Lu Cijian was taken aback and looked at the person who came. He saw that Jiang Yimian was only holding an oil-paper umbrella and that many parts of her body were already wet. He quickly stepped forward to shield her from the wind and frowned, saying, "Why did you come? Your wound hasn't healed yet and you can't get it wet."
It was raining quite heavily today, and with the wind blowing, the rain, like a beaded curtain, was blown into the umbrella.
Jiang Yimian just smiled and said, "Come out and see if there's anything I can do to help you."
These past few days, Lu Cijian has been leaving early and returning late, and she hasn't had a proper conversation with him. Knowing that he was worried about the flood, she was also extremely anxious and wanted to help, but because of her injury, she was being watched very closely.
Having finally managed to sneak out today, I naturally had to come and take a look.
After not seeing him for a few days, the young man looked tired, his beautiful peach blossom eyes were bloodshot, and some bluish stubble had appeared on his chin.
It's heartbreaking to see them like that.
She said helplessly, "I'm so smart, it's such a waste that you never consult me about the flood."
Lu Cijian was taken aback, and the corners of his lips unconsciously curved up. "Yes, yes, it's my fault. Mianmian, if you have any advice, please give me some pointers."
Jiang Yimian was satisfied then, and asked again, "How did you come up with the idea of replanning the river channel?"
Lu Cijian stared at the riverbank that had been washed away and said, "Qingnan has had its river channel rebuilt many times due to three years of floods, but it has not been adapted to local conditions. Instead, it has been built according to its own ideas."
Even water flows have its own ideas.
"Look, that section of the river is wide enough, yet the banks are still being eroded, proving that there were problems with the construction of the river channel."
They need to build the river channel along the water flow; otherwise, no matter how wide it is built, the riverbanks will be washed away.
Jiang Yimian simply smiled and nodded, "Lord Lu is right, there are indeed problems with the construction of this river channel."
Not only is it too narrow, but it also wasn't built in the direction of the water flow.
Zhao Jie followed their gaze and saw only a pile of washed-out rubble. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "If the river channel is rebuilt, will the floods next year be less severe?"
If there's even more rain next year, the river will still overflow, and those villages—they're not places where the water flows through, are they?
He had never had the opportunity to provide disaster relief before; he had only heard his colleagues in the Ministry of Works mention that the floods in Qingnan were difficult to manage and that simply widening the river channel was no longer feasible.
Looking at it now, I realize that this statement is far too simplistic; it's not just difficult to manage, it's downright intractable.
In the past few days, he went to see several flooded villages, initially thinking that the rising water level had simply made the houses uninhabitable.
Only after going to the village in person did I realize that it wasn't just the water level that had risen; the houses in the village had already been completely washed away.
The water level has already reached half a person's height.
This situation cannot be solved simply by widening the river channel.
Jiang Yimian said earnestly, "There is a way to deal with this. Rain is unavoidable. I think what can be changed is to drain the water in time when the water level rises, so that the people will not suffer too much loss."
Lu Cijian raised an eyebrow and looked at her, "Mianmian, do you have any good ideas?"
During his trip to Qingnan for disaster relief, he made a point of reading through many of the notes written by the officials who had previously managed flood control. He went through almost all of them, but still couldn't find a suitable solution for Qingnan.
Before leaving, the censor specifically told him that flood control would be very difficult and that he should not force himself to do it.
But after arriving and seeing the disaster-stricken people, the destroyed houses, and the flooded farmland, he didn't want to leave easily.
If they cannot resolve the flood problem, these people will suffer year after year.
Jiang Yimian thought for a while before saying, "Dig more flood discharge reservoirs and build dams. This will not only reduce the impact of water falling from a height, but also allow for timely detection of water level anomalies and prompt action."
In areas with abundant rainfall, reservoirs and dikes are usually built to prevent flooding.
The reason why the floods in Qingnan have been so severe in recent years is that there are no reservoirs for flood discharge.
If there were more reservoirs, Qingnan wouldn't be in its current state.
In the past, when people mentioned Qingnan, most would say that it was a rich and beautiful place, a rare gem.
But in recent years, all that's mentioned is the floods.
The girl stood in the wind and rain, holding an oil-paper umbrella. Her slender figure looked as if she could be blown over by a gust of wind, but her words were exceptionally earnest and firm.
Lu Cijian's eyes lit up instantly. He shifted his gaze from Jiang Yimian to the narrow river in front of him. After a while, he suddenly said, "You mean we can build a reservoir in advance, and when we find that the upstream water flow has increased abnormally, we can open the gate to release the flood and let the water flow into the wider river downstream through the reservoir?"
In this way, could the swift current have been prevented from rushing directly into the village and causing serious consequences?
Jiang Yimian nodded, secretly marveling at Lu Cijian's comprehension. She was afraid that saying too much would arouse suspicion, but she didn't expect Lu Cijian to understand her meaning so quickly.
This method can minimize the consequences of flooding.
While it can't solve the flood, it can at least clearly let people know that the water level is rising, allowing them to react in advance.
Lu Cijian reached out and pulled Jiang Yimian into his arms, his tone filled with excitement and seriousness, "With such talent as Mianmian, it's a real pity she's not an official."
Compared to Mianmian, those incompetent ministers in the court were utterly useless.
If the Great Jin Dynasty had more talents like Mianmian, how could it not prosper?
Jiang Yimian raised an eyebrow, lifted her head from the young man's embrace, and teased with a smile, "Of course, Lord Lu, why don't you consider letting me get a position in the Censorate?"
Lu Cijian curled his lips into a smile. "If Mianmian wants to enter the Censorate, His Majesty will surely grant her request based on the water control method you proposed today."
Jiang Yimian was so frightened that she quickly waved her hand and subconsciously said, "I don't want to join the Censorate. It would be enough if one of my family members were an official in the court."
She prefers doing business and making money.
She really didn't want to get involved in the murky waters of officialdom.
Lu Cijian was taken aback when he heard this. He stared at Jiang Yimian for a while before smiling and saying, "Yes, Mianmian is right. It's good if there is an official in the family. Mianmian can do whatever she wants."
Jiang Yimian belatedly realized that what she had just said was somewhat inappropriate, and immediately smiled helplessly.
She didn't know when it started, but subconsciously she began to consider Lu Cijian as family.
She seemed to have long been used to him being by her side.
Her gaze fell on the retreating figure, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
These past two days, seeing Lu Cijian working day and night thinking about how to control the floods, she was worried.
But Lu Cijian acted as if nothing was wrong, keeping herself extremely busy all day long.
Fortunately, she had learned about some flood control measures beforehand; otherwise, the flood in Qingnan would have been truly difficult to resolve.
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