Leyou Township has mulberry and jujube forests. Because it is located next to the Wei River, floods are frequent in summer. The imperial court planted trees to prevent damage and also to increase farmers' income.
Spring brings growth and summer brings growth. At this time, the trees are in full bloom, with dense mulberry leaves and green jujube buds. As far as the eye can see, the scenery is full of green, which makes people feel refreshed.
The two did not take the main road, but instead followed a fork in the road, separated from the group, and walked to the river bank.
A gentle breeze blew, ruffling the leaves and bringing out their fragrance. A jujube branch reached out to Xu Jiang, who casually intercepted it, plucked two young buds, and chewed them, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.
"I've heard that tea made from jujube buds has the effect of calming the mind and nourishing the complexion. I wonder if they sell any in Leyou Township? If you come across them, we can buy some and take them back later, okay?"
"Um."
Xu Jiang lowered her eyes, but saw only the hat but no one, so she reached out and knocked on the brim of the hat, "Look up."
Lou Yunchun looked up in confusion, and the next moment a date bud was stuffed into his mouth. He rubbed it with his teeth, and the bitterness between his lips and teeth made him frown.
"Date sprouts can reduce internal heat. Do you want to eat two more?" Xu Jiang said, and pretended to pick more.
Lou Yunchun hurriedly shook his head, "No." Then he added, "I'm not angry."
Xu Jiang didn't believe it, "Then why are you so depressed?"
Lou Yunchun was silent for a moment, then rubbed his shoulder and said, "I pulled a muscle while driving the horse just now."
"Ah?" Xu Jiang was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, which scared away a flock of birds that were pecking at mulberry flowers.
Lou Yunchun lowered the brim of his hat, revealing only his tightly pursed lips.
Xu Jiang nearly fell off her horse laughing. Seeing that he was embarrassed by her laughter, she forced herself to control her voice, suppressing the laughter in her throat, and asked, "Are you feeling better now?"
"Still a little sore."
"Come here, let me give you a massage."
Xu Jiang pulled the horse closer, and Lou Yunchun also pulled the donkey towards her.
She leaned over and kneaded him, then couldn't help laughing and said, "You said you can drive if you want, why pull a horse? If you don't pull the tendons, who will?"
Lou Yunchun retorted, "You told me to leave quickly."
"Oh, you're blaming me now? It's not like I can't ride a horse, I'm asking you to show off." Xu Jiang squeezed hard, making him hiss. Then she quickly softened her grip, patted him, and snorted, "You jealous bastard."
Lou Yunchun tapped her lightly on the back of her hand and drove the donkey forward.
"Hey, you dare to hit me." Xu Jiang caught up with him, plucked a few mulberry leaves and threw them at him, hitting Lou Yunchun and making him laugh.
The mulberry leaves fell to the ground and became food for the stubborn donkey. It ate them with such joy that it simply stopped walking.
"Good donkey." Xu Jiang smiled proudly on his horse, "See if you can still run."
Lou Yunchun tugged at the donkey, but it was only busy rolling up some mulberry leaves, its hooves motionless. He couldn't help but slap it. He finally understood why Xu Jiang liked to call it a stupid donkey.
The two men played around for a while and continued walking along the river bank. Not far away, they saw an old man holding a rope with stones tied to it and throwing them into the river.
This is measuring the water level.
When the two approached, he had already reeled in the rope and was counting the stone knots with a frown, "Strange."
Xu Jiang casually asked, "What's so strange about that?"
The old man looked up at the sound and replied, "The water level has dropped a bit compared to a few days ago." He then said, "Every year at this time, the upstream sluice gate releases water to irrigate the canal. Logically, the water level should be rising, but why is it falling instead of rising?"
Lou Yunchun asked, "Have you asked the Doumen chief?"
The old man nodded and said, "I asked, and they said to wait a few more days."
Xu Jiang asked, "How much has been surrendered?"
The old man raised the rope and said, "Four feet."
Four feet? That much?
Xu Jiang looked into the river and saw that the water lines on both sides had indeed receded a lot. But when she looked more carefully, she found that the river flow was abnormally slow, and the water was clear at the top and turbid at the bottom. The scene was a bit weird.
There's something wrong with this water.
"Old man, where does this water come from?"
"Over there." The old man pointed to the mountains in the distance to the southwest.
Xu Jiang looked in the direction he pointed, which was the direction of Longquan Township, which was also close to the Wei River. Looking beyond Longquan Township and into the distance, there were endless mountains, and on the top of the mountains, a line of ominous black clouds was floating.
Xu Jiang looked at the black cloud and felt a little nervous, with an indescribable uneasiness.
She exhaled slowly, then dismounted and walked to the river to check. Lou Yunchun also got off the car and followed her.
"What's wrong?"
"There's something wrong with this water." Xu Jiang looked at the fish swimming close to the grass on both sides of the river. "I'm afraid something's going to happen."
Xu Jiang had previously encountered a similar situation while traveling along Wu Gorge to Kuizhou: the river was clear at the top and turbid at the bottom, either because of a blockage upstream or because soil had been lost along both banks and swept into a branch channel by an undercurrent.
And soil loss will not cause the water level to drop.
She asked Lou Yunchun, "What was that Ministry of Works official in charge of that I just met?"
Lou Yunchun thought for a moment and said, "I was just transferred to the position of Doctor of the Water Department."
"Let's go find him!" Xu Jiang then said to the old man, "Old man, this river is about to flood. If you know the head of the Doumen here, please tell him immediately and ask him to send someone to inspect the river to check for siltation. Then, dredge it before the rain falls upstream. If dredging is not possible, evacuate the villagers as soon as possible to avoid disaster."
The old man asked, "How did you know there was going to be a flood?"
"Didn't you just say the water level dropped four feet? Look at the water in the river again. It's flowing slowly, and the water is clear at the top and turbid at the bottom, clearly a sign of siltation. I suspect the sluice gates upstream must have been opened to release water, but something is blocking the river, preventing the water from flowing down, thus delaying the irrigation of the canal. Also, look at the sky. Mountain rain is approaching upstream. If it triggers a flash flood, and the upstream is unaware of the situation and opens the sluice gates to release the water downstream, the blocked dam will be breached, and the consequences will be disastrous."
This was exactly what she had experienced in Wu Gorge. A landslide had blocked the river, and then, with days of heavy rain, a flash flood swept through the blocked area, submerging countless houses and fertile fields. Fortunately, due to the frequent occurrence of such disasters in the area, the local canal head was alert. While inspecting the river, he discovered the hidden danger and promptly informed the water inspector, who evacuated the people, including her. Otherwise, she would have been swept away and would never have reached the capital.
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