Chapter 338: Bridge Repair
Su Tai felt very upset too. She comforted Huang Xinghua while taking her back to the village.
After Liu Laosan left, it was time for Shen Yi, the town official of Dahe Town, to take office.
As a town official, he couldn't be illiterate, so Shen Yi brought Shen Yuezhang and Shen Congrong with him, and asked the two children to help him and teach him to read and write.
Within two days, everyone knew about this, and Liu Tiechui even came to watch the fun.
"Brother Shen, if you really need help, just tell me and I'll find you some literate assistants to help you!"
Now that both of them are town officials, no one is higher than the other, so they can talk more easily.
Shen Yi raised his lips in amusement, “Thank you for your kindness, Brother Liu. I have these two children at my disposal, and I don’t plan to hire anyone for the time being.”
"Hey! You're really brave! Although the town magistrate is not an official, he still has to deal with a lot of important matters, such as counting grain, cooperating with the government to collect taxes, handling disputes among the people, managing construction and agricultural affairs, etc. When the people have problems, they will find you first, and then the county government. You let your two children take the lead, aren't you afraid of making mistakes?" Liu Tiechui kindly analyzed to Shen Yi.
Shen Yi listened carefully and said, “Thank you, Brother Liu, for your reminder, but the old town official still has some old people. If there is no big problem, I don’t need to arrange new people for the time being to avoid any trouble.”
Liu Tiechui could understand. "Just know the situation yourself. I won't say more. But when are you moving?"
"Moving? Moving what?" Shen Yi was puzzled. He had just built a big house in the village. All his assets were here. Why did he need to move?
Liu Tiechui was speechless. "Brother, you are the town official of Dahe Town. How can you live in Moshi Town? It will be inconvenient to find you if there is an emergency over there!"
Shen Yi fell into deep thought.
After Liu Tiechui left, he told Su Tai about the situation.
Su Tai said, "I think Liu Tiechui is right. As a town official, you should really live in Dahe Town for a long time. There's no need to move. We still have the Guokui business in the village, and we can't give it up. Plus, we have so many livestock at home, and we can't do anything without people. The best way is for us to buy a house in Dahe Town, and you can live there for a long time. The children and I will come to see you when we have time, or you can come back when you have time."
Shen Yi was not very happy, but he knew that Su Tai's method was the most appropriate, but he was also worried.
Almost every year, people fall into the Daxun River while crossing the river, and deaths often occur. In his opinion, the river is very dangerous, and he is worried about letting his wife and children cross the river alone.
"I'll think about it."
For several days in a row, Shen Yi continued to travel back and forth between Dahe Town and Shenjiazhuang every day. He left home before dawn and came back under the stars and the moon. He did not look very happy.
It was only after Su Tai's repeated questioning that he expressed his concerns.
Su Tai stared at him with eyes wide open for a long time, and then an idea flashed in her mind, "I got it! We can build a bridge! Yes! Build a bridge! Husband, if you can build a bridge when you are a town official, you will definitely be remembered forever!"
The more Su Tai thought about it, the more he felt that this method was feasible. Firstly, building a bridge would benefit the country and the people. Secondly, this was a major project. A good bridge could be used for at least a hundred years and would benefit future generations.
Shen Yi was shocked by Su Tai's bold idea, "No, no! Wife, do you know how much silver it costs to build a bridge? Dahe Town is not Xiaoshizi River. We don't need such craftsmen here."
Su Tai blinked calmly and licked her lips, "Husband, have you forgotten that I have special skills? Just because no one here can do it doesn't mean it can't be done!"
Shen Yi was dumbfounded, "Wife, are you serious?"
Su Tai nodded heavily, "Let's try to understand it first. Tell me some information about the Daxun River."
Chen Yi knew Su Tai's personality. She would definitely try to do something she decided to do, so it was useless to stop her.
He had no choice but to describe the situation of the Daxun River in detail.
"The main flow of the Daxun River comes from the ice sheet. The flood season is stable, with more water in summer and less water in winter. But the river is frozen and nothing can be done. The widest part of the Daxun River is about two miles, and the narrowest part is more than one mile. It is the narrowest past our Shenjiazhuang, otherwise people would not get on the boat from here.
I have never seen a bridge that long. Even if it could be built, it would not be safe. What if someone walked into the middle of the river and the bridge collapsed? We cannot take the responsibility if something really happened!"
Shen Yi also wanted to persuade Su Tai to give up this unrealistic idea.
Su Tai left thoughtfully, and first went to Golden Time to find the owner of the unpowered tool customization shop and briefly explained the situation to him.
After the boss listened carefully to her situation, he immediately helped her find information. "Madam, according to what you said, transportation is inconvenient in relatively backward areas, and we still need to build such a long bridge. My suggestion is to build a floating bridge."
"Floating bridge?" Su Tai's eyes lit up, she knew there would be a way.
The boss nodded and said, "There are many materials for making floating bridges, such as wood, bamboo, foam, sheepskin, cowhide, etc. It is best to use local materials. These are the basic materials for building floating bridges. We can make other auxiliary materials in our store, such as protective nets, steel frames, etc."
The boss explained many production methods in detail. Su Tai wrote them down one by one and stayed with the boss for half a day before going back.
"You mean building a floating bridge?" Shen Yi looked at Su Tai with a serious face in astonishment.
Su Tai took out the information she had sorted out and said, "According to what the boss said, I think we can use sheepskin and cowhide. If it can't be repaired in one year, we can repair it in two years. If it can't be repaired in two years, we can repair it in three to five years. One day, we can repair this mile-long floating bridge. Don't you think so?"
Shen Yi's heart trembled suddenly. Looking at the emotions surging in Su Tai's eyes, his throat seemed to be blocked and he couldn't speak.
It took him a long time to calm down. He went forward and hugged her tightly. "Xiao Tai, thank you, thank you for taking so much trouble for me. The floating bridge you mentioned is really possible and very safe. For you two, I will try my best to make it come true."
He was too narrow-minded. Su Tai's words opened up his world and he had some ideas about what to do next.
Shenjiazhuang belongs to Moshi Town, and the other side is Dahe Town. If we want to build a bridge between the two sides, we need to discuss it with Liu Tiechui.
Shen Yi took the things to Liu's house.
Liu Tiechui thought he was here to ask questions, but he didn't expect Shen Yi to say that he wanted to repair the bridge.
Liu Tiechui nearly choked to death on his saliva. He jumped up from the stool and pointed at him excitedly, "Are you crazy? Building a bridge over the Daxun River. Are you rich or just bored? What are you thinking!"
Liu Tiechui's subconscious reaction was that Shen Yi was making trouble.
Chen Yi stated his plan seriously, "I've thought about it. Building a floating bridge is feasible and safe. If you agree, I'll spread the news. Let's raise money first. It's voluntary. As long as you donate money, we'll erect a stone tablet by the river and engrave your name on it. It will be passed down through the ages. How do you think?"
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