Chapter 306: Dry Land Turns into Fertile Farmland
Wu Baoan nodded happily, "Qing girl is really great. We have blocked this hole before and wanted to let the water flow downstream, but it didn't work at all.
The waterway under the stone may look small, but it can wash away anything that is put in it, and it cannot be blocked at all.
Now, with this bucket, we can store the water."
Chen Qingqing wrapped a few hemp ropes around the joints of the iron pipe, picked up the wrench she had prepared long ago, and tightened the screws clockwise. As her strength was limited, she handed the wrench to Erdanzi and others beside her.
"Follow my instructions and connect all the iron pipes together. Remember, wrap the thin hemp rope around the joints several times before tightening them with a wrench. Don't let even a drop of water leak out, or the iron pipes will corrode and rust, making them less durable."
"Don't worry, Qing girl, we will remember this."
Everyone agreed and started working separately.
Some people connected the iron pipes, and some people were responsible for reinforcing the pipes.
Strength lies in numbers. Before sunset, all the iron pipes from the middle of the mountain to the bottom of the mountain had been connected.
Wu Baoan opened his eyes wide as he watched the spring water flowing out of the pipe, his mouth wide with joy. "Great, we succeeded."
At this moment, the villagers also cheered and rejoiced.
"Great, the water is really coming down."
"Yes, this is all thanks to Qingyatou. She is really a lucky star for our village. With water, this large piece of land can be turned into fertile farmland. We don't have to worry about drought anymore."
"You're right. Qing girl has done a great thing for our village."
Facing the praise from everyone, Chen Qingqing just smiled faintly.
"Thank you for your praise. This is the result of our joint efforts, not just my own efforts."
"What a humble and good kid. He was dumb and sloppy when he was little, but I never expected him to be so smart and capable when he grew up."
"Who says it's not true? Fortunately, I wasn't married to Butcher Li by Old Man Chen and his wife. If that were the case, our village wouldn't have such a good life today."
"That's right. My wife can earn 300 coins a month at the sugar mill, which is more than what she earns from farming. This is all thanks to Qing."
"That's right. If it weren't for Qing girl, our family wouldn't have enough to eat right now."
Hearing what the villagers said, Wu Baoan felt the same way. He waved his hands to everyone, signaling them to be quiet.
"Fellow villagers, Qing Yatou has worked so hard to turn this dry land into fertile farmland, and we are all happy to enjoy the fruits of her labor. However, the expenses involved cannot be borne by Qing Yatou alone. Don't you agree?"
"You see, there's no such thing as a free lunch. I appear to be selfless, but in reality, I won't suffer any loss at all." Old man Chen snorted and smiled sourly.
Old Mrs. Chen's face was so gloomy that it looked like she could squeeze water out of it. This damn Wu Baoan was really lacking in virtue.
No wonder he agreed so readily when I gave him these acres of dry land a few days ago.
It turns out that he already knew that this damn girl had a way to divert the water down the mountain.
The dry land turned into fertile fields, but now I have suffered a great loss.
If I had known this would happen, I should have divided the family property in half, and there would still be two acres of land left, which would be worth twenty taels of silver if sold at all.
But now, it’s like giving the money to Chen Zhanliang, that unfilial and ungrateful guy, for nothing.
At this moment, I really wanted to get the four acres of land back, but I had already signed the contract and couldn't deny it.
She was now pounding her head in regret and wanted to die.
Old Mrs. Chen spat fiercely on the ground and glared at Old Man Chen. "You are so bored. We don't have any land here. Why are you meddling in this shit? Go home now."
After saying that, she left without looking back.
Old man Chen didn't dare to say anything more and chased after him happily.
Chen Qingqing didn't expect Wu Baoan to fight for her interests. These dozens of taels of silver were nothing to her, but if the villagers were willing to share it, she would not refuse.
If the villagers were unwilling and took her efforts for granted, then she wouldn't need to be so kind in the future. She would just have to save face...
Just as I was thinking about it, all the villagers started to express their opinions.
"Li Zheng, you are right. I agree to bear the cost."
"That's right, Qing girl's money didn't come from the wind, we must share it equally."
"Yes, I agree."
"I agree."
Chen Qingqing was a little surprised. After all, they were all farmers and could not save more than two taels of silver in a whole year. If they shared the money equally, each family would have to spend more than one tael of silver. For them, this was not a small amount.
Liang Fugui, who was in the crowd, asked, "Village head, just tell me how much this fee is. My family doesn't have any cash right now, but don't worry, I'll definitely give the money to Qingyatou after the beets are harvested in the fall."
Wu Baoan nodded with satisfaction, "I know that no one is rich now, so we don't have to pay for this. Don't we have public land in our village?
If anyone wants to build a house or cultivate land in the future, they can give the money from selling the public land to Qing Yatou.
This way, everyone doesn't have to pay a penny, and it also solves the cost of bringing the water down the mountain. What do you think of this idea?"
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, and the matter was settled.
On the way home, Chen Qingqing felt a little lonely. Xiaoyu left in such a hurry, and she didn't know how he was doing now.
I've been taking care of him for so long, you can't just sneak away!
If you had at least told me, I could have brought you some antidote pills to prevent you from being poisoned again...
As she approached the door, Chen Qingqing shook her head vigorously to retract all her thoughts, with an indifferent look on her face.
Forget it, everyone has their own aspirations. Since he’s gone, there’s no need to worry about him anymore. Just live your own life!
Lin was washing vegetables in the yard. Seeing Chen Qingqing coming back, she hurriedly asked with a smile, "Qing girl, I just heard from Fugui's wife that you really did divert water down the mountain with that iron pipe."
"Yes, mother, with the water, we won't have to worry about the harvest on our two acres of land anymore." Chen Qingqing looked around and said, "Where's my eldest brother? Has he not come back yet?"
"No, maybe something delayed me. Let's wait a little longer!"
"He said he'd come back this month, but he keeps putting it off. Now it's been five days, and he's still working for Wu Shiren for nothing. Is he stupid?"
"Your eldest brother is not stupid, he is honest. If the business in the store is really too busy, he will definitely not be able to just walk away. It's better to wait a few days!"
"Yes, my eldest brother is too honest and can never put down his face. If he doesn't come back in a few days, I have to go find him, otherwise he will never come back."
Chen Qingqing had already made up her mind that since her parents already had a source of income, if they could help Chen Feng open a restaurant as soon as possible, she could then go back to do what she liked.
......
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
