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I privately ponder that humans rely on food and drink for life, and the cooking of food and drink must rely on water. Is water not important to humans? Water takes flowing as its nature and moistening downward as its virtue; therefore, water flows without exception, and when it flows, it does not rot. This is what is meant by "gathering a thousand tributaries without depletion, accepting numerous streams without pollution." However, the water in Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Huzhou, Suzhou, and several other counties is uniquely different from other places. Due to the flat and open terrain, the water surface is extremely level and expansive, known since ancient times as the "Land of Lakes and Rivers," with myriad branch rivers and countless distributaries. Since the water in the major rivers flows gently, the water between the distributaries seems like stagnant water. Those residing there drink from it, eat using it, and wash filth in it. During hot months or drought years, heat toxins accumulate and stagnate, causing particularly severe harm. Examining Zhang's *Yinshi Bian* (Differentiation of Food and Drink) from Poyang, it states: "Stagnant water hides dirt and accepts filth; drinking it causes frequent illness." Thus, residents here often suffer from three types of malaria (malaria occurring daily, every other day, or every third day), which tend to linger and are difficult to cure. Cases of carbuncles, sores, and beriberi are especially common, confirming that Zhang's words are not false. Those who wish to benefit the people should prioritize digging wells. Alas, people in water towns find drawing river water convenient and have formed a habit without realizing the drawbacks, rarely knowing the benefits of well-digging. If one recognizes that sores, malaria, and beriberi are more severe here than elsewhere, and identifies the source of disease as water, how can remedial measures be delayed? Moreover, "digging wells to drink" is an ancient teaching, and it also serves as a reserve for droughts. Some say our hometown is a "lotus leaf land," unsuitable for wells. What nonsense! The term "lotus leaf land" refers to areas surrounded by water on all sides, shaped like a lotus leaf. Most water towns are like this, not just our hometown. Digging wells in water towns makes reaching water easy. It requires little labor and low cost; why not do it joyfully? Furthermore, many silted-up wells exist, showing that ancestors had profound insight, while later generations abandoning them is lamentable. Dredging existing wells is easier than digging new ones. It is best done in winter, as summer ground temperatures may prevent deep digging. Well openings should be small to avoid the risk of falling in. However, those bound by custom are hard to persuade to start. I dare hope that refined gentlemen, grounded in benevolence, will widely propagate this idea, lead by example in digging wells, enabling everyone to drink clear spring water and avoid disease. Then, the nourishment from wells will be inexhaustible, sharing the blessings of King Ming, and their hidden merit will be immeasurable! Shixiong once appended Western well-digging methods to his late great-grandfather's *Suibi* (Random Notes). In the winter of Yimao, taking my family back to my native place, residing near the Tiao Stream, I wrote this essay for like-minded individuals, but was thwarted by public opinion. In the summer and autumn of Bingchen, during a severe drought with thousands of miles of barren land, I again urged dredging the river, but was blocked again, and daily water supply nearly ceased. Fortunately, Mr. Zhang Xueyi had half a mu of square pond, quite deep, which farmers wanted to buy for irrigation. Mr. Zhang said, "I will use this to provide drinking water for the whole township," and did not sell it. My family also relied on it. Thinking of the source when drinking water, I composed a couplet to present: "My grace is like spring, benevolent words bring vast benefits; The highest good is like water, generational virtues flow long." At that time, following Lu You's poem, villagers along the way feared dying of thirst. Stone rice prices rose to one hundred cash, and large households spent thousands daily on water, simply because there were no wells. Those with heart and power must not forget when circumstances pass.

Mr. Zhang Xingyun's *Yinshi Bian* states: "New rice is fragrant, sweet, and rich in juice, nourishing people better. Observe making malt sugar and brewing wine; new rice has stronger potency, which gradually weakens over time. Is this not clear proof that old rice is inferior to new?" Materia Medica texts say old rice is good, referring to patients. Because new rice is potent, it might cause relapse due to diet. He also strongly criticizes fried rice, which I agree with. Generally, the older the rice, the worse it becomes. At harvest, only store paddy, mill as needed to eat, preserving fragrance and smoothness. However, places like Jiaxing do not know how to store paddy properly. After harvesting, they thresh and store the rice in bins, steaming it with bran for months until the color turns red, like aged millet in the Granary of Chen, called "Winter-Threshed Rice," to prevent insect damage and deter distant traders, as habitual consumers live within two hundred li. Local gazetteers do not record this, nor who started it, yet locals accept it, even preferring white rice for being bland and unfragrant, a reversal akin to drunkards thinking sober men are drunk. Steamed rice loses color, flavor, and aroma; its juice dries up and texture becomes astringent, removing essence and leaving only dregs. Porridge made from it is thin, and malt/wine production fails, similar to fried rice. Having eaten it accidentally, I suffered abdominal distension and constipation, recovering only after drinking thin porridge for days. This is akin to Wuyi people steaming tea to make black tea, both artificial alterations. Now, dishonest merchants create "Urgent Winter-Threshed Rice" in ten days, easily spoiling and harmful. Black tea is imitated everywhere, popular among those with peculiar tastes. These harms are hard to eradicate, though connoisseurs still exist. Qiantang Longjing tea is天下第一 (the best under heaven). Recently, locals use autumn-picked leaves to make black tea for high profits, echoing the Sage's sigh that few know true taste. Tea cultivation requires fertilizer; claims that clouds and mist alone suffice without human irrigation are unverified.

Tea clears the spirit, awakens sleepiness, quenches thirst, removes vexation, resolves wind-heat, cools liver and gallbladder, expels wind-phlegm, benefits head and eyes, removes grease, and purifies lungs and stomach. Those not thirsty need not drink. Black tea, having been steamed, loses its cleansing nature and promotes fluid retention. Past praises were excessive, criticisms biased. Mr. Zhang Xingyun called it a harbinger of disaster, an exaggeration. His critique of ginger-tea for dysentery is insightful. Yang created this formula citing Su Dongpo treating Duke Wen of Lu. Su and Wen were famous scholars and nobles; if medicine were inappropriate, demons would not be suppressed by status. Medical texts claiming imperial trials are often fraudulent tactics by wandering quacks. Duke Wen's illness and treatment are not recorded in official histories or unofficial records; how did Yang and Li know? Even if true, it must have been cold dysentery cured by ginger. For heat dysentery, using tea to counteract ginger's heat is absurd. Yet ignorant people, even illiterate ones, believe ginger-tea cures dysentery. After hundreds of failures, they still revere it. I believe the postpartum Shenghua Decoction has similar flaws. Huixi argued against ginger postpartum and warned against it in summer conditions, even with Scutellaria and Coptis, aligning with Zhang. They lack discernment, valuing rank over truth, which is sad for medicine too. Zhang expressed these views humorously, deeply lamenting the world.

Zhang notes: *The Analects* says Confucius did not say he always ate ginger or never ate it, but "did not discard ginger." "Discard" implies removing it at the table. This refers to being a guest. Guests should not fuss over seasoning. *Book of Rites* says: "Do not adjust the soup, do not add sauce." Adjusting soup/sauce or removing ginger at the table breaches guest etiquette. Ginger has harms, but small amounts are fine. Since ginger is already in the seasoning, Confucius wouldn't remove it entirely, just limit intake. This sentence connects to the next; interpreting it as "no ginger, no meal" is wrong. This error predates Song Neo-Confucians; Han/Jin scholars cited "clearing spirit and removing foul odors" based on *Shennong Bencao Jing*. "Removing foul odors" means eliminating fishy smells; "clearing spirit" is unclear. Does spirit refer to the Heart? The text has later additions; read carefully. Zhu Xi noted autumn ginger shortens lifespan, acknowledging it's not ideal. Pungent and hot without return affects blood and fluids; misuse turns exterior pathogens into interior injury. Caution! I believe "spirit" refers to the Heart. Yin-cold blocking the Heart obscures the spirit; ginger juice can dispel cold and restore clarity. I treated Wu Yongyan and Xu Leting due to misinterpreting *Analects Commentary*.

Regarding colds: Wind-cold requires warming dispersion; wind-heat requires clearing. Ignorant people eat pepper and spicy seeds for dispersion, which only warm the middle, not release the exterior. Many died within days from lip scorching, black tongue, and yin exhaustion (blood death) and mental confusion (stomach rot), turning blue like arsenic poisoning. Worse, folk beliefs claim pepper-roasted chicken regulates menstruation and aids conception. If blood-cold, chicken suffices; adding pepper causes blood depletion and amenorrhea (dry blood consumption) or bleeding disorders. Seeking illness where none exists is pitiable. Folk formulas for regulation/conception are mostly warming; misuse by yin-deficient or heat-blooded persons causes harm. Zhang's view is sound. Also, swallowing peppercorns in cold water delays menstruation. Cold water constricts; swallowed peppercorns delay heat release, then disperse cold, allowing flow. Peppercorn water prevents ink freezing in winter, proving its heat damages Ying. Pregnant women and yin-deficient/heat-types should avoid pungents.

Everyone knows opium's harm, yet addicts won't quit. Friend Zhang Xiaozhi Yangzhi said addicts find pleasure surpassing sex, preferring it to death. Later, Yang Suyuan sent *Yinshi Bian*, noting opium smokers feel transcendent joy, becoming emaciated and dying of marrow/blood depletion. Rich people seeking pleasure via tonics (Lizhai, Jingyue) die faster than opium smokers. Opium enters Kidney Qi; lying down directs Qi to Kidneys, boosting energy initially but exhausting essence later. Li Weiyong claimed it hurts Lung Qi, which is incorrect. Initially used by the rich, accelerating ruin; now used by the poor, causing unemployment and crime. I call it "demon smoke." Sick people use it for temporary relief, mistaking it for a miracle drug, leading to addiction. Once addicted, old diseases return worse, and smoke fails. Desire to quit but cannot, hastening death. I warn others not to repeat this. Zhang criticized Lizhai/Jingyue's tonics as worse than opium; Chen Ganchu criticized geomancy as worse than Buddhism/Daoism. Both are remedies for the world. Do not view them with anger.

Western scholar Ma Gaowen reported: Missionary Mac stated Portuguese introduced opium. Pre-1766 imports were ~200 chests/year; 1766 saw 1,000; 1772 British brought opium from India; 1778 brought 2,800 chests. Trade grew slowly. By 1797, 4,172 chests imported. Quantities varied annually. 1821: 5,576 chests; 1830: 17,456 chests. 1830-1840: 34,631 chests. 1855: 65,354 chests. Value: Large土的 421 dollars/chest, Small土的 360 dollars/chest. Total silver spent: 478,616,400 taels. Assuming 1 qian/person/day, over 2 million Chinese consume it. Imports increase, harm grows. Who will stop it? 60 years since 1797. Tears are warranted. Worse, Yunnan, Guizhou, Zhejiang (Wenzhou, Taizhou) grow opium on fertile land meant for grain. Total Chinese consumers exceed 2 million. Foreign warning is unprecedented; I record it urgently. Xu Songkan noted India is now under British control; opium dominates imports. Strange that vice concentrates on Buddhist lands.

Fertile land should grow grain for people. Rice for wine increases; grain for eating decreases. Unnoticed globally. Wherever I went, villages consumed tens of thousands of shi of rice for wine yearly, explaining rising rice prices. *Xianyou Ji* lists wine tax as famine relief, a valid argument. Zhu Sifu argued: Scholars call wealth accumulation greed, but wine must be taxed. Salt and cloth are necessities; taxes raise prices but people must buy. Wine is optional. Salt/cloth turn natural resources to utility; wine wastes grain into dregs. Tax wine. Merchants risk life for small profit; wine sellers rest safely for huge profit. Tax wine. Managing finances is a duty of *Great Learning*. People eat little but drink much; one drinker feeds several. Banquets waste resources. Wine hinders diligence; tax wine to enrich people. Wine ruins chastity, studies, encourages gangs, fuels violence. *Book of Documents* has *Jiu Gao*; Han law fined group drinking. Wine confuses mind/spirit; tax wine to educate people. Enriching and educating is good governance, not petty tyranny. Song Zhao Kai managed Sichuan finances, increasing wine tax revenue to 6.9 million. Hu Zhitang advocated relaxing state monopoly to allow private sales with tax, reducing extravagance. Ministers Fan, Han, Sima, and scholars Zhu Xi, Zhen Dexiu discussed policies extensively but never opposed wine tax, proving its necessity. Chen Shuliu said: Tax wine in peace; ban wine in famine. Store tax revenue for famine relief. Must...