Ye Qingshui's expression at this moment contained a hint of begging, hoping that the old lady would be interested in this and give her some advice.

The last time Grandpa Zhou gave Ye Qingshui was a physics book, which was filled with a lot of electrical knowledge.

Ye Qingshui opened up her mind with this thick book. She also noticed that there were many electrical components on the old man's desk, although many of them were very old and the wires were scattered in a mess. This really brightened up Ye Qingshui's eyes, who only had a theoretical foundation but poor practical skills.

Zhou Cunren glanced at her indifferently and continued to wash the toilet in his hands.

Ye Qingshui was not discouraged. She recounted: "It has not rained for more than a month, and the water in the well has dried up. Now the countryside relies on people to carry water. In a while, the countryside will plant the second-season rice, and without water, rice cannot be planted."

"It is very difficult for our commune to find water sources. We can't get water even if we dig wells. I have thought of a way to make a reliable water detector. If we can find groundwater, the water problem can be solved."

"I have encountered many problems. Can Teacher Zhou help me?"

Unexpectedly, Zhou Cunren just said "oh" indifferently after hearing this, showing no interest at all, and lowered his head to wipe the toilet in his hand. The water from the faucet was flowing, as thin as a silk thread, and he wiped it over and over again, not paying any attention to Ye Qingshui at all.

A look of indifference makes it difficult to get close to someone.

Zhou Ke was also listening nearby. He pushed his grandfather and said, "Grandpa, my sister is talking to you."

Zhou Cunren had a tense old face, with wrinkles like deep ravines on it. He sat by the sink washing the toilet. The neighbor upstairs opened the door and yelled:

"Old Zhou, you stink so badly, get out of here right after you wash yourself. It makes me lose my appetite."

Zhou Cunren's straight waist slumped a little, and he straightened his waist even more stubbornly and washed the bucket vigorously, not paying any attention to Ye Qingshui anymore.

Zhou Ke scratched his head and put down the bucket in his hand. He whispered to Ye Qingshui, "Sister, wait a minute. If you don't know how to do something, keep it. I'll help you carry it later."

In the eyes of children, "asking for advice" is just a simple matter like asking for help with homework. But this time it was not the case.

Ye Qingshui touched his head and shook his head: "Go eat some candy."

Ye Qingshui sighed, she squatted in front of Zhou Cunren holding her notebook, and said more carefully:

"Teacher Zhou, if this water-finding instrument is made, rice can be grown in the countryside, and there will be no more water shortages in the city..."

The old man remained unmoved.

Ye Qingshui changed his words, "I know you like eating steamed buns, especially big meat buns. Can you help me?"

Zhou Cunren moved his lips and snorted contemptuously and stubbornly. Although his eyes were cloudy, his gaze was sharp and clear. From the beginning, his attitude towards this girl was neither salty nor bland, neither cold nor warm.

He and his warm and loving grandson couldn't be more polar opposites.

Ye Qingshui felt a little lost.

Zhou Cunren's indifferent expression didn't last long, and soon a Red Guard came out and said, "Old Zhou, the toilet is blocked by feces, you should clean it up and transport it to the countryside!"

Zhou Cunren's straight back suddenly became hunched.

Ye Qingshui's eyes suddenly lit up.

She said excitedly: "Ke'er, let's go clean the toilet!"

Farmers are least afraid of this kind of dirt and tiredness. The farmers in the farming team are too poor to buy fertilizers, so every household has to pick up manure. Ye Qingshui even raises pigs and sweeps manure every day!

In addition to Zhou Cunren, there was another old man sweeping the toilet with him. He had sparse hair and couldn't help but admire a young girl for being so capable.

Although they all cleaned toilets and were all so poor that they couldn't even afford pants, Zhou Cunren's cold demeanor seemed more impressive than that of all the intellectuals on the entire street.

"Old Zhou, just do whatever people ask you to do. It's rare to have such a kind-hearted and down-to-earth kid willing to help you."

Ye Qingshui quickly finished the job of cleaning up Zhou Cunren. Before the sunset, Ye Qingshui pushed the cart full of "fertilizer" out of the county.

The old man who was sweeping the toilet said, "Girl, what do you want from Old Man Zhou? Tell me."

Ye Qingshui was so tired that she was gasping for breath and so hungry that her stomach was sticking to her back. She carried five carts of manure back and forth and handed them over to the production team that came to meet her.

She said absentmindedly, "It's hard to find water in the countryside. I want to make a water finder to dig out groundwater."

The old man sweeping the toilet nodded vigorously. "And then? Your ideal is great, do you have any ideas?"

Ye Qingshui said: "Yes, use the electric field method to find water."

The old man slapped his thigh and said, "Physics? Old Zhou, just hold it. Come on, girl, let me help you--"

Although Ye Qingshui didn't hold out much hope, he still handed his little notebook to the old man.

At this time, Zhou Cunren knocked on the floor with a broom, turned around to the left, and then to the right, as if he was indifferent.

After Ye Qingshui and the old man finished their narration, he reached out and took her notebook. He said calmly, "Let me see."

The old man slapped his thigh and laughed again, "You can't stand it if you get provoked."

Zhou Cunren read through Ye Qingshui's derivation process with a serious expression and careful eyes, and soon finished reading it.

A gleam of joy flashed in his cloudy eyes, although it was only fleeting.

After reading it, Zhou Cunren pointed to a few places in the book and said, "Your idea is very novel, but there are problems here, here, and here. Think about it carefully. Once you have figured it out, I will teach you how to do it."

When Ye Qingshui heard this, he said happily: "Teacher Zhou, do you know how to do it? The important thing is to do it quickly."

After hearing these words, her worries completely settled down in her stomach. But at the same time, she also felt a little disappointed and puzzled.

Zhou Cunren said lightly: "I won't take this credit away from you."

"Ke'er, go home for dinner."

Zhou Cunren left neatly after finishing his work. The old man sweeping the toilet snorted and muttered to himself, "He is still hard on the outside but soft on the inside. He has suffered from his enthusiasm before."

He turned around and said to Ye Qingshui, "It's not easy for Old Man Zhou to care about you, little girl. You must cherish it."

Ye Qingshui also felt that it was not easy to get the help of Mr. Zhou. After all, she felt a little relieved that the team was expected to successfully plant the second season rice.

She washed her hands under the faucet and rode her bike back to Yejia Village in the countryside.

Under the setting sun, Zhou Ke, with his skinny body, held a book as thick as a brick, and ran towards Ye Qingshui breathlessly. He wiped his sweat and said with a smile, "Sister, this is from Grandpa."

He wiped his sweaty hands with a smile, imitating his grandfather's posture, "He came home and flipped through the books to find them. He was so angry that he jumped up and down."

Zhou Ke's white teeth sparkled in the golden sunlight, and his dark and innocent eyes were like a clear stream. He showed his shallow dimples, held Ye Qingshui tightly with his thin little hands, and whispered to her:

"Come on, sister. Find some water as soon as possible so Ke'er and Grandpa can take a bath."

…

Ye Qingshui returned to the countryside and spent a few days carefully reading the several books given to him by Grandpa Zhou.

She simply stopped working, saying that she was at home taking care of her sick husband. Now the village gossips were all over the place. They called Ye Qingshui lazy and hopeless. She only had eyes for men and wanted to climb up the social ladder and enjoy the good life in the city. She didn't look like a farmer anymore.

Xie Tingyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry when hearing the rumors. He said to Ye Qingshui, "Don't you care?"

He looked at the busy silhouette of the little girl and couldn't help but look sideways. She got up early and went to bed late every day these days. She would definitely run to the city in the morning. Her whereabouts were almost a mystery. She said she would take care of him at home, but in fact, she couldn't take care of him much.

For the first time, he truly felt what it felt like to be a target.

Ye Qingshui said casually: "It's okay, it doesn't matter if you say a few words. I don't care. I have suffered everything, whether I deserve it or not."

Ye Qingshui thought that digging a well now was a futile task, so he might as well spend his time on something more effective. In his previous life, he dug wells from summer to autumn, and the mountain was full of pits and holes, but he still couldn't dig a well that could produce water.

A'niang took these words very seriously. During lunch, she advised Ye Qingshui to go back to work quickly.

"Shui, grandma is almost well now. She said she will go to work with you tomorrow."

I don’t know what the old lady was thinking. She said to Ye Ma with a stern face, “When did I say this? If you don’t want to go to work, then don’t go.”

"Our child is going to do great things. Shui, I will listen to you. You should quickly find Aunt Shui. Why is that aunt so arrogant that she won't come no matter how hard you try?"

Xie Tingyu was drinking water and almost choked when he heard this.

Grandma Ye had not received much education, and she did not even know what a water finder was. She did not want to go to work because she was holding back her anger, and she was willing to put her face aside to confront the team leader. Who was the villager? A few educated youths bullied the team leader Qingshui without saying a word.

The captain's attitude of letting the rumors go unchecked chilled Grandma Ye. Grandma Ye's husband and two other children were both soldiers, and they were well-deserved and prestigious elders in the village. This was the first time she was treated so coldly, and she felt upset.

She felt sorry for Shuiya, touched her increasingly haggard face and said, "At worst, we can just tighten our belts and eat less food this year."

Ye Qingshui couldn't help laughing after hearing this, "Grandma, the water finder is not a person, it's an iron box like a radio, which can be used to find underground water. Grandma, it's not as serious as you say, I was just gossiped about a few things, and I didn't lose a few pieces of meat. Country women just love to nag, and this educated person's scolding is also a knife. Just don't care."

"Grandma, Shui Ya promises that you will be glorious and become the most prestigious old lady in the brigade in the near future."

After hearing this, the wrinkles on Grandma Ye's face deepened. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

She sighed silently: My granddaughter has been scolded so hard that she has become stupid.

Sun Lingyu also came to visit Xie Tingyu. She took the opportunity to visit Xie Tingyu and said to Ye Qingshui:

"Comrade Ye, I heard you were working on a water-finding device. Have you made any progress? I would say you shouldn't back down at the slightest difficulty. Chairman M said we should have a hard-working and plain-living revolutionary spirit. If we fail to dig a well, we'll have to count on you."

When she said this, she was extremely excited, and there was no sign of her counting on Ye Qingshui. Her tone was full of sarcasm, and it was obvious that she looked down on him.

He Fang covered her mouth and smiled.

After hearing this, Ye Qingshui straightened his back like Mr. Zhou and said confidently: "That's right, you really have to count on me."

The breeze blew gently, and Ye Qingshui's eyes curved into crescents. The light bursting from his eyes was confident and dazzling, attracting people's attention like a magnet.

A week later, the ten wells dug by the production team gradually produced results. They gradually dug to a depth where water could be produced, but none of them produced water. Under the scorching sun, the team leader made a difficult decision: let the members grit their teeth and dig deeper.

The author has something to say:

Brother Yu, there is no candy to eat today.

Because Shui Ya has no interest in love, she just wants to find her aunt.

Brother Yu: I can have candy.

One day, I will peel it for you to eat with my own hands.