Chapter 265 Aquatic Life (Two Chapters in One)
The merchants asked around where Young Master Guanyue was staying. They brought with them valuable antiques, gorgeous treasures, and all sorts of imported exquisite gadgets, and Young Master Guanyue would surely be willing to spend a fortune on them.
As for the true identity of Master Guanyue, knowledgeable businessmen also have their own answers.
The golden boy under the seat of Guanyin Bodhisattva?
The ignorant people just talk about it, they don't believe it.
This Young Master Guanyue is either a relative of the emperor in the capital or the son of a noble family.
Some people even secretly speculated that Master Guanyue's true identity should be the prince or grandson of a certain king.
The worst case scenario is that he is a prince like Zhao Tingxuan from Liang.
No matter what the rumors are, the merchants prefer to believe that Master Guanyue is the prince, and only the prince is worthy of the gold, silver and jewelry they bring.
Money makes the world go round.
The merchants quickly found where Master Guanyue was staying, but unfortunately they were disappointed. Master Guanyue and his two followers, one black and one white, were not there.
At this time, Chen Guanyue, Loach and Shen Wangxing were looking for water in the mountains.
Although it was cool in the mountains, the three of them were sweating profusely.
Tongzhou is a vast ocean, but three villages here share one water source.
When there were only two villages, fights broke out every year for water. In other places, people would just curse at each other, but Gao Pingmin was a tough guy who would fight to the death.
Now, thanks to the disaster victims reclaiming wasteland, the two original villages have each added dozens of people, and a new village has been built on the endless wasteland nearby.
The two villages became three villages, and water resources became more precious.
Chen Guanyue and the other two had been wandering in the mountains for two days. The vegetation on the mountain was lush, so there must be a hidden water source.
"Xiao Yueyue, come and look, it's very humid here. Is there water underneath?" Loach shouted, pointing to a place.
Chen Guanyue and Shen Wangxing ran over, and sure enough, there were many shade-loving plants growing there, and water droplets were dripping from between the rocks!
Shen Guanyue was overjoyed, snatched the hoe from Shen Wangxing's hand, and smashed it towards the dripping water.
Again and again, after more than ten times, a stream of cool spring water gushed out, spraying his head and face, and Shen Guanyue laughed!
We found the water source, but how do we bring the water down the mountain?
Chen Guanyue thought for a moment and said, “Let’s just measure how far it is from here to the wasteland below.”
The three of them measured the distance from here to the wasteland below and found that it was about four thousand steps.
Four thousand steps. If one person comes to dig it, it will definitely be as difficult as climbing to the sky. But what if there are many people?
If one step is two feet, four thousand steps would be eight thousand feet, eight hundred feet!
If each person digs two zhang a day, then four hundred people can dig a canal of eight hundred zhang in a day. The mountain is hard and there are rocks. Taking these difficulties into account, it will take at most three days to divert water from the mountain.
The three were excited about this discovery. They immediately went down the mountain and persuaded the confused victims to go up the mountain to dig a canal.
But the reality was not as good as planned. It was very difficult to divert water from the mountain, and when encountering big rocks, we had to change the route.
Some people began to back out, others made sarcastic remarks, and a few veteran farmers simply threw their hoes on the ground and stopped digging.
Chen Wangxing became anxious and argued with these people, asking them to dig the canal for their own benefit.
"We won't starve to death if we don't dig. We still have relief food. Besides, I heard that in addition to the relief food given by the government, many wealthy families in the city are also giving out porridge and rice. Instead of digging ditches, we might as well go to the mountains and cut more firewood to save for the winter."
"Yeah, yeah, let's go chop some wood."
Chen Wangxing stamped his feet in anxiety. How could these people be so stupid? When the relief food was all gone and the rich people in the city refused to give them rice, didn't they still have to come and farm honestly?
"We can also go to the city to do odd jobs. When we were in Tongzhou, we would go to the city every year to do odd jobs."
“Odd jobs make more money than farming!”
Chen Wangxing: "But the wasteland you reclaimed is yours, but it will be passed down from generation to generation. You can't do odd jobs for a lifetime!"
"No, my grandpa is over 50 years old and still works as a laborer in the city, earning a few hundred coins a month."
Chen Wangxing asked the sky in silence, he didn't know how to convince these people.
At this moment, a boy of about thirteen or fourteen ran over and shouted, "Master Guanyue has already dug two zhang! Two zhang!"
No one believed that Mr. Guanyue, who was so handsome and elegant that he didn't look like a real person, could dig canals and swing a hoe?
They all ran over to prove that the boy was exaggerating.
But when they went around a huge rock, they saw a new canal. Shen Guanyue was still digging. When he saw them coming, he smiled and said, "I've finished digging mine. Now I'm going to dig yours."
Young Master Guanyue was really digging a canal. The original color of his robe could no longer be seen, and his face was dirty, but he was smiling, revealing his white and neat teeth. There was light in his smile, in his eyes, and on his body.
The old farmer was embarrassed, as if they were making things difficult for a little kid.
The little kid didn't even have calluses on his hands, and it was obvious that he had been brought up in pampered conditions. But now he was digging a canal, digging a canal for them.
Yes, whether there is water source or not has nothing to do with this little kid. Who is this happening for? Isn’t it for them?
What did they do?
Being lazy, making sarcastic remarks, and making things difficult for a kid?
"Daniu, Lao Zhang, Lao Liu, don't sit still, pick up your hoes and start digging together!"
Five days later, a canal was built from top to bottom, flowing into a newly dug pond, and then from the pond to the fields. They no longer had to compete with other villages for water, they had their own water source.
"Master Guanyue, this is the mung bean soup my mother cooked. Have a bowl, it's so sweet!"
"Master Guanyue, try the wild vegetable pancakes my wife made. They're delicious!"
"Master Guanyue, you know a lot. Do you think it's okay for me to plant fruit trees over there?"
In the fields, everyone gathered around Master Guanyue and talked a lot. They didn't know who the royal family was, or who the sons of nobles were. They only knew that Master Guanyue not only asked the government to distribute relief food and farm tools to them, but also helped them to bring water, water that could keep them alive!
Zhao Shiqing on the mountain was also very busy. The heavy rain turned into showers and would continue to rain intermittently every day. All the houses and sheds on the mountain were full, and the temporary tents were also full of people. Xiao Zhen had decided not to send people up the mountain anymore. Only some of the women and children rescued from the flood were sent to the mountain, and the rest were all sent to Huangjiazhuang outside the city.
The Huang family's village was built high, so only a part of it was flooded. Most of the buildings were not flooded, otherwise the life-conscious Qian Zhizhou would not have hidden there.
But now, Qian Zhizhou's good days are over. He is forced by Xiao Zhen to search for surviving victims every day and bury the bodies. If these bodies are not salvaged and allowed to rot in the water, they will cause plague.
There will always be a great plague after a great disaster. Even though the flood has not yet dissipated, the epidemic is still a top priority.
Qian Zhizhou was very tired. Even when he was still single and helping his mother grind tofu, he was not as tired as he was now.
Yes, before this, Qian Zhizhou’s hard work ended after his first wife came into the family.
After he got married, both his mother and he were liberated. He only needed to study, and his mother only needed to give orders.
Qian Zhizhou didn't know what was going on. When he saw those whitened corpses, he actually thought of his deceased wife.
His late wife was virtuous and kind, his late wife was gentle and considerate, his late wife was hardworking and never complained, his late wife supported a family with her tender shoulders.
His late wife was only nineteen years old when she passed away.
Qian Zhizhou only regretted that he had no pen in his hand, otherwise he would have definitely written a "Letter to His Deceased Wife".
His late wife is worth a write-up!
Thinking of his deceased wife, he also thought of his wife, that whore!
The whore received a letter from the capital and left Tongzhou City before the heavy rain in Tongzhou, taking away her gold, silver, and dowry without even saying goodbye.
Just go, why didn’t you take that bastard with you!
When you think of bastards, bastards appear.
"Qian Zhizhou, I have good news for you. My people found a young man today. Upon asking, we found out that he is your eldest son. He is on his way here. Congratulations to the Zhizhou on the reunion of father and son!"
Xiao Zhen smiled and bowed, and that smile made Qian Zhizhou's eyes hurt.
He fled to Huangjiazhuangzi with his second son, and when he left, he deliberately sent his eldest son away.
Tongzhou was flooded, and the state government office was also flooded. That bastard was so young and helpless, and he would definitely not survive on his own. Seeing so many corpses these days, he became more and more certain that the bastard had died long ago.
Unexpectedly, the mysterious Young Master Xiao not only found the bastard, but also sent the bastard to him.
Are you thinking that he didn't die quickly enough and want to make him die of anger?
Qian Dalang arrived, a teenage boy who had become increasingly thin and pale due to days of fright and torture, like a bean sprout that had not yet sprouted.
He walked timidly in front of Qian Zhizhou, opened his mouth, but did not say the word "Dad".
He was no longer a child. From his father's attitude and the ridicule of others, he gradually realized that he was not his father's biological child.
He wanted to ask his mother several times who his biological father was, but he swallowed the words when they came to his lips.
He didn't dare ask, for he was afraid that his mother would tell him that his biological father was a servant, a groom, a coachman, or even a man whose name his mother couldn't even remember.
His father didn't look at him, and he turned his head away and looked at Xiao Zhen.
It was this person who rescued him from the stinking water with dead rats floating in it and gave him a bowl of hot porridge.
"Brother, I lied. I am not this gentleman's son. I am an orphan. I have no home."
Everyone was stunned, even Qian Zhizhou stared in surprise at this adopted son whom he regarded as a shame.
Seeing the surprise in his father's eyes, the young boy let out a long breath. He suddenly felt relaxed both physically and mentally. It turned out that being an orphan was such a pleasant thing.
"What did you say?"
The young man straightened his back. He did not look at Qian Zhizhou again, but said to Xiao Zhen: "Brother, I am a homeless orphan, but I am not a bad boy. I don't eat much, just give me a bowl of rice every day. I can work, and I can read. Can I be a servant to run errands for you?"
Xiao Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly and suddenly smiled: "Okay, I just need a servant to run errands."
Qian Zhizhou's face changed drastically. Although he didn't regard this bastard as his son, it was still an embarrassment for him to let this bastard serve as a servant for this Young Master Xiao.
"No, I don't agree."
Xiao Zhen: "Master Qian, do you know who this child's parents are?"
Qian Zhizhou was startled again. He gritted his teeth and waved his hand: "Forget it, forget it. It's up to you, it's up to you!"
He didn't care anymore. He wanted to calm down and write a sad and lingering eulogy for his late wife who had died many years ago.
Xiao Zhen walked out of the Huang family farm, and the young man followed closely behind him.
Xiao Zhen stopped and said, "You are still missing a name."
The boy looked at him, his eyes clear and firm: "I want to call you Shuisheng, is that okay?"
The moment Xiao Zhen rescued him from the water, it was like he was reborn.
Xiao Zhen smiled: "Shuisheng, what a good name. From now on, you will be called Shuisheng."
Xiao Zhen brought back a boy named Shuisheng. Zhao Shiqing joked, "Hey, you've started picking up people too."
Miss Zhao Er has picked up many people before, but this is the first time for Xiao Zhen.
Xiao Zhen felt a little embarrassed. In his previous life, he would not have picked up this boy. But in this life, perhaps influenced by Zhao Shiqing, when the boy said he wanted to follow him, he did not refuse and agreed immediately.
At this moment, Xia Dachuan walked over quickly: "Second Miss, there's something wrong with the family that went up the mountain five days ago."
Zhao Shiqing asked hurriedly: "What happened? Tell me in detail."
Xia Dachuan was holding a booklet in his hand, which was a list of the rescued people.
Xia Dachuan pointed to one of the pages and said, "Lei Dabao, Lei Erbao, Lei Sanbao, Lei Sibao, Lei Wubao, as well as Lei Dabao's two sons, Lei Dabao and Lei Erbao's wives. There are nine people in the Lei family in total, seven men and two women.
They had no travel permits or luggage, which were said to have been washed away by the flood. They claimed to be from Leijia Village in Yang County.
Zhao Shiqing nodded: "What's wrong?"
At least half of the people who were rescued up the mountain did not have passes, either because they had lost them in the flood or because they had not been brought out in time.
Xia Dachuan said: "This family looks very normal, they live very peacefully in the mountains, never cause trouble, and often take the initiative to help with work.
But the problem lies in their place of origin. The family that went up the mountain yesterday, the old lady and two daughters-in-law, all came from Leijia Village, and they were very familiar with Leijia Village.
According to them, although Leijia Village is called Leijia Village, there is no one with the surname Lei in the village now!
Leijia Village got its name because the Lei family's ancestral tomb is here. The Lei family moved to Wu several decades ago. The current residents all moved here in the last few decades, and there are no people with the surname Lei!
There hasn't been anyone with the surname Lei in Leijia Village for decades, so where did these nine members of the Lei family come from?
Did it come out from the Lei family’s ancestral tomb?
Zhao Shiqing's face was as gloomy as water. She thought of those people who entered the city with weapons, and also of the tragic death of the Dong family in her dream.
"Go ahead and investigate quietly. As long as there are mostly young and strong people in the family, we must investigate carefully. I'll leave this matter to you. Don't alert the enemy."
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