Why is farming second and poetry second?

This is determined by the ancient economic model.

Think about it, ancient times were based on agricultural society. If you can only read poetry (such as the great poet Du Fu), you can only earn fame to gain a better social status and maintain your life. However, it's hard to say, sometimes. Let's take Du Fu as an example. More than a dozen generations in the family are bureaucratic families, but it happened that he was unlucky and met with Li He 'an's rebellion.

We can see that Du Fu has no other advantages except poetry and books. He can only sell some herbs to make a living. He didn't even become a doctor, and he has been working hard in his career, but it didn't go well.

There is a zhenyinshi in A Dream of Red Mansions. After his house was burnt down, his fields were plundered and suffered floods and droughts, he sold his fields to take refuge in Zhang Yue, but he couldn't support his life in agriculture and other things, so he became poorer every day.

And his father-in-law, although a farmer, has a field, but his life is still rich.

Therefore, in ancient times, farming and reading guaranteed life, and reading was a class transition, with advancing and attacking, and retreating as progress. In the long run, the family will never decline.

It was in A Dream of Red Mansions that Qin Keqing searched in her dreams and told her to buy some fields for sacrifice, because the government would not confiscate them. In this way, children and grandchildren will always have a place to live and study.

Because, for the sake of future generations, we don't have to consider buying too much property, because the property of future generations may not be preserved, which has been confirmed by many historical stories.