Without a word, Du Jianshan pointed to the canvas bags and the thickest bundle of hemp rope, then gestured with his chin toward the Ma siblings: "Here, this is your job. Pack your bags, grab the rope, and follow along!"

Ma Chunmei's eyes widened: "Why! Why are we the only ones carrying the heaviest load? What... what's in this bag? Rocks?"

She picked it up, and it was incredibly heavy!

"What? You think you can go to the Gobi Desert empty-handed?"

Du Jianshan didn't even lift his eyelids: "You yourselves said you needed strong men. Can't you do it?"

"that is!"

Wang Tieniu chimed in from the side, deliberately swaying a light shovel on his shoulder.

"Finding water is a technical job, so we guys need to save our energy for surveying and digging test pits!"

"Isn't heavy work like carrying things perfect for people like you who are 'strong'?"

"Du Jianshan! You did this on purpose!" Ma Jinbao's face was contorted with rage.

"Yes, I did it on purpose."

Du Jianshan crossed his arms, his laughter infuriating: "What? You're not convinced? Who was just shouting that they were willing to risk their lives for the company? You can't even handle carrying a pack and a rope?"

"Fine, the door's over there. Now get out of here and go back to planting your eight hundred trees! This will let the company commander see that some people's moral conscience is as thin as paper!"

"You!" Ma Chunmei was so angry she almost fainted.

Several other educated youths nearby couldn't stand it any longer and started whispering amongst themselves:

"Tsk, so much trouble! They don't want to suffer any loss, yet they want to leech credit?"

"Take it or leave it! Don't waste everyone's time!"

"The company commander is watching. Going back to complain? Let's see who the company commander believes!"

Hearing these hurtful words and seeing Du Jianshan's "what can you do to me?" attitude, Ma Chunmei and Ma Jinbao gritted their teeth.

go back?

That windbreak and those eight hundred trees were absolutely a life-threatening job!

In comparison, carrying things is tiring, but at least you can avoid that hell!

"Fine, I'll carry it!" Ma Chunmei squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, fiercely grabbed a canvas bag and slung it over her shoulder, the weight making her shoulder slump.

Ma Jinbao, his face dark with anger, grumbled as he hoisted the bundle of thick hemp rope, which tightened so much that his neck turned red.

"Hmph!" Du Jianshan snorted lightly before turning around: "Grab your weapons, let's go! Comrade Ayiguli, lead the way!"

The group left the company and, under the not-too-scorching morning sun of the Gobi Desert, trudged deeper into the desert.

Aygul walked ahead, occasionally pointing to some inconspicuous clumps of grass or small slopes, explaining in broken Chinese: "This is camel thorn, the roots are deep, it might be wet down there..."

"That small depression dries slowly after rain..."

The few educated youth wearing glasses were holding small notebooks, listening and taking notes, and even taking out a simple compass and pacing device to demonstrate.

Du Jianshan stood with his hands behind his back, looking like a foreman, occasionally glancing over or squatting down to grab a handful of soil and rub it.

They certainly put on quite a show.

In fact, his mind had already sunk into the space, using that subtle sense to scan the ground beneath his feet like a radar.

If you can detect fluctuations in the water flow, then this is a reliable method.

The Ma siblings are in a terrible situation.

The canvas bag was incredibly heavy, and the rope was digging into my throat. I was drenched in sweat and panting heavily after walking only a short distance.

Watching Du Jianshan leisurely "wandering around aimlessly," while he himself was carrying the heaviest equipment like an animal, he felt incredibly frustrated!

"Damn it... Du Jianshan, that bastard... he's just messing with us..." Ma Jinbao complained to his sister in a low voice, panting heavily.

Ma Chunmei was so exhausted that her face turned pale, and sweat soaked her forehead and made her hair stick to her face, making her look even more ferocious.

"Hmph! I think he's just putting on a show! What does he know about finding water? Wandering around like this, there's no way he'll find any water!"