills and the resilience of everyone to help him survive in the cracks of family strife and war. From resisting insurgents and resolving grain shortages, to responding to droughts and fighting for legal reclamation rights, Qiyanwu has grown step by step, from a temporary stronghold of a few people to a home for dozens of families.