Chapter 30 Exquisite
The next morning, Zhou Cheng and Liu Yu arrived at the Guangxi County settlement. After meeting up with Liang Chengdong, the three of them each took guns, bullets, and various supplies, and drove the pickup truck that Zhang Cheng had driven before, heading forward along the slightly dilapidated road.
Liu Yu's hometown, Yuanwei County, is about five or six hundred kilometers away from Guangxi County today, and can be reached in about a day.
Leaving Guangxi County, the former bustling scene quickly faded. The roads became deserted once again, with not a single car in sight for a long time. Abandoned buildings once again appeared on both sides of the road.
After speeding all the way, the car stopped at a bridge outside the former Wei County settlement in the evening.
"This is it."
When the three got off the car, they saw a small river about ten meters wide stretching into the distance like a jade belt.
The river flows quietly, with fish occasionally jumping out of the water. On both sides of the river, large areas of green grass and wild flowers of various colors sway in the wind, and bursts of refreshing fragrance continue to waft on the breeze.
Above the river, a quaint wooden bridge connects the two sides of the river.
It is an arch bridge with the main structure made entirely of wood. There is no pile foundation in the middle, and it spans the entire river.
The moment he saw the wooden bridge, Liang Chengdong's expression became serious.
He carefully climbed down the riverbank, moved closer to the edge of the wooden bridge, and looked carefully. After a while, perhaps because he couldn't see clearly, he took out some equipment from the pickup truck and looked carefully.
While waiting for Liang Chengdong to observe, Liu Yu said with some emotion: "My mother told me that this wooden bridge was built before I was born. It has been at least 20 years now.
When I was little, my parents would often bring me here to play, fish, and catch grasshoppers. But now they're old and usually don't leave the cradle anymore."
Zhou Cheng suddenly thought of his parents.
They are old and will only stay in the settlement in Dali County and generally will not leave.
Zhou Cheng knew that the reason why the world government did not take centralized care of these young people who were thawed from embryos and developed into adults, but instead deliberately assigned them to the elderly to be raised, was nothing more than to enhance the young people's sense of belonging to human civilization.
So far, this strategy of the world government has been very successful.
Although they are not related by blood, Liu Yu, himself, and other classmates all have extremely deep feelings for their parents.
"When I have time, I should go back to visit my parents."
Zhou Cheng thought silently.
Time passed slowly, and the sun gradually set in the west. But Liang Chengdong's observation was not over yet.
“How was this bridge built?”
"My mother told me that this bridge was built under the supervision of Uncle Feng Lan.
Uncle Feng's family seems to be a family of wooden arch bridge builders. Since his grandfather's generation, they have been specialized in building wooden bridges for many scenic spots. Uncle Feng also learned this craft from a young age.
My mother said she had seen the government at the time give Uncle Feng's family medals and plaques, saying it was an intangible cultural heritage and needed to be well protected. It was quite lively at the time.
But then… the catastrophe struck, the twilight years arrived, the scenic area was gone, and no one asked Uncle Feng to build the wooden bridge anymore, so Uncle Feng’s personality started to become erratic.”
"Uncle Feng has a weird personality?"
"Yeah, he has a bad temper. It might have something to do with all the things he learned all his life suddenly being useless. When the settlement was first established and everyone moved in together, Uncle Feng would often quarrel and fight with others.
But he loved me very much. When I was little, he would save the delicious food for me, never scolding me or hitting me, and would even play with me.
"Then this wooden bridge..."
"My mother told me there used to be a concrete bridge over the river. It collapsed around 33 or 34 after the disaster. People in the settlement complained to the government, but no one came to repair it.
Uncle Feng suggested building a wooden bridge. He could do it if everyone was willing to help him get the wood.
Everyone thought that the government's bridge-building team might not be able to arrive soon. They had never heard of a new bridge being built in all these years, so they listened to Uncle Feng's words.
Then, under the command of Uncle Feng, the people in our settlement built the bridge by themselves, so we no longer have to take a long detour when going to the city.
My mother told me that during that time, Uncle Feng was in the best of spirits. He was a completely different person, even his legs and feet were much more flexible. But after the bridge was built, not long after, Uncle Feng became his old self again, arguing and cursing all day long. Soon, his health began to deteriorate, too. "Alas..."
Liu Yu shook his head and sighed softly.
At this time, Liang Chengdong finally completed the inspection.
His lips trembled slightly and his eyes were filled with a strange light.
"I can't believe it, I can't believe it... A wooden bridge can be built like this. I was just a frog in a well.
Director Xiao Zhou, I've looked it over carefully, and the wooden bridge plan might actually be feasible. Where is Master Feng Lan? Let's go find him."
Liu Yu raised his head proudly: "I'll tell you."
Zhou Cheng asked, "Is the structure of this wooden bridge very ingenious? Is it difficult?"
Liang Chengdong said, "In terms of technical content alone, it's far inferior to regular steel bridges. But how should I put it... these can probably be considered two different technical approaches."
Steel bridges are good, but they're almost lost. This wooden arch bridge is simple, but it has a complete set of technology."
Zhou Cheng was a little confused: "Is it simple or sophisticated?"
Liang Chengdong said, "Simple refers to the basic principle, which is nothing more than transmitting force to both sides of the bridge through the arch structure. Exquisite refers to the ingenious technical details. This requires a deep understanding of wood as a material, which is different from the steel and concrete used in our steel bridges."
Zhou Cheng nodded: "I think I understand. Then, let's go."
The three of them drove across the wooden bridge and arrived at the gate of the former Wei County settlement.
A white-haired old man poked his head out from the steel gate's observation tower.
Liu Yu got out of the car and shouted excitedly: "Uncle Liu, it's me, I'm back!"
The confusion on the old man's face instantly turned into excitement.
"It's Xiaoyu, Xiaoyu is back? Okay, okay, wait, I'll open the door for you right away.
Everyone come out, Xiaoyu is back! Our Xiaoyu is back! "
The steel gate was opened from the inside, and the car drove in, and the elderly people from the former Wei County settlement gathered around.
Two of the old men came to Liu Yu excitedly.
"Xiaoyu is back? Good, good..."
"Dad, Mom!"
Liu Yu screamed, rushed over and hugged the two of them, his voice choked with sobs.
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