"Elias checked the ledger again, calculating the cost of the grain against the expected market price for the coming autumn."

"He felt the soil not as dirt beneath his boots, but as flesh of his own flesh; the pulse of the earth in spring beat in rhythm with the blood in his veins."

"Elias rode into town alone, the wheels of his wagon groaning under the weight of the harvest, his mind occupied with the list of supplies he needed to purchase."

"He watched the neighbors build their barns and imitated their methods, knowing that survival required practical knowledge rather than sentiment."