Loewe also paints a glimpse of what life on a farm might have been like during the Han. Not only did farmers have to measure everything, “down to the fraction of the last bushel of the crop,” but if they failed to do so they would be punished by district officials or county superiors. In one of Bing's earliest memories, our protagonist recalls his father inspecting their bountiful harvest one late summer afternoon and embarking on a several-day journey to sell fruits and vegetables for extra money. Bing's memories illustrate the traditions and hard-working and tedious dedication of many ordinary people in Han society