Limeng's assistant, Xiao Chen, had packed the soil of the experimental field firmly beneath his shoes. With his trouser legs rolled up and a tender green cotton seedling pinched between his fingertips, the young man demonstrated to the surrounding farmers: "The roots must be spread out! Just as Mr. Limeng said—only when the roots are straight will the seedling be willing to grow!" He carefully buried the cotton seedling into a dirt pit fertilized with plant ash, his movements carrying the rigorous discipline taught by Limeng.
The wind carried the clamor of the distant camp. Inside the Temporary Archive, Jingyi was holding her breath. The tip of her nose almost touched the yellowed, brittle paper pages, and her eyes behind her spectacle lenses tracked the blurred ink on the *Summary of Fontaine Commercial Laws* with intense focus. Using a specially made thin bamboo knife, she peeled apart the stuck pages with extreme gentleness, her fingertips trembling slightly from prolonged exertion.
Outside the window drifted the distinctly light and sweet botanical scent unique to corn-cloth, coming from the queue where workwear was being distributed free of charge today. The refugees stood in long lines, touching the crisp, durable corn-cloth workwear on their bodies, a spark of life returning to their faces. This was the result of Limeng's team and the local weavers working through many long days and nights.
Chapter 53